Ascension

 Introduction

Within the APOGEE Sound Sanctuary, the watercolor Ascension and its companion poem stand as a unified expression of rising consciousness. The painting breathes in soft, luminous hues that lift the spirit, while the poem moves in a cadence of clarity, devotion, and grace. Together, they embody the principle of Ascending Intelligence — the continual movement of awareness toward light, purpose, and peace.

This work arose through communion. The painting called forth its own becoming; the poem answered with its own illumination. In their union, color becomes vibration, word becomes resonance, and the Sanctuary, a place where art, spirit, energy, and intention meet in harmony.

Ascension

demanding be the many tasks at hand

a perception, a plan, action in command

intention and focus be the call of the day

the gift of time and a knowing provide the way

how sweet when vision is newly held clear

when the din of despair is silenced and gone the fear

how comforting is this moment's embrace

when within heart, love the soul does place

how knowing is an ascension's call

when resounding with the grace of ALL

and as I cast my sight to the lambent sky

feel I the beauty of the moving firmament on high

the lithe bamboo touched by the gentle winds that blow

breath, faith, 'tis all that I need now know

the day by Nature's plan does unfold

and I to be led by THE WORD ever told.

Rose Marie Raccioppi

Poet Laureate

Orangetown, New York

Ascension, Watercolor, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi

~

THE WAY

THE WAY is revelation. THE WAY is invocation. THE WAY is the soul’s ascent through darkness, discernment, fire, and illumination.

Poems, teachings,— each one a step, a vow, a rising. This is the path of the seeker, the visionary, the poet, the BEING who walks in truth.

Poem

THE WAY of Soulful Mind 

Strength, direction, harmony Ever present questing destiny Healing body, mind, soul Ever present questing goal Premonition and knowing wise Ever present questing prize Mastery of time and space Ever present questing grace One with truth, nature and creation Ever present questing celebration Enlightenment, SELF, artistry defined Ever present questing soulful mind.

— Rose Marie Raccioppi

Teaching Passage

The WAY of Soulful Mind is the awakening of inner orientation — strength, direction, harmony. It is the integration of body, mind, and soul. It is the mastery of time and space, the unity with truth, nature, and creation. It is the artistry of enlightenment, the ever‑present quest of the soulful mind.

Poem

BEYOND  

ridden with darkness and the wake of pain the clutches of shadows and the inane 'tis not life that looms, bows and seeks to hide but the illusions and hurts held deep inside beyond all hurt, doubt and unabated fear ever the hand of grace reaching near beyond devastation and the din of despair lies the answered call of light and faith's care hold to a vision noble with unrelenting love look to the vistas of beauty within and above the call to truth, love, beauty and grace be they within the chambers of heart to place within the darkness be there light perceived the fires, the grace of BEING, in blessings conceived.

— Rose Marie Raccioppi

Teaching Passage

BEYOND is the passage through shadow into sovereignty. It teaches that darkness is not the end but the threshold. Grace is ever near. Vision noble becomes compass. Light is perceived even within darkness.

We read, words call

some echo what was 

some echo what is

some echo what is yet to BE 

this The WAY of WORDS...

Rose Marie Raccioppi

APOGEE Poet

~

Memorial Day Tribute ~ 2026

M E M O R I A L D A Y  

T R I B U T E

Memorial Day, gives special meaning to the words THANK YOU ... for it is life given and freedoms won that weold in gratitude. What is endured by our Veterans can only be known by them. We are to embrace and honor their needs. Yes, we are to provide the ultimate of understanding and support for their return home, be it to heaven’s door or earth’s abode, we ever in expression of our abiding love.

Abiding LOVE ... heart to heart….

heart prayer, an inner light, a flame

passion, faith and truth in glory name

this sounding PRESENCE be it in PRAISE

for the treasure of time and blessed days

a body, a mind, a spirit, a soul

a life in pursuit of purpose, a vision, a goal

hold to the light of souls in heavens above

live the majesty of PRESENCE and abiding LOVE.

Heartfelt be these words and remembrances. Heartfelt be the sacrifices, the loss, the vision, the victory, the freedoms to prevail.

So this be known…

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

To hold resolve and endure all claim

To fire the passion beyond the pain

For those given to liberation and freedom's call

Blessed Be they who have given their All

It is resolve that humanity calls to be known

Within the grasps of faith, love and TRUTH be shown

This day, the NOW of yesterday we devotedly share

For timeless be each heart's deeply felt care

Life with God's blessings shall ever prevail

'Tis the vision of freedom and valor within souls we hail

Symbols of spirit, our flag, a wreath, an eagle in flight

This in reflection of faith and God’s gift of loving light

Declaration of Independence, Constitutional Rights ever to preserve

And so the glory of those who devotedly and honorably serve

The dream yet dreamed shall unfold

And PEACE to be the story told

'Tis the gift of knowing that marks the rising way

And we in tribute give honor this Memorial Day.

Rose Marie Raccioppi

Poet Laureate

Orangetown, New York

~

I was asked how do you know you are a poet..

 

I was asked how do you know you are a poet... 
I answered...
and so it is...

when you find bits of paper in your pocket bearing lines
when you realize you did not take your vitamins because you forgot to eat
when you keep writing even though the pencil point is broken
when you hear words in your heart and cannot write them fast enough
when you hear the crackle of a fallen leaf and know it is a song
when you see a smile and feel the wondrous charm of joy
when you are embraced by the MUSE that refuses to let go
when you hear silence and know it is an orchestra divine
when you grasp the lint in your pocket and feel its inspiration
when you see each season by its ceaseless cycles of grace
when you find that every expression, every gesture of nature calls your attention
when you breathe and feel the miracle of life that is you
when you sigh in delight and amazement at the poem you just completed
and so it is ... you know.

Rose Marie Raccioppi

APOGEE Poet

Poet Laureate 

Orangetown, New York 

Photo::

Orangetown Designates Raccioppi as Poet Laureate
Nyack-Piermont Patch

November 16, 2011

.

250th Anniversary of the United States ~ Declaration of Independence - A Vision in Praise

John Trumbull's painting depicting the drafting committee of the 

Declaration of Independence.

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

"The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America"

"WHEN in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of man- kind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."

And so OUR FOREFATHERS  stood firm:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

"The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world."

As a 4th grade student, the history of the birthing of the United States became known. I learned of the 13 colonies, the settlers with vision, with aspirations, with sovereignity, with unity, and righteousness, made their settlements. Pioneering, and with held convictions, they declared their capacity and right to freedoms, representation, and righteousness. The Declaration of Independence of 1776 was, and is, a delineation of their visions.

The 5 pointed star, sacred geometry in symbolic accord, 5 the 'mark' of freedom. Yes, in a school 'play' I was Betsy Ross, and sewed 13, 5 pointed stars onto a flag to represent each of the 13 original colonies. 

In the founding era, the star offered a visual affirmation of the principles that shaped the Declaration. Its geometry aligned with the understanding that every individual possesses inherent worth, endowed with the capacity to act, to create, and to stand in the fullness of personal sovereignty. The star’s radiant form expressed the ideals of liberty, representation, and righteous self‑governance with grace and clarity. 

Within the star resides the golden proportion, This proportion reflects the natural order that guided the early visionaries as they articulated the rights of humankind. Through the star, the founding generation expressed a truth recognized across cultures and ages: freedom arises from alignment with the divine intelligence present in all creation.

When placed upon the flag, the star became a declaration of sovereign presence, each colony a point of light, each community a complete expression of purpose, each contribution essential to the harmony of the whole. The constellation formed by thirteen stars revealed unity through radiance, equality through shared illumination, and destiny through collective brilliance. 

The thirteen stars, each a symbol of sovereign purpose, together formed a vision of unity that continues to illuminate the nation’s identity. Their geometry speaks of aspiration, radiance, and the enduring truth that a people conscious of their dignity,  create a future worthy of their light.

The United States of America, the flag, the national anthem, are held in respectful accord... yes, a vision made real... a child free...

A VISION IN PRAISE

In Righteousness our Forefathers stood firm

a calling forth, a petition, for all to discern

testimony, accusations, abuses, real

all brought forth, no longer to conceal

TRUTH in its expression, revelation shown

the voices of TRUTH were then openly known

we a people who define freedom within a righteous soul

let us hold sacred, life in its blessed expression and goal

our BEING, our Freedoms, Blessings held in GOD's loving grace

all be known within our light, the light in heart we place

A DECLARATION our Forefathers in confidence drew

Our 250th Anniversary 

in reverent celebration onto you.

Respectfully,

Rose Marie Raccioppi

Poet Laureate

Orangetown, New York

~

RMR Thank YOU ... Proclamation ...

 To the Supervisor and the Town Board of Orangetown, New York,

With gratitude profound and honor deeply felt.

I receive this Proclamation of Poet Laureate with appreciation for the trust, recognition, and support extended to my work. This designation, now marking fifteen years, reflects a shared commitment to the arts and to the enduring presence of poetry within our community.

Poetry serves as a vital expression of spirit and understanding. It carries the voices, memories, and aspirations of a people. It offers reflection, illumination, and unity. Through the written and spoken word, poetry becomes a transmission of insight, a bridge between experience and meaning, and a celebration of the light that resides within every life.

As Poet Laureate, I remain devoted to this purpose. I continue to honor the traditions of our town, its history, its diversity, and its collective vision. Each poem offered to the community stands as an affirmation of our shared humanity and our shared pursuit of beauty, peace, and understanding.

With gratitude to the Supervisor, the Town Board, the Staff, and the residents of Orangetown I embrace this Proclamation, 2026, as a call to continued service through the art of poetry. May the words yet to come uplift, inspire, and reflect the spirit of Orangetown with clarity, praise, and grace.

Respectfully,

Rose Marie Raccioppi Poet Laureate Town of Orangetown, New York

DRAFT....private...

 

She to SELF… FREE

 

A depiction... a deliverance... YES... ME... 

She to SELF… FREE

Aflame afire free

Wild winds of spirit

Passions unleashed

And so she soars to vistas unknown

Lucid dreams of emergent colors

Cast upon canvas stark

Worlds in rhythmic motion

Poetic dialogues

Sounds lyrical, sweet, thunderous

Pulsing, pulsing, pulsing

Her heart a vibrant chord

Sounding, sounding, sounding

Drums, bells, bowls, vibrating tuning forks

Fill empty spaces with the chorus of soul

Echoes of silence now heard

The taunts of oppression scream free

Derision gives way to deliverance

Deliverance…deliverance…deliverance

The artist, the poet, the visionary

She beckons, she calls

She to SELF…she to SELF

FREE …FREE… FREE.

Rose Marie Raccioppi

APOGEE Poet

Image: Wings In Flight, The Sounding Light Collection, 

APOGEE Vibrational Art, 

@Rose Marie Raccioppi, .2018

~

About Me

About Me

I am A Mother, Grandmother, Great Grandmother.

A Visionary, An Activist, An Educator,

An Artist, A Poet Laureate, A Sound Therapist,

A Proclaimed Woman of Distinction

New York State Assembly

Each word, each assertion, each image,

I offer as the grace of

BEING and BECOMING

May they too, call onto YOU.

Respectfully,

Rose Marie Raccioppi

Photo: Sheltering Tree, CAR, 

Collectible Clicks, @Rose Marie Raccioppi.

~

Monday following EASTER

 

Late Morning ~ the Monday following Easter ~ here in New York

To the glimmers of a lambent firmament on high

The sun beholden to the glory of a clear blue sky

See I, the tiny buds of bloom upon branch and bough

Held by creation's supernal grace, a blessed vow

The Easter Rising pulses the heart with passion and praise

The present hour, the grace, the rising of our days

In prayerful words, petitioned is the light to come

For felt is the GLORY, LORD and GOD, 

THY WILL BE DONE.

Rose Marie Raccioppi

APOGEE Poet

Poet Laureate

Orangetown, New York

PHOTO: CAR: Collectible Clicks. Easter Bloom, Tappan, New York, MAMA in delight at Washington Headquarters, memorial Historic Park.

~

Nearing the Sunset Hour this Easter Day in Tappan, New York

 All with BLESSINGS 

All with JOY

 

Nearing the Sunset Hour this Easter Day 

in Tappan, New York

Behold the gift of the setting light 

in celebration of the 

RISEN CHRIST

A Supernal Bouquet of jeweled tones, bloom, beauty,

sacred geometry in PRAISE.

~ A Kaleidoscopic Happening ~

This gift in GLORY onto All

Behold the blessings of light and love

This our LORD from heavens above

Known be the grace of our day in beauty shown

In PRESENCE our sacred majesty be ever known.

Rose Marie Raccioppi

APOGEE Poet

Kalid: 172022_3, CAR, AM, Collectible Clicks,

©Rose Marie Raccioppi

~

An AWAKENED calling

 

Three days marked on the calendar since my Birth of 88 years in Celebration. And so I offer meaning anew...

An AWAKENED calling ...

gone the echoes and laments of days past

anew BE this mind, this heart, within soul cast

a child of the universe and Creation's grace

ever evolving within the depths of soul's place

confront and resolve be the calling command

within this faith held is libation's hand

nature's knowing and guidance true

life in new splendor brought on to you

shackled no more for I am free as the wind

silent no more for I am the thunderous storm

despairing no more for I am the dawning day

thirsty no more for I am lakes and rivers clear

lost no more for I am each guiding star

confined no more for I am vistas wide and far

hungry no more for I am bounty and harvest divine

this the awakened faith mine

the awakened

the awakened

the awakened faith mine.

Rose Marie Raccioppi

Poet Laureate

Orangetown, New York

Author's Note:

Faith is visionary. 

It embodies light 

it rises from the depths of self and soul, 

awakening to its inner calling and sovereignty.

There are moments in a life — rare, unbidden, and wholly transformative — when time itself seems to pause and offer passage. As I marked the three days surrounding my eighty‑eighth birthday, I felt the stirring of an inner summons. It was as if the soul, long in dialogue with memory, experience, and the unseen currents of creation, rose to speak with new clarity.

The echoes of the past, come forward unshackled. What calls is the elemental truth of being — wind, storm, dawn, water, star, vista, harvest — each a metaphor for the infinite resources that dwell within.

Faith, as I have come to know it, is the light that rises from the depths of one’s own soul. It is the courage to confront, to resolve, to release, and to claim anew. It is the celebration of the ever‑evolving self. It is the resounding voice that calls, AWAKENED.

 

💜🧡 The Color Frequencies of My March Bloom

A Reflection on 88, Early Spring, and the Crocus

88 is a number of rare symmetry — a doubling of infinity, a mirrored continuum, a life that has come full circle while still opening outward. In numerology, 88 is the vibration of mastery, wisdom, and renewal. It speaks of a soul who has lived deeply, learned profoundly, and now stands at a threshold where past and future meet in harmony. It is the number of continuing abundance, of cycles repeating with greater clarity and grace.

How fitting that this birthday arrives in March, the month of first blooms — when the earth stirs, the light returns, and the earliest flowers dare to rise through the cold. Early spring blooms are symbols of courage, rebirth, and the quiet insistence of life. They appear before the world is ready, before warmth is certain, before winter has fully released its grip. They are nature’s declaration that renewal is not only possible, but inevitable.

Among these heralds of spring, the crocus stands as one of the most ancient and meaningful. It is often the very first to bloom, sometimes pushing through frost or snow. The crocus is a symbol of:

• Awakening

• Light returning

• The soul remembering its own light

• The promise of new beginnings

And then there are the colors — violet and orange — the very frequencies of my March birth.

💜 Violet — The Crown, the Supernal

Violet is the color of intuition, insight, and spiritual clarity. It is the hue of the crown chakra, the place where the earthly self meets the eternal. Violet blooms whisper of wisdom, dignity, and the quiet radiance of a life lived with depth. They carry the energy of transformation — the ability to rise above, to see beyond, to understand the unseen.

🧡 Orange — The Sacral, the Primordial

Orange is the color of vitality, creativity, and the joy of embodiment. It is the sacral frequency — the spark of life, the warmth of emotion, the fire of renewal. Orange blooms speak of courage, enthusiasm, and the pleasure of simply being alive. They are the pulse of Spring itself.

💜🧡 Together — A Complete Spectrum of Being

Violet and orange are opposites on the color wheel, yet together they form a rare and powerful harmony:

• Spirit and body

• Wisdom and vitality

• Reflection and celebration

• The eternal and the immediate

This pairing mirrors the essence of turning 88 — a moment where the highest and deepest parts of my life meet in balance.

And so the crocus — blooming in violet and orange — a signature, a symbol, a message from the earth itself:

I am still blooming. 

I am still rising. 

I am still radiant in my colors.

YES, a perfect reflection for my 88th birthday in March — a season of first blooms, returning light, and the beauty of beginnings.

💜🧡 All with delight,

Rose Marie Raccioppi

Photo: George Washington Headquarters, Tappan, New York, RE: CAR, Crocus, First Blooms of Spring, March 2026.