I am excited to announce the official publication of my first book!
“Inspirations, Transformations and Revelations: A Poetic Expression of My Personal Journey” is officially available for purchase in paperback and e-book on Amazon!
This book features a collection of fifty poems reflecting personal growth in my aspirations, relationships, and understanding of my life.
Thank you to everyone who has supported me on my journey to publication through following my blog, providing feedback and cheering me on! Also, thanks to all my friends and family members who are celebrating with me on this very exciting accomplishment!
Her first book Inspirations, Transformations and Revelations: A Poetic Expression of My Personal Journey is available in paperback and e-book on Amazon!
Today marks one week since Karl Traska was granted his wings in Heaven. On Monday April 28, my sister Amy and I stood before our friends and family to read the eulogy we both wrote to honor our uncle, Karl Traska. The eulogy we spoke differs in some places than the original writing, but we wanted to share this version.
Today, we gather to celebrate the life of Karl Traska, who is now at peace, reunited with his sisters and parents. Though we are all bonded by our love, admiration, and respect for Karl, we each have our own memories of him, and our own unique relationships with him. Karl considered family and friends important, which is evident by his life-long friendships, family relationships, and marriage to Louise. He valued sharing important occasions and holidays with his close friends and family, such as birthdays, Christmas dinner and fireworks displays. He saw the honor in keeping up annual traditions such as golf tournaments, and rarely missed an opportunity to celebrate, even if it meant driving all the way to Vermont for a quick weekend trip to dance at a wedding or anniversary.
Karl enjoyed spending time with those he loved, dancing, goofing off and singing along with the music playing in the background. He enjoyed playing golf with his best friend, going on cruises with his wife, and going to dinner dances with his sister and friends. He enjoyed played pool in his basement, and even enjoyed playing pool with his nieces and nephews if reassured no one would scratch the carpet with the pool sticks! Karl was an amazing drummer who could mesmerize all those lucky enough to watch him play as his hands danced effortlessly between the drums and cymbals. He enjoyed long rides through New England on the back of the motorcycle with his wife riding behind him, and his friends and sister riding alongside him.
When not out with friends and family, Karl took pride in renovating his home. He spent many hours building the stone wall in the yard, pouring concrete to build that back porch, remodeling the kitchen, and cleaning the pool so that the water was always ready for cool swim on a hot summer day. He was a handy man who loved tinkering around the house making home improvements.
Karl was a great man who demonstrated the values of love and commitment. He showed us what is like to have someone to depend on, who will show up for both the good times and bad. He was there to listen when we needed someone to talk to, a shoulder to cry on, or someone to make us laugh, smile and snap out of our heads. He showed us that sometimes the best way to deal with life is to hop on the back of the motorcycle with your closest friends and family, and ride through the scenic roads with colors of the season in the background and the sound of the rushing wind in your ears.
He regularly attended sporting events, concerts, dance recitals and graduations of his nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews. He had not only 6 nieces and nephews but continued to have 13 great nieces and nephews. He very much enjoyed showing the natural handy man that he was Like when he helped David build a tree house and porch, or when he assisted in building Kelly’s playscape. He was a true handyman like his father Joe, and prided himself in not only building motorcycles, doing house renovations, and building fires.
Uncle Karl showed us what unconditional love is through his continual actions to those who reciprocated. His commitment to friends and family were apparent as soon as anyone met him. He maintained a close relationship with his sister Dede which transcended the sibling bond to genuine friendship. He routinely set aside time to make plans with his friends and family for a night of dinner, cards, music, or dancing. He spent thirty-seven devoted years to his dance partner in life, Louise.
Uncle Karl and Aunt Louise had known each other since they were school aged, because he was best friends with her big brother Peter. But in 1975, she needed a date to a dance, so she asked Uncle Karl. I’m sure he was meticulously dressed like always, and likely won the heart of Aunt Louise then. Fast forward three years later during Peter and Angie’s wedding, she was introduced to his “Traska dance moves,” and that sealed the deal. When I asked Aunt Louise what it was about him, she fell in love with, she said “it was his eyes; he smiled so big from his eyes…That’s what I loved about him the most, his blue eyes would light up a room, like you were looking into his soul.”
Those eyes carried Aunt Louise through the next five years, when finally, Uncle Karl proposed. Typical in his fashion, he never rushed into anything and planned every detail out perfectly during a trip to Honolulu. She said yes, and within one year, they were engaged, bought a house, and got married. 1983 was a big year for them.
Throughout the years they remolded a house together, built memories, and enjoyed traveling together. One of their favorite past times was parking themselves at a bar, and people watching. His favorite question being, “What’s the drink of the day?” She even got him to go skydiving, travel to Europe, go on numerous cruises, and take on a total of four border terriers. Aunt Louise claims he would never take on these adventures if left alone, but once encouraged… “once you got him going,” as she said, “he was the life of any party or activity.”
One of his greatest joys was riding bikes. All his bikes from the time he was twelve years old, were candy apple red. Most favorable were rides to Vermont, which was not only his birthplace, but held lots of wonderful memories for him, especially family parties. Aunt Louise told me a funny story of how one time, him and my mother heckled the DJ at a family party non-stop with more danceable music choices, and when he finally left, they dragged the jukebox from another room into the hall so everyone could continue dancing into the early morning. The “Traska shuffle” was born. It was contagious and he could get anyone up on to the dance floor.
When Aunt Louise graciously asked Sarah or I to mention a few words about Uncle Karl, Sarah said, “I don’t know who would have more to say: he and I had the “serious talks about life conversations” type of relationship, but you and him had the “drink and have handstand contests” type of relationship. I laughed because that was a perfect way to describe him. He was serious, meticulous, and introverted, but then he could also be the life of the party, throwing his head back and laughing.
One of the best memories I have with Uncle Karl, is hanging out in the basement at night during a family party. He was always the cool uncle, the one with a pool table and drum set. The song, “Drops of Jupiter” from Train came on, and we just sang our hearts out…the lyrics saying:
“But tell me, did the wind sweep you off your feet? Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day And head back toward the Milky Way?”
I’ve since learned that the artist wrote this song about his mother after she passed, wondering everything she was up to in heaven, while we are still here on earth. Minutes before uncle Karl took his last breath, Aunt Louise told him it was time to let go, it was time to stop suffering and that Dede (our mother) was waiting for him. They had always been best friends, shared a relationship like none other, and she was waiting for him to grab her hand and to go to the light.
I continue to hear his voice in my head saying his favorite line “It is what it is.” He carried this mentality throughout his life, prior to his cancer diagnosis, and during it while his health declined. “It is what it is,” he would say. In Uncle Karl’s honor, I hope we all continue to make the best of what it is, no matter what it is. He will never be forgotten.
Her first book “Inspirations, Transformations and Revelations: A Poetic Expression of My Personal Journey” is available in paperback and e-book on Amazon!
The book is available to purchase in person at Burgundy Books in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, and That Book Store in her hometown of Wethersfield, Connecticut
If you are would like to order a signed and personalized copy of either book, please order from Etsy or e-mail me at sarahritterwriter@gmail.com
To listen to a few of Sarah Ritter’s poems featured in the “Inspirations, Transformations and Revelations: A Poetic Expression of My Personal Journey,” click on the Bard’s Poetry Revolution Podcast episode featured on 04/04/20.
To listen to the “Mondo” collaboration between poet John Dutton and Sarah Ritter, click on the Bard’s Poetry Revolution Podcast episode featured on 04/17/20.
To listen to Sarah Ritter’s poem “Books,” featured in “CHAOS, A Poetry Vortex,” click on the Bard’s Poetry Revolution Podcast episode featured on 08/28/20.
What is a mistake?
Mistakes are not accidents
You don’t trip and fall
As if you had no choice
Against the momentum
To say the words you spoke
Or perform the things you did
Most people speak of mistakes
Only as a form of regret
“It was a mistake to say what I did”
“It was a mistake to do what I did”
But where lies the mistake?
Is it only called a mistake
When results are not worth the intent
It’s not the mistake that holds us back
But the regret or shame
Of having done so
It is the grasping of the cataclysmic
Turn of events which can’t be undone
Which makes the stomach clench
The heart heavy and weary with emotions
The mind cloudy with conflicting thoughts
So, I will own all my mistakes
I will admit my wrong-doings
Seek acceptance and forgiveness
Set the trajectory of my life
Back on course
And continue to live my life
With purposeful intent
Her first book “Inspirations, Transformations and Revelations: A Poetic Expression of My Personal Journey” is available in paperback and e-book on Amazon!
The book is available to purchase in person at Burgundy Books in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, and That Book Store in her hometown of Wethersfield, Connecticut
Sarah Ritter is also a contributing poet to the “We Are Beat Anthology” and the “Goddess Anthology” by The National Beat Poetry Foundation, as well as the “Connecticut Bards Northwest Poetry Review,” “The Mondo” and “A Pathway To Dreams” published by Local Gems Press.
If you are would like to order a signed and personalized copy of either book, please order from Etsy or e-mail me at sarahritterwriter@gmail.com
To listen to a few of Sarah Ritter’s poems featured in the “Inspirations, Transformations and Revelations: A Poetic Expression of My Personal Journey,” click on the Bard’s Poetry Revolution Podcast episode featured on 04/04/20.
To listen to the Mondo collaboration between poet John Dutton and Sarah Ritter, click on the Bard’s Poetry Revolution Podcast episode featured on 04/17/20.
The grand willow tree before me A fountain of flickering green Lines the outskirts of an asphalt lot A lone, proud survivor Against the bipolar shifts in seasons The cruel fists of time And the hollow hearts of modern man A relic of the meadows and grass Which once thrived here Slender willow branches swaying With indecisiveness Green leaves fluttering like the Palpitations of my heart
Yet unlike myself The tree remains sturdy Secured by the solid trunk Anchored by the network of roots And yet, here I am My limbs bending and snapping From the whiplash of the turn of events As the sound of my heart cracking Reverberates in my ears My wobbly knees giving out Under the weight of the liters of water Threatening to gush from my eyes As I’m on the verge of weeping But I hover before this lonely tree In awe of its proven perseverance Which outlasted those lost souls Who previously flourished beside him
Yet it is I, though amongst a crowd of friends Who is falling apart from loneliness I ask myself, “how weak am I?” Compared to this living monument Who has survived so much, and yet Still offers oxygen, shade and beauty I have been granted so much in my life But what significance have I offered in return? Other than to merely exist And then dissolve into tears As I crumble from the slightest gust of wind
But as I stand before this grand willow tree Inspired by its story I vow to be as strong as this tree I draw strength from the roots of my home I reach my arms out to my friends, my family I wipe the tears from my eyes Straighten my body and stand proudly I remind myself that I am my mother’s daughter A role model to my younger sister A loyal friend who truly never stands alone I am part of a community of female warriors
So I tilt my face up to the bright blue sky Steady the beating of my heart And face my challenges with a smile With the strength of a Goddess And the inspiration of the weepless willow I forge ahead
This poem was read at the National Beat Poetry Foundation, Inc. Goddess Festival, hosted on Saturday March 6, 2021, celebrating women from all over the world during Women’s History Month.
Her first book “Inspirations, Transformations and Revelations: A Poetic Expression of My Personal Journey” is available in paperback and e-book on Amazon!
The book is available to purchase in person at Burgundy Books in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, and That Book Store in her hometown of Wethersfield, Connecticut
If you are would like to order a signed and personalized copy of either book, please order from Etsy or e-mail me at sarahritterwriter@gmail.com
To listen to a few of Sarah Ritter’s poems featured in the “Inspirations, Transformations and Revelations: A Poetic Expression of My Personal Journey,” click on the Bard’s Poetry Revolution Podcast episode featured on 04/04/20.
To listen to the “Mondo” collaboration between poet John Dutton and Sarah Ritter, click on the Bard’s Poetry Revolution Podcast episode featured on 04/17/20.
To listen to Sarah Ritter’s poem “Books,” featured in “CHAOS, A Poetry Vortex,” click on the Bard’s Poetry Revolution Podcast episode featured on 08/28/20.
The National Beat Poetry Foundation, Inc. will be holding its yearly GODDESS FESTIVAL, celebrating women from all over the world during Women’s History Month on Saturday March 6, 2021. Program starts at 1:00pm EST. The event will be held live on Zoom around the globe.
Her first book “Inspirations, Transformations and Revelations: A Poetic Expression of My Personal Journey” is available in paperback and e-book on Amazon!
The book is available to purchase in person at Burgundy Books in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, and That Book Store in her hometown of Wethersfield, Connecticut
Sarah Ritter is also a contributing poet to the “We Are Beat Anthology” and the “Goddess Anthology” by The National Beat Poetry Foundation, as well as the “Connecticut Bards Northwest Poetry Review,” “The Mondo” and “A Pathway To Dreams” published by Local Gems Press.
If you are would like to order a signed and personalized copy of either book, please order from Etsy or e-mail me at sarahritterwriter@gmail.com
To listen to a few of Sarah Ritter’s poems featured in the “Inspirations, Transformations and Revelations: A Poetic Expression of My Personal Journey,” click on the Bard’s Poetry Revolution Podcast episode featured on 04/04/20.
To listen to the Mondo collaboration between poet John Dutton and Sarah Ritter, click on the Bard’s Poetry Revolution Podcast episode featured on 04/17/20.
Her first book “Inspirations, Transformations and Revelations: A Poetic Expression of My Personal Journey” is available in paperback and e-book on Amazon!
The book is available to purchase in person at Burgundy Books in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, and That Book Store in her hometown of Wethersfield, Connecticut
Sarah Ritter is also a contributing poet to the “We Are Beat Anthology” and the “Goddess Anthology” by The National Beat Poetry Foundation, as well as the “Connecticut Bards Northwest Poetry Review,” “The Mondo” and “A Pathway To Dreams” published by Local Gems Press.
If you are would like to order a signed and personalized copy of either book, please order from Etsy or e-mail me at sarahritterwriter@gmail.com
To listen to a few of Sarah Ritter’s poems featured in the “Inspirations, Transformations and Revelations: A Poetic Expression of My Personal Journey,” click on the Bard’s Poetry Revolution Podcast episode featured on 04/04/20.
To listen to the Mondo collaboration between poet John Dutton and Sarah Ritter, click on the Bard’s Poetry Revolution Podcast episode featured on 04/17/20.
Her first book “Inspirations, Transformations and Revelations: A Poetic Expression of My Personal Journey” is available in paperback and e-book on Amazon!
The book is available to purchase in person at Burgundy Books in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, and That Book Store in her hometown of Wethersfield, Connecticut
Sarah Ritter is also a contributing poet to the “We Are Beat Anthology” and the “Goddess Anthology” by The National Beat Poetry Foundation, as well as the “Connecticut Bards Northwest Poetry Review,” “The Mondo” and “A Pathway To Dreams” published by Local Gems Press.
If you are would like to order a signed and personalized copy of either book, please order from Etsy or e-mail me at sarahritterwriter@gmail.com
To listen to a few of Sarah Ritter’s poems featured in the “Inspirations, Transformations and Revelations: A Poetic Expression of My Personal Journey,” click on the Bard’s Poetry Revolution Podcast episode featured on 04/04/20.
To listen to the Mondo collaboration between poet John Dutton and Sarah Ritter, click on the Bard’s Poetry Revolution Podcast episode featured on 04/17/20.
Her first book “Inspirations, Transformations and Revelations: A Poetic Expression of My Personal Journey” is available in paperback and e-book on Amazon!
The book is available to purchase in person at Burgundy Books in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, and That Book Store in her hometown of Wethersfield, Connecticut
If you are would like to order a signed and personalized copy of either book, please order from Etsy or e-mail me at sarahritterwriter@gmail.com
To listen to a few of Sarah Ritter’s poems featured in the “Inspirations, Transformations and Revelations: A Poetic Expression of My Personal Journey,” click on the Bard’s Poetry Revolution Podcast episode featured on 04/04/20.
To listen to the “Mondo” collaboration between poet John Dutton and Sarah Ritter, click on the Bard’s Poetry Revolution Podcast episode featured on 04/17/20.
To listen to Sarah Ritter’s poem “Books,” featured in “CHAOS, A Poetry Vortex,” click on the Bard’s Poetry Revolution Podcast episode featured on 08/28/20.
My heart has thrown a lasso around yours I feel the pull getting stronger As the tether between us grows tighter My world revolves around yours Spinning me around and around Till I am wrapped around your finger But I dont mind, so long as it means I am wrapped around you
Her first book “Inspirations, Transformations and Revelations: A Poetic Expression of My Personal Journey” is available in paperback and e-book on Amazon!
The book is available to purchase in person at Burgundy Books in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, and That Book Store in her hometown of Wethersfield, Connecticut
If you are would like to order a signed and personalized copy of either book, please order from Etsy or e-mail me at sarahritterwriter@gmail.com
To listen to a few of Sarah Ritter’s poems featured in the “Inspirations, Transformations and Revelations: A Poetic Expression of My Personal Journey,” click on the Bard’s Poetry Revolution Podcast episode featured on 04/04/20.
To listen to the “Mondo” collaboration between poet John Dutton and Sarah Ritter, click on the Bard’s Poetry Revolution Podcast episode featured on 04/17/20.
To listen to Sarah Ritter’s poem “Books,” featured in “CHAOS, A Poetry Vortex,” click on the Bard’s Poetry Revolution Podcast episode featured on 08/28/20.
You built a stone wall between us Then let me climb past the collapsed rocks But replaced them to secure the wall You installed windows Then let me crawl through when opened But quickly shut the windows tight You installed wooden doors Then let me walk through as if welcome Only to change the locks after my visit
Her first book “Inspirations, Transformations and Revelations: A Poetic Expression of My Personal Journey” is available in paperback and e-book on Amazon!
The book is available to purchase in person at Burgundy Books in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, and That Book Store in her hometown of Wethersfield, Connecticut
If you are would like to order a signed and personalized copy of either book, please order from Etsy or e-mail me at sarahritterwriter@gmail.com
To listen to a few of Sarah Ritter’s poems featured in the “Inspirations, Transformations and Revelations: A Poetic Expression of My Personal Journey,” click on the Bard’s Poetry Revolution Podcast episode featured on 04/04/20.
To listen to the “Mondo” collaboration between poet John Dutton and Sarah Ritter, click on the Bard’s Poetry Revolution Podcast episode featured on 04/17/20.
To listen to Sarah Ritter’s poem “Books,” featured in “CHAOS, A Poetry Vortex,” click on the Bard’s Poetry Revolution Podcast episode featured on 08/28/20.
Her first book “Inspirations, Transformations and Revelations: A Poetic Expression of My Personal Journey” is available in paperback and e-book on Amazon!
The book is available to purchase in person at Burgundy Books in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, and That Book Store in her hometown of Wethersfield, Connecticut
If you are would like to order a signed and personalized copy of either book, please order from Etsy or e-mail me at sarahritterwriter@gmail.com
To listen to a few of Sarah Ritter’s poems featured in the “Inspirations, Transformations and Revelations: A Poetic Expression of My Personal Journey,” click on the Bard’s Poetry Revolution Podcast episode featured on 04/04/20.
To listen to the “Mondo” collaboration between poet John Dutton and Sarah Ritter, click on the Bard’s Poetry Revolution Podcast episode featured on 04/17/20.
To listen to Sarah Ritter’s poem “Books,” featured in “CHAOS, A Poetry Vortex,” click on the Bard’s Poetry Revolution Podcast episode featured on 08/28/20.
