Featured Poet at Austin International Poetry Festival 2013

I am honored and excited to announce that I have been chosen as a Featured Poet at this year's Austin International Poetry Festival. As a featured poet, I will be leading a workshop on poetry techniques, reading at various venues, and will be featured in the AIPF Di-Verse-City 2013 Anthology.

This festival gave me the courage to first share my poetry with the public in 2009, and I am very humbled to now be representing this festival for the incredible city of Austin.The festival is April 11th-14th and includes a line-up of enthralling talent, a variety of educational workshops, entertaining readings, and social activities where you can meet fellow writers, editors, publishers, and more. You don't want to miss out!

For those of you interested in attending this awesome festival, you can find more information and register at www.aipf.org. Also, make sure to follow me and sign up for email updates, and I will post more details as they are finalized. I will be selling copies of my chapbook, Truths Unspoken, and would love to see you there. Thank you all for your support--as long as you keep reading, I will keep writing!

Write on!
Shae

My Dearest Child

I lost you once
In a black spot on a screen,
In dark blood and clots of tissue,
In the somber apologies of loved ones.

They said it wasn't meant to be,
They said God had a plan,
They said you were my angel looking down,
They said I gave you all the love you needed.

My dearest child,
They were so very wrong.

Nobody meant to lose you,
God never planned for me to have to say goodbye.
I don't need another angel above,
You don't need wings to fly.
I've got so much more love to give--
And it all belongs to you.

I'm sorry your first form missed the mark.
I'm sorry it wasn't worthy of carrying such a blessing.
But my dearest child,
Rest in God's gentle arms,
Sleep in the cradle of His love,
Listen to the angels' lullabies,
And wait...

For we are not done yet.

We will make you a stronger cocoon,
God will weave your beautiful soul into it,
And when the time is right you'll fly
Straight into our arms
As it is meant to be.

We are meant to be.


I've got so much more love to give.

It all belongs to you.

Hate List

Sarah LaFell
James McKinley
Juan Morales
Paula Anderson
Bullets
Bullets
Bullets
Respect
Change
Mr. Maloney
Andy Wilson
Bullets
Bullets
Status
Image
Tears
Anyone
Bullets
Strength
Fear
Everyone
Bullets
Everyone
Bullets
Everyone
Bullets
Numb
Silence
Nothing

Bullet.

The Heaviness of Motherhood

A tiny hand placed
Gently on my beating heart
The weight of my world.

Here Today (Newtown, CT)

She is two days old
She is asleep in my arms
I breathe in the scent of spit up, baby powder, and brand new love.

She is four years old
And I am kissing her knee
Scratched up by a concrete monster
I tell her how brave she is.

She is thirteen years old
She is crying in the bathroom
I am gently explaining how to use a tampon
So she can still attend the pool party.

She is twenty-two years old
I am dabbing at tears of pride
As she gives a speech and receives a degree
One step closer to changing the world.

She is five years old
She is lying bloodied on the tiled floor
I am not there to hold her, to kiss her wounds, to say that it's ok to cry...

Who will change the world now?