"O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave."

 "O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave."

The tributes delivered, the parades in honor, the words in gratitude, and held be the Freedoms and the Human Rights our Founding Fathers brought forth. And since that first sighting of that "Star Spangled Banner," to the Flags that yet wave "O'er the land of the free and the home of the brace," we are beholden to the sacrifices of OUR VETERANS ~ Our Sons and Our Daughters who gave their lives in valor. 

Let our vesper prayers of heart, resound with the deepest of gratitude, the deepest of respect, the deepest of reverence, as we greet the closing hours of Memorial Day ~ 2022.

And here for us to newly appreciate: Complete version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" showing spelling and punctuation from Francis Scott Key's manuscript in the Maryland Historical Society collection.

"O say can you see, by the dawn's early light,

What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming, Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight O'er the ramparts we watch'd were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the bomb bursting in air,

Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there,

O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes, What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep, As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses? Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam, In full glory reflected now shines in the stream,

'Tis the star-spangled banner - O long may it wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore,

That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion

A home and a Country should leave us no more?

Their blood has wash'd out their foul footstep's pollution. No refuge could save the hireling and slave

From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave, And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O thus be it ever when freemen shall stand

Between their lov'd home and the war's desolation!

Blest with vict'ry and peace may the heav'n rescued land Praise the power that hath made and preserv'd us a nation! Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,

And this be our motto - "In God is our trust,"

And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave."

Respectfully,

Rose Marie Raccioppi

Postcard of the Original Star-Spangled Banner

Smithsonian Libraries and Archives

https://www.si.edu/spotlight/flag-day/banner-facts

YES, the American Flag has been treasured throughout my youth, school years, teens, and adult years. In 4th Grade, I was Betsy Ross in a school play. The American Flag was hand crafted, and I was the one to sew the the white stars on the blue ... that Star Spangled Banner, became the symbol of Freedom that was to ever wave... the Blood, the Truth, the Vision, symbolized by the Red, White and Blue. 

The presentation by Betsy Ross of the first American flag to George Washington.

The Birth of Old Glory, c1917, Edward Percy Moran, 1862-1935.

~

Memorial Day Tribute to OUR VETERANS ~ 2022

 

As a child of WW II, and witness to all the conflicts leading to oppression and the ultimate claim for freedom and victory anew, I have come to hold in reverent admiration hearts of valor, and so words in tribute.

Heartfelt be these words and remembrances. Heartfelt be the sacrifices, the loss, the vision, the victory, the freedoms to prevail. So this be known... Memorial Day, 2022
 
And they who for country and freedom in battle perish
We to weep and in loving memory with gratitude cherish
For each life that was lives in God's embrace sublime
Ever blessed be their souls in soaring grace divine
The pulsing, sounding, recording within our heart
From which memory and sentiment have their start
Of dearly loved ones who once filled our day
Their souls taken to another path, to the eternal way
We share gestures and words that lovingly hold to grace
And within our BEING it is tenderness we place
All in reflection of sacrifice and noble deed
The cry of Freedom, ever our living creed
The gifts of LIFE with vision blessed and bold
This the giving within each Veteran's story told
Loyalty, dedication, ascending care be they known
This in valor by our sons and daughters shown
Courage to hold to freedom's call and light
In perseverance the challenge be it day or night
Fortitude, strength, imbued with heart's noble call
Sacrifices of body, limb, in this a growing toll
It is resolve that humanity calls to be known
Within the grasps of faith, love and TRUTH be shown
The dream yet dreamed shall unfold
And PEACE to be the story told
This gift of knowing to mark the rising way
We in tribute give honor this Memorial Day.

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York

~

Monday ~ Moon Day ~ Waning Crescent

Monday ~ Moon Day ~ Waning Crescent

REJOICE calls my HEART...here in Tappan, New York

this morning embraced by the gentle warmth of the sun

air so delightfully fresh

sky clear and so beautifully blue

light winds dance the leaves

and whisper prayers

REJOICE calls my HEART

and known is a resounding

Harmony

Exchange

Ascension

Revelation

Truth

of breath and BEING

this moment perceived.

Monday, Moon Day, 

Moon Phase this day ~ Waning Crescent - 

the Day of the week, and Moon Phase at my birth... 

A Waning Crescent is a wise, aged moon that has already experienced every phase in the cycle. This causes people born under a Waning Crescent Moon to possess special talents or knowledge. Having this unique perspective can lead to a life of success, imagination, and fulfillment.

Rose Marie Raccioppi

APOGEE Poet

Poet Laureate

Orangetown, New York

Among the POETS... She to SELF

 

Among the POETS... 

there are those who in the companionship of the MUSE, 

come forward with silence that enchants, 

with a silence that becomes expressive of emotion, 

that resounds with quest, drive, reflection, reverie, 

and words of saintly, diabolical wonder... 

to reach to the depths of soul 

and the pulsing fires of heart.

She to SELF

Aflame afire free

Wild winds of spirit

Passions unleashed

And so she soars to vistas unknown

Lucid dreams of emergent colors

Worlds in rhythmic motion

Sounds lyrical, sweet, thunderous

Pulsing, pulsing, pulsing

Her heart a vibrant chord

Sounding, sounding, sounding

Echoes of silence now heard

The taunts of oppression scream free

Derision gives way to deliverance

She beckons, she calls

She to SELF…she to SELF

FREE …FREE… FREE.

Rose Marie Raccioppi

APOGEE Poet

She to SELF, APOGEE Vibrational Art, 

©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2017.

And so... www.thepoetspen.com

Rose Marie Raccioppi

APOGEE Poet

Poet Laureate

Orangetown, New York

~

...and so the DELIVERANCE

 

behold the Disciples of Bloom and Beauty 

a meeting in praise of the supernal SUN

roots embraced and nurtured by the fertile soil

rains in sweet sweet libation  

sun in its keeping

and so the deliverance

and so the deliverance.

Rose Marie Raccioppi

APOGEE Poet

Poet Laureate

Orangetown, New York

Photo: Behold the Disciples, KK, Collectible Clicks, 

©Rose Marie Raccioppi

~

A walk... just Because...

 

there is bounty and beauty

bloom eternal in the quest of Spring

the hand and heart of Creation

the supernal ascension

the union that creates the one

the seed that holds the promise

the eternal in its expressive grace.

Rose Marie Raccioppi

APOGEE Poet

A walk: Photo KK, Collectible Clicks, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi

~

LITURGY

Through the winter and into the Spring

Nature and time in its vow does bring

Leaves of green in a winsome array

Fullness in felicity for what shall come our way

The morning dew and rains in libation sweet

The glow and warmth of the rising sun to greet

Within the whispers of the wind secrets be told

The buds, the blooms, in adoration to unfold

A flower to be born, from green its color to reveal

A  destiny of supernal color and beauty beyond conceal

And so herald in the rites of Spring and time 

Blooms, the liturgy, in the name of the divine. 

Rose Marie Raccioppi

Poet Laureate

Orangetown, New York

The Liturgy, Rhododendron, Photos: CAR, Collectible Clicks, 

©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2022

~

Through This Passage ~ the path of SOURCE

 

Asked: "How at 84 years of age do you maintain such a youthful and positive outlook on life?"

And I, in response: "I follow the path of SOURCE ... be this the very Spirit, the Oneness, the Union, the Resolve, the Creative, the Eternal... that makes itself known breath by breath, by breath."

Rose Marie Raccioppi

APOGEE Paradigm™

Through This Passage

a day of skies so bright and fair

the embrace of life in soulful care

gifts of presence and gratitude be known

tenderness of love so graciously shown

a feeling of purpose and destiny defined

an ever opening path within this heart mine

an arch of stone graced by sun's light

behold this day in blessings held in delight

through this passage of time and many a place

our journey of life, love, beauty, truth and grace

PRESENCE, the SOURCE, bequeathed upon our soul

And so the quest, the journey, the calling goal

In reflection, in gratitude, in a supernal joy true

A path, a venture, this each moment gifted anew.

Rose Marie Raccioppi

Poet Laureate

Orangetown, New York

Through This Passage, Photo, PFR, Collectible Clicks, 

©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2011.

In loving gratitude to Patrick, Karen and Christopher,
Mom

Indeed a most beautiful day spent in Central Park, New York City 

with my two sons, Patrick and Christopher and beloved Karen. 

Promenading, boating, dining, all shared delight in totality.

~

Straight Talk

 

Asked, "Do poets ever use 'straight talk'?

                                        ... and I in response ...

I choose words that are known by the heart, understood by the soul, bear witness to the wonders of nature, the intelligence of creation, the depth of feelings, the language of the emotions that seek beauty, resolve, and love. How one hears this deliverance, is how open one is to acknowledge that 'straight talk' can simply mean what goes straight to the core of BEING and the call of LIFE.   

Rose Marie Raccioppi

APOGEE Poet

Poet Laureate

Orangetown, New York

www.thepoetspen.com

First Bloom ~ Spring 2022

 

"Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems."

Rainier Maria Rilke

And now this very day

First Bloom

Perceived joy in this moment real

A sense of oneness I shall not conceal

The lilting exuberance, the embracing calm

Life in all its blossoming, its abundance, its wondrous charm

This moment barren of loss, fear, regret or sorrow

Holds the promise of BEING, this hour, this day, a tomorrow

Behold this moment that is known, and we now to share

REJOICE in the MAKER, HE, the light and gift of our care.

This spirit, this soul, this life bequeathed to You, to me

Ever was, ever is and ever shall BE

The flowering Rhododendron in its first bloom of grace

The delight of Spring within heart to place

And as I look to the lambent sky of this day

Blessed be all in the embrace of The Path, The Way.

Rose Marie Raccioppi

Poet Laureate

Orangetown, New York

First Bloom, CAR, Collectible Clicks, 

©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2022.

~

From days of Spring of my early years, to this very moment, there be a supernal joy from a budding flower, a dance known within my very soul of BEING.  Yes, I,  a child born of Spring, of ARIES, of passion, in an ever present pulsing call, moment by moment, and so the artist, the poet, the visionary, breath by breath.

~

The Eternal ~ The Initiation ~ Spellbound...

 

The Eternal ~ The Initiation

The fascination with the deep telling of words has held constant since 7 years of age. It was at this time that 'Spelling Bees' were part of a school day. I vowed to be a perfect, 'speller.' To respect ever letter, be it voiced, be it silent, be it a vowel, be it a consonant. As a young poet, and with the maturity of the years, WORDS, by way of their letters, their configurations, their sounding frequencies... bring forth a collective call, and so, as I look to the vowels, the spirit, the breath of the word, EXPERIENCE... behold I the reoccurring E - the Eternal, and the I - the Initiation... and spellbound I BE by the eternal, by the initiation of light, life and BEING.

Within folds of slumber by the light of evening stars
Take I the celestial chariot to vistas afar
Galaxies of splendor and wondrous array
Where day is night and night is day
Timeless motion of flight there be
Above the pulsing waves of the celestial sea
By stellar winds to the light of PRESENCE be told
This a vision of eternity in grace ever to behold.

Rose Marie Raccioppi

WORDS in Revelation

APOGEE Poet

Poet Laureate

Orangetown, New York

in blessings of the eternal, the initiation,

as each moment, each day unfolds.

Image: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap121118.html

~

The Legend of the Dogwood Tree

YES, an enchantment that calls to the depths of our BEING... the quest for beauty, light, truth, given onto life by life itself in the name of our Lord.

The Legend of the Dogwood Tree, a tale of love, sacrifice, resurrection, ascension, the soul of spirit within, and so we REJOICE...

THE LEGEND OF THE DOGWOOD

When Christ was on earth, the dogwood grew

To a towering size with a lovely hue.

Its branches were strong and interwoven

And for Christ’s cross, its timbers were chosen.

Being distressed at the use of the wood

Christ made a promise which still holds good:

“Not ever again shall the dogwood grow

To be large enough for a tree, and so

Slender and twisted it shall always be

With cross-shaped blossoms for all to see.

The petals shall have bloodstains marked brown

And in the blossom’s center a thorny crown.

All who see it will think of Me,

Nailed to a cross from a dogwood tree.

Protected and cherished this tree shall be

A reflection to all of My agony.”

Anonymous

The legend has been passed down 

through the generations here in America 

since the early 1900s. 

It reminds us of Christ’s love and sacrifice.

The beauty, the bloom, the blessings of a Dogwood Tree have been with me, in my garden, outside of my window, for the last 55 years here in Tappan, New York. Each Spring its enchantment calls to the depths of my BEING...each Summer by its leaves that flourish, each Fall by the brilliance of its crimson array, each Winter as it holds to light, cloaked by snow crystals, and yes, I REJOICE Behold I its flower in bloom, its blessings, its grace, its reverent beauty. 

Rose Marie Raccioppi

APOGEE Poet

Reference: https://www.wherethedogwoodblooms.com/the-legend-of-the-dogwood/

~