December 2016 RCLAS Ezine Wordplay at Work, Issue 40

To my Dear Enthusiastic Members of RCLAS, I would like to welcome you all to the year 2017, and I hope your New Year will be peaceful and flourishing.

I became President of RCLAS as of May 1st of 2016 and it has been a wonderful experience working with dedicated volunteers who have a deep love for arts and the arts community.

We are not having an AGM this year as the Society Act is changing and all non-profit agencies now have to go online, register, and over the next two years post all their information there. Part of the change is that the holding of an AGM has been left up to the organization to decide. This year we won’t have the usual AGM as I just arrived and the term is two years, so we will work with this great group of directors to complete the term.

For the past several months, working with other members has opened a new channel of engagement for me and has made my life much more interesting. It is such an honour working alongside poets, writers and art lovers who have dedicated so many hours of their time to making RCLAS activities successful.

As always, there are challenges, though I look at them as life lessons, and opportunities for improvement.

Also, I would like to acknowledge my gratitude and respect to Candice James, one of the RCLAS founders and a past President; her pulse beats for the arts and art lovers. She has been a great inspiration for me and many. We are privileged to have her back as one of our advisors, which allows us to utilize her vast knowledge to learn and thrive more.

RCLAS already offers successful programs such as In Their Words, Poetry in the Park, Wordplay, Poetic Justice, workshops, contests and more.

I am happy to say that we are going to have two new programs, beginning in the new year: Tellers of Short Tales and Children’s Chronicles. These two programs are geared to working with fiction and non-fiction short-story writers, and with Children’s Chronicles encouraging children in the literary arts.

Working with the magnificent RCLAS board of directors, assistants and other marvelous volunteers has given me a wonderful perspective of how people can work together and contribute to a great cause, while at the same time learning and thriving with each other.

We are now celebrating our fourth anniversary, and in 2017 RCLAS will begin its fifth year of providing literary art programs for the community, and I am looking forward to yet another amazing year working alongside you all.

Yours respectfully, Nasreen Pejvack President, Royal City Literary Arts Society nasreenpejvack@rclas.com

We are happy to announce that we have two new programs premiering in 2017: Tellers of Short Tales for emerging or published authors.

Children’s Chronicles for children; a program that has been designed for children ages 8 to 11 whereby an author will read to them for 20 minutes, engage them with the story’s character and messages for another 20 minutes; and we will have them write a few lines for the last 20 minutes.

Both new programs will be provided free of charge.

We continue to publish our RCLAS E-zine Wordplay at Work, 10 times a year, Sept to June.

RCLAS members are welcome to submit.

December 2016 is our 40th issue.

Find past issues online HERE.

Royal City Literary Arts Society is very happy to be celebrating our fourth anniversary!!!

Thank you from the RCLAS Board of Directors.

December 2016

For more information, contact: Nasreen Pejvack President, RCLAS 604-723-1517 nasreenpejvack@rclas.com www.rclas.com

Call for Workshop Proposals for 2017 Submissions accepted until January 31, 2017 Royal City Literary Arts Society is seeking proposals for exciting interactive workshops to take place in New Westminster in 2017. Selected workshops will be scheduled in 2017 for either predetermined weekday evenings (7:00-9:00 pm) at the New Westminster Public Library, Arts Council of New Westminster Gallery at Queen’s Park (Centennial Lodge) or for a Saturday afternoon at the local MLA office (with a pre-booked audience).

Proposals should be centered on the art of writing; successful proposals will spark interest in either a wide variety of learning writers or in a highly-engaged niche. Topics may include (but, are not limited to) the business of writing, prompts, screen & stage, poetry, fiction, and nonfiction.

Please include the following when submitting a proposal: 1.

Title

2.

Presenter’s name, brief bio (50-100 words), relevant CV (this may include references, testimonials, or video clips, particularly if working with RCLAS for the first time), and photograph

3.

Workshop description (250 words or less) 

4.

5.

Please emphasize audience participation and interaction Workshop objectives

Equipment needed. These are limited to: NWPL: Multi-media projector, laptop, DVD player, slide projector, flipchart, whiteboard, blackboard, felt pens, dry erase markers, chalk, Wi-Fi  ACNW: Multi-media projector, whiteboard, dry erase markers, Wi-Fi  MLA: Whiteboard, dry erase markers, small size flipchart, felt pens, Wi-Fi 

6.

Marketing suggestions and insights

Presenters will be paid for their work on an honourary basis. To submit, or to seek more information, please email secretary@rclas.com with the subject line “Workshop Proposal”.

Deadline: January 31, 2017.

 Submit early! We will be booking appropriate workshops as they come in until all slots are full.

Royal City Literary Arts Society: http://rclas.com

Fred Cogswell Award For Excellence In Poetry Award Presentation, December 3, 2016

RCLAS Holiday Celebration December 3, 2016 New Westminster Public Library

RCLAS WRITER OF THE MONTH

Sherry Duggal

Sherry Duggal is a naturopathic doctor who is now delving into her creative side.

She has written for prominent magazines such as Darpan Magazine, Celebrations Magazine and the Canadian Immigrant Magazine, a branch of the Toronto Star.

Her other works are performance oriented.

Sherry co-wrote and acted in the play "Eve: A Balancing Act", which was presented at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and has also performed in New Delhi, India. Her comedy script "Love Therapy" featured in the Masala Mehndi Masti! festival, the biggest South Asian Festival in North America.

One of eight featured writers, her one woman act "Epiphany" was chosen to be part of the Pull Festival in Vancouver, B.C. Other festivals she has performed in: Rabindranath Tagore Festival, Sufi Legacy Conference, Diwalifest, Summer in the City festival and the Mother Tongue Festival.

Sherry has been a featured writer for "World Poetry", “Writers International Network" ,"Poetic Justice", "Pandora's Collective", "Holy Wow Poets" and "Surrey Muse�.

“A poem of self exploration: I want”

by Sherry Duggal

I was watering my bonsai and saw a tiny leaf emerging, like a baby from a mother’s womb.

The beginning of the end.

Every sentence ends with a full stop, but another sentence keeps everything in motion.

Thoughts come alive as words continue to color the page.

Wants and desires come out into the open, burning through paper.

Imagination ignites stories, taking the form of fire.

As hot and cold continue their play, the seasons dance around us.

The shortest day of the year has passed and we can look forward to another spring.

Now that the days are getting longer, ask yourself: What do I want?

This can be interpreted in any way and may be a question that you haven’t explored.

Pondering on this question can be the start of something new.

It is the question that every actor asks at the start of any scene: What is your objective? What do you want from the other person?

You can also ask yourself: What do you want out of your relationships? career?

What do you want out of life?

Wants are all around us, like the space between letters.

Take the time to reflect on these spaces.

The silence will tell you a lot …

Remember, a pause is never empty.

There is always meaning behind it, like a hidden secret.

The pauses are what nourish the inner flame and keep us moving to life’s natural rhythms.

So ask yourself: What do I want?

Doing this exercise will highlight your goals for the new year, Take out the lights and zoom in on your words.

You will then be able to take action.

I wrote this a while back, but thought it is appropriate to share this again.

It was a sort of creative exercise beginning with “I want”.

This is the journey I came up with.

Now it’s time for me to take action and to manifest my wants to reality.

Lights, camera, action!

Here it is.

“I want” I want to sprout like a flower and touch the sky.

I want to hold the sky and paint it red.

I want to take the red and share it with others.

I want to pour the red and offer it as rays.

I want to soak in the rays and bleed in your yellow.

I want to scatter your yellow and shed my light I want to shine my light to discover your shadow I want to walk in your shadow and travel the earth I want to move the earth and make you my axis.

I want to spin around your axis and inhale the stars I want to wander amidst the stars and land in your footprint

I want to stop in your footprint and exhale galaxies I want to capture those galaxies and store them in a grain of rice I want to break the rice and taste your flavor I want to mix the flavors and radiate white I want to burn the white and smell like incense I want to remove the incense and revel in the smoke.

I want to become the smoke and seep through clothes I want to toss the clothes and wrap myself in rainbows I want to draw the rainbows and separate the colors I want to dissolve the colors and float in black I want to dip myself in black and sign my name with kohl I want to grab the kohl and apply it to your eyes I want to look into your eyes and drown it with my tears I want to collect the tears and cross the seven oceans I want to swim in the oceans and transform them to mud I want to dig in the mud and search for pearls I want to sift through pearls and attain eternal wisdom.

I want to apply my wisdom to get to the oyster I want to pick up the oyster and drink its holy water I want to bathe in the water and find the right sound.

I want to take in the sounds and release them as noise I want to embrace the noise and discover silence.

I want to seduce the silence and greet it with drums.

I want to hit the drums and dance to temple bells I want to ring the bells and catch you in my thoughts.

I want to celebrate my thoughts and honor it with trumpets.

I want to blow the ceremonial trumpet and pluck the strings.

I want to loosen your strings and tighten my notes.

I want to suspend my notes and hear them in bracelets that touch.

I want to wear the bracelets and sing your song.

I want to listen to your song and let it wash over me like a lullaby I want to remember the lullaby and make it part of my dreams I want to write down my dreams and let them guide me to shore I want to reach the shore and feel the pull of gravity I want to go against gravity and measure its pressure I want to burst with the pressure and leave a trail of fire I want to melt in the fire and scatter diamonds on your path I want to swallow the diamonds and gleam in your light I want to remove your light and shiver in the dark I want to explore the dark and follow your shadow I want to merge with your shadow and lead with my heat.

I want to increase the heat and evaporate into air I want to fly in the air and fall to the ground.

I want to roll in the ground and make love to the earth.

I want to coddle the earth and let it show me its scars I want to stitch the scars with the salt of my wounds

I want to close the wounds and sweep past landscapes I want to absorb the landscapes and catch a glimpse of your form I want to memorize your form and stumble upon prayers I want to transmit the prayers and manifest them in your continent I want to combine the continents and see them in my hands I want to fold my hands and say more prayers.

I want to release the prayers and display them like fireworks I want to use the fireworks to expose hunger and thirst I want to experience hunger and thirst and acknowledge what I have I want to acknowledge what I have and send a message of peace I want to broadcast the message and decode it in your eyes I want to open my eyes and wake up from this sleep I want to get up from this sleep and crackle loud I want to crackle like electricity and ignite sparks on screen.

My creator.

With a stroke of the brush he creates the shadow of my being.

I am a silhouette amidst the horizon.

Liquid, without form.

He molds me into an image of himself, carving me out of lines that blend into the different shades of that which is me.

Colours seep through, like that of the rising sun.

Red, green, yellow, blue.

Soft rays emit light as the contours of my face become alive.

He swirls his brush, winding his way around the curves of my lashes.

He splashes mascara against them and lines my lids with a liner.

Blue as the ocean, they are full of depth.

Tears well up and overflow.

I blink unaware.

While looking through transparent glass, everything becomes blurred.

Can anyone see me?

He puts breath into me as I wrinkle my nose with delight.

I can smell the roses.

They give me strength.

Tears continue to drip down my cheeks.

He knows that I am the one to open the window and enjoy the cool breeze.

Seeds crack open, blossoming into flowers.

They form a border around me.

Petals and leaves fall into my hands.

The scent of jasmine and lilies drifts into my nose.

I sneeze.

A beautiful garden grows inside me.

Can anyone smell me?

I lift my arms, my hands trembling.

I try to feel the frame that covers the space around me and press my fingers against hard wood.

To no avail.

My breath makes the glass foggy.

Can anyone feel me?

Dark as the night sky, my wavy hair brushes against my lips.

The waves make their way towards the ground, bringing the heavens to earth.

One gets lost in space and time, as they cover my neck.

The moon and the stars are my decoration and I capture my admirers within the tangles of my hair.

They wander aimlessly, without direction.

My ears become heavy with the weight of earrings that dangle.

They swing from side to side emitting sound like music to the ears.

The waves begin to perform a cosmic dance.

Everything is in motion.

I tap on hard wood.

The bangles on my wrists slide back and forth.

Can anyone hear me?

I stamp my feet and shake the bells on my anklets.

Can anyone hear me?

I turn my whole body.

The wet strands wrap around my face and slap my cheek.

Droplets of water cover the glass in front of me.

Can you hear me?

I squint my eyes and look through the window.

People scurry past me like figures on a computer screen.

Everything appears black and white.

Where am I? I close my eyes and wiggle my toes.

I can feel the earth beneath me.

Paint splatters onto empty space, giving substance to matter.

I am surrounded by color.

My creator shapes my lips and fills them with red.

They become intoxicating like wine.

Even tears taste sweet right now.

I smell fresh fruit around me - mango, papaya, pear.

While plucking berries off of bushes, apples fall from the tree beside me.

I am covered in cherry blossoms.

Juices drip down my fingers like the nectar that attracts bees.

Can anyone taste me?

My lips quiver as I kiss the glass in front of me.

A shy, smudged kiss.

But for who?

He is not in my life anymore.

I tap on the window with my sticky hands.

The glass doesn’t break.

I rub my fingers against smooth wood.

The wood doesn’t splinter.

Where am I? Am I stuck in here forever?

Behind this picture frame?

Excerpt from her upcoming book “My Body, My Garden” Copyright Sherry Duggal

Previously published in RCLAS Wordplay at Work, February 2014

Previously published in RCLAS Wordplay at Work, January 2016

Previously published in RCLAS Wordplay at Work, December 2014

Previously published in RCLAS Wordplay at Work, February 2014

Previously published in RCLAS Wordplay at Work, February 2015

Good Man of Bethlehem

By Margo Prentice Samuel let it be known that those who worked for him had to be at the inn before sunrise. It was a special holiday and there was much work to do. Breads of wheat, rye and oats, needed to be baked in the outdoor oven. Lamb roasted in the cooking pit. Dried fruits and nuts were arranged on platters. The wine had to be poured into vessels. All this work had to be completed before sundown.

His workers were a Godly people, daughters, wives and sons of shepherds. They walked through the door to the fire while taking their cloaks off. After they had warmed themselves they joined hands to start their work day with prayer.

After a prayer Samuel told them, “We have much work to do, on this special day.

Something wonderful is going to happen I can feel it in my bones!” His anticipation unnerved him.

These were terrible times, a time of hunger, violence and war throughout the world. A Messiah must come soon to this dark land, he thought. Samuel had prayed for this every day. He was a good man who followed the Torah with strength and conviction. Samuel was generous and kind; he walked a righteous path all his life.

Everyone was busy with their tasks as Samuel watched to see that all ran smoothly.

Rooms were cleaned and fresh blankets put on each bed. When the sun set, it would be very cold and they would need extra blankets. The smell of roasted meat and bread filled the inn all afternoon. The guests were to arrive late afternoon with each room occupied before the sun set.

The guests arrived on time and they sat down to eat. Over the clatter of people enjoying their meal, Samuel could hear the bell ringing from the entrance. He said to his wife, “Do you hear the bell?”

“Yes someone is ringing to come in, I'll get it.”

Samuel said, "No, you take care of our guests I'll get it; we cannot take another tonight. I have to send them to Jacob. He is a stingy man; they will get a roof but no extras.”

Samuel walked to the back entrance slid the wooden board to open the door and glanced into the dark night. Standing at the entrance was a young man and his pregnant wife, all bundled in cloths to keep warm from the bitter cold night. They had a donkey on a rope behind them.

“Come, come, warm up, I am sorry we have no more room.” When the young woman removed the hood from her coat to reveal her face, Samuel was awestruck. She was beautiful and there was a radiance about her that stunned him.

“I can send you to another inn; he may have a place for you. It is about one mile straight down at the end of town. I am sorry I will have to send you a long way on such a cold night. But wait, I have an extra blanket for your wife, please take it, it will come in handy."

“Thank you” the young man said as they walked out the door. He helped his wife onto the donkey. They walked towards the other inn into the cold night. Samuel could see the whites of their breath as they walked away.

Samuel and his wife worked until everyone was settled in their room. He could not get the vision of the young woman out of his mind. The image of this young couple would not leave him. He filled pots with food from the kitchen, put on his cloak and proceeded to the door.

He yelled to his wife, “I must go see how the young couple I turned away is, she looked like she was about to give birth soon,” he yelled to his wife. “You go to bed I have something important to do.”

Samuel knew that Jake was very greedy and he would not provide this couple with any food. He made the decision to pack a feast of leftovers from his kitchen to bring to them.

“Are you mad Samuel, there are very bad people on the streets this time of the night!” his wife called from their room.

"Don't worry my dear wife I will be fine God is with me tonight,” and off he ran into the dark night.

As he walked out in the darkened street he saw beggars, drunks huddled around fires trying to keep warm. Oh dear God just what does it all mean? Samuel was safe, the people on the street knew him he often gave them bread from his kitchen. The night was clear and the stars sparkled. As Samuel looked up, he thought, God is good.

He walked towards Jacob's place and noticed how much brighter the night became and was struck by a sense of impending joy. It was bright as a sunlit day. The light shone on Jake’s barn but the inn was dark.

How strange, he thought.

Over the barn was a beautiful, bright star. As he walked towards the entrance he recognized some of the local sheep herders.

He whispered to his friend James, “Why aren't you working tonight, are you not afraid the wolves will get your lambs.” James replied, "Glory to God in the highest!" This perplexed Samuel. He proceeded inside the barn with the bundle of food he had kept warm under his cloak.

He blinked his eyes at what he saw! The young woman and man, who were at his door earlier, were standing in front of a manger filled with straw. A baby was lying there wrapped in the blanket he gave them. Beside them Samuel saw something that made his heart beat with a fear and excitement he had never known. A beautiful glowing creature with giant wings was standing by the baby! It was an angel and he gestured Samuel to come to look. Samuel approached slowly and felt the wonderment he had been experiencing all day. He thought his heart would burst!

The angel said to Samuel, “Do you recall what you thought today about what the world has come to? And I say to you Samuel, come see what has come to the world.

He gazed at this baby for some time, then walked quietly towards the young man and introduced himself, “I am Samuel. I have brought you food to eat as I did not expect you to get any, please sit and eat.”

“My name is Joseph and this is my wife Mary, and this is our son who we will call Jesus.”

Samuel laid out the feast for them to partake. As he looked around the room three richly dressed men were there as well and he wondered why they were there. He welcomed all who were in the barn to eat. After the meal was over he said good bye to Joseph and Mary. “If ever you come to Bethlehem, you will always have a place to stay and please let me know all about your son Jesus. He too, will always have a place in my home.”

Samuel looked once more at the baby then looked back at the angel again shaking his head in amazement. He walked home feeling happy knowing that surely he had been a part of something much greater than himself!

-------------------------------------------© Margo Prentice Previously published in RCLAS Wordplay at Work, December 2014

Previously published in RCLAS Wordplay at Work, February 2015

Previously published in RCLAS Wordplay at Work, September 2014

Previously published in RCLAS Wordplay at Work, October 2013

WORDPLAY AT WORK FEEDBACK & E-ZINE SUBMISSIONS

Janet Kvammen, RCLAS Vice-President/E-zine janetkvammen@rclas.com Antonia Levi secretary@rclas.com

Open Call for Submissions - RCLAS Members Only Poetry, Short Stories, Book excerpts, articles & lyrics are all welcome for submission to future issues of Wordplay at work.

Upcoming Special Feature Theme: New Westminster DEADLINE December 20, 2016 Jan 2017 Issue 41 DEADLINE December 15, 2016 Feb 2017 Issue 42 Call for Haiku Deadline January 20, 2017 Submit Word documents (include your name on document) to janetkvammen@rclas.com Watch for our Write On! Contest launching in January 2017

Thank you to our Sponsors & Venues 

City of New Westminster



Arts Council of New Westminster



New Westminster Public Library



Judy Darcy, MLA



Boston Pizza, Columbia Square



The Heritage Grill



Renaissance Books



Buy-Low Foods

“He carved poems from the liquid hours that ran and froze epiphanies in words that all who read can scan.”

Fred Cogswell

See upcoming events at www.rclas.com Facebook

December 2016 Wordplay at work ISSN 2291- 4269 Contact: janetkvammen@rclas.com RCLAS Vice-President/ E-zine