Newsletter for the Word of Words by Elias Tobias

Readership passes 1 million daily visitors

Daily numbers for readership of the World of Words by Elias Tobias show a continued growth. The site reached its first day of 1 million unique visitors.  These visitors have read more than 2 million pages per day.  New material is coming to the poetry web log to keep the content fresh using features that are helping to maintain or increase readership.  See the Press releases page for where to get current figures.

Artbrushed Photo Gallery

Through the magic of technology and computers, The World of Words by Elias Tobias presents a portfolio of 30 Artbrushed images that originated as digital photographs by Mike Hall. Click on the Meditation Pond thumbnail photo to get there. 

Live Magazine NYC joins International Poetry Link Exchange

Live Mag! is a biannual event/performance publication which takes place at the Bowery Poetry Club, hosted by Jeffrey Cyphers Wright. Poems are collected by audience members and read by guest editors. Previous editor guests have included Hannah Winarsky, editor of Princeton University Press, William Electric Black of La Mama Etc., Michael Andre of Unmuzzled Ox . Erika Jo Brown, editor of Stretching Panties Magazine, Bob Holman of the Bowery Poetry Press and Gary Parrish of Farfalla Press.   To get to the site, go to http://www.livemagnyc.com/

Free Elias Tobias signature poster

The World of Words by Elias Tobias presents a free signature poster of Elias Tobias. You can print it easily. Just click on the image on this page and and choose the “Save photo as” option when you right click again.  You name it. You can use it.  Then find the “main page” link on the right side of the page to go back to the main page.

Journey of life is poetry theme

The journey is the poetry theme for March 2009.  There is a saying that goes something like this: life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass; it is about learning to dance in the rain.  In Indiana, there is rain, snow, and everything in between. The journey is making choices and the most of the conditions, no matter the weather.
        

New Book, A Cupful of Words, started

The new category or book is being started this month, and it is called, A Cupful of Words.  The name of this web blog, The World of Words by Elias Tobias, stresses word choice.  This book will feature poems that a person can read and understand with a cup of coffee or tea in the morning before the day starts or in the evening when the tasks have ended and it is time to relax.

   Poem of the Month

Winds of Change

Dried lifeless leaves from the fall
              circle in the air as a strong wind
           swirls the past around.
                            For a moment, the wind stops, but
soon repeats the cyclone cycle
several times. 
        The warm sunlight stirs the convection
               from the ground that a week ago
was covered in 12 inches of snow.
       The rain came yesterday and washed
                  away the pain from the cracking
sidewalks.
            No one seems to know what will happen
                    next, except for the weatherman, who plays
the odds with God.  

The eyes of a poet

The eyes of a poet can pierce the thickest
  cover of the truth, even through doors of steel.
The eyes of a poet can sense the most simple
  of feelings in a complicated web of cries.
The eyes of a poet can exaggerate the most
  ordinary and make it important for all to see.
The eyes of a poet translate any emotion into
  a language that a readers can understand.
The eyes of a poet can see the beauty of
  anything, even when others see ugliness.
The eyes of a poet are a necessity, for
  without them, society would be blind.

Dew Drops on Morning Daydreams

Dew drops on morning daydreams glistens
as the sun rises over the field of young,
wild adventure…
 then the promise of a new and different
 day is clouded as rain falls on the Earth.
 However there will be another tomorrow. 

The Young Poet

To her, they are just words set on the page,
But to others, she’s a young, old sage who
Somehow sees beyond her years and knows
All of our hopes and fears.

There are those who read her poems many
Times a day, hoping to find clues along
life’s pathways.
Her words seem short, but she really has a
Lot to say.
She stares into space with a happy grin,
And her face glows with satisfaction.

To read this poem in Spanish, click here.

La Joven Poetisa

El poema “La joven poetisa” fué publicado originalmente el 11 de Abril de 2003 en el periódico ‘El Heraldo de Brownsville.’ Para ver la versión original en inglés, haga click aquí.

La Joven Poetisa 

Para ella, son solo palabras en la página,
Pero para otros, ella es una joven, vieja
sabia que dealguna manera mira más
allá de sus años ysabe de todas
nuestras esperanzas y miedos.

Existen aquellos que leen sus poemas
Varias veces al día, esperando encontrar
señales de huellas de la vida.
Sus palabras parecieran cortas,
pero ella realmente tiene mucho qué decir.

Permanece pensativa con una mueca feliz,
 y su sara brilla de satisfacción.

Hands

Riddle me this, or
 Riddle me that.
If you get it right,
 I’ll eat my hat.
They could be hard,
 but be soothed with oil;
and they could be cleaned
 since they’re a bit soiled.
But I am digressing,
 And it’s easy to do,
so I’ll go on with my
 mini-mystery for you.
What it is that tells time
 on the minute or hours,
and holds the bar of soap
 As you take a shower?

To read this poem in Spanish, click here. 

The Morning Sun

   Photo by Mike Hall

The Morning Sun

The love we have now took a couple of years,
But you’re my wife and it’s worth the wait.
We took time to express our hopes and fears.
You sensed a future together by the second date.

It seems like my life has just begun since the day
When we promised each other to unite as one.
We combine our pasts that never did fade away.
Your love renews my spirit like the morning sun.
   

Soldado de Misfortuna

El poema “Soldao de Misfortuna” fué publicado originalmente el 15 de Noviembre de 2002 en el periódico ‘El Heraldo de Brownsville.’ Para ver la versión original en inglés, haga click aquí.

Soldado de Misfortuna
Soy un soldado de la misfortuna,
Luchando por sobrevivir en las calles.
Las cosas no siempre funcionan a mi favor
Cuando confío en las personas
que conozco.

Me veo envuelto en situaciones complicadas
Donde no siempre llevo las de ganar
En la batalla de quién gana el juego,
Quién es hambriento y quién se alimenta.
Tengo amigos que, juntos, hemos tratado
de controlar nuestras vidas en concreto
A lo que llamamos hogar
Lo suficientemente comodo para dormir.

EI dinero es la sangre que nos mantiene
Caminando con nuestros cansados piés.
Soy un soldado de la misfortuna,
Luchando por sobrevivir en la calle.

Soldier of Misfortune

I’m a soldier of misfortune,
fighting to survive on the street.
Things don’t always go my way
when I do trust people I meet.
Situations get complicated,
and there is a chance for defeat
in the battle of who wins the game,
Who goes hungry and who gets to eat.
I have friends who, together, we
try to control our life on concrete
so that some where is called home
long enough for us to sleep.
Money is the blood that keeps us
walking on our tired feet.
I’m a soldier of misfortune,
fighting to survive on the street.

If you would like to read this poem in Spanish, click here

A Squirrelly Tale 

         Photos by Mike Hall

A Squirrelly Tale
The temperatures in the mid–central Indiana climbed into the 50s for a second day, melting much of the accumulated snow on the ground.  This allowed Bartholomew Bob, a squirrel living in a wooded area near an apartment complex in Richmond, Indiana, to take advantage of the cleared ground to search for food while the rest of his family was safe in the woods. First, he pauses to stand up and pray for the good weather and a good search.  He runs around the yard, wagging his tail in excitement when food is found. He pauses for a few bites and continues his search until a sudden sound makes him stop an run up a nearby tree.
The End