Tag: poetry

Reservoir of Tears

marygracewritingLeave a comment

Reservoir of tears
aqueduct of word
release an angry flood
meaning becomes blurred

Bursting opened taps
short vessels made of clay
gushing on the floor
encasement to betray

Floorboards soaked expand
no longer toured with ease
watch out for lilting planks
slowing down our speed

Now in laboured love
mop and pail in hand
reserving wasted words
reclaiming tears unplanned

Together, as a pair
working, side by side
we’ll fix the broken pipes
turn off destructive tides

Buckets brimming full
water garden beds
washing grunge from panes
also grimy heads

Still important words
filled with precious tears
one ladle at a time
preserved for drought years

©2020 Mary Grace van der Kroef

“Reservoir of Tears” originally appeared in Issue II of the Kitchen Sink Magazine.

By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.

Coming About

marygracewritingLeave a comment

It’s a difficult thing
coming about.
Shifting position,
turning around.

Humbling questions,
confusion galore.
But brave souls
can also restore

An off kilter compass,
foot steps astray.
Brave hearts holding
pride at bay.

Utter “I’m sorry,”
cry when they pray.
Know, failure
is more than okay.

©2022 Mary Grace van der Kroef

By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.

Reflections (1)

marygracewritingLeave a comment

Thoughts on this statement?

I know keenly that things I once assumed proved wrong. My opinions have changed. So the way I write and interpret poetry will do the same.

Does that make my earlier work obsolete? No. They give glimpses into the journey my heart has been on since birth.

Read poetry, any literature really, with a grain of salt. Thoughtfully. Joyfully.

Words will change you, words will challenge you. Give yourself some grace and space to grow past them.

©2021 Mary Grace van der Kroef

By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.

Reviews for The Branch that I Am

marygracewriting1 Comment

Have you read ‘The Branch that I Am’? Please leave us a review on Goodreads, Amazon, or in the comments section of this post. All reviews are welcome and appreciated, whether one star or five. All we ask is that you are kind in your word choice. THANK YOU!

Original Review from Amazon.ca

Original Review from Goodreads.com

Original Review from Amazon.com

Original Review from Amazon.com

Original Review from Goodreads.com

Original Review from Amazon.ca

Original Review from Amazon.ca

Original Review from Amazon.ca

Original Review from Amazon.uk

Original Review from Goodreads.com

Original Review from Amazon.ca

Original Review from Amazon.com

Original Review From Amazon.com

Original Review From Amazon.ca

Original Review From Amazon.com

Original Review from Amazon.au

Original Review from Goodreads.com

Original Review from Amazon.com

Original Review from Amazon.com

Original Review from Amazon.com

Original Review from Amazon.com

Calm Snow

marygracewritingLeave a comment

A blanket of cold.
Gentle, as it floats from grey
Enclosed sky. Now sleep.

God given layers
cover natures dieing throws.
Dignity at end.

Disintegrating,
a slow giving up of self
back into the web.

©2021 Mary Grace van der Kroef

By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.

Leftover Pizza

marygracewriting4 Comments

Like pizza fresh from the oven
A melding of flavors, a comforting texture
In the moment
Satisfying

Like chilled leftovers,
Tasting every vegetable separately
The kick of cold sauce
Heat of chilled pepperoni
Chewy crust that requires a rip while taking a bite.

Happy memory
An expirience enjoyed
Bits and pieces saved for later
Disected
Understood.

Thank God for leftover pizza.

©2021 Mary Grace van der Kroef

Another one just for fun.

By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.

Hope/Calla Press

marygracewriting5 Comments

At Calla Press, we are unashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ and we desire to glorify His name above all else.

– SAMANTHA CABRERA, Calla Press Founder and Editor

It blessed me to be in the right online writing group at the right time to hear Samantha Cabrera’s announcement about reopening Calla Press. What a job they have done. The new website is gorgeous and the stories and voices they are amplifying do just what they claim their mission is all about. Glorifying Jesus Christ.

Calla Press is a Christian literary journal publishing articles, poetry, prose, flash fiction, creative none fiction, and photography.

– Calla Press Website

A huge thank you to the team for including my poem ‘Hope‘ in their web publications. I invite you all to head over to their website and read my piece, as well as the many other great words you will find there.

Mary Grace van der Kroef

Note: They receive submissions for the website on a rolling basis, and publish a print issue once a year. Submissions will open for that print issue in September.

By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.

Love Is/Self Control/Goodness/Agape Review

marygracewriting7 Comments

I finally got up the courage to send three of my poems in for consideration at Agape Review and was very pleased to have all three accepted. The editors said my work resonated with them. It’s always great to receive feedback like that.

I invite you to read ‘Love Is‘, ‘Goodness‘, and ‘Self Control‘.

Agape Review is a new online venue I have been following since their first post. They have been pulling in some great work that reflects on the Christian Faith. If you enjoy reading reflections, poetry, fiction, and creative none fiction with a faith element, they are a must read.

Thank you to their team for giving my words a space.

Mary Grace van der Kroef

By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.

The Creatively Christian Podcast

marygracewriting12 Comments

A few months ago my new friend Andrea Sandefur reached out to me and asked if I would like to be featured in The Creatively Christian Podcast by Theophany Media. Well, today my episode has dropped and I am so excited to share our conversation with all of you!


“Theophany Media utilizes various forms of art, media, and technology to communicate complex Christian truths to the global church.”

  Whether you are an artist, or an art lover, a writer, a reader, an actor or just someone who loves to sit back and watch other create, I encourage you to head on over to their website and check what they are all about out. My episode can be found my following the links in the opening paragraph of this email. Or search for The Creatively Christian Podcast on your favorite podcast platform.

“Our mission is to create something that brings together intelligence and imagination, creativity and Christ, fun and faith.”

–Jake Doberenz, Founder of Theophany Media

My favorite place to catch the podcast is via their YouTube channel. If you enjoy watching video of the people you are listening to, this is this place to do it! If you enjoy what you hear, make sure to share the podcast with those you think would also love it. Not just my episode either, but all of them!

Thank you everyone,
Mary Grace van der Kroef