Serengeti on Texas Plains

I was really lonely last night. Sitting out here by the lake with just a dog and cat to keep me company.  And I guess that I am not really use to being alone so much of the time.  But I have been doing alot of house sitting here lately.  So most of the time it is just me, myself and I. 

I have really learned to listen better though.  To hear the birds and hummingbirds fly around.  Notice that there are deer slowly coming up from the lake from having a drink.   They are really really quiet.  Last night I was sitting on the upstairs balcony having a glass of wine as the sun slowly settled down on the water.  The wind was blowing up through the brush and I could her the birds with their night calls.  Very serene time.  A great time to reflect and take in just how wonderful life really is. 

So with the light coming from inside the house spilling out over my shoulder I started to read Listening to Africa by Diana Raab.  Now I love poetry and hearing her words in my head was great.  But I felt it needed to be out loud.  So soon I was reading Diana Raab's poems to the birds around me.  It was an amazing feeling to imagine what it would be like in the African plains seeing the amazing anamils all around.  Nothing so plain as it is here in Texas.  But maganified to a scope one would never forget. 

 Diana Raab shared her experience with her family as they did a tour of Africa.  The result was Listening to Africa.  She penned what she thought, felt and heard around her and how it all reflected where she was in her own life.  Diana Raab make poetry into speech where you hear the message being communicated clearly.  I loved that.  It was not all confusing as some do get.  I did not have to guess at her messages.  Instead I was able to just let Diana Raab's words take over. 

Listening to Africa's Summary

Poet Diana M. Raab traveled to the heart of Africa with her family to experience the beauty and fascination of another world. During her safari, she observes the distress, the delight, and the dignity of the humans and animals who live there and parallels them with her own quest for health.

Diana Raab's Bio:

Diana M. Raab is a memoirist, essayist and poet.   Diana has been writing from an early age. As a child of two working parents, she spent a lot of time crafting letters and keeping a daily journal. A journaling advocate and educator, Diana teaches creative journaling and memoir in workshops around the country. She frequently speaks and writes about the healing powers of writing.

She’s the award-winning author of eight books, and the author of over 500 articles and poems.  Raab is the author of two memoirs, Regina's Closet: Finding My Grandmother's Secret Journal, winner of the 2008 National Indie Excellence Award for Memoir and Healing With Words, the 2011 Mom's Choice Award Winner for Adult Nonfiction.  You can find her book on both Amazon and Antrim House.