A GenX Writer's Search to Find Her Place on Social Media (and a poem for my late mother on Mother's Day)

(A letter from the editor, a new poem, and a bit of Mother's artwork )

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK:

     Thank you for subscribing to More Miles to Go...!, and a warm welcome to all my new subscribers and followers! Bless you, one and all, for your time and interest.

     We continue to enjoy early spring here in upstate New York. My Sweetie and I (mostly him) are in the process of trying to grow grass in the front yard after we had an electrical surge to the house last November. The fire department was here, and the whole works, and the lawn and trench needed to be unearthed from the house to the transformer to put in a new power line.

     Waiting for grass to grow has proven to be a long and arduous process (especially since neighbors’ lawns and driveways were affected, and one, in particular, is none too happy). All this reminds me of an old Seinfeld episode where George ferociously tries to grow hair on his head and peers into the mirror every five minutes. It’s definitely like that around here.

     As you may or may not know, I have been prepping my marketing efforts in anticipation of my books being published. I have an extensive 100,000-word effort out with beta readers (of which I plan to eventually submit to agents) and a shorter romance novella in the oven—one I plan to indie (self) publish. This all includes social media marketing, which has proven to be a slippery slope, to say the least. Alas, I have been focusing my efforts on Instagram, where I’m told the “Bookstagrammers” live—those millennial and younger book influencers who have positioned themselves to make or break one’s creative dreams.

     The problem is, as previously stated, they are all quite young and do not necessarily welcome adults into the room with open arms. GenX is definitely foreign to the lovers of Starbucks, whatever that green stuff is, and Taylor Swift. I plan to write about these adventures in subsequent issues if you are inclined to come along for this wild ride. But for now, suffice it to say I’m being as brave as I can, and I think they’re starting to take a liking to me over there.

     All that aside, I have been thinking a lot about where I want to go with this newsletter. Until now, I have been flying by the seat of my pants as life continues to be busy with work (court reporting) and looking after my brother, who is in extended care and recovering from a recent stroke. That said, the voice of my best writer friend echoes in my head. “Keep it short,” she said. Your time, dear reader, is precious, and I happen to agree with her. In this issue, then, I have kept my creative writing submission extra short and plan to do so in the future (save a few longer articles and short stories I may submit during the off-week to keep my site search-engine friendly).

     Today, I wanted to share a poem to honor my late mother and share a bit of her gorgeous artwork. Thinking about my first Mother’s Day without her is a sobering thought indeed.

     Overall, I hope you enjoy this piece. I know it’s a bit dark and forlorn, and it’s not perfect, but she’s gone from this earth, and I must adhere to the writer’s creed of keeping it emotionally real. This is where I am.

     If you’d like to support me, please leave a quick “like” below (click on the heart if you do, in fact, like) or comment if you have any ideas for moving forward and staying off the proverbial ledge whilst missing the departed person you love the most—and trying to stay sane in the world of internet-land. Again, thank you for your readership. I am grateful to have travelers along on this journey with me. We’ll take it one sweet mile at a time... See you down the road in two weeks.

Laugh and Be Well,

~Laura  

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SOME DAYS BY LAURA TURNER

Some days like today
I have little to say.
Losing you
has taken my breath away.

The house is quiet.
No phones are ringing. 
Your daily messages 
no longer on the other end of the line. 
“Just an ‘I love you’ call,” you would tell me.
“A loving check-in on an ordinary day.”

The sun is lower in the sky now;
my world somehow dimmer.
The life set out before me lonelier
without you in it.

Oh, how I hope I’ve been good enough;
everything you wished and aspired for.
You told me so then 
but today I want a reminder.

I will have your words forever 
as they echo on in my mind.
But this is all I have now;
I am a motherless daughter.

I can step ahead 
and maybe I’ll catch my breath again.
But I’m not there yet. 
For there are still some days, like today
I am breathless... with little to say.