A Poem a Day (58): In the time that we were thus

If we dance here a while in waiting

Remembrance may come a-baiting

I’ll trace a line in this fallen snow

Tie a pink ribbon into the neatest bow

Wrap my fingers in and simply twist

As the begging bough begins to list

I remember this

In the time that we were thus

In the making I am one

Of this memory I am done

Do you falter between walking

Blissfully ignore me while I’m talking?

I wish upon a single scented rose

Though mentioning it I suppose

You might remember this

In the time that we were thus

A cloud of passion in the air

Dare to ever stop and stare

As I post you the cheekiest smile?

Ever stop to wonder a while

How I am ever almost so near?

Is it intimacy you most fear?

Will I always remember this

In the time that we were thus?

Are you slowly cottoning on

Or should I say I am finally done

With love, this idle stupid thing?

Of sanity I can never hope to win

In an endless search for perfection

Amidst this moral dereliction

May you remember this

In the time that we were thus

So I shall go on my idle way

Without a hint of I might stay

Yet I fathom not a blink from you

Though I never doubted you true

Tomorrow stretches out its hand

And upon my two feet I shall land

I may not always remember this

In the time that we were thus

copyright Vickie Johnstone, August 12, 2014.

Poems on the theme of love

For Valentine's Day, some of my poems on the theme of love...

I don’t mind

I don’t mind

If you stare

Or paint the room in blue

While I sleep

I don’t mind

If you walk a while

Or smile in your style

And mimic your expression

I don’t mind

If the urge to be is too much

Or the strength to see is gone

While I dream

Haiku on the theme of love

She wakes with the morn,

Daisies woven in her hair;

So sprightly she laughs

In the glowing sun

She runs free, her arms outspread

Face tilted upward

Under sparkling stars

She laughs like water cascades

Rippling endlessly

Under twilight moons

In the shadows she dances

With amorous guile

He showers at night -

Rippling muscles of delight;

Water trickles down

In the aching heart

Sleep the locked passions untold,

Longing to escape

Chasing the dreamer,

My love drifts on the sea like

Petals in the wind

Some distant day she’ll

Return when she sees beauty

In a rainbow sing

These poems and others can be found in my poetry books - Kaleidoscope and Life's Rhythms.

Thanks for reading. Happy V Day!!! :)

Romance is in the Air Giveaway Hop (Feb 8-14)

In the run-up to big old V-Day, I'm thrilled to be involved in the Romance is in the Air Blog Giveaway, organised by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and co-hosted by Rachael Anderson.

I'm giving away a paperback copy of my comedy romance 3 Heads & a Tail.

Five runners-up will receive ebook copies. Good luck!!

All you need to do is answer the questions in the Rafflecopter.

What is 3 Heads & a Tail?

I wrote this book for NaNoWriMo 2011, and it is a quirky comedy romance with a touch of fantasy and walkies. 

When nature lover Josie moves into a house share with two pals, dreamer Ben and model man David, she sees it as a short stop and doesn't bank on an attraction developing with one of them. Meanwhile, Ben's dog, Glen, has the hots for Miss Posh, the beautiful golden Lab in the park. When dog meets dog it's puppy love, but a complication leads to Glen taking matters into his own paws. In this comedy of errors, romance and walkies, it's anyone's guess who is going to win the girl/dog and live happily ever after.

Review from Donna Brown - Amazon UK 

"I like funny books. I like books that make me go Aaaahhhhh! and Squeeeeeee! Mr B likes them less. I'm sure it must be very hard to be a serious fantasy writer when your wife keeps reading one liners and laughing like a hyena. What can I say? The book is laugh out loud funny and deserves to be celebrated."

Don't forget to click on the various blogs on the linky to find more cool giveaways! Get your hands on some good romance. 

Happy reading :))))

Good luck everyone :)
Vickie


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sample Sunday: poems from Kaleidoscope

Happy Sunday to you!

For Sample Sunday, here are two poems from my book, Kaleidoscope. Hope you enjoy reading.

Vickie

The sparkling sea

The sea came and sat with me

Laughs in sighing ripples cast away

Lies with me as I sink into its depths

Icy fingers caress my hair, softest flow

Down into the deep where darkness plays

And shadows dance in eerie cacophony

Where silent tears are as silent cries beneath

The loudest crack that rips the heart in two

Is but nothing, only dreamt awhile

My footsteps carry me in their deepest prints

Chasing me down the length of the beach

Softest wet sand tingling between my toes

Dancing momentarily beneath my feet

Never-ending waves stretch before me

Tearing their way into the darkest night

The moon echoes its solitary dance, hovering

As though about to plunge and scoop me up

But the beach lays bare, no shadows stray

No lines mark its purity but my own steps

Straying thoughtlessly away from me

Tracing their own path away into the night

Where the bats chase and dive and flutter free

Into the tops of trees so spectre thin and bare

I’m reminded of the shuddering chill of cold

That wraps me up in its lifeless limbs so old

And in the silence I can trace a solitary song

That passing faint and wild it cries and falls

Out towards the sea’s outstretched blue hands

And cuts down, slices through, down into the deep

Where silence lives and nothing stirs or creates flight

No echoes chide the place in time so bereft

Faint nothingness, its heart stripped cold of sound

Laid bleak and bare in the darkness lit by moonlight

So cursed, so bold, it carries me so far beyond

Everything that stands before me and the deepest sea

And so it comes to sit beside me ebbing forth

To carry me away into its darkest secretive heart

I don’t mind

I don’t mind

If you stare

Or paint the room in blue

While I sleep

I don’t mind

If you walk a while

Or smile in your style

And mimic your expression

I don’t mind

If the urge to be is too much

Or the strength to see is gone

While I dream

@ Vickie Johnstone

For the Love of Love - Love of Animals

http://www.tglong.com/blog/2012/02/for-the-love-of-love-february-18th-love-of-animals/#anchor11

As I posted the other day, Terri Guiliano has been hosting an event on her blog this week on the theme of love in its many forms. Guests have been joining her every day, writing on different themes: family love, friendship, passionate and contented love, compassionate love and love of food, music, animals, language and writing. 

The event doesn't finish until 22 February, so there's still time to turn to her blog and join in.

Today's theme is love of animals and guests have put together some posts to illustrate the strength of the animal-human bond. 

I have written a post about kitties and the other guests are Ramona (owner of Create With Joy), Annarita Guarnieri, Sean Keefer, Holly Robinson and Alan Tucker.

You can vote on the posts via an entry form at the bottom of the page. 

You can vote daily and one winning voter will get a character named after them in Terri Guiliano's next book, a signed copy of the new paperback edition, plus a $50 Amazon gift card.  Two runners up will receive signed copies of the new paperback edition of In Leah’s Wake, plus a $25 gift card each.

So, what are you waiting for? :)))

Thanks

Vickie

purr purr

 

Come and discover 'The Love of Love'

For the Love of Love: 14th February to 22nd February 

40 guests join Terri Giuliano Long to share their thoughts 

Join Terri Giuliano Long and 40+ authors and bloggers as they share what love means to them. 

This huge love extravaganza begins on Valentine’s Day and continues for 9 days. 

Guests will share their thoughts on love and family, friends and animals; on passionate and contented love; on love of food, music, language and writing. 

Visit the For the Love of Love event to vote on your favorite posts and be in with a chance of winning a completely unique prize: one random voter will be chosen to have a character named after them in Terri’s next book! 

Two runners-up will also win signed copies of Terri Giuliano Long’s bestselling novel, In Leah’s Wake.  

Join us at www.tglong.com/blog to follow this amazing event. 

You can also follow the Facebook or Goodreads events for the latest updates. 

I'll be writing a piece about our love of our fluffy little animal friends... of course!!! :)

Thanks

Vickie

Small flash

Hi, I've been a bit quiet for a while... so here's some flash fiction :)

The haunted house by Vickie Johnstone

In the dark in the park by the tree that was the favourite of the lark, the haunted house glared. It spied through black windows, behind which shadows flittered. Footsteps unheard outside passed unbidden within. A spider stretched its legs across the stone floor on which no man had walked for years. Behind the heavy front door there breathed the ache of the ages. Long gone and long forgotten. A silent bell rang out. The silent clock ticked. The master of the house arose just as he had done a few hundred years before. Yawning, he walked outside the shimmering.

Forever by Vickie Johnstone

She follows the line of the wavering stream below the glow of the shimmering moon. Moonbeams speckle irredescent across her upturned face. Her fingertips trace the cold, dewy grass. Her bare feet tred softly. She relishes the quiet of the night. Going to meet her lover by the tree with their names carved. The wind blows her dark hair; feels like spiders scuttling across her cheek. Almost there. She sees him waiting. The mark of the noose never fades from his neck. Instinctively, she reaches to check the same welts on her own. She smiles. Their love overcomes even death.

Indie book reviews: Not Magic Enough

 Not Magic Enough by Valerie Douglas

I read this story on the train to work and it brightened my commute. I found myself thinking 'damn' every time I got to my stop because I wanted to know what happened next. I enjoyed the storyline - who wouldn't mind meeting a handsome elf? The plot flows along well, with some dramatic situations, character development, twists and a lot of passion thrown in. The erotic scenes read hot and genuine, and are written with aplomb. Valerie seems to write effortlessly; her style is flowing, descriptive and graphic. She paints pictures. The characterisation is sensitive and the story is atmospheric. She captures everything well with a lightness of touch. It's all in the details. I thought the ending slightly abrupt, but I think that was because I wanted more. Just like the heroine of the story while she waits for her man.

Where to get it:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004RJ44MA/ref=cm_cr_mts_prod_img 

http://www.amazon.com/Magic-Enough-Coming-Storm-ebook/dp/B004RJ44MA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325185003&sr=8-1