STACIA LYNN REYNOLDS

WELCOME

TO

OUR POETRY ARCHIVE

“Time given to thought is the greatest time saver of all”

~Norman Cousins~

The English essayist, Francis Bacon, states; “Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider.” Every day, various forms of information, written and/or spoken, are presented to us. We have the ability to process and consider all these various forms of information. We can believe or disregard information, which makes one wise or foolish. The contemporary definition of critical thinking is defined as, “the mental process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information to reach an answer or conclusion” (Dictionary.com). The defined concept of critical thinking is an overall good summary; though, it goes beyond definition. It consists of meanings and concepts that give the definition its purpose. The meaning of what critical thinking is and how the individual must logically examine information, to conclude correct conclusions of thought, is time well spent.

There are many devices used in writing that the reader should be aware of when examining written content, media, advertisements, or the internet. Sources of information can leave the reader or viewer confused, if the individual does not think critically, due to issues of vagueness, ambiguity, excessive generality, or the use of undefined terms in the argument or advertising. For example, skillful writing should persuade the reader, not trying to trick them with play of words. A critical thinker will be able to point out these issues, along with fallacies that do not give good reasons to accept the claim, along with rhetorical devices that influence the readers beliefs and attitudes using words, association, and many different other devices.

Critical thinking is a skill that individuals learn and grow upon. It is a skill that is built with every written word, or any other form of information presented. When thinking critically, we learn to examine material more carefully, with growing skill. A critical thinker does not take writing at face value but reads between the lines and thinks; along with examine its contents for truth or falsehood.

Our Poetry Archive’s editorial team is extremely excited about the success and support from our readers, along with all the poets who have contributed to Our Poetry Archive. It is only through your support that OPA has grown throughout the years! The decorated souls of this world, who have contributed to the growth of Our Poetry Archive, possess qualities that many have come to appreciate. We delight in the words of others; we feel the emotions of every poet who grace us with their words. Exquisite and fascinating representation of language from each continent has been represented in Our Poetry Archive’s monthly online publication. Due to the pleasant amount of growth, Our Poetry Archive is extending our utmost thanks and appreciation to all of you! We could not have been successful without all of you! Again, we are delighted to proudly mention that the “OPA Anthology of Contemporary Women’s Poetry” has been an instant success. 99 poetesses from all over the world have taken part in this anthology with their creative brilliance, exhibiting the highest poetical achievements. Our ardent gratitude goes to those who have contributed generously in this annual Anthology of OPA. Readers can also visit this anthology by clicking “Anthology III” from the menu bar.

Please take time and enjoy the talent Our Poetry Archive has added to the August 2017 General Edition. We are also delighted to introduce poetess Michela Zanarella as ‘Poet of the Month.’ We hope our readers will enjoy the live interview with the poet along with her poetry as well. Those who would like to take part in our monthly editions can send at least three poems and a profile picture, along with the explicit confirmation, of your permission, for publication of your copyrighted materials in OPA well before the 20th of every month. If you write in another language, please send your 3 poems both in English and your native language. Also, please specify, in the subject line of your email, which edition you are submitting to, to avoid any confusion, and to assure your poems publication in the correct edition. Finally, please state your country of origin, mother language, nationality, and where you reside. Thank you! Our Poetry Archive’s email address is: ourpoetryarchive@gmail.com. We look forward to receiving and reading your poems!

Our Poetry Archive, in association with the Facebook group “LOVE POETRY”, is extending an open invitation to all the group members to take part in the Love Poetry Special Edition of OPA. The requirements of submission are to send: At least three poems, one current profile picture, short bio in 3rd person narrative of the poet mentioning, along with country of origin, mother language, nationality, place of living; the explicit confirmation of your permission for publication of your copyrighted materials in OPA; mention LOVE POETRY FACE BOOK GROUP in the Subject Line of your email. Finally, send your contributions, in a single MS-Word file, only to Our Poetry Archive’s email address: ourpoetryarchive@gmail.com. The last date of submission for the Special Edition is: 20th AUGUST 2017.

Author Stacia Lynn Reynolds, editor, sincerely thanks each poet and reader who is actively involved in this wonderful blog and continued support of Our Poetry Archive.

From The Editorial Desk

OPA

A

WORLDWIDE WRITERS’ WEB

PRESENTATION!

PUBLISHED BY

OPA

OUR

POETRY ARCHIVE

ONLINE MONTHLY POETRY JOURNAL

https://ourpoetryarchive.blogspot.com

email us to:

ourpoetryarchive@gmail.com

******************************************

MICHELA ZANARELLA

OUR POETRY ARCHVE FEATURED

POET OF THE MONTH

MICHELA 

ZANARELLA

AUGUST 2017

OPA How long have you been writing Poetry? We would like to know the early stories about your growing up as a poet or writer in general. Who are your favorite Poets? What are some of your favorite genres to read and to write? Had they inspired you a lot, do you believe in inspiration as a guiding force behind writings at all?

MICHELA ZANARELLA: I have written poems for more than ten years. I started after a tragic road accident that changed my life. I had never written poetry before and poetry came as a special gift. Since then it never abandoned me. I started to publish texts in some literary sites, I take part in competitions and I receive awards. I have always tried to read the poets of the past, I think it's necessary to know who has preceded us. Among my reference poets I would like to quote Leopardi, Quasimodo, Ungaretti, Pasolini, Merini, Campana, Verlaine, Baudelaire and many others. I read everything, from fiction to the essay, but in particular much contemporary poetry. Inspiration is definitely a driving force to get to the creation. It can come from moment to moment, without a precise motive.

           

OPA What has been the toughest criticism given to you as a writer? What was the biggest compliment? Did that change how or what you write?  What has been the strangest thing that a reader has asked you?

MICHELA ZANARELLA: In the past my writing was different, more hermetic, I was criticized for this, so I tried to make it simpler, without too much expressive forcing. Readers appreciate the pictures I can create, perhaps this is the most beautiful compliment. A very young reader, a child, once asked me if poetry is studying, I believe beyond the techniques it is necessary to feel, perceive, and to make sure that what is written produces something.

OPA What is your favorite poem you have ever written? Compared to when you first started writing, have you notice any big changes in your writing style or how you write compared from then to now?

MICHELA ZANARELLA: I do not have a favorite poem, every text has its uniqueness and I consider it part of my path. As I said before, over time I changed style and I managed to find a language that I feel fit to feel.

OPA   What has been your favorite part of being a poet or and author? What has been your least favorite?

 MICHELA ZANARELLA:  Poetry has allowed me to know many people, to get closer to different realities, to enter more into my personality.

OPA Did you get to quit your day job and become a writer and/or author, or do you still have a day job and writing is something you do for fun? If you still have a day job, what is it?

MICHELA ZANARELLA:  Writing is part of my daily life. I do not live in poetry, but it definitely helps me to be better. I deal with journalism and my main business always has the writing base.

OPA Besides writing and reading, what is your most favorite thing to do? What genre are you most looking forward to explore during your writing career? Why?

MICHELA ZANARELLA: In addition to reading and writing I love to travel. When I can I try to go to places I do not know. I would love to write something about children's: fairy tales. Because to be able to conquer the little ones I think is really exciting. They see things with different eyes and if a book fascinates them they say it spontaneously.

OPA: Do you think literature or poetry is essential in our life? If so why? How does it relate to the general history of mankind?

MICHELA ZANARELLA: Yes, poetry and literature are fundamental to my life. I could not live without. Writing helps me to feel good and gives me the opportunity to say things that I can not say often. Poetry has always given humanity contact with the beauty of things.

OPA   Our readers would like to know your own personal experience regarding the importance of literature and poetry in your life.

MICHELA ZANARELLA: Poetry has allowed me to learn to appreciate every moment of life, gave me the opportunity to know myself and to overcome fears and uncertainties.

OPA Do you think people in general bother about literature in general?  Do you think this consumerist world is turning the average man away from serious literature?

MICHELA ZANARELLA: You can not generalize. There are people who are aware of the value of literature, others that are not interested in anything. In the end, you must know how to accept it.

OPA If humanity tries to understand tradition and modernism; do you think literature can play a pivotal role in obtaining understanding?  If so, how? Again, how can an individual writer relate himself or herself with the tradition and modernism?

MICHELA ZANARELLA: Literature plays an important role in the evolution of society. Knowing how to make changes and forward them is necessary, without forgetting the tradition. Telling what is happening is a sign of transparency and honesty with readers.

OPA Do you think society is a factor in shaping you as a poet, or your poetry altogether?

MICHELA ZANARELLA: Society in some way affects the creativity of the writer. The poet absorbs what is around him.

OPA We would like to know about any influences that has inspired your poetry and writings.

 MICHELA ZANARELLA: Elements of nature, affections, things that happen that become the inspiration of what I write.

OPA We would also like to know; how do you relate the present literary trends with the literary heritage of your country? 

MICHELA ZANARELLA: I have been able to make my poetry known not only in my own country, but also abroad. Publishing several books helped me a lot and having good translators was important.

OPA Do you believe that all writers are the product of their nationality? Is it an incentive or an obstacle in becoming an international writer?

MICHELA ZANARELLA: I believe that every writer must represent his nation, but feel boundless, free to be a citizen of the world.

OPA What 7 words would you use to describe yourself?

MICHELA ZANARELLA:

Timid, sincere, determined, generous, solar, positive, dreamer.

OPA   Is there anything else that you would like to share or say to those who will read this interview?

MICHELA ZANARELLA : Poetry is my freedom, I hope that what I write reaches the heart of many people.

MICHELA ZANARELLA was born in Cittadella (PD) in 1980. Since 2007 he lives and works in Rome. He published the following collections of poetry: Credo (2006), Awakenings (2008), Life, infinite, havens (2009), Sensuality (2011), Meditations for women (2012), The aesthetics of the beyond (2013), The identity of the sky (2013), Tragically red (2015), The words near (2017). In Romania it came out in a bilingual edition the collection Imensele coincidenţe (2015). The author of fiction and texts for theater, is editor of Italian Journal and Laici.it. His poems have been translated into English, French, Arabic, Spanish, Romanian, Serbian, greek, Portuguese, Hindi and Japanese. He got the Creativity Prize at the International Prize Naji Naaman's 2016. Is ambassador for culture and represents Italy in Lebanon for the Foundation Naji Naaman. Is in the direction of Writers Capital International Foundation. Corresponding member of the Academy Cosentina, founded in 1511 by Aulo Giano Parrasio.

The editorial staff of this project: Stacia Lynn Reynolds and Deborah Brooks Langford; sincerely thank you for your time and hope we shall have your continued support.

MICHELA ZANARELLA

MICHELA ZANARELLA

I CHAIN MYSELF TO THE ORIGINS

I chain myself to the origins

of light,

I undo a sunset,

just as poetry touches me,

with my lips I create the fate

of a horizon that glorifies

cemeteries filled with bones.

I rest in the sudden vibration

of a cloud,

intersecting rivers of silence

at the whimsical azure of a crowd

of instants.

Embodied in the exile

of earth and water,

I bind myself to the wind, I yield to the flames.

To eyes permeated by the world

surrounding the sun,

I make myself eternal

like Daphne. I make myself

a forest of olive trees.

***

AUGUST’S GLANCES

You seek me

in the glances of August,

you throw your blue

aboard the edges of my lips.

You commit a pulse

of muscles and light to eternity,

you become electricity where the sweat

smells of resin and sea.

With your life you invade

my life

and with the retina

call me love.

***

TOGETHER BEYOND

Dream an elsewhere,

a breathing in

of clouds and eternity

to nourish the spine,

of vapors still intact,

still ours.

Together,

beyond the outlines of the end,

we will move winged

across timelines,

as discovering ourselves naked

for the first time,

nervous because of love,

ready to unearth intimacy

of waters, of the universe.

The phalanxes will not vanish

in flames,

the greedy sweat of play

will not die,

we will consume the sky

dripping in love on the sidewalks

of destiny.

Drenched by sensuality

we too will exist

where the infinite is absent.

***

SPARKS OF LIFE

In these bones

I travel

and I carry with me

the little sparks of life.

I unearth heat,

take in breath,

I love.

I want

to stay in this skin,

I want it to still be

magic

in the future.

I want you to erupt

out of me

and I want to know

the taste of the sea.

***

SILENCE MATURES

Silence matures

in a sea

that bears my glances

like earth that gently

bears human misery.

The flesh of my mind

takes refuge in the water.

In the limpid muscles

of the depth

I find the strength

of a prolific reason.

Life lingers

between a sacrifice

and the purity of my foam.

***

MICHELA ZANARELLA

MICHELA ZANARELLA is the author of poetry, fiction, and plays. Born in Cittadella, Michela lives and works in Rome, where she carries out her work in collaboration with various journals on the web. She has published eight books of poetry, and she has received several national and international awards. Her poetry has been translated into Spanish, Romanian, French, and Arabic.

ADOLF P. SHVEDCHIKOV

ADOLF PAVLOVICH SHVEDCHIKOV

EARTH AND HEAVEN

I look at the reddish straw of your hair...

You are beautiful girl, such a terrestrial creature,

I feel the warmth of the sun, the scent of spring air,

You've captures too much from generous nature!

I am gazing into the depths of your attractive eyes,

I never get tired looking at the goddess,

My heart is ready to burn in your fire,

You are unforgettable, you are gorgeous!

I kiss ecstatically your ripe cherries,

I drink the sweet wine of your excellent body.

You are undoubtedly a mysterious fairy,

The revived Galatea of eternal melody!

LOVE AT FIRST SIGH

I fell in love at my fist sigh,

When I saw you on a summer day.

I still don't know how and why,

But I am grateful for that way.

I was the victim of the lust,

I craved to kiss your coral lips.

I tried to melt the ice of distrust,

I was ready to sail our merry ship!

When you whispered silently yes,

I was the happiest man in the world,

The fire of feelings, breast to breast,

Burned me instantly, I wasn't old!

I've heard in heaven, oh my Lord,

How soul's spirit passed through me.

I kissed you violently, I felt secrets stored,

Oh my night violet, the Deity!

We sank in a powerful tide of dreams,

So close to each other, face to face,

Our souls swam up again through gleams

Of feelings current with sweet embrace.

I will remember you, my dove

Gliding in a turquoise sky.

A fervent heart will follow you, my beloved,

I fell in love at my first sigh!

MY BELOVED, HOW I LOVE YOU!

The cat is purring on an armchair,

The dog is sleeping near the fireplace,

Wood is crackling in the air,

Let me kiss your pensive face.

The pendulum is counting hours,

Bright stars languish in the sky,

Give me bliss of fragrant flowers,

Lay next to me and don't be shy.

I'll hide you in my calm harbor,

Keep forever of my heart's key.

After midnight come to an arbor,

Let's sit down under  the tree.

I'll bring a gold ring with an amber,

Drink divine drops of night dew.

Dive in embrace of sweet slumber,

My beloved, how I love you!

©

ADOLF P. SHVEDCHIKOV,

PhD, LittD (RUSSIA)

International Poet of Merit

ADOLF PAVLOVICH SHVEDCHIKOV. Russian scientist, poet and translator. Born May 11, 1937 in  Shakhty, Russia. In 1960 he graduated from Moscow State University, Department of Chemistry. Ph.D. in Chemistry in 1967. Senior researcher at the Institute of Chemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow. Since 1997 - the chief chemist of the company Pulsatron Technology Corporation, Los Angeles, California, USA. Doctor of Literature World Academy of Arts and Letters. He published more than 150 scientific papers and about 600 of his poems indifferent International Magazines of poetry in Russia, USA, Brazil, India, China, Korea, Japan, Italy, Malta, Spain, France, Greece, England and Australia. He published also 16 books of poetry. His poems have been translated into Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, Chinese, Japanese, and Hindi languages. He is the Member of International Society of Poets, World Congress of Poets, International Association of Writers and Artists, A. L. I. A. S. (Associazione Letteraria Italo-Australiana Scrittori, Melbourne, Australia). Adolf P. Shvedchikov is known also for his translation of English poetry ("150 English  Sonnets of XVI-XIX Centuries". Moscow. 1992. "William Shakespeare. Sonnets." Moscow. 1996) as well as translation of many modern poets from Brazil, India, Italy, Greece, USA, England, China and Japan. In 2013 he was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature.

AGNIESZKA RUCZAJ

AGNIESZKA RUCZAJ

Without the context

I am not a word

without the context

or a thought

interrupted in mid-sentence

you don’t understand

when I speak

I don’t understand

when you are silent

we lack

the basis of an agreement

the only thing that exists

is the emptiness between us

(IM)MATURITY

despite the logic

I will smile to my life

maybe it will answer

also with the smile

although I was often given

a certificate of immaturity

I still believe

that these exams make sense

premature questions

have found answers

but too sophisticated

to take the adventage of them

it is only a useless knowledge

but one day

it may change me

LOOK INTO MY EYES

it is said that

she had enslaved him

with her sight

but he just wanted

to look into her eyes

he never refuses

there was the truth

about a harmony

of hearts and thoughts there

about so naive EVER

and so real NOW

it is said that

his sight was full of peace

but he did not always look

like that

these eyes could not lie

do not believe

in what it is said

look into my eyes

AGNIESZKA RUCZAJ