Poetry Publication With NFSPS - Yesterday's Storm
Poetry Publication With NFSPS in 2024 - PART 2
yesterday’s storm
by Patricia Tiffany Morris
PART 2
“yesterday’s storm” (lowercase intended) is a free verse poem. This summer, “yesterday’s storm” won 1st place in the National Federation of State Poetry Societies’ annual contest #25. The anthology, Encore: Prize Poems 2024, is now available on Amazon with first publication rights by NFSPS.
Here’s a little more about my poetry journey:
I wrote my first 15,000 word short story, and scrounged for old poems from high school. I revised many and entered a few of them plus a few new pieces. I was thrilled to learn that I had won my first two poetry awards in 2019. Consequently, I haven’t stopped writing and I explore a wide variety of genres today. But poetry is my favorite genre since finding encouragement from an inspiring high school English teacher named Mrs. Janice Mitchell from Marshalltown High School in the 70s and 80s.
The theme of “yesterday’s storm" is the central focus of hope through life long struggles: trials during my youth, experiencing the death of my mom during college, wrestling with fragments of memories of my childhood abuse by someone I loved, discovering my creative nature to cope in adulthood, and wading through the difficulties of childbirth (where my firstborn child, and myself, nearly died,) as well as the adoption of four older children with great special needs from Haiti, and as a mother desperately wanting to help other children find their safe spaces, realizing the loss of many dreams.
I know there is always tomorrow. But I am trying to live my new dreams today to their fullest.
Relationships are a dance of souls trying to cope and make space for love in between struggles. Amid reconciliation from all that’s made up the sum of our lives, we find peace within. Poetry does that for me. And the mesh of my analytic, organizing left-brained self with my wild creative right-sided tendencies bring me purpose as I attempt to point others to faith, hope, and a call to rise above the clamor around us.
A bright spot during the past several years has been all the marvelous friendships I found, as well as the multiple awards and encouragement I’ve experienced through various contests and conferences. I am compelled by joy to continue writing and creating stories in order to heal and help others heal.
I hope you enjoy the poem, “yesterday’s storm,” and that you can look forward to whatever tomorrow brings.
Click the affiliate link to purchase Encore Prize Poems 2024. by NFSPS, published on June 12, 2024.
See the post for Part 1, The King’s Word, here.
What will you write in 2025?
Would you like to join Word Weaver’s International and apply to be a member of my poetry critique group?
Love always, because of Jesus Christ,
Patricia
yesterday’s storm
1st place in the NFSPS Contest in 2024.
PUBLISHED ON AMAZON on JUNE 12, 2024.
and
1st place in SCWC Contest in 2025 for published poems.
yesterday’s storm
today came easily
after the chaos
of yesterday’s storm
cascading second chances
like tree limbs
falling
on the front lawn
broken
before we said goodbye
striking the temptation
to keep our thoughts to ourselves
this time
no bleeding regrets
when redemption waits
but always
confusing the dialogue
of our
stormy attempts
at reconciliation
piecing together the times
we got it right
mending the arguments
before tomorrow’s calm
today after the lightning stops
today came easily
yet I want to try again tomorrow
to heal
by Patricia Tiffany Morris
First published on Amazon: Encore: Prize Poems 2024 Anthology by NFSPS, First rights by NFSPS. Editor Kathy L Cotton.
This poem received FIRST PLACE in contest #25 sponsored by the Poetry Society of Indiana
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