Lauren M. Hancock Poetry and Prose

Tag: blogger

  • Sunshine Blogger Award! – 16/07/21

    Sunshine Blogger Award! – 16/07/21

    Lovely Grace of Grace of the Sun recently nominated me for the Sunshine Blogger Award, and I thank her kindly for her wonderful nomination. This is the second blogger award she’s put me forth for, and I am so grateful for this. The Sunshine Blogger Award is an award shared by bloggers to other bloggers who help spread creativity and positivity! Grace’s work covers many topics and has many bright, positive and thoughtful facets to the content she shares with us all daily. On her blog, she shares her point of view, and what brings her joy. Please check out her page Grace of the Sun to experience her positivity, joy and sparkle today.

    Rules:

    • Thank the blogger who nominated you and link back to their blog.
    • Answer the 11 questions sent by the person who nominated you.
    • Nominate 11 new bloggers to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.
    • List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post and/or your blog.

    Grace’s Questions

    1. What is your proudest accomplishment?
      Self-publishing my first book. One of my childhood dreams was to be a children’s book author.  
    2. What makes you laugh the most?
      Speaking with and joking around with friends makes me laugh; making witty remarks with them also.
    3. If you met you, would you want to be your friend and why?
      I would want to be my friend because I am open and welcoming, and I feel I have a brightness about my personality.
    4. What do you like most about yourself?
      I like that I am creative, and thoughtful and caring, especially toward the people close to me.
    5. If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
      Pancit, a Filipino rice noodle dish! It is absolutely delicious, and my auntie makes it wonderfully.
    6. If you can be anyone else in the world, who would you be or would you be yourself?
      Even though we can admire another’s life from afar, we do not know the inner workings of their world and mind. Thus, it is difficult to answer if I would like to be someone else. I only inherently know about my life, so I would remain as I am and be myself.
    7. Who is your hero?
      A hero of mine would be my mother. She has been through a lot, especially health-wise as of late, and she always has a positive attitude and resilience about her.
    8. What motivates you most?
      The idea of being heard and understood.
    9. What did you want to be when you were small?
      A children’s book author and in an orchestra.
    10. If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be?
      Drink coffee and lounge all day at a dog café that has friendly pooches who will want pats and want to play!
    11. Would you say you are resentful or can you let go of things easily?
      Depending on the circumstance, I can be resentful, but I am learning to be more forgiving and let go of things. Learning to do this does take time.

      These are the questions for my nominees:
    1. How do you deal with regretful situations?
    2. What is a joyous moment for you?
    3. When you’re inspired to write, is it in a frenzy or a controlled manner, how do the words flow onto the page?
    4. What is the most important object in your life, and what significance does it hold for you?
    5. Are you a coffee or a tea person?
    6. What would be your ideal way to enjoy a Sunday?
    7. Name one hobby that you enjoy and why.
    8. Share a treasured memory of yours?
    9. Name a favourite song of yours from a musical.
    10. Would you consider yourself an extrovert or introvert?
    11. And does this affect the way you write for your blog?

    My NOMINEES :

    Previous Post: ‘Be Prepared, Be Prepared’ – 16/07/21
    Previous Post: ‘Adorn’ – 14/07/21
    Previous Post: ‘The Flea Market Contraption’ – 15/07/21

    Lauren M. Hancock Poetry and Prose Home

  • The Aesthete Blogger Award!

    The Aesthete Blogger Award!

    Talented, uplifting and inspiring poet, Grace from Grace of the Sun recently nominated me for this blogger’s award! Thank you very much for thinking of me, Grace, I’m incredibly humbled by your nomination. I love her poetry for it is thought-provoking, inspiring, full of positivity, and always tells a captivating story. Please check out her blog and enjoy her creations for yourself!

    Rules:-

    • Use the official logo/graphic of the award and display it on your blog.
    • List the rules.
    • Show some love to the one who nominated you!
    • Mention the creator — Ashmita at the Fictional Journal —  and link it back to the original post.
    • Tell me a something about this world that you admire.
    • What is your favourite form of creativity?
    • Nominate 7 lovely people and notify them by commenting on their posts; spread some love!
    • Ask your nominees 4 questions.
    • Share something you created. (can be anything!)

    Q. Tell me something about this world that you admire.

    I admire the resilience of the human spirit, the rebounding nature and our ability to band together and heal during the worst of times. In particular, I refer to my parents and our family during a particularly tough period in our lives last year and how we coped with it. We went through a lot together and grew into a stronger family unit due to our experiences. We learned to love and care for one another even more than we had previously. From pain grew strength and personal strength, and close-knit ties drawn together even firmer.

    Q. What is your favourite form of creativity?

    Poetry, poetry, poetry! And playing the violin. I also enjoy creating art when I am in the particular headspace to be artistic with bright colours.

    Grace’s Questions!

    1. If you had to move to another place, where would you go?

      I wouldn’t move anywhere else at this stage. I love where I am, and I am a creature of habit. However, if I were to select somewhere to temporarily relocate, perhaps somewhere near the beach during autumn or spring, so I could enjoy the fresh breeze without the overt heat.

    2. If you met your future self, what would you ask?

      “Are you happy with how you lived your life? What are your highlights, and what would you have changed?”

    3. What is the best advice you have received?

      Be yourself and don’t be afraid to be assertive in this life.

    4. Who has had the biggest influence in your life?

      My mother and father. Mum and I are very close, she supports my creative endeavours, listens to my poetry often, and provides the support for me to bounce my ideas off when I need an extra opinion. Similarly too, the quiet strength of my father provides me stability and grounding, and a love spoken not only necessarily in words but through his presence and thoughtful actions.


    Something I created:

    my nominees:

    Jeff

    We Are Karma

    Poet of the Light

    Sacha

    Stephen

    Joy

    elancharan


    My Questions:

    1. What is it that most inspires you to write?
    2. Would you alter a pivotal moment in your life that would alter your life to a completely different path or remain on your current path of life?
    3. What is your most treasured memory?
    4. What is an achievement you are proud of?

      Thank you once again to Grace for this nomination and thank you to Ashmita for creating this award!

  • Sunshine Blogger Award Gratitude and Nomination – 27/08/20

    Sunshine Blogger Award Gratitude and Nomination – 27/08/20

    Thank you so much to the amazing and kind-hearted Shruba for nominating me for the Sunshine Blogger Award! Shruba’s writing is beautiful and takes me on a journey into her world, always, and makes me feel like I want to stay just that little longer to linger in her world. She paints pictures so wonderfully and I encourage you all to check out her blog Lemongrass for an in-depth read.

    According to online sources, the Sunshine Blogger Award is an award given to bloggers by other bloggers who inspire and cause positivity within the blogging community. It also allows newer bloggers to have their work showcased before others. I am humbled that Shruba feels that I inspire and create positivity through my writing, and am so thankful for her nomination.  

    The Rules

    • Thank the blogger who nominated you
    • Remember to list the rules and indicate your award nomination by including the logo
    • Answer the questions that has been given to you
    • Nominate 11 bloggers who inspire you (or as many as you can, no pressure, since it has been brought to my notice that a lot of the emerging bloggers are yet to build their social circle on the platform)
    • Make a new list of 11 questions for your nominees (please keep them interesting and as interactive as you can think of, so everyone involved can enjoy this process)

    Shruba’s Questions along with my Answers

    1. Are you a tea or coffee person?
      Definitely a coffee person. Only rarely will I have tea, and that’s generally when I’ve had too much coffee. The justification is that tea has less caffeine, but is still a comforting beverage to sip on.

    2. Do you have a sibling(s), what are they like?
      I have younger brothers who are twins and they are kind, studious, disciplined and tenacious.

    3. Do you own a pet, include their picture in your post and if you don’t have any, would you like to have one?
      I used to have pets but no longer. I would love to have another pet, probably a dog again. It’s nice to have that unconditional companionship and someone to hug or pat at the end of a tiring or stressful day. A companion to keep me company and be understanding without actually saying a single thing.  

    4. What’s the most interesting TV series that you have watched?
      I don’t generally watch that much television at all, but I enjoyed Australian Ninja Warrior, a spin off of the Japanese show, Sasuke, in which competitors have to navigate extreme obstacle course challenges to then reign supreme as the Australian Ninja Warrior. Watching contestants can be extremely nail-biting at times, and I was constantly drawn to cheering loudly for them as though I was in the stadium itself!

    5. If you had to recommend a book to someone who generally hates reading, which one would it be?
      Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. I enjoyed getting lost in the Harry Potter series as a young girl and for someone new to reading, I think that that person would enjoy the magical world created within those pages and become immersed in the words, wanting to continue on reading the series. To someone who wants to experience vivid, metaphor-rich poetry, I would recommend Sylvia Plath’s collection, ‘Ariel’ because I love this collection so much and want others to experience it, too.

    6. What do you prefer reading more in blogs? Poetry/short story/interviews/reviews/personal rants/historical articles? (You name it, if not on this list)
      Poetry, definitely. I do enjoy rants from time to time, but my main focus is on reading poetry online.  

    7. What’s your favourite music band or album? (Share a link!)
      My musical taste varies so I don’t have one specific album or band that I’d like to share with you, although I am currently listening to a live streaming of trance and progressive music that I am enjoying so I will share this link with you.

    8. Did you ever consider blogging as a source of income? What’s your views on it?
      No, I purely view it as a means of enjoyment for myself, in that I can share my work with others and make ties within the community. I really love finding new blogs and writers whose work I can connect with and feel that sense of closeness when I read their words. I personally find ads on blogs to be somewhat cluttering and feel they distract from a blog, and I wouldn’t want them on my own.

    9. How many drafts do you make before you finally publish something? There’s no set amount of drafts that I make, it completely depends on the content. Sometimes it’s two, sometimes more, but the extra ones really only involve a couple of word changes here and there so I wouldn’t necessarily call them further drafts.  

    10. Would you call yourself cautious or carefree?
      I can identify with being both cautious and carefree, although I would describe myself probably as more cautious and considered, in that I take time to make a decision these days, rather than being impulsive like how I once was.

    11. What’s your favourite flower?
      I don’t have just one, but I would have to say I do love sunflowers, gerberas, and roses.

    my questions

    1. What would you give someone who has everything?
    2. What would you most enjoy doing if you were to stay in on a Saturday night?
    3. Who is your favourite author (and your favourite book of theirs) and why?
    4. How long have you been blogging on WordPress for?
    5. What type of blogs do you gravitate towards reading?
    6. What type of art are you drawn to? Name an artist or two whose work inspires you.
    7. How would you encourage someone who wants to get into writing to express themselves but admits to having trouble creatively putting pen to paper?
    8. What’s your ultimate comfort dish to have when you’re stressed out?
    9. What do you think is one of your strongest posts? Share the link, if you like!
    10. Where would you most like to visit and why?
    11. What is it about the WordPress community that you love the most?

    My Nominees:

    Fauxcroft

    mysocalledpoetry – So-called Poetry of Biba

    Poet of the Light – Whispers of a Poet’s Heart

    Maya – Mayaland

    Dee – Awayfromthemaddingcrowd

    Nawazish – The Lightening Bug

    Annette Kalandros – Hearing the Mermaids Sing

    T.N. – The Amateur’s Quill

    Brooke J. Cutler

    Benyin, as written by Benyin

    House of Heart

    Thanks once again to Shruba for this nomination – it was great fun to answer her questions, pose some of my own, and nominate my fellow bloggers. Please do take the time to explore their blogs — there is amazing work on their pages!

  • Thank You!

    Thank You!

    I want to extend my sincerest thanks to you all: my blog now has over 400 followers! I am both so humbled and excited by this. I never would have thought when I started my site a year and a month ago that I would have so many fellow creatives interested in viewing my work. 

Thank you all so much for visiting my site, reading my words, and for your continued support throughout my time here at WordPress. I really appreciate that you have followed, read my blog and regularly visit. It truly means the world to me!
  • Offshore Reader Award!

    Offshore Reader Award!

    RULES FOR ACCEPTING THIS AWARD:

    • Thank the person who nominated you.
    • Include the award image on your post- link to image here.
    • To know more about the award, click here.
    • Add a link to the blog of the person who nominated you.
    • Answer the question given to you.
    • Nominate at least 2 other bloggers.
    • Ask your own question (optional).

    Nomination:

    Thank you to Ara for nominating me for this award. I am greatly inspired by her positive, motivational writings, and want to encourage her to keep posting her words – I’m sure they have a positive effect on many other people, too. I definitely urge others to go visit her blog “Recuperation” at https://backtosquareones.wordpress.com

    I further nominate:

    1. Naomh Briste – Love Songs of the Damned
    2. Mitchel David Ring – The Light is On

    Ara’s question:

    What motivates you to write more?

    What inspires me to keep writing is knowing that I’ll be able to share my words with my readers, to reinforce that connection we have with each other through my words, their understanding of me, and their window that is open between myself and them.  

    My question is:

    What is it about editing a difficult post that keeps you up at night, tossing and turning?

    On a final note, I’d like to say that I appreciate every single reader who has taken the time to read my words and visit my page, and I want you to know I love that you’ve stuck with me throughout my blogging journey and hope that you’ll continue to stay.

    – Lauren

  • Poem: Hibernation – 17/07/20

    Poem: Hibernation – 17/07/20

    A calm bear,
sedated by the lulling nature of food,
excessive within his belly,
he can hide away more easily.
 
He is fattened up,
layered with furry clothing he’s
eaten and fashioned for his form,
each pair of bear-like track-pants or layered sweatshirts
are perfectly suited to him.
 
I am like this creature
but I have swallowed my words,
living off the bare minimum,
but in reality, I’ve indulged myself,
I roll around my cave
with obvious glee
because my words I am saving,
banking up,
quietly.
 
And around me, like a chain they’ve grown,
wanted links,
interwoven with themselves, their own,
I am not secured,
but I am enclosed,
though in a method I am wanting.
 
Then the links become daisy chains,
they’re delicate, adorable, agreeable,
some children might say the work of the fairies,
and while this once-lumbering bear will sleep,
I will always wear this fresh crown of linked daisies.
 
My load has been lightened,
I’m decorated with white and yellow,
and as I enter the bear’s quarters with spare flowers,
I tiptoe gently, ever so lightly,
I will make him king,
for while he temporarily sleeps,
when, disgruntled and hungry he will arise,
at least he'll have something pleasant to greet him.
 
© 2020 Lauren M. Hancock. All rights reserved.
Image by Pexels from Pixabay

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  • Poem: Anything But — An Ode – 09/07/20

    Poem: Anything But — An Ode – 09/07/20

    I'll express everything to you, dear, 
I am anything but silent.

My thoughts growl, 
grumble, then shine,
like a cross curmudgeon
who's been taken aback 
by something 
strangely pleasant,
something he'd been 
wholly unaware of.

Then, I transform into a 
rising, flowing,
ecologically-friendly bag
blustering in the breeze,

useful and able to be 
disintegrated,
but in the wind 
I unwind, 
like a kite, 
I am carefree.

I am this soaring, 
colourful plastic kite,
I was that ill-tempered now
brightened woman,

and occasionally I’ll 
surprise both you and I
with exclamations of 
unhindered laughter; 
our heaven,

the joyful giggling  
in your apartment complex 
with its walls 
so paper-thin:

at the neighbours’
tired, thumping reactions,
we spared no flowered damns
for our carefree, 
witty, raucous din.

A free form that flows,
where I will travel?
No one quite knows,

I’ll settle my roots,
a modern day view,
no longer grumbling,
nor full of air,
words wheezing out,
gassy, heated ill-views;

Is it worth constantly listening,
aloud, you once pondered,
the attention mostly
focused on you?

And you winked and
smiled cheekily, 
your heart was unprotected,
you meant no true offense,
with me you need no armour.

But, you do listen,
I am ever so pleased you do.
Your apartment sings with the
songs of my drafts,
over and o’er I reiterate them,
sharing the changes with you.

I know you
sometimes suffer,
at the hands of my
oppressively
repetitive work,

but you do this
not as your duty,
but to please this
once-airborne being 

who sought you out 
not because 
she was simply lonely,
not because of 
any selfish need,

but because she truly  
admired you 
and desires
your continued, 
charming company.

© 2020 Lauren M. Hancock. All rights reserved.
Image by danoliver2 from Pixabay

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  • Post: There is Hope – 14/04/20

    Post: There is Hope – 14/04/20

    There is hope if you look hard enough,
Among the shadows that lurk and loom,
No matter how difficult
To discern,
When our prying eyes have had enough,
We spot that glimmer,
That shimmer –

A glistening snail’s trail
Leading to that foreign place
That certainly is not home
But it calms you in a manner
Strangely stupendous
For something that is so
Different and odd to what would
Normally calm a throng.
 
And you sit there, quietly absorbing
That naked light,
A trailing of hope leading to
An outcrop, surrounding land full of shadows
Which has the power to relax you
With its scattered stars above,
An enormity, yet a closeness,
A childhood reminder of a time
That triggers something from afar.
 
And within you now a locket meets a key
And amazed you are
As your version of Pandora’s box flings open
But with a twist,
With internal, humble, resonant reassurances
You know there will be no casualties.

© 2020 Lauren M. Hancock. All rights reserved.
Image by Linda Biggs from Pixabay   

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  • Poem: To Pen Something Worthy On the Page – 08/04/20

    Poem: To Pen Something Worthy On the Page – 08/04/20

    I feel it’s been a while since I’ve written a quality poem,
Something to make me smile and feel pleased,
Proud of myself for something sharp and sweet,
Or lengthy but with purpose and a sense of growth and speed.
 
There was a time when I researched and read,
Many books of poetry I had immersed myself in,
Inspiration, a powerful thread,
But now, these books are silently laying,
Gathering cobwebs, it seems,
Until of them, my heart will once again be calling.
 
It was difficult to create when I felt the pressure
To delve into many other’s styles,
Why couldn’t I write in my own style,
Without having to research?
Of course, a writer is a reader, too,
A poet reads other poets.
 
But the time had come when I grew tired of it,
I needed a break, in order to keep on going,
To continue my art,
My twisting, turning words,
But then that break became longer and longer,
Until proudly, obnoxiously, it became incredibly self-assured.
 
This Break knew that it would be ongoing,
Something without end unless I gained the motivation to,
Once more, become back in the habit,
And I will try perhaps, one of these days,
To pick up my favourite poets and read their masterpieces,
Because of two reasons:
I enjoy them, and, they will assist my understanding and feelings,
Emotions to project through my words that can taunt, tease, or please.
 
So, this poem,
Where I bemoan,
Is not so much any more of that,
I had assumed I would complain,
But,
Here are the workings of the frame,
I simply detail, detail, detail,
And my words,
My explanations,
Will hopefully,
In the future,
Become less of an excuse and frail,
I will pen something worthier onto my page.
 
© 2020 Lauren M. Hancock. All rights reserved. 
Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay 

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  • Poem: Early Morning Disturbances – 04/03/20

    Poem: Early Morning Disturbances – 04/03/20

    The afternoon calls to me,
it begs for me to take advantage,
a swimming sensation within my mind
causes a wondering and I mentally wander:
I do not have the energy for this.
 
To explore the pathways,
to join with other beings,
to share their thoughts, feelings, and dreams,
well, this is something undulating, it seems.
 
Instead, I wish to lay down in my bed,
rest my weary head that’s arisen since two thirty a.m.,
and laid half alert, half asleep,
pacing back and forth,
up and down the stairs,
waiting for the morning,
when I can end the time when that 
restlessness replaced my wanted dreaming.
 
I must replenish,
I must coerce this Afternoon who wishes to 
bid me hither soon,
to engage me in some activities that are beneficial to me,
who says that they are beneficial? I want to squawk,
I want to scream.
 
Instead, I peel open my newly made bed,
feel the crispness of the lining sheets surrounding my body,
feel the plumpness of my fluffed pillows 
billowed around my head,
and I close my eyes,
feeling the softness ensue as the doona 
weighs upon me with comfort
that I haven’t known for ever so long.  
 
This haven I have created,
this haven I have made,
I am thankful for it,
the opportunity to rest comfortably without interruption,
because in the darkness of the early morning,
I will be hastened from my sleep,
my eyes, bleary, open,
and again, it’ll be two thirty.
 
The couch is no solace for someone who wishes to swim in dreams,
I must be in my current bedded comfort tonight,
I tell myself that in order to have 
calm before mayhem or disturbances
from my short sleeping delights
I must rest and relax into an early, quiet night.
 
© 2020 Lauren M. Hancock. All rights reserved.
Photo by Glen McCallum on Unsplash

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