It’s tempting for me to start this post out by telling you about how my vocal exercises went today, how I could feel new places in my body stretching, loosening out, and shaking off rust…but, I imagine, Darling Audience, that you are a little tired of all of that by now, so instead, I am going to share with you this poem. It is my favorite of the many I have written:

“Without makeup on my face

It can’t smear into disgrace

Without heels that make me stagger

I can walk with natural swagger

The ones I don’t want

…They don’t look

And as I bury my nose down in a book

Someone somewhere is checking the mirror

But it’s not themselves that they see clearer

She sees sparkles…

Not in her eyes but on them

And gold hangs from her wounds

Time is tossed and pain is taken

She thought to make them swoon

But love is not the stuff of lies

Of picture-perfect styled and dried

Love cares not of trend or youth

And always seeks the purest truth

So clothed yet bare I’ll sit under the sun

Boldly honest for my the One”

And yes, I did manage today to record this one for you. It took a few tries, as I was trying to get the hang of the right tune, and I didn’t loop the background for long enough at first. During this last one (which you will hear), my Wonderful Husband accidentally walked inside unaware that I was recording (he had been enjoying a cigarette on our porch). Sweet man that he is, he did his very best to tiptoe super-duper quietly in and out. I know he felt bad for interrupting me. As I’ve mentioned several times, I really don’t have the best space to be doing this in yet. The real miracle is that the dogs slept quietly through my recordings.

While it isn’t his fault, and I very much appreciate his attempt at total silence (I should have warned him), unfortunately, I did find the unintended intrusion very distracting and I feel like I could have kept my voice a bit more steady and with the sound I wanted otherwise. Oh, well. It will keep getting better. For some reason, I also felt strangely nervous about recording this particular poem, and I really couldn’t tell you why… Maybe I just need to fully listen to Roger Love and stop drinking coffee (even though it’s so delicious *insert pouty face and tone here*). Anyhow, all excuses aside, here is the best I was able to get tonight:

Thank you for reading and listening, Incredible Audience! You have my love, as always!

“The journey is never ending. There’s always gonna be growth, improvement, adversity; you just gotta take it all in and do what’s right, continue to grow, continue to live in the moment.” –Antonio Brown