introspection by Laura Minning

i n t r o s p e c t i o n

I look down into the river,

and I see an Old Woman

staring back at Me.

Her hair has been changed

by the elements of time,

and Her cheeks are dampened,

by the bitterness in the air.

But Her eyes glisten in the moonlight,

just the same.

She tells Me, in secret,

that She will never allow Herself

to be hurt like that again.

And so Her mind lives elsewhere,

making plans for the future,

while attempting

to put Her past behind Her.

I try to console Her,

but every time I begin to speak,

She turns away.

You see:

I think She’s as wonderful on the inside,

as She is beautiful on the outside.

And sometimes,

she can appear to be

almost youthful and free.

But she won’t hear My words;

She won’t listen to Me.

~laura j. minning

excerpt from “dear diary”

published by vantage press

c. december 2003

Laura Minning began writing creatively at the age of nine. She’s become an award winning published poet and author since that time. All in all, she’s had one-hundred and seven individual poems, six articles, two books, two plays and one piece of prose published in both hard copy and on-line. Her work has been featured in publications like “Literature Today”, “Amulet Magazine” and “Slate & Style”.

Laura received her first Editor’s Choice Award in 1993 for “bronx zoo” and her first International Merritt of Poetry Award in 1995 for “introspection” by the National Library of Poetry. Poetry.com recognized her work a decade later by granting her the title of International Poet of the Year.

Laura’s artistic accomplishments are equally impressive. She’s had eighty-five original pieces exhibited and eleven published. Her work has been displayed in venues like the VMFA Studio School, Haverhill Public Library and Barcode.

The Barcode exhibit featured thirty-six pieces of Laura’s artwork during the month of February in 2016. Four pieces were sold over the course of opening weekend, and the exhibition was sponsored by Bacardi.

Part of all sale proceeds from Laura’s creative works is donated to charity. She donates to the National Federation of the Blind for her poetry sales and the VCU Massey Cancer Center for art sales. Additional information about Laura and her work can be found by logging onto her web-site at http://bluerosecreations.wix.com/bluerose.

As a person with low vision and blindness, Laura hopes to inspire other creative people to never allow anything to hinder them from reaching for the stars and accomplishing their dreams If you were to ask her about her creative successes, she would tell you that the difficult is but the work of the moment, and the impossible takes a little longer.