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Fireworks explode
Showering the night in beautiful
Twinkling wishes
Reflected in the eyes of children
Smiles full of joyous adventure
Happiness
Abounds

The cheering crowds
Stand tall
The screams of delight
Filling the air with life
I can feel the warmth
Of the celebration
Wash over me

And for a second
I forgot who I was
What I had become
And where I was heading

For a second
I was alive
With a lifetime of hope
Spreading ideas and dreams
Stretching my lips into a grin
For a second
Just one second
I was one of you

—Terry MeGhee

Terry McGhee was born and raised in Bakersfield, CA. He began pecking at an old typewriter in 1992 at the age of thirteen and quickly found that words had a way of releasing emotions that otherwise would never have seen the light of day. Currently working with Bakersfield’s own indie film company Hectic Films Productions, he now splits his time between movies, madness, prose, and poetry.

Today we drove out of Bakersfield
And into Pismo Beach.
I am ever thankful that
The coast is within reach.

I always wanted a beach house
Since I was very young.
My family vacationed in summertime
At the coast for fun in the sun.

From the Outer Banks of North Carolina
To the beach called Sagamore,
We’d spend two weeks of summer
Swimming and playing at the shore.

I have so many great memories
Of being near the sea.
The beach is my happy place
Where I love to be.

Truly I am a beach bum,
That’s where I belong
Walking barefoot in the sand,
Singing to myself a song,

Feeling the ocean breeze on my face,
Collecting stones and shells,
Watching for whales and dolphins,
Hearing stories the seagull tells,

Sitting under my umbrella
Reading a book, writing a poem,
Waiting for the beauty of sunset ~
The beach is my heart’s home.

—Shelley Evans

Shelley Evans started writing poetry when she was a young girl, and several of her poems have been published. She is working on her dream to publish a book of poetry. Shelley is also a legal secretary, wife, and mother of three daughters. She is an active member of WOK.

Healing is a deeper human connection.
Providing is a superficial interaction.
A Human, with an inner calling to heal others is a healer.
A Person, who does a job, fulfills obligations, is a provider.
A Healer heals, with a passion for perfection.
A Healer heals, to decrease human suffering.
At times, a Healer needs compassion and healing too.
I wonder who heals the healer?
A healer needs to be healed before she can heal others.
I suppose she heals herself

With the satisfaction and blessings her profession brings.

Is it the truth? Or a myth?

Physician burnout is REAL.
More so in today’s medical practice.

Physicians need the same empathy and compassion they share with their patients.
Please help prevent physician burnout
Understand doctors have human limitations
Acknowledge and respect what medical professionals bring to the Art of Healing.

—Sudha Reddy

Sudha Reddy is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology. She is a life-long seeker and learner whose parents taught her true happiness is in helping and sharing. Her life purpose is to decrease suffering in the world, in every possible way. Writing is one of her many activities for staying healthy. Sudha is a new member of WOK.

I pluck stretchy, stringy,
fruity, flavors from
beige tile,
school books,
Birkenstocks.

He relishes
chewing it.
Chomping globs
leaving pieces
peeking out from
white shag carpets,
under clothes,
his hair.

Creating chaos,
with no concern
for time I take
to pry,
peel,
unstick,
undo,
all his messes.

I yell, chase him
through the house
finding traces
on lace pillows,
in my hairbrush,
inside my laptop.

Oh why,
did I ever
share
my bubblegum
with Wilfred,
my Saint Bernard?

—Joan Raymond

Joan Raymond, a member of WOK since January 2012, completed her BA in English/Creative Writing in Fall 2014 and MA in English/Creative Writing in early 2017. She writes women’s fiction, creative non-fiction, and children’s picture books, and dabbles in poetry.

(A finger rhyme to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star; Actions in italics)

Wiggle, wiggle, little worms,
Wiggle fingers.

Down the sidewalk, slide and squirm.
Wiggle one finger in an S shape.

When the rain comes pouring down,
Hold hands up high.  Point fingers down and shake.

Earthworms crawl up from the ground.
Point fingers up.  Shake and move hands upwards.

Wiggle, wiggle, little worms,
Wiggle fingers.

Down the sidewalk, slide and squirm.
Wiggle one finger in an S shape.

Wiggle, Wiggle, Little Worm

—Rebecca Langston-George
Copyright Highlights for Children, Inc., Columbus, Ohio. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Rebecca Langston-George is the author of several poems and ten non-fiction books for children including the upcoming The Booth Brothers: Drama, Fame and the Death of President Lincoln. She is the Assistant Regional Advisor for the Central-Coastal SCBWI and a member of Writers of Kern.