the little bits
a collection of unfinished poetry and words that turn into wisps
it’s been a while since my last post ~ a busy slowing down season. but here i am with an unexpected and luxurious slow morning. it’s been stormy today… the thunder and heavy rain and winds woke me up quite early (though i typically wake up quite early these days anyway), and i took heed of the weather’s notice to stay inside. i lingered in bed watching the sky shift from pre-dawn darkness to stormy morning grey until 7:30 (a real treat) before getting up to make some cranberry jam and roasted pecan maple butter to have on my sourdough (even more of a treat).
my eyes are sleepy but my belly is happy and now i am sitting watching the grey play on the green. the redwoods always looks extra lush and vibrant this time of year… coming alive with the wet earth underfoot.
i have been itching to write on here for a while, though my words kept coming in short bursts, quickly and suddenly like leaves in a gust of wind that i had to grasp real quick before they blew away to be gone forever. someone recently asked me if i had written anything lately to which i responded, “only little bits that i haven’t been able to spend time expanding on enough to share”. he replied, “why don’t you just share the little bits?”.
a brilliant concept and one i don’t often abide by. my virgo stellium (where there are three planets or more in a sign) prefers to have projects be ready ready before they are released. and even then, there is the tendency to keep finished projects under ground like buried treasures that keep piling up until it feels like my insides are about to burst at the seams.
and now that just doesn’t feel good. so let’s try something different.
instead of a longer prose post, here are some bite sized word treats paired with film photographs that i’ve been meaning to share. with light flavors on the tongue, the word pieces were written sporadically throughout the seasons of this past year. reading these words may be particularly delicious enjoyed on a morning you can steal away a quiet moment, or multiple moments not needing to read them all in one go. some of these writings i do intend to expand on as more words fill in. but for now, please enjoy this sampler of moments from this past year, a sort of year in review in the form of little poems.
february 19th, 2024
one of my favorite things is watching landscape change roads lined with redwood fading into pine the slow budding of earth mound progressing into mountain
march 24th, 2024
i allow blossom to consume the sadness that once held me so it is no longer taking root
may 22nd, 2024
i was an iris pre bloom spring is here now but summer will come soon what color will my hair show deep velvet purple, buttercup yellow, or a cream faded into lilac dream still embedded in the mystery of color which color
july 4th, 2024
as sweat trickles down my spine
july 18th, 2024
romance the land i romance the land even when the prick comes from blackberry thorn i walk slowly in my garden with warm coffee in hand kissing the dew on my rose before her flesh is kissed by sun
september 16th, 2024
i dreamt i was in my garden and i was looking up at a tree ~ all of my garden veggies and watermelons and cantaloups had climbed up the tree to grow. jeremy left and came back with all of my friends and ladders to harvest the fruit. i said to myself, "jeremy comes back with all of my hot friends to the rescue". i am filled with love and joy. i had thought my garden was unsuccessful but it just chose another way to grow.
october 11th, 2024
the tides of the seasons shift sea foam builds and dissipates the constant ebb and flow of circulated movement signifying change the only thing that will always remain
november 1, 2024
running my fingers through the weavings of life
december 5, 2024
i am not interested in conquering. in dominating. in owning. i do not want to be the top in solitude and silence, squashing all beneath my feet. i do not want pristine sanitation with its cold cleanliness. i do not want to hide my skin from the sun, closing the blinds away from life.
december 6th, 2024
you don't notice the things you don't notice
i hope you enjoyed these little treats of various tastes. was there any little treat bit in particular that stood out to your tongue the most? if you could give this past year a flavor, what would it be?
wherever you find yourself on this earth, i am wishing you moments of deep slow breaths, peace and lots of delicious treats.
what i’m reading: Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor. a fantasy about magic, a lost city, alchemy - a cozy read or audiobook listen for this time of year. Taylor creates such a colorful world with her words. i just started the second book in this series.
what i’m eating: Mexican hot chocolate cookies. i was trying to figure out which recipe to share for this post WHILE eating one of these cookies so here you go! they’re great to make if you want to bring a sweet treat to a gathering because they’re versatile (use whatever flour, swap egg/butter for applesauce, etc.)- i made them to bring to a clothes swap with some girlfriends and quite enjoyed the leftovers with a mug of eggnog.
mix 1/2 cup browned butter, 1/2 cup apple sauce, 1/2 cup coconut sugar/sugar of choice, 1 egg, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tbsp yogurt or sourdough discard (i used Indian style yogurt). add 2 1/4 cup ap flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp cayenne, a bit of nutmeg, 1 tsp salt. mix mix mix. then fold in some walnuts or pecans and choco chips.
bake at 350 for about 11 minutes and try not to eat them all before you bring them to your gathering <3
mutual aid share:
The Sanabel Team - a community led project providing aid to the families affected by the genocide happening right now in Gaza. find out more and how to support here
Donate to The Amah Mutsun Land Tribe if you’re living on or near the California central coast. find out more about the efforts they are making to restore the land and pay your land tax here
song share: i first heard this song in after school theater class in high school when a friend who i was madly in love with played it for me after i confessed my love. this song will always vibrate through my heart in a certain frequency and makes me feel some type of way.
when saturn returned
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thank you thank you from my deepest and most tender tendrils to everyone who has already ordered my book when saturn returned ~ my heart is so full. it has been such a surreal experience seeing this creation land softly into other people’s hands and homes. an actual dream come true!
send me an email or message if you would like to order my book when saturn returned [go here to see my previous post to find more details about the book]
what’s inside:
59 entries of poetry/prose
59 high-quality scans of film photographs
an astrological natal chart for each piece with the transiting sun, moon, and Saturn that correspond to when that particular piece was written
my heart <3
to order when saturn returned:
$20 plus shipping (no shipping cost if you are in the Santa Cruz area and would prefer local pick-up)
email or message me to order and/OR venmo $20 to my account @katie_shakira with your address if you need the book shipped, or put “local” for local pick-up.
as always, i welcome comments and musings of your own if you feel called to share.
with warm honeyed blessings,
katie shakira
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