Blogs I Follow: Melinda Lancaster, Author and Poet

I have this friend, Mel.  She's not fibbing with that "author and poet," either.  She's got a poem hanging in the John F. Kennedy museum in Hyannis, MA.  Her currently-published children's book, Tyler and the Spider, is available on Amazon.  Of course, I've already got three copies of it, one for each nephew (autographed to them), and one for me and Eric.  There are more children's books in the works, and I'll be buying those as well, since her first is great!

Tyler was inspired by her 16-year-old daughter, who's got Rett Syndrome, and therefore occasionally confuses other kids with her inability to behave the same as they do.  In it, Tyler awakes to find himself face-to-face with a spider, about which he's heard terrible things.  Meanwhile, the spider is terrified of Tyler, having heard similarly frightening news about little boys.  Of course, the two realize that their differences are OK and there's nothing to fear.

In addition to her children's books and the poem that is in the JFK museum, Mel takes commissions for personalized poems through her business, DKS Verse.  You can contact her about her poetry and keep up with her travels on her Facebook fan page.

I was able to have Mel write a poem for each of my nephews when they were born.  They're absolutely wonderful.  My sister prefers internet privacy, and Mel used the name of each boy as the first letter of each line of the poems, so I'll only post the one written for my nephew on Eric's side of the family, Zachary Artemus Jensen.

Zeal has no boundries-
     it flies throughout the land
And lightens the dark corners
     in every heart of Man.
Casting off no shadow,
     Hope shines in every soul
Heaven's angels' voices sing-
     welcoming him home.
And they are joined in chorus
     by Tara's Harp and kings
Reaching out from Ireland's shore.
     Now hear the church bells ring.
Yet let the din be quieted
     for here lies a sleeping boy,
And wrapped gently in his mother's arms,
     her heart is filled with joy,
Reaching out, his hand is joined
     by his father's, strong and sure.
Together they will face tomorrow
     with love, sweet and pure.
Each passing day will find a boy
     one step closer to a man,
Making his way, slowly,
     in the best way that he can.
Under God's watchful eye,
     his soul will find its way;
Still, time will seem to fly
     from tomorrow to yesterday.
Just beyond the setting sun,
     The horizon waits for you;
Each day upon your journey there,
     may blessings be many, troubles be few.
Never fear that you may stumble
     nor that you might even fall,
So many loving hands will catch you
     and see you through it all.
Earth holds great promise
     it lies not far ahead
Now, though, just rest easy
     for angels are singing o'er your bed.

See why I wanted these?  She's so incredibly talented!

Want to read some more of her poetry?  Know what she's up to?  Know when her next book is coming out?  Follow her blog.