...so known ... in Tappan, New York...

the glory of a Spring moment
the bloom of a flower new
petal wings of grace
beholden to the light
bowing to the sun.


Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York

National Poetry Month, April, 2011.

Bowing to the Sun, Photo, C.A.R, Collectible Clicks, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2011.

...of night...

gold and indigo
hue of alchemic splendor
crowning jewel of night.


Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York

haiku reflections... National Poerty Month, April, 2011.

Of Night, Image, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2011.

The Night Wind

the night wind carries the morning melody
the refrain of flowers in bloom
the chorus of budding leaves
the lilting bird song
the sounding sounding flow of water
all in PRESENCE known
all in PRESENCE known.


Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York


The Night Wind, Image, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2011.

In Celebration of National Poetry Month, April, 2011.

...this April Day in Tappan, New York ~ Taken By The Wind

thunderous rain and darkened sky
waters sounding and cascading
rooftops and roadways holding to water's flow
the torrential rains of Spring bathe each bloom
budding leaves of green and flowers in bright array
hues of grandeur taken by the wind in embracing flight
this palette of bloom, this palette of light.

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York

Taken By The Wind, Image, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2011.

In Celebration of National Poetry Month, April, 2011.

From Days Past

Reflections, aspirations, expressions and desire
Words speak of life, passion, flame and fire
A gift of life now ever to be known
By the words of heart you have shown
And others may now be freed to reveal
What in their hearts they yet conceal
Many a story there is to be told
From days past a page to unfold.

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York


Woman Reading a Book, 1845, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, French, 1796-1875.

In Celebration of National Poetry Month, April, 2011.

...from a palette... this firmament known...

haiku reflections

magenta be cast
from a palette of splendor
with brush strokes serene.

this firmament known
life, breath and time eternal
graced be this moment.



Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown. New York


Magenta Be Cast, Image, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2011.

In Celebration National Poetry Month, April 2011.

The Bamboo's Vow

In joyous abandon the silence to greet
The chorus of sound as leaf and wind meet
This season’s winsome array now is heard
The sonorous sway of bamboo, the call of the songbird
Lithe and lush dwellers of my garden green
Holding to the sun’s light dancing shadows seen
Leaves and canes in supple surrender bow
Beauty, strength, gentleness be the bamboo’s vow.

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York


Bamboo in my garden, Photograph, CAR, Collectible Clicks, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2011.

The Resurrection

The Christ has risen
eternal love and glory
blessed soul divine.


Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Oramgetown, New York

Carl Heinrich Bloch, 1834-1890, Danish, The Resurrection, 1873. Museum of National History on Frederiksborg Castle. Courtesy of the Hope Gallery.

...and so BE the risen light...

...and so BE the risen light...

Very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared and they found not the body of the Lord Jesus. Luke 24:1,3

His body to rest
lain He be in a stone tomb
this now no longer.

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York

William-Adolphe Bouguereau, (1825-1905), Le Saintes Femmes au Tombeau (The Holy Women at the Sepulcher)
The Three Marys at the Tomb, Oil on Canvas, 1876.

Earth Day, 2011 ~ Abundance BE

Abundance BE

Ravage not the land nor sea
Heed the echoed cry and plea
Heard in the crashing wave and thunderous sky
In valleys, plains and mountains high
Hold this Earth in reverent care
Protect our gifts of land, water and air
Take not in abuse a mineral or gem
Behold the wonder of each bloom, leaf and stem
Trees to flourish, 'tis bounty's call
The knowing grace of Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
Earth, animals, a you, a me
Nurture wise and abundance be.

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York

Twilight Reverie

haiku reflections

twilight reverie
held I in this changing hour
light's eternal grace.


Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York


Twilight Reverie, Image, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2011.

By Brush and Paint

threads of time present and past
seasons of change and memories cast
many a word to reveal
what is imagined what is real
many a page to unfold
a story a drama be told
labors and blessed fruit to bear
loving gifts of the Creator's care
a vision, a journey, with word kept known
by brush and paint, such knowing shown.

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York

In Celebration of National Poetry Month, April, 2011.


Composition with old books, oil painting, on board, Aurelio Bruni, http://www.touchofart.eu/en/Aurelio-Bruni/ab6-Composition-with-old-books/

Star Fire

haiku reflections

wondrous vistas far
star fires ever brilliant light
this our universe.


Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York

image: The Flame Nebula : http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100112.html

Once a Mighty Bough ~ Tappan, New York

A fence rail weathered and gray
By rain, sun, storm, of many season's day
Hear I the whispering echoes of a tree
Once a mighty bough with nesting robins it be
The tree its gift yet to be, yet to live
A perch for the robin it does give
The robin sings its song knowing wise
It perches upon the tree's present disguise
And I in stillness and delight do hear
The song of the robin perched ever so near
It heralds Spring and all blossoming bright
Such blessings of Creation, the warming light.

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York


Fence Post Lookout, Photograph, Stephen Baird, http://www.nikonsniper.blogspot.com

This My Home Town

Description
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tappan (pronouncded tuh-PAN) is a hamlet (and a census-designated place) in the Town of Orangetown Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Old Tappan, New Jersey; east of Nau...raushaun and Pearl River; south of Blauvelt and west of Palisades and Sparkill. The population was 6,757 at the 2000 census.

History

The Tappan were a Lenape people who inhabited the region radiating from Hudson Palisades and New York – New Jersey Highlands at the time of European colonialization in the 17th century.

1691

The first County Courthouse was built in Tappan, though by 1737, sessions alternated between Tappan and Goshen.

1711

The first school house in Rockland County was built in Tappan. It was used as a school until 1860. There would not be another school in the county until late in the 18th century.

And for you to Enjoy...

Tappan: A Walk Through History ~ http://www.tappantown.org/

Curtain Call

behind the dark blue curtain he did stand
waiting for his cue, his action command
his dream to be in the stage limelight
this his chance this very night
moments tense and then a pause
his dream now real, applause, applause.

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York


Curtain Call, Image, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2011.

...here in Tappan, New York...Spring Mood

when the mood is Spring
colors in blooming array
dance of light anew.


Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York

Spring Mood, Image, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2011.

Spring Symphony

As I see, as I listen...

So be these gifts of loving grace
Within heart's chambers splendor to place
'Tis the blessings of a season's time
The bloom and Spring's majesty divine.


Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York


Daffodils at Docton Mill Gardens Photo: MMGI / Andrew Lawson

A Tribute

In gratitude to
Shirley Fowler

Leonardo da Vinci ~ In Celebration of his birth April 15, 1452

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci

In Celebration of his birth April 15, 1452

"Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art."
Leonardo Da Vinci

In His Hand

In his hand
A pencil he to hold
Lines, shadows, delicate
Purposeful and bold
Portrays he grace
A beauty sublime
And gifted we be
By artistry divine.

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, April 15, 1452 ~ May 2, 1519, an Italian polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer. Leonardo is known as the archetype of the Renaissance man, a man whose curiosity was equaled only by his powers of invention. Indeed one of the greatest artists of all time and perhaps the most diversely gifted person ever to have lived.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci

...here in Tappan, New York ... playful passions...

haiku reflections

playful Spring passions
joyful dance of root and bloom
beauty to bestir.


Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York

Passions of Spring, Image, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2011

...this to behold...The Creator's Art

... haiku reflections...

a distant canvas
vista of light and stardust
the Creator's Art.


Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York



Image: Astronomy Picture of the Day, APOD: 2011 April 14 - Young Stars in the Rho Ophiuchi Cloud. http://apod.nasa.gov

Sounding Light

Sounding Light

thunderous was the night
rain in torrential flow
the sounding light fills my room
gray overcast sky in lightning array
the hour comes to pass
the violet ray dons the sky
and I to behold the wondrous beauty.


Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York

Sounding Light, Image, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2011.

Womb A Flow

haiku reflections

upon rain drenched earth
rituals of Spring quiver
mother womb a flow.


Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York

Mother Womb, Image, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2011.

Resounding Earth

haiku reflections


listen to the pulse
echoes of resounding earth
awakened is Spring.


Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York



Resounding Earth, Image, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2011.
click on image for a larger view

Yellow and Green ~ Magical

magical is this flow of yellow and green
such be the wondrous glory of young Spring
the bright yellow of daffodils and forsythia
the breath of new green on the willow tree
patches of fresh grass in silent quivers
bulbs with peeking green folds of budding leaves
daylight that lingers longer than its yesterday
morning dew so gentle in its touch
cool temperatures linger yet
the noon day sun warm and welcomed
all has its seasonal plan its charter divine
magical is this flow of yellow and green.

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York


Yellow and Green, Image, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2011.

Curtains Drawn

the theater lights now low
the stage echoes the emptiness
the curtains drawn
the performance and the critic
the being and the reckoning
shadows hold the drama
light holds the vision
and the act awaits applause
the new script has yet to unfold
a pause, time's interlude
the curtains drawn.

Rose Marie Raccioppi



Curtains Drawn, Image, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2011.

National Poetry Month, April 2011 ~ Orangetown, New York

In Celebration

I am so very pleased to share the poster that was created in
Celebration of National Poetry Month, April, 2011,
presentation poem by

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York

This will be officially presented
at the Orangetown Town Board Meeting
on Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Click on Image
for a larger readable view.

Inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996,
National Poetry Month
is now held every April to celebrate poetry
and its place in American culture.

Celebrate National Poem In Your Pocket Day on Thursday, April 14, 2011!
The idea is simple: select a poem you love during National Poetry Month
then carry it with you to share with co-workers, family, and friends.

Peruse http://www.apogeepoet.blogspot.com,
select a favored poem, copy/print, pocket and share!

Thank You ever so kindly.

English Essays: Sidney to Macaulay.
The Harvard Classics. 1909–14.
A Defence of Poetry
Percy Bysshe Shelley

"... But poets, or those who imagine and express this indestructible order, are not only the authors of language and of music, of the dance, and architecture, and statuary, and painting: they are the institutors of laws, and the founders of civil society, and the inventors of the arts of life, and the teachers, who draw into a certain propinquity with the beautiful and the true that partial apprehension of the agencies of the invisible world. Poets, according to the circumstances of the age and nation in which they appeared, were called, in the earlier epochs of the world, legislators, or prophets: a poet essentially comprises and unites both these characters. For he not only beholds intensely the present as it is, and discovers those laws according to which present things ought to be ordered, but he beholds the future in the present, and his thoughts are the germs of the flower and the fruit of latest time..." A Defence of Poetry, Percy Bysshe Shelley, 1792 – 1822.

A Defence of Poetry. Percy Bysshe Shelley. 1909-14. English Essays: Sidney to Macaulay. The Harvard Classics ~ Full text available at: http://www.bartleby.com/27/23.html

Purple ~ In Celebration National Poetry Month

the drapes are drawn
the drama defined
the play of light and shadow
staged be the folds
the casting complete.

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York

Purple Folds, Image, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2011.

National Poetry Month ~ April, 2011

National Poetry Month ~ April 2011

"Words are things, and a small drop of ink
falling like dew upon a thought
produces that which makes
thousands, perhaps millions, think."

Lord Byron, 1788-1824

Words, those markers of thought, sounding within us, hanker for expression. Words, those marks upon paper, our own or that of another find their meaning within us. A poem, its meter, its rhythm, its rhyme, its structure, its pulse, calls for our attentive consideration. Within the words, the line, the totality of a poem, we to find meaning, inspiration, an accord, a resolve and yes, another question.

WORDS words

words for prayer words for play
for the faith and frolic of our day
for the politician's power quest
words chosen thought to be best
words that conjure thoughts of freedom, the held ideal
words to affirm a continued and favored appeal
words of the lovers passionate and sweet
to assure affectionate embraces when they do meet
words to praise and hold gratitude true
gems and jewels when bestowed upon you
words of inspiration holding to nature's grace
to bring us to another time another place
words of faith, vision and quest
within each held life's behest
the poet's game to choose words well
to touch those chambers where heart and soul dwell.

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York

Inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996,
National Poetry Month
is now held every April to celebrate poetry
and its place in American culture.

Celebrate National Poem In Your Pocket Day on Thursday, April 14, 2011!
The idea is simple: select a poem you love during National Poetry Month
then carry it with you to share with co-workers, family, and friends.

Peruse http://www.apogeepoet.blogspot.com,
select a favored poem, copy/print, pocket and share!

Still life with books and a globe, Jan Davidsz de Heem, (Utrecht 1606 - 1683/84 Antwerp),
Signed and dated on the book at the centre:
Johannes / de Heem / Fecit Anno / 1628

This signed Still life with books and a globe of 1628 dates from the Leiden period of Jan Davidsz de Heem, generally regarded as one of the most important and multifaceted still-life painters of the Golden Age. De Heem painted six further still lifes with books while in Leiden, where he had settled in or before 1625.

image: thekremercollection.com/art/artists/Jan-Davidsz-de-Heem/

The Daffodil

the earth and wind song of the daffodil
beauteous be this gift of Grace and Will
the dance of petal's eternal bloom and light
blessed be such wondrous Spring delight.

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York

In Celebration of National Poetry Month, April, 2011


The Daffodil, Image, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2011.

Passion and Light

bright be the mood of this morning new
magenta be the calling calling hue
passion and light within is known
upon canvas so be they shown.

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York


From Shadows, Watercolor, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2011, http://www.apogeeart.com/

National Poetry Month
April, 2011

Folds at Play

haiku reflections


hold light and shadow
textures, colors, folds at play
to this I delight.

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York


Folds, Image, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2011.

Rising

... rising... haiku reflection

rising morning light
blossoming rays of splendor
hues of majesty.


Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York



Blossoming Rays, Image, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2011.

Dawning Alchemy

dawning alchemy
horizons of the Presence
golden light of faith.

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York


Dawning Alchemy, Image, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2011.

Night Sky Jeweled

night sky jeweled it be
crowned in colors of majesty
emerald, sapphire, light of vista far
and diamond be the distant star.

Rose Marie Raccioppi


Night Sky Jeweled, Image, ©Rose Marie Raccioppi, 2011.

And now this very day ~ Life in all its blossoming

Perceived joy in this moment real
A sense of oneness I shall not conceal
The lilting exuberance, the embracing calm
Life in all its blossoming, its abundance, its wondrous charm
This moment barren of loss, fear, regret or sorrow
Holds the promise of BEING, this moment, this hour, this day, a tomorrow
This spirit, this soul, this life bequeathed to me
Ever was, ever is and ever shall BE.

Rose Marie Raccioppi

image credit: www.tierraunica.com/.../ 2009/08/index.html

Frank Porcu Large Drawing - Long Version

Action Captured - A WOW for sure! Love it! A present day Michelangelo Buonarroti in full array!! ENJOY my friends - this is indeed a contemporary gift!!

and in haiku reflection

a pulsing vision
creation's quest calling heard
unfolding structure.

Rose Marie Raccioppi