Shades of Green, poem by Tere Sievers

SHADES OF GREEN
by TERE SIEVERS

Dusty taste of pistachio
summons the desert,
after the bite
green like the Palo Verde.
Creamy avocado
so smooth on the tongue,
soft in the hand but
hard in the heart.
A sting of Chartreuse
in a sip of the tongue,
burning bite from a bottle.
Now, breathe eucalyptus
inhale mint grass pine
swallow apple olive
drink in green.
 
Electric, asparagus, yellow, blue
forest, bright, marine and pine
Harlequin, honeydew, India, lawn
camouflage, citrine, emerald, jade
Paris, army, avocado, pear
verdigris, chlorine, office, sky
hunter, Persian, pigment, teal
turquoise, Kelly, moss and sap
Eucalyptus, grass, viridian, green.

“Shades of Green” by Tere Sievers appears in the Silver Birch Press Green Anthology, a collection of Poetry and prose by 72 writers from the U.S., U.K., Europe, and Africa —  available at Amazon.com. (Free Kindle version until 3/18/14!)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Tere Sievers, originally a Jersey girl, lives in Long Beach, California, and works as a Marriage and Family Therapist.  She began writing poetry at CSULB and Beyond Baroque back in the late 70s.  For the enjoyment of the children in her life, she has published a book of children’s poems, Blueberry Pancakes and Monkey Pajamas.  She received third place in the Your Daily Poem Apocalypse Poetry Contest.

Shades of Green, poem by Tere Sievers

SHADES OF GREEN
by TERE SIEVERS

Dusty taste of pistachio
summons the desert,
after the bite
green like the Palo Verde.
Creamy avocado
so smooth on the tongue,
soft in the hand but
hard in the heart.
A sting of Chartreuse
in a sip of the tongue,
burning bite from a bottle.
Now, breathe eucalyptus
inhale mint grass pine
swallow apple olive
drink in green.
 
Electric, asparagus, yellow, blue
forest, bright, marine and pine
Harlequin, honeydew, India, lawn
camouflage, citrine, emerald, jade
Paris, army, avocado, pear
verdigris, chlorine, office, sky
hunter, Persian, pigment, teal
turquoise, Kelly, moss and sap
Eucalyptus, grass, viridian, green.

“Shades of Green” by Tere Sievers appears in the Silver Birch Press Green Anthology, a collection of Poetry and prose by 72 writers from the U.S., U.K., Europe, and Africa —  available at Amazon.com. (Free Kindle version until 12/21/13!)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Tere Sievers, originally a Jersey girl, lives in Long Beach, California, and works as a Marriage and Family Therapist.  She began writing poetry at CSULB and Beyond Baroque back in the late 70s.  For the enjoyment of the children in her life, she has published a book of children’s poems, Blueberry Pancakes and Monkey Pajamas.  She received third place in the Your Daily Poem Apocalypse Poetry Contest.

Fan Letter for Silver Birch Press GREEN ANTHOLOGY

Dear Silver Birch Press,

Bravo!  Reading your new book (GREEN) invoked beautiful images, places, and people!  I love how you put green in different clothes – as a color, an emotion, in love and in life.  “Just Enough Poison” by Merrill Farnsworth is delightful, full of good humor and good heart. “The Road Previously Not Taken” is a LOL piece – poet Clint Margrave is a funny man. I really liked “Dirt” by Rachel Carey. It spoke to me. And Philip K. Dick (“Beyond the Door”) is always fun. Thumbs up!!

I’m in Portland — thank you for a wonderful afternoon by the river!

Love!

Jenny

PHOTO: “Silver Birch Press GREEN ANTHOLOGY by the river in Portland, Oregon” by Jenny Funkmeyer, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Find the Silver Birch Press GREEN ANTHOLOGY at Amazon.com.

Happy March 17th Birthday, Marcia Meara!

Wishing a very happy St. Patrick’s Day birthday to Marcia Meara, whose poetry appears in the Silver Birch Press Silver Anthology and Silver Birch Press Green Anthology. And in honor of Marcia’s birthday, this post features an excerpt from her poem “On the River,” which appears in the Green Anthology. 

ON THE RIVER (Excerpt)

by Marcia Meara

Crystal green flows beneath me,

Leafy arches rise above.

  Dip, glide.

     Dip, glide.

          Slide.

 

Duckweed parts as I float by.

I wonder where they went,

Those ducks.

Gone overnight, it seems.

Another parting, another loss,

And I slide by,

Under all that green.

  Dip, glide.

     Dip, glide.

 

Just there, in deepest shade,

Sleeping emeralds cling.

Tree frogs rest in their

Smooth, damp skins

Waiting for the silver moon.

They’ll open their eyes for the silver moon.

Sleeping now,

As I pass by.

  Dip, glide.

     Dip, glide.

 

With arms raised to that same moon,

I once danced along the shore,

Young and wild and full of joy.

Moving to music

That stirred my soul,

And washed in that pale light,

I danced.

Years ago, in that pale, pale light.

I remember it all,

And so much more,

As I slide by.

  Dip, glide.

     Dip, glide.

Visit Marcia at her blog Bookin’ It, where she posts reviews and other book-related articles.

Silver Birch Press Green Anthology on Sale at Amazon for $6.38

We just noticed that Amazon is selling the 262-page paperback version of Silver Birch Press Green Anthology for $6.38 — matching the recent low price at Barnes & Noble — a huge savings off the $10 cover price. The Green Anthology includes poetry and prose that touches on the theme “green” — luck, money, youth, nature, environment, trees, water, love, relationships, and much more — from established and up-and-coming writers in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Europe, and Africa. Find the book at Amazon.com.

Silver Birch Press Green Anthology Hits #75

Last time we checked, the Kindle version of the Silver Birch Press Green Anthology was #95 on the Poetry Anthologies list for Kindle books — and today we’re happy to report that we’re at #75. But the best part is the company we’re keeping.

We’re right below Kenneth Rexroth (1905-1982) — a poet that Time magazine referred to as “father of the Beats” — and right above the delightful collection Bright Wings: An Illustrated Anthology of Poetry About Birds, a book I recently borrowed from the L.A. Public Library. (I also posted several poems from the book on this blog.)

Thank you to everyone who purchased the Kindle version of the Silver Birch Press GREEN ANTHOLOGY for $2.99 (the lowest price Amazon will allow) — and if you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can borrow it for free.

I think we’ve moved from #95 to #75 on the list because people are looking for inexpensive (yet meaningful — at least we think so!) St. Patrick’s Day gifts. The Kindle version of the GREEN ANTHOLOGY — the equivalent of a 262-page paperback — is filled with poetry and prose that revolves around the theme “green.” Our authors approached the subject from many different directions — writing about luck, money, the environment, love, seasons, trees, water, relationships, and much more.

Thank you to everyone who purchased a Kindle (or paperback) version of the Silver Birch Press GREEN ANTHOLOGY. We appreciate your helping us bring new voices in poetry and prose into the world.

Find the book at this link.  Again, thank you!

Silver Birch Press GREEN ANTHOLOGY at BN.Com for $6.38

I just learned that Barnes & Noble is selling the Silver Birch Press GREEN ANTHOLOGY paperback for just $6.38 with free shipping on orders of $25 or higher. This is a tremendous savings over the $10 cover price. Just thought i’d pass along this information — especially to anthology contributors who might want to stock up for family and friends. I have no idea how long this sale will last — for all I know it’s a one-day phenomenon.

Find the Silver Birch Press Green Anthology for $6.38 (at least for today) at bn.com.

Silver Birch Press Green Anthology…Number 95 and Counting!

We were excited to notice that today the Silver Birch Press Green Anthology (Kindle version) is listed as a “Hot New Release” in the Amazon Poetry Anthologies category (where on this date we are #95 on the list). Thank you to everyone who has purchased a copy!

Looking for an Inexpensive, Unique St. Patrick’s Day Gift?

Silver Birch Press GREEN ANTHOLOGY

Introduction (Excerpt)

Growing up in Chicago, one of the most anticipated events of the year occurred on St. Patrick’s Day, when the Chicago River turned shamrock green. Whether we experienced the “Shannon River”—as the dyed waterway was dubbed for the day—from a downtown bridge, saw it on TV, read about it in the newspaper, or just heard about it from someone who was there, this annual happening was a magical moment that sparked the civic imagination.

I, for one, pictured myself floating down that green river to all kinds of fantastic places—the Emerald City and other amazing locales were around each bend.

Yes, the green river…the flow of imagination—that creative stream that artists ride and then return with the bounty. And part of this bounty appears in the Silver Birch Press Green Anthology, which includes creative explorations from authors in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Europe, and Africa.

We’ve priced the collection as low as Amazon will allow us to sell a 260-page paperback ($10) and Kindle ($2.99). Our goal is to create a platform for up-and-coming writers and bring established authors to a wider audience.

If you’re looking for an inexpensive, yet unique (and we think classy and, dare we say, classic) gift, check out the paperback and Kindle versions of the Silver Birch Press Green Anthology: An Eclectic Anthology of Poetry & Prose. Thank you!

Silver Birch Press News

We have a new logo, a new website, and many new offerings — poetry, anthologies, nonfiction, memoirs, novels, dramatic works, and more — at Silver Birch Press. We be honored if you’d pay a visit to our website: silverbirchpress.com. Thank you!

Our name and logo are homages to one of our publishing heroes — John Martin, founder of Black Sparrow Press. We picked the name Silver Birch because we were looking for a way to carry on the tradition of Black Sparrow — so we selected a color and something in nature (and, by the way, our initials are the same as Black Sparrow, only reversed). And, to complete the picture, we added a starling in our birch tree.

John Martin, as many of you know, was Charles Bukowski‘s friend and publisher — and the reason that Bukowski did not end up an obscure poet in obscure ‘zines.  In this tradition, we hope to discover and foster gifted writers — that’s one of the reasons for our anthology series. Check out our latest — the Silver Birch Press Green Anthology — at Amazon.com.