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A Perfect Day: a Thanksgiving haibun

11/28/2019

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It is a warm day for November. The sun is shining, and white clouds hang suspended in the blue sky. The air is crisp and tart. Pots of orange and yellow spider mums line the steps leading up to my mother’s house. The front door is open, and bright light reflects off the large beveled glass mirror hanging above the buffet. It is a perfect day.
                       
Angelus
a congregation of sparrows
circle the bell tower
 
 
Mom is in the kitchen basting. The drippings sizzle as she overshoots the turkey. Eugene and George are in the living room watching football. Joshua toddles from the candy dish to the paisley chair, leaving chocolate smudges on GG’s new favorite purse. I am busy setting the table with the good china. My pumpkin pies sit on the buffet, warm and fragrant. There is nary a crack in the orange glossy-speckled filling. It is a perfect day.
 
centerpiece
the old pilgrim
missing a buckle
 
 
The table is loaded to the point of sagging with turkey, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, and GG’s special canned-shrimp cocktail. I reach for my pies, my beautiful perfect pies, my Better Homes and Garden’s perfect pies. But my joy turns to horror as I see two lumpy ditches where the pumpkin used to be. I look at my son, and in a moment of divine inspiration, grab the Reddi-Wip. I twist off the cap, give it a shake, press my finger against the nozzle, and proceed to smother the tops of my pies. It is a perfect day.
 
covering up
the family secrets
sticky fingers




Fredericksburg Literary & Art Review / Winter 2019



Are you worried today? Are you depressed, unhappy, alone? Are you hurting? Do you feel like giving up?

Don't!

You are loved!!


Jesus came to give you hope!!! He came to give you life, abundant, pressed down, shaken together, running over life. Do you know what that is? Can you even imagine?


Just open the door...

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.  Revelation 3:20 (NASB)

Happy Thanksgiving!!

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."  John 3:16 (NIV)



Hopefully,

​Susan





  




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A Halloween Humbug

10/31/2019

6 Comments

 
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A Halloween Humbug
​
By Susan Beth Furst


Prunella was in the kitchen, stirring the cauldron, Citronella was late, and she needed pumpkins.

“Some trick, on Halloween no less! No pumpkins, no potion, no pies,” she cackled as she tucked a wisp of cobweb behind her ear.

The pumpkin patch was dark. Citronella had lost her way. “Just one more for the …”

The wind howled Nooooooooooooooo! “Beware the pumpkins, walk softly through the patch, and never mention the word pie!”

Prunella continued to stir the pot. Citronella was already in the next county with a trail of angry pumpkins rolling behind her.



​
Happy All Hallow's Eve! 

Until next time,

Susan
;)

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  John 3:16

This is indeed Good News!!

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Opening Day!!

10/7/2019

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Announcing the Publication of The Amazing Glass House: A Haiku Storybook!
By Susan Beth Furst
Illustrated by Jiliane Vilches

You can learn all about The Amazing Glass House, the author Susan Beth Furst (that would be me), and find out just what a Haiku Storybook really is!!
@
https://www.scbwi.org/scbwibookstop/

Available now 
 www.amazon.com


​


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Beginnings...

9/27/2019

2 Comments

 
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​




 Prologue:
​
My sisters and I pile into the family station wagon for the long ride to Grandma’s house. Mom balances two Easter lilies and a coconut bunny cake on her lap as Dad takes the scenic route through the cemetery. We stop to pick Grandma up then drive over the Bloomfield Bridge to the Spring Flower Show at Phipps. Pap stays home to watch the
Easter ham and the jelly beans... 



About The Amazing Glass House...

 
A long time ago, Mr. Phipps built a glass house as a gift to the people of Pittsburgh. Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens was a place for them to get out of the smoky city and back to the beauty of nature. Three children take the reader on a journey through this amazing glass house as they explore the many rooms, filled with goldfish, cacti, and haiku poems. The stories are the recollections of the author and her sisters, perhaps with a few embellishments. The book also includes a short history about Pittsburgh and Henry Phipps Jr. The Haiku Scoop has a simple definition and examples of these little poems that are so much fun to read and write. 


What people are saying...

An incredible adventure begins as three children enter the world of Pittsburgh’s Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens! Enjoy the beautiful illustrations, the easy-to-read story snippets, and the little haiku poems keeping them company along the way!

                           Alan Summers, Co-founder, Call of the Page.



The Amazing Glass House, published October 2019.

Available Now @ www.amazon.com


Signed Copies Available Soon 

www.beautifuldefect.com/store


Check out my new chapbooks, Neon Snow: A Collection of Christmas Haiku 2019, and Road to Utopia, in the Beautiful Defect Store!




 
 
 


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Tarzan and the ogee arch...

7/23/2019

2 Comments

 
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Do you see it? The ogee arch? The S shaped curves in the background of the photo? Beautiful, isn't it! Ogee arches can be found throughout the conservatory. The grand ogee arch topping the Palm Court was destroyed by  a windstorm in 1937. It wasn't until 2018, in celebration of Phipps 125th anniversary, that the Palm Court's glass roof was restored to its former glory, and the original ogee arch  recreated!
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You can see the arch at the very top of the glass ceiling in the Palm Court. If you look closely you can see a line of Fleur-de-lis topping the arch. Underneath, through the glass panes, the tropical forest is visible. Oh, how  I loved exploring the great jungle at Phipps. I was sure that Tarzan, Jane, and Cheeta were hiding somewhere in the treetops. I half- expected Tarzan to swing down on a vine and swoop me up at any minute...
Stay tuned for more stories about Phipps and the latest on my upcoming book, Mr. Phipps And His Amazing Glass House.

You can sign up for new post notifications delivered directly to you inbox, just click on newsletter at the top of the page!

Always remember that Jesus loves you! He said so!

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.
John 3:16


Susan

​;)
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off kilter

7/15/2019

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professor plum
in the conservatory
with a candlestick


​
One of the things I love most about Phipps is the architecture. There are so many different shapes and styles to see, from the ogee arch at the pinnacle of Phipps Palm Court, (google it), to this simple brick and wood arch. I must have walked through it a hundred times and never noticed it.

I love the lines and reflections in the glass windows, and the ferns peeping through on the bottom left. The photo has an art deco feel.

​Or perhaps a scene from a film noir, starring Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck, The lady wore orchid...



Just a few months from now, I will be releasing my first in a series of Haiku Storybooks!

Mr. Phipps And His Amazing Glass House, will make his appearance in the fall of 2019. 

The story is written, the poems are composed, and the illustrations are being illustrated! 

It's just a matter of time!

Sign up now for my weekly blog notifications! 

Don't miss what's going on with Phipps!!!



Hopefully,

Susan
;)

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life...  John 3:16

​Is there any news better than that?



Sign up for blog post and Life Poems Journal notifications delivered directly to your inbox. Just click on Newsletter at the top of the page!
 
 
Susan Beth Furst is a Touchstone Award-nominated poet and author. She writes Japanese short-form poetry and especially enjoys writing haibun. Susan has published two haiku collections; souvenir shop: memories of the highland park zoo, buddha baby press, 2018, and road to utopia, Yavanika Press, 2019. Her haibun, 57, appears in Old Song: The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku, 2017. In the secret garden, was nominated for the Dwarf Stars Award and appears in, The 2019 Dwarf Stars Anthology. You can find her on Instagram @sueshaikus, @susanbethfurst, and www.beautifuldefect.com.  Susan lives in Woodbridge, Virginia, with her husband, Herb.

                                                                Beautiful Defect​
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moon lilies...

7/10/2019

4 Comments

 
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On a recent visit to Phipps I captured Van Gogh floating on water, or so it seems...

Dreamlike, isn't it?

And what about that yellow flower?

Phipps Conservatory is my favorite place in the world! Six generations of my family have visited the spring and fall flower shows. And I have the pictures to prove it! I am still seeing spots in front of my eyes...

I will be posting my photos of Phipps, old and new, over the next few months. I want you to get to know the place, because...

Just a few months from now, I will be releasing my first in a series of Haiku Storybooks!

Mr. Phipps And His Amazing Glass House, will make his appearance in the fall of 2019. 

The story is written, the poems are composed, and the illustrations are being illustrated! 

It's just a matter of time!

Sign up now for my weekly blog notifications! 

Don't miss what's going on with Phipps!!!



Hopefully,

Susan
;)

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life...  John 3:16

​Is there any news better than that?



Sign up for blog post and Life Poems Journal notifications delivered directly to your inbox. Just click on Newsletter at the top of the page!
 
 
Susan Beth Furst is a Touchstone Award-nominated poet and author. She writes Japanese short-form poetry and especially enjoys writing haibun. Susan has published two haiku collections; souvenir shop: memories of the highland park zoo, buddha baby press, 2018, and road to utopia, Yavanika Press, 2019. Her haibun, 57, appears in Old Song: The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku, 2017. In the secret garden, was nominated for the Dwarf Stars Award and appears in, The 2019 Dwarf Stars Anthology. You can find her on Instagram @sueshaikus, @susanbethfurst, and www.beautifuldefect.com.  Susan lives in Woodbridge, Virginia, with her husband, Herb.

                                                                         Beautiful Defect​
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free indeed...

7/4/2019

0 Comments

 
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The Battle Hymn of the Republic

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; 
He has loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword:
His truth is marching on.

Glory, glory! Hallelujah! Glory, glory Hallelujah!
Glory, glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.

I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps;
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps:
His day is marching on. 

Chorus

I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel;
"As ye deal with My contemners, so with you My grace shall deal;
Let the Hero born of woman, crush the serpent with His heel.
Since God is marching on."

Chorus

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men  before His judgement seat;
O be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on.

Chorus

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on.

Glory, glory! Hallelujah! Glory, glory! Hallelujah!
Glory, glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.

Julian Ward Howe

November 19, 1861

Julia Ward Howe was a published poet, abolitionist, social reformer, and sometime preacher. She was encouraged to write new lyrics to the civil war song, "John Brown's Body."  In February 1862, Atlantic Monthly published her poem. The Battle Hymn of the Republic was played at a rally President Lincoln attended. When he heard it, he cried. 

It is one of my favorite songs. The beauty of the lyrics, and the message of hope, sacrifice, triumph, and redemption, makes me cry every time...

God Bless You And God Bless America!! 

Hopefully,

Susan
​;)

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  John 3:16



Sign up for blog post and Life Poems Journal notifications delivered directly to your inbox. Just click on Newsletter at the top of the page!

Submissions are open for the August Issue of Life Poems. Check the submission page for guidelines. Write a poem. Send it in. Dazzle us with your creativity!

Send in your poems!!

                                                                                           Beautiful Defect
​
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3:16

6/15/2019

2 Comments

 
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Prologue

I play it in the dark,
very softly,
like cats'
feet...
disappearing
in 
the
f
o
g

                          and the clock strikes thirteen​



​
my father says
I can be anything
horsehead nebula
                                                                       
                                               

​             


one red sock all it takes
               
​            

​

road to utopia


​Susan Beth Furst


Yavanika Press
Shloka Shankar: Editor 
Cover Art: Robin Anna Smith 

I am celebrating the release of my third chapbook, road to utopia, this week! I hope you have enjoyed the preview. You can download a free copy @

https://yavanikapress.wixsite.com/home/our-titles

keep looking up...

Susan
;)


Third chapbook, Sixteen poems, Do the math...

​"And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me, I have found my lost coin.'"   Luke 15:9 NIV

​​
"For god so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall  not perish but have eternal life"  John 3:16 

Sign up for blog post and Life Poems Journal notifications delivered directly to your inbox. Just click on Newsletter at the top of the page!

Submissions are open for the August Issue of Life Poems. Check the submission page for guidelines. Write a poem. Send it in. Dazzle us with your creativity!

Send in your poems!!

                                                               Beautiful defect
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2 Comments

heaven help us all...

5/29/2019

3 Comments

 
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All the king's horses and all the king's men
couldn't put Humpty together again...

When there are no good answers pray...
​
Only Jesus...
​
Did you know that God loved you so much that he sent his one and only son, Jesus, to die for your sins? And if you believe this, you will have forever life, in heaven, with him.  John 3:16 in my words...

Until next week,

Prayerfully,

Susan
​+



Sign up for blog post and Life Journal notifications delivered directly to your inbox. Just click on Newsletter at the top of the page. Leave a comment, like, and share widely. Thank you!

​
Submissions are open for the August Issue of Life. Check the submission page for guidelines. Write a poem. Send it in. Dazzle us with your creativity!


Beautiful Defect has a new look! Check out the "new pages." Read about my second Golden Haiku on the About Page. Visit The Life Journal and Submission Pages. And take a look at what's new on the Contact and Newsletter Pages. You might even want to sign up for notifications or submit a poem! ;)




                                                                                   Beautiful Defect
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    Susan Beth Furst is a poet, author, painter, and photographer. She loves to write haiku and she Loves to tell people about Jesus.

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