Shezza Ansloos

I am so excited to let you know that Thunder and the Noise Storms is a dream come true. My son Jeffrey and I have collaborated on this children’s story, and it is coming to you soon. It is available for digital download right now, and hard copy coming soon! We teamed up to write this story about a young boy who is bothered by all the noise around him. With the help of his grandfather, he learns to navigate the noisy world through wonder. He trains his ear to listen to the sounds of nature around him, breathing in deep the peace it brings.

I imagined once a pelican floating down a muddy river

Her graceful neck and white feathers brilliant in the morning sun

Peacefully gliding 

A picture of purity and silence against the turbulent water that moved her

I dreamt of green deciduous trees and evergreens lining the water’s edge

Dark and full

A canopy of refuge for the lone dragonfly 

Iridescent and translucent 

A moving contradiction

Darting and hovering in lush shade

In my mind’s eye I envisioned 7 crows

Assembled in loose formation

Picking their breakfast from the dewy grass

Their open mouths the color crimson

Their black eyes watching and wondering

Like dim solders in their regimental best

They marched

I carefully planned the flower 

Every detail

Her delicacy and frailty a sign of promise

Blooming in the summer heat

Her deep roots cool

Her minuscule petals fresh 

I named her beauty

The shy insignificant spider

I hoped for him

To create a masterpiece of geometric design

Perfect line and space

Art and function in tandem

Feeding soul and body

Reflecting light in the shadows

The furry creatures

Nervous and bursting with energy

Their twitching tails and chattering mouths in constant movement

I pictured their tenacity

Their drive and persistence

As they gathered food and stored it away for the inevitable season of naught

All this I anticipated 

Not just for myself but to share

I spoke and it came to be

So now to you who has noticed this magnificent creation

Tell me your dreams and I will show you endless possibility

The theme of up from the ground has been showing up in my song writing, poetry, and photography as of late. It is the idea that things look different from the unique vantage point of up from the ground. Even when you are flat out on your back you can still look up. There are so many beautiful images waiting to be see from this position. At first this position feels vulnerable and even a little dizzying. But I think it is a hopeful vista. So look up and see what is making itself known.