Helen
Bar-Lev, IL
Poetry
News
We have had sporadic poetry
meetings here in Israel due to a long holiday season. On
6th October the Voices Israel Poetry Group met in the home
of Susan Rosenberg in Haifa for a meal and a meeting with
Michal Mahgarefteh of POETICA magazine and
website based in Virginia, USA. The meeting was lovely and
the food good. Michal has published many of us and it was
nice finally meeting with her and her husband (and
sponsor), Ben.
Johnmichael and I have been
quite busy with two books Cyclamens & Swords Publishing
are preparing for the printer. One is a book of both of our
poems and my black and white sketches of poems written
while traveling abroad. The other is a rather fat chapbook
with poems of Katherine L. Gordon, the well-known poetess
from Canada, and mine, with my sketches as well. They
should be printed up shortly.
We are off to South Africa
mid November for three weeks, mainly to see animals and
beautiful nature spots.
I have been honoured to
receive an award, below: The photo is 5 years old so you
might not recognize me if we were to pass on the street.
Lastly, Cyclamens & Swords
Publishing poetry contest closes 30 November 2009. Please
go to our website
www.cyclamensandswords.com and see the Contest
page for submission details. Also please submit – our
theme for this issue is TICKLISH SUBJECTS. We are also
looking for short stories, any subject, and for artwork.
Thanks.
Israel
poet wins international senior laureate award
Helen Bar-Lev , 67, Metulla,
Israel, has won the 2009 International Senior Poet
Laureate Award for her free verse "Venus" in the 17th
annual national Senior Poets Laureate Poetry Competition
for American poets age 50 and older sponsored by Amy
Kitchener's Angels Without Wings Fdn. of Monterey, Calif.
Helen Bar-Lev is a
watercolor artist who has lived in Israel for 38 years.
She was born in New York. She and her life partner, poet Johnmichael Simon, produce poetry contests and publish
Cyclamens & Swords, which draw submissions from
the worldwide literary community. See details on her
website at
www.helenbarlev.com
Yvonne Nunn, dean of the Cyber-College of Online Poetry,
served as administrator of the 2009 Senior Poets Laureate
competition in which laureate poems from all states and
the international winner competed for the national
laureate prize. Patricia Frolander, 66, rancher from
Sundance, Wyo., won the National Senior Poet Laureate
Award and $500 for her poem "Father when you call."
Details about the contest
which is open to all Americans born before 1960, who hold
U. S. citizenship regardless of where they live in the
world, and all winners' poems, appear in the online
anthology GOLDEN WORDS currently on the
sponsor's website
www.amykitchenerfdn.
Helen Bar-Lev 's Senior
Poet Laureate page from GOLDEN WORDS Anthology
follows:
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INTERNATIONAL SENIOR POET LAUREATE
VENUS
Tonight a star
one star
a diamond
above the lamppost,
over the mountains,
in a sky navy blue
and darkening,
pale orange streaks
riding the horizon
over mountain
into heaven
I speak to this star
Venus you must be
only Venus has the impudence
to shine like a diamond
to compete with street lamps
to be seen unashamed
fraternizing with a still-blue sky
even before Mr. Moon
has made his debut
Coy little love-star
I make a wish,
believing as I do
with the faith of the foolish
that it will come true,
for the gift of health
a dash of love
a tomorrow of peace
you cannot deny me
Gullible alien
to this earth am I
move over
let me join you—
Just as soon as I finish
hanging the wash
Helen Bar-Lev
Metulla, Israel
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Helen Bar-Lev
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HELEN BAR-LEV, 67, was born in New York
and has lived in Israel 38 years. She has
devoted herself to art since 1976: painting,
teaching and writing poetry. She
had her own gallery in the Upper Galilee
before moving to Metulla where she and life
partner, poet Johnmichael Simon, produce
poetry contests, books and internationally
acclaimed
Cyclamens & Swords publications. She is
an Aries.
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