In a perfect world

In a perfect world, I would be 5'5 145pounds

Perfect hair, perfect skin, perfection undefined

In a perfect world I would be a Best selling Author

My book would be in the hands of many oohing and ahhing at my poetic prowess

In a perfect world I would be healthy

My body would be amazingly resilient and I would be so full of energy until

even I would tire of me

In a perfect world I would be insanely happy

In love with the most magnificent of a man

Who not only compliments me but who truly completes me

In a perfect world there would be peace

Harmony amongst the races

No backstabbing or financial displacements

In a perfect world we would be free

Free to soar above trials and tribulations

Free to just be free

But this isn't a perfect world

I am not 5'5, I am 6ft

And no I am not 145 (but still I am BEAUTIFUL)

I do not have perfect hair, its curly at times unruly

And yes my skin during stressful times betrays me

And no I have yet to reach best selling Author status

And no my book is not in the hands of thousands (but it will soon be)

And no I am not healthy, my body unfortunately battling many afflictions

Which threatens to take me at any given moment (only when God is ready)

By no means is this a perfect world as I am happy but not insanely happy

And no that magnificent man has yet to happen my way

And no peace and harmony has yet to instill themselves upon us

As we are being displaced financially losing homes and jobs and sense of self

Yes in a perfect world we would be free

But we aren’t for we are stifled by even our own limitations set purposely

upon ourselves

Trials and Tribulations a constant battle for us to fight just to make it uphill

But fight we must.

No, this isn't a perfect world

And we are far from being perfect

But we are alive and strong with the love of God shielding us

And that is perfection in itself...

Still

Still,
By Missy Smith
Dedication to my Aunt Debbie Green

Like a river we cry deep
Sadness enveloping our soul
Despair gripping the very heart in which we love you so
A smile once abundant now hides behind grief
For you are gone now
Leaving without warning
Still, do not weep
For she is in peace
Forever bequeathed in beauty
A light that will continously shine
So smile when her name flows across your weary minds
Remembering though physically gone, she is here still
Her energy, her spirit, her laughter living on through loved ones
For sorrow is brief knowing one day we shall meet again



This is dedicated to my Aunt Debbie Green, she passed away Sunday Aug7,2011
Hours after our family reunion. Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to see her when she came, I had already left. I love you and you are forever in my heart. Sleep in peace until we meet again.

Love says she is real

Love says she is real
By Missy Smith
Love says she is real
not to be taken for granted
for she is about pleasure
devoid of games
her name nor meaning meant not to be used in vain
bequeathing beauty
shining endless light
the commitment of 2 connected souls taking flight
Love says she is real
never once does she hurt
for if that occurrence occurs then you’re not entwined with love
you're merely encased in lust
for love is the caress of gentleness
the excitement of over imaginative minds
the smiling of spirits showing through excited eyes
hands freely exploring all while knowing what boundaries never to cross
Love says she is real
the discovery of hidden treasures
the stumbling across true gifts
the key for which unlocks waiting hearts
a kiss which sends spines shivering
Love says she is real
and from intimate first hand knowledge, she is
for I met her once or twice
beginning from the simplest of innocence

often starting with a mere hello.....

PROMOTING PROMOTING PROMOTING

Promoting!

Most of you by now already know that I am an Author and my book Blueberry State of Mind, a collection of reflective truths was published in March 2011. What a lot of you do not know is that this book is  the story of my life told in a reflective and poetic tone. OK, now with that out of the way we can get to the heart of the matter. Promoting. I like many thought once my book was done people would instantly flock to it. Not true. Oh, many knew I was writing a book of "Life Poetry" and of course they all said the same uniform thing. I cannot wait until it drops because I am going to be the first in line to buy it.Well they all must have gotten tired standing in line because out of the many who were so eager to purchase this book only 3 followed through with it.

Again guess they all got tired of standing behind those 3. But through self discovery and Internet searching I came across some fascinating ways of promoting my book. A lot of people are Internet friendly and know a good read when they see one. The thing is you have to get them to see your book is the perfect book for them to read. Many say go after your genre. I do not believe that is the only way to go.

Yes, I am a writer of "Life Poetry" but I want my book enjoyed by all because it is a universal book and it speaks to everyone. Blueberry State of Mind, a collection of reflective truths is just as the title states. There is something for everyone between the pages of this emotionally driven, inspirational book.

Now upon researching,  I found it is harped upon (and yes I do agree) that social media sites are the way to go. So I an fully smack dab in the thick of it on Facebook, Twitter, Myspace to name a few. I love writing and these three mentioned were the obvious places for me to be. I have quite a few friends on these sites and they all love my style of writing. Has it encouraged them to run out and purchase the book? No, but that has not stopped me from still posting and interacting with everyone because eventually the trust will be there along with the interest of the book and thus the buying will begin.

Next twitter. I love me some twitter but you have to constantly become rooted on there and update update update so if you do not have the patience for this sort of thing then either A do not sign up for Twitter or B have someone do your posts for you.  Same with Facebook if you cannot post daily on Facebook then either have someone do your stats or give up on face book altogether. (although I do not recommend the latter).

Twitter has been a new love for me. It allows you to seek out people you would have never had the opportunity to reach out too. I have sought out everyone, from stars to poetry lovers to whomever just introducing myself to them, getting the word out about Blueberry State of Mind.

Next is blogging. Oh yes the infamous blogging. I have started a blog (this one). It will be used to introduce my style of writing, my thoughts, information that I have found that will help other Authors. This is a tedious and at times frustrating amount of work and time that has to be put in but in the end it is well worth it. Again the name of the game is "PROMOTING". Introducing the world to "YOU"!

Never rely simply on one of these methods. All of these methods have to be used in conjunction with one another. Also word of mouth. Nothing beats telling the world you are out here. It does not matter if they do not want to hear it, you still must tell them. Hi, I am Missy Smith, Author of Blueberry State of Mind, a collection of reflective truths and from there most people's curiosity will be peaked and the conversation will have begun. There is trial and error with promoting as one never truly know what route to take and how to go about promoting. But with a lot of research and studying other Authors it will eventually come together. The next step in promoting is showing the world your finished product. Always have a copy of your book handy so that you can show them the beauty of it. Nothing beats seeing and feeling the actual product in your potential buyers hands. I also recommend flyer's. You can put whatever you wish on flyer's but make sure it is fun, eye catching and has a sample of what's in your book. Again people want to read everything about you and see just what it is you're writing about before they make that decision to invest their money and time on you and your book.

Again, the Internet is your best friend when it comes to promoting as well as finding out other ways to introduce yourself to the world.
There are many ways to promote. Book signings both in personal and virtual, word of mouth, flyer's, social media sites, friends, co-workers but no matter what road you choose you have to be ready to grind it out because it will not come easy but it will eventually become easier.

You can never go wrong with the way you promote your book, as promoting is what's needed in order for the world to know you are out here and your book is worth reading. If you choose not to promote then your book like many before it will go unnoticed. And do not forget to have your friends tell their friends about your book. Again the more people you have telling others about you and your book the better.

Missy Smith, Author of Blueberry State of Mind, a collection of reflective truths will be featuring more informative information and ideas in upcoming blog post as well as video postings.

Tomorrow's post. The benefits of a press release and how to write one for the Self Published Author.

Creative Luv and Happy Promoting.

Life+Poetry=Blueberry State of Mind.
Come share some Blueberry's with me, Missy Smith as I take you on a poetic journey into the mind of a once fearful child turned I SURVIVED woman. 130 pages of life told in various poetic tones. Blueberry State of Mind is the soul depiction of Life and everything in-between. Encouraging all to pick up your copy TODAY and journey with me as I display my emotional truths for all to read. Isn't life meant to be lived to the fullest, shared amongst friends and never taken for granted? Then again, get your copy of Blueberry State of Mind, a collection of reflective truths by Missy Smith. I guarantee you life will never be looked upon the same after reading this book.

Is what I deeply fear....

Is What I deeply Fear
By Missy Smith

This is one of my many moments when realizing my demons at times return, causing me to question everything about myself.

It's not that I am not worthy
Or that my voice shall forget to shout truths
It's that I all too often ask myself does it make a difference?
Do I make a difference?
Is what I deeply fear


It's not that I am afraid
Or that my passion for inking revelations shall wane
Or that one day I will forever be lost in the crowd
It's that I’m feeling now my one day went from someday to this day
Teetering between realities
Never returning to my moment of free
Is what I deeply fear


I smile because it's what I do
I laugh because it helps calm nervousness
I cry because it allows my pains to release
Wondering do I have this thing called life figured out.
Not quite, is what I deeply fear


Running this race alongside billions
Seeming at times to be stuck at go
Lights flashing, constantly blinding
Like a deer in headlights I'm frozen
Staring into a place that's given and taken so much of my being
Stranded, feeling at times relegated to second fiddle
Consciously unconscious
Inspiring others
While forgetting myself in the process
Overly sensitive
Emotionally a ticking time bomb
Ready to explode without notice
Is what I deeply fear


Rarest jewel deep within the confines of my mind
At least that's what they all say
Priceless thinking’s where darkness never reaches
Bearing the mark of compassion upon my selfless soul
Knowing the me others have yet to see may in fact be the greatest loss for many
Do I matter?
If not, will I?
When gone will I be remembered?
If yes, then how so?
Will the positives of me outweigh the negatives of me?
Had I known better, trusting me more
This would not have been what I for years deeply feared.

Critical

The state of Poetry is critical. What does that mean?  It means us Poets are at a place where we are often not taken serious. There are a lot of books out here today depicting various scenes and we as Poets and Reflectionists have to constantly compete with the other genres and a lot of times it is those genres that win out. Many do not fully understand Poets and their (our) poetry. So I wanted to give some insight into just who we as Poets truly are. We Poets are a passionate sort. We write from the soul. Now that is not to say writers of other genres do not but Poets find that voice from deep within that allows us to create in the manner that we do. Our words tell stories that are poignant. Rich with uniqueness  captivating all.

The Definition of a Poet is as follows:
1-One who writes poetry, maker of verses
2-one (as a creative artist) of great imagination and expressive capabilities
and special sensitivity to the medium.

The Definition of a Reflectionist is as follows:
Reflectionism i.e Reflectionist establishes a virtual "mirror", created through symmetry, by the process of detournement, to let the audience (or recipient) see himself/herself.

This is why I do not label myself simply as just a Poet. I am a Reflectionist with the heart of a Poet. Yes, I am the epitome of both Poet and Reflectionist combined.
When writing, I have no set subject that I pick to touch on. What is displayed in my writings is what comes to me in that very instance. Not every time will my words depict beauty, but they will always relay truth. I remember as a child when I first began writing, My Granny would tell everyone to let me be for I was in my Blueberry State of Mind. I never knew what that meant but as an adult I do now. Back then she knew my spirit was aching and I was in a state of blue.

Seeing the calming effects writing had on on me, she wanted me to have that sense of peace. It was unfortunate the way I found my way into writing. At the age of 6 I was abused by 2 uncles thus leading to me needing a way for my mind to escape. I remember the first day I picked up a pencil and paper and began writing. It was 3 days after my 6th birthday and after my first moments of being abused. I sat on my Granny's front porch ashamed and sad and I just needed to write about it. That very day still is etched into my mind.  I never thought my writings were for others to see, they were simply my secrets and dreams told to my best friend, my diary.

Many of us writers write for many reasons and I know that my reason is an emotional one.
I am an emotional writer of life and everything in-between.  As I grew more knowledgeable about what my writings truly encompassed, I found myself at the junction of should or shouldn't I. Should I share my openness with everyone by publishing my book or should I just continue to keep writings for my journal.  My 5th English Teacher God rest his soul who first noticed my love of writing gave me my first ever journal to record every moment whether I deemed them worthwhile or not. He would always say you just love going into detail with everything you write don't you. I would just laugh because he was so right.

Now into my adult years I knew my passions were for a purpose. I needed to show others that writing truths no matter how emotional is actually good for the soul. There is never going to be a time when we as Reflectionist and Poets are truly understood. We will always be that minority in the publishing world. But that needs to change. We Poets and Reflectionist need to be celebrated the same as other writers of different genres. I personally am a writer of "Life Poetry" but Poetry is told in a variety of ways. I embrace all my fellow Poets and Reflectionist's for the way we tell our stories is truly amazing. In the end I know we will never be fully understood or even fully embraced, but when its all said and done, we will be heard!

excerpt from Blueberry State of Mind

Upon My Throne

Upon my throne I sit surrounded by poetry

Volumes it speaks as my minds free flowing

Mesmerized as my voice recites beautifully emitted words

Skin beaming with caramel under tones

Black poetic beauty I am now known

A melancholy briefly whispered as quickly love kisses me so gently

Forever in my heart you linger

Upon my throne I sit surrounded by poetry

Years of various verses from various creative sorts

Words and wisdoms blending sublimely

Creativity at its best

My spirit paying homage to Maya Angelou, Gwendolyn Brooks, Rita Dove, Wanda Phipps, and Nikki Giovanni just to name a few

Following the winds of my poetic predecessors soaring high above

Preparing my place amongst the greats as I sit upon this poetic throne

Missy Smith, Author of Blueberry Sate of Mind, a collection of reflective truths is a Mother, Reflectionist, Writer, Author, Motivator, all in this order.

For more of Missy's life inspiring and heartfelt reflections please visit Amazon.com, Xlibris.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Booksamillion.com or your local bookstores and get your copy of her amazing truths told throughout all 130+pages of this remarkable and eye opening book.