Letters to the Moon....

Life has been a whirlwind for me for the last few months. I have been working on getting my next book of poetry, “Symphonies”, ready to publish. © Esperanza Habla In the midst of my working on “Symphonies”, I have been taking classes online, in a variety of topics. The opportunity to learn something new has always appealed to me. It’s a great trait for a writer, and for a person that works in a library. It seems that we are always researching something. The first online class I took was on the topic of Spanish Culture. I was pleased I passed the class with such a high score. The next class I took was entitled, “How to Write a Short Story.” I took the course to see whether the story I am working on, currently titled “Samantha”, would work in the short story genre. I have come to the conclusion that the story would not work as a short story. I was ecstatic when I received my grade. While my work of fiction would not fit in the short story genre, I am glad ...

For third installment of the "Moons of the Year" series, I offer the following-"The Lenten Moon" Tomorrow's full moon is known as the Lenten Moon. In the Christian faith, Lent is the 40 day time period before Easter Sunday.  The full moon of the month of March is also known as the Worm Moon. As unappealing as this moniker is, the nickname for this moon is all about the coming of spring. The temperatures climb, the winter ground begins to thaw, and the creatures under the ground begin to awaken and submerge from their earthly homes. The moon of March has two other names as well: ·          the Crow Moon: when the crow begins to caw, this signalizes the end of winter. ·          the Sap Moon: this is the time of year when farmers begin tapping maple trees for their sap. In my research on the Lent Moon it has been described as the last moon of winter. Conversely, it has also been d...

Today is International Women’s Day. In thinking of what to post here today, I thought about the female writers I have read, what poems have had an influence on me as a writer. I have decided to share some poetry with you that was written by the late Maya Angelou. I began to read some of Maya Angelou’s writing as a young woman in school, beginning with “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” I first saw her recite one of her own poems, “On the Pulse of Morning”, at the inauguration of Bill Clinton in 1993. It wasn’t until her passing in 2014 that I began to read her poetry in earnest. It was then that I had realized what a phenomenal woman the world had lost. As a teenager, Maya became the first woman of color to be employed in San Francisco as a trolley car operator. She grew to be a civil rights activist and actress, appearing in the original production of the television miniseries "Roots" in 1977.  She worked with and was influenced by contemporaries of her time, incl...

It is not every day that I have a full circle moment. However, when they happen, they make it all worthwhile. A full circle moment is where something comes back to you. It is the completion of a cycle; it is a moment of resolution. It is a return to the beginning at what was once the end. Full circle moments are a rare phenomenon. However, some full circle moments stand out from the rest. Some are so precious that they deserve to be shared. I recently had a wonderful conversation with an online friend of mine. Actually, this person was my first online friend. To tell you a little about him, this person is a fellow writer, artist, and master of many art forms. In the early days of our friendship, in a way to get to know one another better, he shared some of his writings with me.  After reading some of his poetry, I was inspired to begin writing myself. I then began to write, and share my writings with him. My friend was always very supportive of my writing, and always encourage...