A Year of Being Here Leads to Publication of Mindfulness Poetry Anthology

Though this online project ended on January 1, 2016, I'm happy to announce that it has led to the creation of a print anthology. Grayson Books will publish Poetry of Presence: An Anthology of Mindfulness Poems in late summer, 2017. Edited with my friend and colleague Ruby R. Wilson, this book grew directly out of A Year of Being Here and wouldn't have happened without the support and encouragement of this blog's subscribers, to whom I'll always be grateful.

I invite you to join the Poetry of Presence email list at this link. As our gift for signing up, you'll receive a mindfulness poem, accompanied by "Great Egret Bow," the fabulous cover photograph by David Moynahan. We'll send you occasional news about the anthology, including notification of its official release.

A Year of Being Here will remain online indefinitely for your browsing enjoyment.

Deep peace,
Phyllis Cole-Dai
Curator

Ruby R. Wilson: "Birthday Sunrise"

A faint glow on the eastern horizon
gets brighter
as if someone were blowing on ashes
lights up more ash clouds
until there is no doubt
the fire is lit
the day will come
from yesterday’s coals.

The orange clouds
look like birds
circling
until the sun hits my eyes
and bathes me in light
too bright to watch anymore
reflected in the concentric circles
of my coffee cup
through the hot vapor cloud
of my breath.

Two hundred twenty-nine people
were killed in an airline crash this morning.
Who is glad that I am alive
today?

"Birthday Sunrise" by Ruby R. Wilson. © Ruby R. Wilson.

Photography credit: Unknown (originally color).