Synopsis

The mysteries found in the night sky. The joy of welcoming Spring after a long, cold winter. The simple pleasure of enjoying birds singing, swinging on a swing with a grandchild, or walking the woods amid the oranges and reds of autumn colors.

These are gentle poems, and this collection captures Jim’s love of nature and life in a short, six-line format. He writes about rain and draught, thunderstorms and lighting, morning sunrises and evening sunsets. He writes about sharing times with loved ones and missing those who are no longer with us. In short, these poems are a window into life with all its joys and beauty, the good and the bad, the ups and downs, and, most of all, the special love that can be found there.

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Excerpt

Ice Castles

The morning was filled with a misty cold

The sky was soft through a wintery haze

Ice crystals hung suspended in time

A wonder settling in on a late winter daze

All around one looked it was like magic out there

Like ice castles suspended in the frozen air.

Jim Bates recalls moments in time with poems that lead you through the door of his imagination into such memories as winter mornings, classrooms, icy ponds, and building model airplanes. From childhood loss, to adventure and joy, he explores emotions we have all experienced. Some life lessons are hard. Others are magical. Each poem stands on its own, yet when read all together, he blends each piece into one another seamlessly. As he reflects upon baking oatmeal cookies with his mother, our own memory banks open and we withdraw events from long ago. We, too, want to help stir the cookie dough. We, too, reflect on the fine line between life and death when a young boy falls into a lake, and conjure up our own ghosts. And we, too, can enjoy a simple day cast in a simpler time.

Peaceful Presence

The morning was so quiet you could hear the bees buzzing

You could almost hear the butterfly’s wings fluttering too

The sun was floating low in the east

Suspended like an orb of soft rosy hue

A walker out strolling slowed his pace to a crawl

Soaking in the peaceful presence and the magic of it all.

About the Author

Jim’s stories and poems have appeared in nearly five hundred online and print publications. His collection of short stories, Resilience, is published by Bridge House Publishing. Short Stuff, a collection of flash fiction and drabbles is published by Chapeltown Books. Periodic Stories, Periodic Stories Volume Two, Periodic Stories Volume Three – A Novel, and Periodic Stories Volume Four are published by Impspired. Dreamers, a collection of short stories, is published by Clarendon House Publishing. Something Better, a dystopian adventure novella, and the novel, The Alien of Orchard Lake, are published by Dark Myth Publications. In the fall of 2022, his collection entitled Holiday Stories was published by Impspired as was his collection of poetry, Haiku Seasons. In February 2023, Periodic Stories Volume IV was published, as was his collection of poems, The Alchemy of Then, both by Impspired. In June 2023, a collection of flash fiction, Dancing With Butterflies, was published by Impspired.In July 2023, his YA novella The Battle of Marvel Wood was published by Impspired. His short story “Aliens” was nominated by The Zodiac Press for the 2020 Pushcart Prize. His story “The Maple Leaf” was voted 2021 Story of the Year for Spillwords. He was voted December 2022 Author of the Month for Spillwords. He also reads his stories for Talking Stories Radio and for Jim’s Storytime on his website. He lives in a small town west of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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