Archives

Shoshi’s Bread Shop & Dance Cafe

Nov17

Shabbat, November 17th, 2012/7am PST~San Diego, CA

This morning while writing a letter to a friend of mine, I had an inspiration and a new idea occurred to me as I wrote. Here’s an excerpt from my letter…

My newest plan is to make a short-term return into the domestic service profession, while at the same time returning to school.  In this economy it makes sense to have a cash-generating business; a product or service that most everyone needs and not just wants.  So far people still need help in their homes and as you know, I am very good at homey things.  I make love to a home and create sure magic!

So far I have one weekly house cleaning/cooking/nanny gig and am looking for 2 others.  I want to maintain at least three clients so that in the event that I lose one, I’ll still have an income and can find a replacement client.

Any income I receive from my Matrix Momma Studios internet business will be “extra income” to use for school.  I am launching MMStudios this fall and already have two clients.  MMStudios will give me the opportunity to meet and work with other creatives who need a presence on the net.

Additionally, I have a phone meeting next week with my brother, Chef Bruce B. Piatek II, to discuss my newly re-visited idea to become a pastry chef.  I have no idea what he will say and if he will think I can succeed at that line of work, or not?  If he does think that I can do it and will give me his blessing and later, perhaps, indorse me, then my plan is to get a pastry chef certificate from a community college.

I like very much the idea of feeding people.  Maybe someday I’ll have a pita shop like the one Shabtai and I ate at in Old Yafo, (Jaffa, near Tel Aviv) Israel in December 1996?!  Oh, the aroma of that place! The sheer beauty and alure of all those stacked-up piles of round loaves: old world flat breads, sumptuously spread out in an open-air corner market; patties of delightful varieties….seeded pita, cheesy pita, garlic pita, pita with an egg in the middle, large, Arabic pita with Za’atar seasoning, and the list goes on…

BREAD SHOP!

Breads baked on hot stones over an open fire!

PIZZA!

PITA!

Naan bread

Tortillas

Etc.

Hey, I could specialize in selling flat breads from around the world! Any and every nationality could find a home in Shoshi’s Bread Shop.  I could decorate with all the flags of the nations hanging as banners around the shop!  And at night, I can clear out the bakery floor, move the cafe tables to the periphery of the room, and voila, it’s a dance cafe!  And in the dance cafe we will dance international folk dances from around the world.  Everyone will hold hands in a circle.  On the walls around the Bread Shop Dance Cafe, will hang photos of nature scenes from around the world. :)   I love all people! :)   I’ve had the seed of every nationality in my hands! *wink*

COMMON GROUND: Bread and Dancing!

Now there’s an idea for world peace, eh?! :)

I crack myself up!

XO Shoshana

THIS IS THE BAKERY SHABTAI TOOK ME TO…

Review: The Legendary Abulafia Bakery in Jaffa, Israel (near Tel Aviv)

Sambusac Stuffed with Potato, Mushroom, Cheese and Hardboiled Egg

Here are your directions. (1) Board plane for Tel Aviv (2) Clear immigration and customs (3) Ask taxi driver to take you to Abulafia. You could tell him that it is in Jaffa, but he already knows.

SP’s dad, you mention anything related to the Middle East and his eyes glaze over with desire as he tells you about how you have to make it to Abulafia.

Do you get what I’m trying to say here? This 24-hour streetside bakery has been located at the same corner in Jaffa since 1879. They pretty well have the recipes tweaked out at this point. That turnover, calzone looking item you see above is called a sambusac, and this one was filled with silky smooth mashed potatoes, onions, mushrooms, and cheese. Big deal right? When you order it, they put it on the grill for a minute, then cut it open and add a sliced hardboiled egg. The warm, creamy potatoes, the rich egg and cheese, slightly chewy but tender dough, lots of black pepper. Dang! Suddenly I understand what all the other pastries I’ve ever eaten filled with cold, dry mashed potatoes were referring to.

Just up the street, Abulafia has another location that serves sit down meals and apparently has unbelievable hummus, according to Hillel. I didn’t have room for it today.

If you are doing any more web research about the bakery, be sure and check multiple spellings. Even on their own sign they have both Abuelafia and Abouelafia, and I’ve also seen Aboulafia.

While you are in Jaffa, you can stroll up to beautiful overlooks of Tel Aviv and the Mediterranean, and walk through one of the nicer, cleaner Old City areas I’ve seen, with some high quality, not so touristy art dealers.

Just to whet your appetite further, here’s a picture of Abulafia’s pita with zatar, if you don’t mind looking through the glass.

Pita Bread Covered in Zatar

BELOW IS A POEM I WROTE IN 2003 WHILE MISSING SHABTAI ONE DAY…

Prelude Muse to the poem coming to me:

I was eating lunch and drinking margarita’s at El Torito’s in San Diego; missing Shabtai and dreaming of immigrating to Israel.  Later that same year I wound up abandoning my Zionist dreams after meeting with the emissary from the Israeli Consulate in Los Angeles.  We met in the conference room at my former employer–the United Jewish Federation of San Diego County.  I will never forget that meeting.

He asked me what my skills were and what I would do for work in Israel.  I said that I wanted to plant trees.  He laughed and replied: “Only the Arabs plant trees and they make, if they’re lucky, $300.00 dollars a month.”  The emissary then proceeded to explain how hard it is to survive in Israel and that my best bet would be to find a rich, Israeli husband, or, to just go there and find my way by the seat of my pants!

Just before we ended the meeting and parted ways, I  shook his hand and thanked him. He was so impressed with my firm handshake that he shook my hand a second time!  He said to me: “Ah, you shake hands like a man, not like a woman with a flimsy hand; I like that.”   I chuckled and replied: “Yes, my Momma taught me to always give a firm handshake and look a person in the eye while shaking their hand.”  He grinned.

This poem was originally entitled: “Salsa Anyone”. It is much more inspiring to hear me dramatically recite it with my breathy, lustful voice but my headset-microphone combo took a dump over the summer and I’ve not gotten a new one.  Sorry to those of you who love my voice and voice blogs!

Tasting salsa-

dipping, chipping, sipping

my marguarita…

Ahh, I can’t wait-

to get there

home

H-O-M-E

Yeah, home.

To Israel!

“Israel?” you ask

face screwing up

like I’m crazy

or worse

Yes, say I

I-S-R-A-E-L

My home.

Ancestral

and future.

You must not know her

or her people

‘cuz if you did

you wouldn’t query.

How lusty they are!

Mm-mm good.

Lusty, lovely, lucious!

And dips?

Talk about dips!

Not one

Not two

Mm–So many!

Hummus

Zhoug

Tahina

Babaganoosh

Turkish Salad

Olives, Olives.

Spicey ones

tangy ones

pitted ones

chewy ones

red ones

green ones

with flecks of garlic

with herbs; oregano, corriander

and this is only the beginning….

You’re sitting across the table

from a drippy-eyed, gorgeously

sexy Israeli

Uzi at his side and in his pants

Feeling quite oozy yourself

munching olives

sucking pita

smothered with eggplant salad

intoxicated by garlic

but he doesn’t care

about the garlic, I mean

Oh no!

Just go ahead and

breathe

on him

and he’ll tell you

“I love garlic”

while he strokes your inner thigh

with his warm, olive colored

sun-tanned hand

HEAVY

that’s how the air feels

at your pita, garlic, olive table

in the salty air

of the Mediterranean

of Israel

Spell it out now…

I-S-R-A-E-L

Oh yes!

Now that’s poetry!…..

And suddenly your senses

begin to understand why

all the whole world has fought

over this tiny piece of property

for so damn long

It’s simply

in the air

in their air

Israeli air….

garlic air.

By the way

did you know

garlic is an aphrodisiac?

Salsa?

Forget about it!

In my next post I will finally be sharing the images from my 1996/97  Israel trip with Shabtai Levi. There are over 100 photos in the set and it will take some time to scan, sort and upload.  Have a GREAT weekend, my friends. :)

To My Generous Matrix Patron: Thank You Jason!

Sep28

 THANK YOU SWEETY!

This quick post today–Friday, September 29th, 2012 at 6:51am EST in Central Florida, USA–is a SHOUT OUT TO JASON!  He gave me permission to thank him here in cyber-space. :)

Jason chose these two books for me from my WISHLIST on Amazon. They arrived some time within the past week and I am just now getting time in my busy schedule to post about it.

This is the second gift Jason has sent me this year. I don’t know him in the real world and have no face to go with his name, but he knows me!  And he comments on my blog from time-to-time and always is uplifting.  He recognizes my generosity to my Matrix Fans and likewise blesses me in return.

I like Jason. :) And in exchange for his PATRONAGE, he received his choice of video clips. Please see my former post: Sensual Videos & Patronage Privileges in which I outline how you too can get my BEST LOVED OF ALL TIME Inspiring, SexXy video logs.  I have three and they are juicy! ;)

DISCLAIMER: My sexy videos are NOT PORNOGRAPHY! I have not and do not participate in video tapings of having sex with another person! I DISBELIEVE in PORNOGRAPHY but I DO BELIEVE in ART!

A great deal of the art I have done over the past 6 years has been quite SEXY, that’s true; I couldn’t help it!  For, after finding myself with a beautiful body and brains, during the time in 2006 when I went RAW ORGANIC in my diet, was dancing 12 hours a week in College Dance Classes and began working as a professional Erotic Body Worker, well folks, the truth is, a sensual MUSE overtook me!  It was a FORCE that slammed into my being and transformed me.  The more time I devoted to a pure lifestyle, the sexier I felt and behaved.  And so I came to believe that the Creator must certainly have a sexy side!

And it’s quite fitting, don’t you think, that a girl named SHOSHANA would wind-up being gifted with a personality corresponding to the virtues of her name?  “Shoshana“, after all, is only mentioned once in the Bible, found in the one-and-only sexy book in the Bible: The Shir Ha Shirim/The Song of Songs (often referred to by Christians as The Song of Solomon)

1 I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.

2 As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.

3 As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.

4 He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.

Song of Songs chapter 2 verses 1-4

From the Hebrew Bible, Verse 1: “Shoshana” is the fourth word from the right and is spelled Shin-Vav-Shin-Nun-Hey

שושנת

אני חבצלת השרון שושנת העמקים׃

Verses one and two are spoken by the male lover, verses three and four are the female lover’s response.  I find it fascinating that the male here is the one whose name is Shoshana and declares himself a Lily of the valleys and then says his love is also a lily. Yet she does not reply and call him a flower in return, as he calls himself, she says that he is like a TREE; a sheltering, laden-with-fruit, scrumptious, juicy tree!  A banquet of LOVE!

From these verses I derived the primary symbolism for my Coat of Arms. SHOSHANA ROSE represents ART LOVE & BEAUTY  and it is these three that are my foundation  and embody the ideals of my mission on earth.

Introduction to “Shir HaShirim” – The Song of Songs

Introduction to the Introduction to “Shir HaShirim”

“Shir HaShirim,” The Song of Songs, is one of the five “Megilot,” or Sacred Scrolls, that are part of the Hebrew Bible. It is a timeless allegory of the relationship between HaShem and the People of Israel, in terms of the love between a man and a woman. It is recited on “Pesach,” the Holiday that celebrates the liberation of the Jewish People from slavery in Egypt.

On “Shabbat Chol HaMoed,” the Shabbat that occurs during the Intermediate Days of the Holiday, or on the Seventh Day of that Holiday when Shabbat coincides with that day, the reading of the “Megilah” of “Shir HaShirim” is incorporated into the Services in most synagogues in the Jewish world.

It is most appropriate that this “Megilah” be read on the Holiday of Pesach, because this Holiday is the “Holiday of Spring,” the Holiday of the return of life, of creativity, to the world. Its theme is “love,” the rebirth of which is also symbolized by Spring.

As mentioned above, this “Megilah” is an “allegory” for the relationship between G-d and Israel in terms of the love of a man for a woman. The “mashal,” or the “metaphor,” focuses on the man and the woman; the “nimshal,” or referent, is the relationship between HaShem and the People of Israel. According to the RAMBAM, a twelfth century Torah giant of the Jewish People, the highest form of relationship between a human being and HaShem is the relationship based on love, “Ahavat HaShem,” even higher than the relationship built on fear or reverence, “Yirat HaShem.” The RAMBAM continues, “Just as when a man loves a particular woman, he cannot remove her from his thoughts, with just such intensity should a person love HaShem.

And since Judaism regards the relationship between a man and a woman as potentially holy, Rabbi Akiva argued (Mishnah Yadayim 3:5) for the inclusion of Shir HaShirim in the Sacred Canon when its inclusion was questioned because of the apparent earthiness of the “mashal.” He said that if all the other Books of the Bible are considered “Kedoshim,” Holy, then Shir HaShirim must be considered “Kodesh Kodoshim,” the Holiest of the Holy, because both its “mashal” and its “nimshal” are holy.

See full article here: http://www.ou.org/chagim/pesach/shir.htm

A Note from Shoshana Rose:

Check out my Wish List. Wish Lists are great for keeping track of things you’d like to have and for helping your family and friends buy gifts you really want. Thanks for taking a look.
Explore Shoshana’s Wish List: Shoshi’s Wishes

View Wish List
Items from Shoshana’s Wish List: Shoshi’s Wishes
> See Shoshana’s Wish List: Shoshi’s Wishes

grace the glitter fairy

Thanks Again, Jason! :)

History of Israeli Dance

Aug24

History of Israeli Dance

An About.com article by Lisa Katz

Since Biblical times, the Jewish people have expressed joy through dance. Throughout the centuries, dance has become a part of religious, communal, and family celebrations.

Israeli Dancers Yoni and Dani (live in France, 1970)

Modern Israeli dancing can be categorized in two genres. Folk  dancing was brought to Israel by the early settlers. Art Dance has developed as a cultural activity with stage productions, created by professional choreographers and performed by trained dancers.

 

Israeli Folk Dance

Immigrants to Israel, in the 1920′s, were exchanging Eastern European urban life for a life of collective farming in Palestine. They expressed their desire to return to the land through dance. Israeli folk dance, with barefoot dancers in loose clothing, leaping and running, reflects the life of a people returning to its own land.

While originally from Europe, Israeli folk dance has been influenced by the traditional dances of different ethnic groups in Israel. Many dances are choreographed to modern Israeli music, which is a blend of western and middle eastern culture.

Today Israeli folk dancing is done around the world – in Israel, Europe, South America, United States, Canada, Australia, and even Japan. Thousands of people participate in Israeli dance classes as a recreational outlet. In addition, folk dance troupes perform at festivals and events throughout the year.

Israeli Art Dance

Inbal Theater w/Sarah Levi Tanai (Yoni Carr on Right)

After the establishment of the State in 1948, a variety of professional dance
groups were founded, each with its own unique style. Today there are six major
dance companies in Israel.


Inbal Dance Theater, founded by Sara Levi-Tanai in 1949, is Israel’s oldest professional dance company. The dances of this ensemble often deal with biblical topics, and its repertoire is often based on authentic movement material suggested by traditions of oriental Jewish communities.


Batsheva Dance Company, founded in 1964 by Batsheva de Rothschild, is considered
Israel’s leading contemporary dance company. The style of this ensemble was originally influenced by Martha Graham, but today its dances are influenced by current choreographers and the company’s own artistic director, Ohad Naharin.


The Bat-Dor Dance Company, was founded in 1967 by Batsheva de Rothschild and Jeannette Ordman, its artistic director. There are about 20 dancers in this group, and they perform dances of some of the world’s best choreographers.


Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company, founded in 1967, consists of about 15 dancers from different kibbutzim and is based in the northern Galilee. Their artistic
director, Yehudit Arnon, has the group perform dances of both local and international
choreographers. The group also specializes in performances for young audiences.

The Israel Ballet, founded in 1968, is the country’s only professional classical ballet company. Many new immigrant dancers from the former Soviet Union have joined the Israeli Ballet. The group’s artistic directors are Berta Yampolsky and Hillel Markman.

Kol U’Demama (Sound and Silence), founded in 1978 by Moshe Efrati, has both deaf and hearing dancers. The company has acquired an international reputation both for its artistic merit and for its contribution to the rehabilitation of hearing impaired.

~ Lisa Katz

LINKS FOR PLACES TO ISRAELI DANCE

 

How To Bake Challah: A Photographic Tutorial by Shoshana

Aug8

Twenty-three years ago when my youngest son was a toddler, I starting baking Challah on Fridays for our home Shabbat (Sabbath) service and meal. Even though at that time I had not yet officially converted to Judaism, I possessed what my Rabbi called: “A Jewish Soul”.

Learning to create consistently fine loaves of bread took finding and experimenting with recipes, and lots of practice kneading the dough into the just-right consistency.  Baking yeast breads can be tricky, particularly if you’re not careful about the water temperature when dissolving the yeast.  Also, if you over-knead the dough, adding too much flour, your bread will not have that cake-like texture that a perfect loaf of Challah should have.  By the way, it’s the egg in each loaf that gives the bread is softness.

Ball of dough for two loaves after twenty minutes kneading

Here is a series of photos I took on Friday, July 27th, 2012 which show how to proceed in forming your loaves of Challah after it’s risen and doubled in bulk.  The recipe below should be doubled if you want two loaves; just be careful not to add too much flour!  The amount of flour in each loaf can vary between 4 to 5 cups and the trick is to leave the dough a slight-bit tacky to your touch at completion of kneading….I learned this hard way until a friend of mine who was an experienced bread baker told me the secret.

Smooth and not over-kneaded

RECIPE FOR ONE LOAF

(double for Sephardi traditional two-loaf requirement)

4 -5 cups- Organic, unbleached flour

1.25 cups- Spring water, (90° to 115°F, should feel warm and comfortable).

.25 cup- Olive oil or melted, organic butter

.25 cup- Organic sugar, molasses or raw honey

1 teaspoon- Celtic Sea Salt or Himalayan Salt

1 package- Rapid Rise or Regular Yeast

2 eggs- Organic, hormone-free, cage-free eggs (one egg for inside of loaf, one egg yoke to glaze bread with)

1 teaspoon- Sunflower or poppy seeds

CHALLAH MAKING TUTORIAL

  1. Pour yeast from packet into a large mixing bowl then add the warm water.  Stir with wooden spoon until dissolved. The mixture will look cloudy.
  2. In a separate bowl, mix together egg, oil, salt and sugar. Add to yeasty water and stir.
  3. Add the flour one cup at a time, stirring thoroughly after each cup.  The dough will get increasingly sticky at first but keep slowly adding the flour and eventually it will ball-up and pull away from the sides of the bowl.  At that point you want to gather up the mass and plop it onto a well-floured, wooden cutting board.
  4. Rub your hands in the flour and slowly sprinkle more and more flour onto the dough ball as you knead it deeply.  At first it should be quite wet and need handfuls of flour until it begins to feel smooth and does not stick to your hands.  But again, you don’t want to add too much flour at this point, so take your time.  The finished dough ball should feel slightly tacky and be shiny and smooth. This step in the Challah making process is laborious and it’s a good work out for the arms and shoulders.  Plus, if you’re like me, you can pray for your family and/or the people you are baking your Challah for, as you work the dough for 10 to 20 minutes. I like to listen to music while making my bread; thinking about God, Family and the New Jerusalem to come.
  5. When your dough is finished being kneaded to perfection, set it inside a clean, lightly-oiled bowl; cover with a kitchen towel and set in a warm place for 1-2 hours and until it’s doubled it’s size. Keep checking it, particularly if you use rapid-rise yeast. You don’t want to let the mass over-rise because that will ruin your bread!

Ready to cut into balls, roll into ropes and braid

6. At 10:05am I finished the first kneading and set the dough in a warm closet on a high shelf until it had risen and doubled in bulk.

At 11:42am I finished the quick re-knead of the risen dough, (see image on the left) punching it down and pushing the air bubbles out of it; careful not to add but a slight dusting of flour to the clean bread board.

7. Now the dough is ready to be divided into eight, equal balls, then formed into dough ropes for braiding.

Use a sharp knife to divide the ball in half, and each half in half, etc., until you have four, equally proportioned dough balls per loaf.

8. Now you will patiently roll out each ball into a rope of dough for braiding. My Challah are braided with four strands each.  Be patient with the dough at this point because it will be very elastic, if you’ve made it correctly.  It should spring back into form when you make an impression in it.  Each rope should be rolled-out 12 to 18 inches in length.

9. Begin your braid with the rope on the right, weaving over-under-over and as you braid your loaf, continue to pick up strands on the right, alternating your weave as you go. Over-under-over; Under-over-under…repeat until you reach the end.

10. When you reach the end of each loaf and the ropes are short, this is when you do your best to tightly weave the pointed ends, then pinch the tips together and tuck underneath the loaf; making the look aesthetically appealing. See photo above on far right and photos below.

Finished and Tucked First End

Flip the bread board around and repeat finishing on the final end.

11. Gingerly pick up and set your braided loaves side-by-side onto a lightly-oiled (or buttered) baking sheet. You may also use parchment paper without greasing it. Now it’s time to set the loaves to rise until they are doubled in size.  Like before, when you set the ball of dough to rise, this step will take at least another hour depending upon the yeast and the temperature of your home.

As you can see in this image, the loaf in the rear of the photo looks somewhat FUNKY! That’s because I was clumsy and the baking sheet slid off the counter as I set the loaf on it. Thankfully I caught the pan and dough in mid-fall or I would’ve lost the whole loaf!

12. After your loaves have risen the second time and doubled in size, preheat the oven to 350°F degrees.  While the oven pre-heats it is time to prepare the egg-glaze.  Mix one egg yoke with a teaspoon of cold spring water and lightly brush the mixture over both loaves. Sprinkle seeds on top of loaves, or leave naked if your kids/husband/family/friends/you prefer plain bread. :)   Personally I love seeds of all sorts and the ones I used on this baking day were organic, raw sunflower seeds.

13. When the oven is fully pre-heated, set the baking sheet on a rack in the center of the oven. Bake times vary depending upon altitude but usually the timing is 30 – 40 minutes. As you experiment with baking your Challah on Friday’s, in preparation for the Shabbat, over time you’ll learn your oven and exactly how long it will take to make the perfect loaves. The bread should have a nice drum-type sound when you pull it from the oven and tap on the side of the loaves. The color should be a deep, golden brown.

The Saved Loaf! May look funny but still tasted good :)

14. Set hot loaves onto baking racks to cool.  Note that they will continue to cook on the inside for a little while. Cooling time should be at least an hour before blessing and eating.

SHABBAT SHALOM!

We had a single loaf at my friend David’s home in Carlsbad that night. The other loaf I had baked for Robin’s children.

Ha-Motzi Blessing Over Bread

Hebrew Transliteration followed by the English translation:
Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melekh ha-olam
(Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the Universe)
hamotzi lechem min ha’aretz. (Amein).
(who brings forth bread from the earth. Amen)

To watch a video clip of me blessing the candles, wine and Challah, click –> HERE

And no, I did not drink even a tiny sip of the wine….I simply touched the goblet to my lips. :)   That day–July 27th, 2012–marked my 15 month anniversary of sobriety. WooHoo!

Shabbat in San Diego

Aug1

Hoi there people!  Real quickly…I just want to share a photo album and video from last Friday night’s Sabbath meal with friends. And I will try to carve out time to write a more meaningful post here real soon….telling you about my travels. :)

My Sunflower Hat

LINK—-> Dinner with Friends

VIDEO

 P.S. Happy Switzerland Day to my Swiss Friends!

A New Kind of Race

Jul15

My totally awesome, artist-clairvoyant friend, Kris Cahill, shared the above image on crackbook yesterday and I love it so much that I want to spread it around too.

This message is good and true and is one we should heed.  Enough is enough I say…it’s time to focus on proper actions.

If Napoleon Hill was right about our sub-conscience minds, that they magnetize and attract to us the things we think about, then it stands to reason that if we’re to achieve a new world of peace, love and joy, then our thoughts and actions need to be wholly aligned with peace, love and joy!  To continually feed upon the drama and chaos of daily world events we only serve to thwart our progress toward peace.

Quotes by Napoleon Hill …

“Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.” — Napoleon Hill

“Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything.”
– Napoleon Hill

“Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.” — Napoleon Hill

“The subconscious mind makes no distinction between constructive and destructive thought impulses. It works with the material we feed it, through our thought impulses. The sub-conscious mind will translate into reality a thought driven by fear, just as readily as it will translate into reality a thought driven by courage or faith.”
– Napoleon Hill

ANNOUNCING A NEW KIND OF RACE

Line up everyone

To the new track meet

A race with a finish line

Where you’ll never be beat

‘Cuz the purpose of running

Is not just to win

Some sort of ribbon

Then do it again

This race is different

It’s about running with heart

For people & planet

Each one doing their part

Come join me friends

All you with compassion

Let’s make a difference

Marrying words with some action

There’s so many hurting

Down in the dark city

Broken hearts that are crying

Let’s muster our pity!

Artists are gifted

From God above

So let’s use our talents

To spread joy & love

On American Road

Jun7

SOMEONE SAVE ME

I cry, I walk

I sleep, I sigh

I pray, I wait

I want, I try

 

To find myself

In a peaceful lot

To rest awhile

In a sunny spot

 

But life is hard

With my overload

I feel heavy

On American road

 

Where is home?

Who am I?

Someone save me

Hear my cry

 Gold Gulch Meadow

 ©Shoshi Free 2002-2013

Ode to the Beautiful Jews

May2

 

 

Those valiant ones

How I melt!

I’m a puddle

Big, wet puddle

Having melted

Down

By their fire

Beautiful Jews!

Can’t stand beneath them

Oh those brave men

They’re rising!

Oh yes! They’re coming

Sons of Israel

On fire horses

On rainbow trails of songs

Wearing their coats of many colors

Passing through double doors

 

Selah

© 2002-2012 Shoshana Rose Poetry
10th Anniversary of the Poems Coming to Me

Love Garden

Apr2

Love Garden

I have a love garden
Just for you
Where trees sway and dance
Heart rocks aren’t a few

Where tiny birds sing
Their greet-the-day songs
Where life lingers always
Here’s where you’ll belong

It’s a secret, fine place
Cast in shadows of white
Sweet, misty clean mornings
Peaceful sleeping at night

Lie down on the warm earth
Your sandals remove
Finally here in my garden
My love now I’ll prove

 

 

© 2002—2012 Shoshana Rose

Fantasy vs. Reality

Mar22

Thursday, March 22nd, 2012/6:07am EST~Central Florida, USA

I think I’m losing it, you guys.  Just before I woke up this morning, a scene passed before my mind in which Saphira the Dragon flew over Renaissance Florence, and in her confident, superior-than-thou-dragon-attitude shouted something about “sodomites in the city”, punctuating her mocking with a jet of flame and laughter.

Two days ago when I finished the fourth and last book in the Inheritance Cycle series, I cried.  I cried for a full hour!  I cried because I felt like I had just said good bye forever to a bunch of cool friends.  And I cried because they have all gone on to rebuild Alagaesia into a peaceful kingdom, after having killed the bad King and freed the enslaved dragon hearts and eggs.  Everyone is getting along now–the Elves, Dwarves, Humans, Urgals, Werecats, Witchs and Wizards–working together for the good of the newly liberated lands and races.  I’m jealous!

Saphira visited Renaissance Florence because at this point in the new novel I am reading, (The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant) the heroine, Allesandra, has just been married-off to a man who is gay.  Thus Saphira’s remark about sodomites.  I wish I could recall what it is she said!?  Perhaps Saphira and Allesandra are a lot alike in their attitudes and this is why my sub-conscience cooked up a scene, marrying the two stories?

When Thomas wakes up and I tell him my dream-flash I know what he’s going to say….he’ll tell me: “Oh God Mom..you have GOT to get out of the house more.  You have to make some real friends and not live in your crazy imagination all the time; it’s not healthy.”

And I will sigh in reply and go back to my book. ;)   I can’t wait to get to the part where Allesandra will get her sexy snake tattoo!  I wonder if she and the artist are going fuck?  Especially after he finishes the man’s head on the snake; the tongue licking the top of the slit of Allesandra’s labia magora.  Nasty!

No one had sex in the Inheritance cycle.  They are books written for young people by a young person and though it is alluded to, there are no sex scenes in any of the books.  Imagine that?…and I liked the stories anyway!  Must be the kid in me.

When I cried after finishing Inheritance, I realized that one of my major problems in making friends is that I don’t like modern people very much.  The characters and heroes in my books are much more suited to my way of thinking.  They are smart, well-educated, expressive, passionate, creative, noble, active, fit, fearless and alive with purpose.  Contrariwise, the humans I meet in person these days are mostly dull and zombie-like.  Droning around on their phones; repeating last night’s news snippet; commenting on the weather and the latest movies.  Makes me want to rip my hair out by the roots!  Makes me lay around fantasizing fairy fantasies of fucking and freedom.  Sigh.

Of course there’s something to said for my fantasies, eh?  And too, the poetry that pours from my pen.  Maybe Thomas has it all wrong?  Perhaps it’s a blessing that I love books and don’t like socializing?  Why is it so wrong to live in one’s imagination?  Am I too old for that way of thinking?  Am I a little girl in a woman’s body?  Or, am I gifted?

Maybe I should run away?  Run far away and live in a lonely cabin on a lake; write my books and grow my garden.  To hell with what’s normal, I want to be me!  And “me” is a writer; I am a reader.  I am not a social butterfly; I am a loner-artist-think-too-much-masturbator.  I am unusual, and yes, possibly a bit whacked.  So what!  So what, I say.  I LOVE BOOKS!!!

And, I LOVE this email that a guy in Poland wrote and sent to me last month….these are the type of people that I want for friends and neighbors–IMAGINATIVE-MUSING-Artists! :)

Dear Shoshana,After hearing that accessing to your so called “sexy contents” requires some work by all of the interested (and this is an attitude which I approve) I allowed myself to write you a poem. Hope you will like it :)


My name’s Simon (Szymon). I’m your devoted fan from Warsaw in Poland. I admire your beauty and all your work since 2007. I’m sorry for my possible lingual mistakes…
 
Here’s the poem:
 
TO SHOSHANA
 
You went into my heart quietly
Just like an arrow – so directly
I’m right under your spell
And, dear Lord, I’ve never felt so well
Now when I’m frozen, wet and shaken
Ready for the consequences to be taken
You kissed me softly then we drink some wine
And after leaving you send me a misterious smile
World is an enemy territory
There are no lovers, no brothers, no friends
But in your arms I find my glory
And I’m so joyful when we touch our hands
Some people warned me
She’s evil, better left her, she’s a witch
But I’ve ingored all of them
Perhaps my redemption comes not from Jersusalem
But from Salem?

LOVE YOU. GEETINGS from POLAND :)

And here is my reply….(though I have not heard back from Simon) :(   Are you out there watching me, honey?  If so, please reply to my reply. I am sorry if I offended you in assuming you are Jewish.  It’s because of your Hebrew name and the fact that you mention redemption from Jerusalem.  Although I will say that it’s suspicious to me that you are aware of Salem when you are in Poland and your first language is not English.  Are you really in Poland or are you an American posing as a Pole so that I will be attracted to you because you know that I find most Americans to be shallow?

If you are offended, please forgive me?  I just can’t help myself….I fell in love with Jewish people when I was only 11 years old, after my parents finished reading my siblings and I The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom.  Ever since, I’ve cried that I was not born Jewish.  Although I don’t cry any more because I believe that I too am a descendant of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. :)   See my Mythical Sambatyon post.


Shalom Simon~
 
Thank you so very much for your email and poem; I am very touched.  I wish you would’ve sent a photo with your email because I get weary with not knowing the person behind the words in the Matrix communications.  Sigh. 
 
Perhaps we can exchange snail mail?  I would love to receive a handwritten letter from my Great Grand Parent’s homeland–POLAND!  Did you know that my maiden name is “PIATEK”. (Piontek)  My father’s, father’s parents came over on a big ship at the turn of the last century.  They were from a town called Piatkowa.
 
Your poem has moved me deeply and has me wondering about your soul.  There have been others besides your friends who have thought I am a witch.  And I will admit that there have been times when I’ve been attracted to the ways of my other roots–my Celtic bloodlines via my father’s Scottish mother and my mother’s Irish blood–but I have never found paganism to feed the soul like Judaism, Torah and prayer directly to God himself.
 
I would like to know more about you!  Where do you live?  How old are you? What do you do for work?  Are your parents or grandparents survivors of the Shoah?  Two of my closest friends here in the states and in Canada, are second generation survivors.  You might say that I am rather obsessed with the holocaust and it’s history.
 
On another note, please tell me how I might make you feel better?  Are things chaotic in your part of the world, like here in the states and elsewhere?  What a dark age we live in, yes?
 
It would be fun to be your pen-pal and discuss more deeply the matter of redemption from Jerusalem.  I too ponder much on this subject.
 
Blessings, love & light~
MUAH!
xoxox
Shoshana
“The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.”

BUY THE SERIES USED ON AMAZON!

FANTASY COSTUMES