Mood of a Season New... here in Tappan, New York

lambent blue and clouds of light

gentle wind and sun lovingly bright

be we embraced this new Fall day

the blessed grace of God's Way

the firmament heralds heartfelt love

the glory upon earth from the heavens above.

Rose Marie Raccioppi 

Poet Laureate

Orangetown, New York

Photo: Lambent Blue, CAR, Collectible Clicks, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2019

At Old Hook Farm

a flower in its grace of bloom

touched be this heart...

Photo: Grace of Bloom, CAR, Collectible Clicks, 
©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2019.

And so the Pain, and so the QUESTING for PEACE, the call of our PULSING HEARTS

On this day of September 11, 2019

“And so the Pain, and so the QUESTING for PEACE, the call of our PULSING HEARTS 

Here gathered we pause to remember, to grieve with families and friends of those who were victims of a merciless attack, and to honor the heroes, the first responders of the day, 

and each day since, who have suffered the pain, and loss of life,  from the devastating effects of toxins 

upon lungs, heart and BEING.

With prayer and blessings, today 18 years since the day of tragic loss, the human spirit prevails.. and yet we ask..

Where does the pain go
When man annihilates man
When terror rules reason and heart
When the unspeakable defies God’s name.

This the lament, the cry, the ever present echo of 9/11

Tears, heartache, shock, beyond all conceal

For the pain, the horrors, remain real
Time alone does not ease the grief, the pain
For the inward scars of loss long long remain
Deep within, a blessed wise, to hold, to embrace
Memory of our loved ones within heart we place
Tales of responders, heroic be each deed
Humanity and care, held as a living creed

And we ask anew

Where does the pain go
When a life is saved
When love holds a memory
When grace touches the tearful heart

Where does the pain go
When spirit and soul awaken faith
When destiny abides in God’s light
When the silence offers guidance

Where does the pain go
When determination and resolve assemble
When purpose and plan are set forth
When in the name of God, life, beauty and love are called .

And so we gather

In dedication, in honor, and with everlasting love

The souls that dwell within the heavens above.

And in praise, hear we the sounding call of each name

The dreams, the visions held, let us proclaim

In our hearts grant each their completed goals

PEACE onto our pulsing hearts and departed souls.

Thank You.

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate

Orangetown, New York

...listen...

hear the songbird song

hear the gentle flutter of wings in flight

hear the rustle of leaves as winds blow

hear the sway of branch and bough

hear your footsteps as they touch the ground

hear the pulsing heart

hear the presence of life itself

breath, breath, breath

can there be any greater music…

Rose Marie Raccioppi

APOGEE Poet

Looking Skyward...

For once you have tasted flight 

you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, 
for there you have been 

and there you will long to return. 

~Leonardo da Vinci

And when your Son captures you looking skyward... 
a pause at the Tappan Memorial Park, Tappan, New York,
 feeling the embrace of the sun and the grace of the day ...
blessed be the moment...

In Haiku Reflection

to be in stillness
butterflies in lilting flight
blessed be God's grace.


Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York

Photo; Looking Skyward, CAR, Collectible Clicks, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2019

Touched by the hand...

Such a beautiful day... At Old Hook Farm...

So delicate be this flower of violet grace
Touched by the hand and in heart to place
Color brilliant and ever so sweetly bold
Within its splendor Creation's story told.
 
Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York

Photo: Touched by the hand, CAR, Collectible Clicks, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2019.

A glance away...

in haiku reflection

alchemic it is 

nature in frivolity 

but a glance away.

A  glance away...

To the left of my computer desk, on the second floor of my home, is a window that overlooks a garden of green. Closest is the Dogwood Tree with its amber, gold and red leaves, heralding the coming days of Fall. To the left and right of the Dogwood is bamboo, and further back are oak trees, and pine trees of many seasons.  Here I,  above ground, as the afternoon winds blow, branches bearing leaves sway in lilting grace. Quietude fills my space, and all of nature’s frivolity is but a glance away.

As a young child I would look to the sky for solace, for what I perceived to be GOD,  and unconditional love, for God gave the same sky to me, as HE did to kings and queens. What was on high was to be untouched by hands, to remain pure in its intent, to be where GOD choose to be. In a city wrought with ceaseless activity, I imagined myself in a choir of angels singing sweetly as did the songbirds perched in trees on high.

In reflection, in reverence, I behold the world on high, the tall trees that ascend to spaces above Earth’s ground,  to the nourishment of the sun, the fires that sustain, of the rain, the waters that refresh, of the moving currents of air, the breath of life itself.

YES, quietude fills my space, and all of nature’s frivolity is but a glance away.

Rose Marie Raccioppi

Poet Laureate

Orangetown, New York

Photo: A glance away, CAR Collectible Clicks, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2019.

Blessings of toil and bounty... Labor Day 2019.

And there it is... the delights of Old Hook Farm... LABOR of the land... and so from farm to table, labor of grace, labor of bounty...

With gratitude,

Rose Marie Raccioppi

In Haiku Reflection

the grace of labor

blessings of toil and bounty

of hand, soil, and sun.

Photo: Old Hook Farm, Rose Marie Raccioppi, Collectible Clicks, CAR, 2019.