Cosplay on!

I’ve always admired the geektasticness of cosplay. For those of you not as steeped in nerdiness as I am, cosplay is when folks dress in costumes meant to resemble their favorite characters in film, television, comics, books, etc. (here’s a quick little video to give you some visuals). Cosplay can be seen as a tribute of sorts to those works of art that inspire the cosplayer in some way.

The first time I cosplayed was my senior year in college with my then boyfriend (now husband).

We went as Green Arrow and Black Canary
as we both were really into that series back then.

I really haven’t done much cosplaying since then, because it can be a time consuming (as well as money consuming) hobby. But quite recently, my whole family is in planning mode. An honorary niece has a Bat Mitzvah coming up, and she has asked that her guests come in cosplay.

We’ve been joking around a bit about who we should dress up as. I’ve trying to convince my husband that Miss Crumble (Daybreak) and Koro-sensei (Assassination Classroom) could be a very workable couples' costume as they are both dedicated educators (who also happen to be batty). Darling Youngest is lobbying for something Steven Universe based (they want to be Steven and thought the hubby and I could be Greg Universe and Amethyst…they really don’t care what their older sibling does). The hubby would like to consider more options. Darling Eldest is in the middle of college classes but will probably figure out something during spring break.

I do know for sure what one of the cosplays will be. The Bat Mitzvah girl is a big reader and she wanted to base her cosplay around a short story she really liked…one of mine! The kiddo is going as Cordelia from “Make Mischief Not War”, from my short story collection, The Trouble with Wanting and Other Not-Quite Faerie Tales.

Yeah, I got misty-eyed. This is kind of bucket-list territory for me, having someone like one of my characters that much. I’m going to be so stoked to see “Cordelia” swing dancing in a ballroom.

Song Choice: Talk Nerdy to Me

So are there any cosplayers out there? Any suggestions for costume ideas? Feel free to make them in the comments section.

This blog post was created for Weekly Scribblings #7: This is a Tribute

By Rommy Cortez-Driks

Starting Over

Emilio’s hair was thinner than Rina remembered, but he still had Papi’s smile.

“Will you be in town long, hermanita?” he asked as they stood outside the funeral home.

“Just until the burial. You know how it is owning a business. Thanks again for the loan.”

“Please, I’m happy to help family. You seem happier owning a coffee shop than you did in an office. And much happier single than married to that cheating sinverguenza.”

Rina smiled. “Thanks for having my back. That’s more than some people did.”

“Speaking of which…”

“No, don’t bring up Angi, Emilio. Mami’s death was hard on all of us with Papi being gone less than a year. Her trying to spin my marriage problems as trivial next to one mediocre college grade was bullshit.”

“That was a long time ago. She’s married with a child now. Look.” He took out his phone and showed her a picture of Angi’s family. “Anna should know her aunt.”

Rina saw the concern in his eyes. “Is everything OK with them, Emilio?”

“Angi and Fernando are fine. It’s just—Anna reminds me a little of you when you were young.”

Ah, the Gutierrez gift for understatement. Rina couldn’t resist pushing. “In what way?”

Emilio reddened. He darted a look back at the funeral home. “Magdalena Fuentes helped when you were having a hard time.”

“According to Angi she’s why I got ‘spooky’.”

“You were always spooky,” Emilio whispered. “But you’re family. Anna needs someone like you.  Please think about it.”

Rina sighed, but promised.

When Rina returned to her hotel room, Magdalena’s ghost was waiting for her. “You're far from home, Rina.”

“That’s the reoccurring theme of my life.”

“So is finding ways across improbable divides. Call your sister.”

“I miss you.”

“I miss you too, but Angi’s alive and I’m dead. Call.”

Rina picked up her phone and dialed.

Chernobog and Belobog by Anarh1a

Song Choice: Family is Family by Katie Musgrave

Liner Notes for this Groove: This short story was created for Art Flash 55 over at Imaginary Gardens with Real Toads.  The image of Life and Death in balance made me think of Rina, a character that appears in my short story collection, The Trouble with Wanting and Other Not Quite Faerie Tales. Rina has always had to live with an internal balance between the two. Sometimes that pushed her family away, and sometimes, like in this case, it helps her find her way home. More about her and her gift can be found in the the short story, "Her Homesick Spirit", in my collection. I am also linking it to Pantry of Prose, Telling Tales with Magaly Guerrero at Poets United.  

By Rommy Cortez-Driks

Un-Remembering Banished

I know the angle of the roof

though it’s hidden by the blossoms.

I know the feel of the blossoms

though none have fallen on my sleeve yet.

I know the way the wood will creek under my feet

though I haven’t stepped inside yet.

It is curious

how  I’ve forgotten less than I thought,

even after trying to stop thinking

of a place that was no longer mine

to call home.

In some ways it hurts more

to see what isn’t mine to claim,

ready to welcome others who stop

to seek sanctuary under these trees

that are every inch as much as an expatriate as I am.

Is there space

under the weeping cherry blossom tree

where I can close my eyes

and find out if it smells like home too?

View of Shofuso by Matthew Meyer from his Views of Philadelphia Series
Matthew also runs Yokai.com, one of the best resources of Japanese mythological critter lore that exists out there.

Song Choice: Once Upon a December from Anastasia

This poem was created for Imaginary Gardens with Real Toads' prompt, Kerry Says ~ Human-Landscape Interactions. It is also linked to Poets United's Poetry Pantry 484.

Liner Notes for this Groove: I hope Kerry will be kind enough to forgive me, but I bent the rules a tiny bit. The voice in this poem does not belong to a human, it belongs to a yokai (a blanket term for mythological Japanese creatures that have a lot in common with the tricksie ways of old school Western faerie creatures). The yokai in question is Yuuki, a kitsune (Japanese fox spirit) who has several short stories starring him on this blog, and one in my collection, The Trouble with Wanting and Other Not-Quite Faerie Tales.

I've long been enchanted by Matthew Meyer's Ukiyo-e style Views of Philadelphia, and thought of them immediately when I read Kerry's challenge. Of course, the one of my beloved Shofuso (this is where I take most of my tea lessons) grabbed my eye. I know what I think of Shofuso, but I wanted to explore it from Yuuki's view in poetic form. I suspect I'll be tackling it in prose form too, and he will exchange words with a certain faerie who has been the guardian of this area since her cousin, the Faerie Queen of Philadelphia, granted it to her not too long after the American Revolution. But that summer solstice meeting will have to wait for another time.

By Rommy Cortez-Driks

Eye of the Tiger: Blogging Around with Rommy Week 15

That sound of howling you heard on Monday morning coming from Bucks County, PA was not the sound of White Walkers descending upon one of our scenic castles (seriously, we have a few of them). It was the noise I made when I realized how many things I had to do and how little time I had to do them. One of these things was exercise.

As I’ve mentioned here before, I am working hard at keeping up an exercise routine. Last week was a perfect storm of craziness with my birthday, my dad’s birthday, getting my son home from college, getting the house ready for Passover, putting the house back together after Passover, and NaPoWriMo. Also I have hit the Plateau of Nothingness as far as gains from exercise go. So did I blow off my routine?

Nope. I modified it, getting a little extra in on days I knew would be less intense, cutting myself a little slack on days where I felt more confused than Alice at the mad tea party. And I got my goal of 5 workouts a week in. If it’s important to me, I’m going to get it done. Writing works the same way. There were days in April it was tough to stick to even my modified NaPoWriMo schedule (yay, stomach flu). But the 15^th blackout piece gone done and here’s the 15^th expansion:

Carelessly sown seeds

need extra safeguards or else

death comes suddenly.

So I protect my passion.

I’ve seen weakness kill a dream

This blackout piece comes from the galley proof of my book,

The Trouble with Wanting, and Other Not-Quite Faerie Tales.

If you've read the book, you might recognize this as Lynna's sea-glass pendant.

This poem is linked to Imaginary Gardens with Real Toads' Tuesday Platform.

And now I’ve finished up my writing goal! *happy dance* Wilkie Collins once wrote, “My hour for tea is half–past five, and my buttered toast waits for no one.” It is a little past when I normally work out, but I drop my goals for no one. Yeah, I think I can get a good half hour in.

So what’s new in your world Groovers? We can chat about exercise or just tell me how your week is going. Want to keep the conversation going on at your place? Make sure to drop the link to it somewhere in your comments.

By Rommy Cortez-Driks

Song Choice: Eye of the Tiger by Survivor

Wearing Midnight: Blogging Around with Rommy Week 14

I cast-off clothing
made of other's expectations
once I learned
wearing midnight complimented wild illusion.

It is a malleable material
conforming to all the dimensions of me
that I wish to express.

"Wearing midnight complimented wild illusion."

Blackout madness continues. This page came out of "Kindred Steel", 

one of the short stories in my collection, 

The Trouble with Wanting and Other Not-Quite Faerie Tales. 
Head to my Instagram for more blackout/ found poetry.

 This poem is linked to Imaginary Gardens With Real Toads' Tuesday Platform and Poets United's Poetry Pantry 478. 

Liner Notes for this Groove: I have a birthday coming up this weekend! In my travels on the internet, I've run into several articles with helpful (not) suggestions of what a mature woman my age should and should not be wearing.

To those articles, I respectfully blow a giant raspberry. 

Oh I understand that it's probably not a great idea to wear a bathing suit to a formal winter wedding, but just because I'm closer to the big 5-0 than 21, it doesn't mean I'm giving up my blue jeans and nerdy t-shirts.

Like with most things, I try to find a happy balance. Arnold Bennett once wrote, “The proper, wise balancing of one's whole life may depend upon the feasibility of a cup of tea at an unusual hour.” One must be as wise in selecting their outfit as they are in selecting the right tea for the right moment. There's a certain decorum that must be observed in the office for instance. But there's nothing to say that office-appropriate dress can't have little Captain America shields tucked away as part of the pattern, or a print inspired by the Rebel Alliance logo.

So Groovers, catch me up on what's going on with you. As always, if you'd like to continue the conversation in your cyber-residence, mention it in your comments below.

By Rommy Cortez-Driks

Song Choice: Q.U.E.E.N. by Janelle Monae featuring Erykah Badu

I Know Normal: Blogging Around with Rommy Week 13

Another blackout/ found poetry piece from the galley proof of my short story collection, 

The Trouble with Wanting, and Other Not-Quite Faerie Tales. 

To see the whole series, follow me on Instagram.

Normal is as sturdy as a paper doll

battered about in a summer rainstorm.

Sunlight shows its patched-up edges

and moonlight reveals it for what it is.

I know normal,

but it’s already scurrying away,

the way most lies do

when confronted by truth.


This poem is linked to Imaginary Garden with Real Toads' Tuesday Platform.

Liner Notes for this Groove:  Dostoevsky once said, “I say let the world go to hell, but I should always have my tea.” I feel that way not just about tea, but also about Philadelphia's yearly Sakura festival. Rain or shine, I'm there. The gray skies may have kept away anyone who was afraid of being rained on, but I positively enjoyed myself. The light winds kept a steady sprinkle of cherry blossoms going throughout the time I was there. And patches of fog made my mind turn to things like yokai creeping around Philly.

So dear Groovers, are there any fans of rainy or overcast days out there? Or are you a fan of something a little strange or unusual? Tell me all about it on the comments section, or feel free to catch me up on your week. The floor is yours. Also, if you want to continue the conversation in your cyberhome, be sure to include that with your comments.

By Rommy Cortez-Driks

Song Choice: Singing in the Rain/ Umbrella mashup from Glee

If Poets Did Doodle

I enjoy twisting

feeling into dark whimsy,

sweets taste truer

balanced with the right savory.

This poem is linked to Imaginary Garden with Real Toads' Tuesday Platform.

Liner Notes for this Groove:

I’ve fully participated in NaPoWriMo only twice. While challenges like that make me a better writer, April just tends to be a busy month for me. I was planning to sit out on this April’s madness too, but then I thought of something fun I haven’t tried yet – blackout poetry. But I’d been hesitant to try it out because a.) while I used to draw a lot when I was younger, I’m really rusty at it and b.) I wasn’t sure what to black out.

Then I noticed two galley proofs of my book laying around the house doing nothing but collecting dust. Heck yes I can work with those! I’m still pretty new at the black-out thing, so I’m giving myself a break and only doing them every other day. The end results will get posted on my Instagram account, though some will show up here too:

This one came from the introduction

of The Trouble with Wanting and OtherNot-Quite Faerie Tales

OK, it’s too soon to say if that one will be a favorite. I’ll just have to make more to find out. If I’m happy at the end of this month’s experiment, I’ll probably do more of these. Emily Autumn once wrote “If leeches ate peaches instead of my blood, then I would be free to drink tea in the mud.” I’d like to feel free to mix visual art and poetry more, and stuffing a giant peach of practice down the leech of self-doubt’s throat during NaPoWriMo might help me out with that. 

So tell me dear Groovers, are any of you giving NaPoWriMo a whirl? Or have you ever jumped into any challenges (either online or in meatspace) as a fun way to improve a skill? Tell me all about it in the comments section, or just talk to me about how your week is going. If you’d like to continue the conversation on your cyberhome, drop the link in with the rest of your comments. I’d love to visit.

By Rommy Cortez-Driks

Song Choices: Peek-A-Boo by Souxie and the Banshees

Touching a Daydream: Blogging Around With Rommy, Week 3

Everything

started off

as someone’s fancy

that refused to stay

insubstantial.

This poem is linked to Imaginary Gardens With Real Toads' Tuesday Platform and Poets United Poetry Platform 438.

The Liner Notes for This Groove:

So I had a phone call with a friend recently…

Me: Guuuuuuuurl…

Her: It arrived didn’t it?

Me: Yep, in a plain non-descript brown packaging, but it’s here.

Her: Ooooooh… have you opened it?

Me: I’m doing that now.

*tearing of paper ensues*

Me: Oh my, this is…

Her: Tell me everything.

Me: I never thought I’d be bold enough to hold something like this in my hands. Just, wow.

Her: I’ll bet you’re caressing it right now, aren’t you?

Me: Caressing. Fondling. Sniffing. It looks damn good on my bedspread. I think after I spend a little time with it, I’m going to leave it here for my husband to find. I think he’s even more excited about it than I am.

Her: It’s great he’s so supportive.

Me: Mmm-hmm. We are both going to have a very good time with this.

Just chilling, drinking some deep red tea, 

and reading my book with my foxy new manicure.

There’s something about holding something that just started out as a few random ideas. If as Ann Patchett said “Writing is a job, a talent, but it's also the place to go in your head. It is the imaginary friend you drink your tea with in the afternoon” getting to hold the finished product is like seeing your imaginary friend walking around in broad daylight.

Did you ever get a chance to hold something that you only imagined before? If you have a cyberhome, elaborate on how that felt and drop the link in the comments. Or feel free to start up some conversation on what’s going on in your world.

By Rommy Cortez-Driks

Song Choice: AMillion Dreams covered by Pink

Sovereign

A woman is like a tea bag – you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.

-Eleanor Roosevelt

Sovereignty lies

in her emerald eyes

sharpened

by seeing in the darkness.

Notes from the Real World: I could not believe my good luck when artist Michelle Kennedy (known in the blogosphere as Sunshine Shelle) agreed to do the artwork for my cover. Her artwork already graces the banner of this blog, and I knew she was the perfect person to capture what I was hoping for in the cover of this book. Shelle's style naturally combines the sweetness and darkness I hope comes across in most of my stories.

Once I decided I wanted Rowena (the main character of "What's A Little Blood to a Mother's Heart?") to be the cover girl, I sent Shelle a copy of the story and gave her some general guidelines. I was blown away by the end product, especially with the tiny details she came up with. The little mementos on the shelf behind her - she totally captured Rowena's love for the natural world with the small plants in water amid different depictions of animals. The lace table cloth (and wow - the brushwork on that) adds to the feeling of gentleness and old-fashioned comfort. But it's the expression on Rowena's face that Shelle captured that impressed me the most... sweet, but somewhat unsettling. And what is that tiny bottle tucked away among all her other things?

Shelle's painting is a story unto itself, surpassing my already high expectations. Go on and head to her Instagram and approach some of her other marvelously expressive pieces  as if they might whisper their secrets to you, so long as you attend patiently to them.

By Rommy Cortez-Driks

Song Choice: Once Upon a Dream covered by Lana Del Rey 

A Little Music Please Maestro

***THE GIVEAWAY IS OVER. CONGRATS FUNDY BLUE OF STANDING INTO DANGER***

Let me just say that yes, there will be announcements and a giveaway by the end of this post but let’s talk music for a moment. Oftentimes when I’m working on a story, songs will come into my head because they fit a particular character, theme or scene. I’ll take the time to write them down because sometimes it’s helpful to listen to them again, just before diving in to do edits, to get me back in the mood of the story. So here are some of the songs that kept my fingers dancing on the keyboard while working on The Trouble with Wanting, and Other Not-Quite Faerie Tales:

Overall collection mood:

Magic – Lola Blanc

Individual Stories:

The Trouble with Wanting:

Can’t Help Falling In Love –Pentatonix

Her Story:

Robarte Un Beso – CarlosVive, Sebastian Yatre

What’s a Little Blood to a Mother’s Heart?:

Pray for Me – KendrickLamar, The Weeknd

Just Perfect:                                                   

Work – Brittany Spears

Make Mischief, Not War:

America’s Sweetheart – ElleKing

Her Homesick Spirit:

Away – Priscilla Hernandez

Kindred Steel:

Megitsune – Baby Metal

Do some stories make you think of certain songs, or vice-versa? Talk to me about it in the comments section for a chance to win the goodies pictured above. For a bonus entry, share this post on the social media platform of your choice (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) and please make sure to use the hashtag #NotQuiteFaerieTales. Everyone who has commented on any of the other blog posts on my virtual author tour automatically gets an entry as well. The contest closes on midnight EST December 2^nd, and I'll announce the winner on the 3^rd.

In this prize box we have two types of calming tea, Nippon Kodo cederwood incense, three handmade bookmarks, a set of fairy lights, a mermaid tail makeup brush, a moonstone bracelet, a moonstone pawprint necklace, a set of earings, a small candle, a mandala wall hanging, a treasure box, and a fox ring.

I couldn't resist adding a close-up of that ring.

If you are not a regular reader of my blog, if you haven’t liked my Facebook page, or we aren’t friends on Instagram, please make sure you add your email to the comment. I need to be able to contact you if you win. If I have no way to contact the winner, a new name will be drawn.

This contest is open worldwide, except where prohibited by law. Canadian friends I will have to ask you to include the next letter in the sequence, A, B, __ in your response in order to enter.

And now here are the winners:

Magaly Guererro - Rosemary

Magic Love Crow – Baili

Daydream Believer – Kathy Crabbe

She Who Seeks – Kirk

My blog- Andie

I’ve contacted all the blog owners and emailed the winners whose e-mail addresses I have. All winners have one week to get back to me. If I don’t hear back by then, a new winner will be chosen.

Congrats to all of the winners, and good luck to all of you in the next contest!

By Rommy Cortez-Driks

Don't Stop Believing

One of the first things my son did when he came home from college for Thanksgiving break (besides hitting up the nearest Wawa—he clearly is a Philadelphia area kid) was get into a discussion with my daughter about some of the books he was reading for his Children’s Lit class. Besides really enjoying the fact that the two of them were communicating as young adults (which was a pleasant change from the way they interacted when they were in grade school/middle school), I noticed that, like their mom, neither one of them seemed in any hurry to grow out of loving fantastical, fairy-tale-like stories.

It made me think of an article I had just read recently, TheEnduring Allure of Fairy Tales. There are quite a few of us who will never be too old for “Once upon a time” tales, especially when some of the themes in those stories still feel like they resonate with who we are today. It was my love for these old stories that got me writing in the first place and ultimately led to me writing, The Trouble with Wanting, and Other Not-Quite Faerie Tales. I discussed some of that with Sherry at Poets United when I was featured on Blog of the Week. Fairy tales can inspire not just children to be heroic, but it can remind adults that they still have that potential to be their own hero whenever they need to be.

1. I talked a bit about nice not being the same as kind in “What’s a Little Blood to a Mother’s Heart?” over at Magaly’s blog.

2. At Stacy’s blog, I discussed how a lot of us can feel like we are Journeying into the Dark to Find the Light when we strike off on unknown paths like a hero in a fairy tale.

3. Gina at Daydream Believer understood that sometimes Scary Faeries Make Helpful Friends if we need to take bits of our lives and reshape them/ look at them in a different way to find the magic meant for us.

4. And at Debra’s I talk about Writing “Her Story”, where the protagonist goes on a journey and realizes she doesn’t have to be the side character in her own story.

If you hop over to Magaly’s, Stacy’s, Gina’s or Debra’s, you’ll see I’m running an e-book giveaway on each of their blogs. I’m also running a separate small giveaway on mine, which you can enter by following this link. All giveaways close on midnight, November 25^th, with winners announced on the 26^th. I’ll also be posting a bigger giveaway at that time. Thanks for sticking by me on this tour.

By Rommy Cortez-Driks

The Trouble with Wanting, and Other Not-Quite Faerie Tales is available at Amazon and Barnes& Noble.

Song Choice: Don’t Stop Believing byJourney

Screenshot from the NYT article,
The Enduring Allure of Fairy Tales

This is the Great Virtual Author Tour!

Dear gentlefolk of all ages...

It is my great delight to announce the debut of my long awaited mostly by me and perhaps my corgi, Kit, so I can take him out for longer walks in the newly crisp weather short story collection, The Trouble With Wanting, and Other Not Quite Faerie Tales, available on November 13th, 2018. I have gathered 7 stories, featuring characters never seen before, as well as the new adventures of old favorites (more Yuuki anyone?).

Cover art by Michelle Kennedy. Find her on her blog and Instagram.

One of those new characters, Izzy, knows all too well of the pain book nerds suffer while we're waiting for our next dose of literary magic. She's even willing to do something contrary to her nature to get her fix. While we all aren't book nerds, many of us do have things we are quite serious about (sports, TV shows, comics, etc.). People who are serious about their passions have been known to do some very strange things to support them. What was the oddest thing you have done (or have considered doing) in the name of your passion?

Tell me about it in the comments section, you'll be enrolled in the first give-away I'm running.

A package of Nippon Kodo sandalwood incense,

3 bags of Harney & Son's hot cinnamon spice tea,

& 3 bookmarks handmade by me.

For a bonus entry, share this post on the social media platform of your choice (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) and please make sure to use the hashtag #NotQuiteFaerieTales. The contest closes on midnight EST November 25th, and I'll announce the winner on the 26th.

If you are not a regular reader of my blog, if you haven’t liked my Facebook page, or we aren’t friends on Instagram, please make sure you add your email to the comment. I need to be able to contact you if you win. If I have no way to contact the winner, a new name will be drawn.

This contest is open worldwide, except where prohibited by law. Canadian friends I will have to ask you to include the next letter in the sequence, A, B, __ in your response in order to enter.

I'll also be doing more giveaways as I make the rounds at the virtual homes of several blogger friends. I hope you'll follow me on my virtual author tour.

November 13th - Magaly Guerrero -What's a Little Blood to a Mother's Heart?

November 15th - MagicLoveCrow - Journeying Into the Dark to Find the Light

November 17th - Daydream Believer - Scary Faeries Make Helpful Friends
November 19th - Poets United - Blog of the Week: Rommy Driks

November 21st - She Who Seeks - Writing "Her Story"

There will be a wrap up post here again on November 26th, along with a final, fancier giveaway.

Good luck everyone, I hope you enjoy the tales and tea!

By Rommy Cortez-Driks

The Trouble with Wanting and Other Not-Quite Faerie Tales is available for purchase on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.


Song Choice: The Greatest Show - from The Greatest Showman

Un Edit

My life's limited
by the power of the words
I firmly edit.

Fear paralyzes
an already timid tongue,
seeking the right words.

An uncareful word
banishes without mercy
despite my wishes.

Unspoken words bind
tender thoughts that do not dare
to reveal themselves.

Befriended words build
stories that touch other's True
and soothe my sore soul.

By Rommy Cortez-Driks

Song Choice: Brave by Sarah Bareilles

This poem is linked up to Imaginary Gardens With Real Toads, Tuesday Platform and Poets United Poetry Pantry 417.

The Trouble With Wanting

You're what I dreamed of
before I learned some dreams come with a cost.

I've watched a tender heart
mutilate everything she was
on the assumption her love could cross any barrier.

Still, I reach for you,
until I remember a promise made
over the dissolving remains of a life.

What would it be like
to bring you into my world?
I've seen you looking, enchanted,
just as I was enchanted with a place that is not my own.

Would that look stay
when I tell you everything?
Would you accept all of it,
not expecting me to cut away the core of myself?

I've seen the way you smile,
and for a moment let myself dream
of nights spent hiding nothing,
loving hard enough to dissolve barriers instead of hearts.

But some dreams come with a cost
and I don't know if I can pay for this one.

By Rommy Cortez-Driks

Song Choice: Rewrite the Stars, from the musical The Greatest Showman

This poem is linked up to the Tuesday Platform at Imaginary Gardens With Real Toads and Poets United, Poetry Pantry #416.

Not Quite A Faerie Tale

Glass slippers don’t fit

every size and shape of foot.

I won’t waltz bloody-toed

in silks that don’t suit me.

Let me run barefoot,

choosing silk or steel

depending on the way

my curls bounce at the moment.

Let me guide the magic
in well-woven words

and make the fairy tales fit me,

instead of the other way around. 

By Rommy Cortez-Driks

Song Choice: Girl Into Devil (I Belong to Me) by S.J. Tucker

This poem has been linked up to the Tuesday Platform at Imaginary Gardens With Real Toads and Poets United Poetry Pantry 415.