Author Archive for Avellina Balestri

The Empowering Depth and Dimension of Christmas
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The Empowering Depth and Dimension of Christmas

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There is more to Christmas than just Christ’s birth. It serves as the beginning of an epic, and Advent is the prologue whereby we prepare for the first spellbinding chapter. There’s a thread running through Christmas that ties into so many other Christological elements, including Christ as Divine Lover, in concert with the poetry of […]

Poem: "The Song That Never Sleeps"
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Poem: “The Song That Never Sleeps”

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The Song That Never Sleeps (For the birthday of Matthew Hill-Spur, who has inspired me with both the British rebel streak and steady sense of determination) *** We will remember The “failures” The “losers” The “rejects” Who dared to be more Then others allowed In the smallness of their minds Victory in failure Forever holds […]

Poem: "Our Lady of Britannia"
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Poem: “Our Lady of Britannia”

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Our Lady of Britannia Thou stood on Newgate Arch and graced Pendragon’s shield Cardigan bore thy taper and Walsingham thy seal Humbly we now beseech thee as at thy feet we kneel: Our Lady of Britannia, ora pro nobis! From Scotia’s misty moors, to Albion’s fertile plains, From Cambria’s mountain climes, to Erin’s emerald glens, […]

Poem: "The Price of Friendship"
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Poem: “The Price of Friendship”

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The Price of Friendship What price can be put On a friendship? None! Not the measured sum Of life itself. Friends are part Of one’s own self, A fragment Of the greater web That weaves The Universal Truth. A Friend Is one who makes up Part of you, The better part, And brings forth treasures […]

Winter of the Soul: Analyzing the Game of Thrones Phenomenon (Part 2)
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Winter of the Soul: Analyzing the Game of Thrones Phenomenon (Part 2)

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Part one of this discussion can be found here. More subtly, Game of Thrones can be used to validate Machiavellian politics and shadowy character traits. Instead of mixed characters simply being portrayed as sympathetic due to the human condition, their warped aspects are made to seem acceptable and even heroic. It becomes more important to […]

Poem: "Waiting Room"
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Poem: “Waiting Room”

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Waiting Room A young man With a sparkling earring And clothes that reek Of sickening smoke, The kind that dulls All the senses And makes me choke He’s tapping his foot, A jerking rhythm Of uneasiness The smoke is in his mind; I know it is His eyes are glazed They dart as if watching […]

Winter of the Soul: Analyzing the Game of Thrones Phenomenon (Part 1)
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Winter of the Soul: Analyzing the Game of Thrones Phenomenon (Part 1)

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Game of Thrones, the wildly popular HBO series based off of George R.R. Martin’s high fantasy book series A Song of Ice and Fire, is a presently unavoidable part of popular culture. Praised for its high production values, including acting, costuming, setting, and cinematography, and dubbed one of the “epic sagas of our times”, the […]

Poem: "A Bard’s Prayer"
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Poem: “A Bard’s Prayer”

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A Bard’s Prayer “As an author and artists who greatly appreciates the Celtic Bardic tradition, I felt inspired to write this prayer for those who seek to enlighten through their art.“ Let me catch the flame Golden, glittering, glaring So my fingers may glow as I hold the pen Let me taste the wine Sweet, […]

Poem: "I Am: The Divine Mystery of the Triduum"
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Poem: “I Am: The Divine Mystery of the Triduum”

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I Am: The Divine Mystery of the Triduum (Note: As a Catholic Christian, I have just recently celebrated the Triduum marking the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ. As a student of Celtic literature, I have always been drawn to the style of the ancient Druidic bards, on which this poem is based.) I Am […]

Poem: "Bodhran"
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Poem: “Bodhran”

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Note: This is taken from a time when I was going through a spell of severe spiritual dryness. However, playing my bodhran drum for a studio recording helped me remember the Divine Order that is all around me, as exemplified by the rhythm of the drum beats. Bodhran I feel the skin of the drum […]

Poem: "The Sacrifice of the Sun"
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Poem: “The Sacrifice of the Sun”

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(I was inspired to write this after reading an ancient legend about the sun dying every night so that the moon might draw breath. As it was Holy Week for Christians, this inspired me to try my hand on a comparative allusion about how Christ died so that humanity might draw new life) “The Sun […]