I'd like to introduce our newest writer, Julia Welch. Three of Julia's works have been chosen in the 2023 Inspire Campaign. Julia's poems bring richness, literary realism and rawness to her writing style. She tells it like it is and I believe everyone will be able to relate in some form.
Run to the Grey by Julia Welch
Everyone says “run to the light”
But it hurts my eyes and makes me frown.
It makes my hands throw up
And makes me turn away.
Sunglasses are the new veil protecting us from the light.
Black sunglasses that turn the world grey.
Grey people and buildings are the new May.
Not the grey that leaves trails of an empty heavy feeling,
Not a grey that brings storm clouds near,
But a grey that softens the bright and night.
A grey leaving space unspoken timid and contemplation of quiet reflection sigh,
With cracks of light that makes invisible dust visible.
Not too bright, just right.
Why Did We Leave Home? By Julia Welch
My heart yearns to belong somewhere
It longs for something deep, something real, something true
I want to go, to go, NO
I want to stay stay stay!
Build a foundation
Explorer that mountain
Where is the in-between?
The tongue wants to move the tongue wants to rest,
Air it out until the wet edges of my lips become crisp.
Keep shut, in the comfortable silence of darkness.
Move move move, NO!
Rest rest rest!
Fathomless Divine by Julia Welch
God of Wonders, mute me.
God of Brilliance, blind me.
Fathomless Divine, save me.
Insensible Grace, ravish me.
The more I seek, the less I know,
I sink in endless sorrow.
Longing towards untainted good.
But what I speak, I do not find.
I walk toward light,
When I should stand still in darkness rite.
The more I ask, the less I see,
The cause is beyond conception.
Your Being, was never meant for simplification.
The Dwelling of You is timeless.
To worship You is boundless.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Julia, what are your hobbies? I love to read interesting biographies and material that makes me think about the world, I love discovering new music that makes me dance, and I like to settle down with tea and paint whatever I am thinking of at the moment. I also love sleep, sleep is my friend.
When did you become interested in writing? I am not a strong writer, but I have always loved writing stories. The earliest story I remember writing was about my three sisters going to Washington DC for a costume contest. I was 10 or 11 years old.
What inspired you to write these particular poems? I find that poetry form, especially repetition, helps me process deep feelings that I have that I don't often get to express in conversation. I can get overwhelmed by my feelings over daily interactions that I usually overthink and poetry helps me sort out those feelings into manageable sizes. I find that once I write poetry, I can reflect back and name feelings that I didn't understand I had in the moment.
Have you published any other works? No, this is my first publication. Most of these are in my head or on my notes app on my phone, now I have a little notebook that I carry around in case I get inspired.
Where is your favorite place to write? Anywhere I get inspiration. It can be on a bike ride or at the grocery store or by a fountain or surrounded by trees. The last time I wrote a poem, I sat out in my garden at night with a warm breeze and some pretty clouds illuminated by the moon. Is there anything you do to prepare to write? Nothing, it flows out of my head and onto my paper. Sometimes I get a streak of creative juices, other times I don't write for months at a time. Who or what is your biggest inspiration? How I relate to other human beings and how I relate to God. Being out in nature always helps to be creative with my words.
FROM THE PUBLISHER; I think everyone reading these will join with me in encouraging Julia to keep writing! Writing is such an outlet for our thoughts, but when it's God-led, it touches your life! Like a window to the soul. God calls these words out of you. He draws what’s inside of you to the outside: your poems. You are not just writing words, you are writing yourself. The words on the page are markers of your personal presence, including your thoughts, your imagination, and your unique personhood. Writing is always self-expression in one form or another. It’s a representation of life lived, experiences had, and perceptions woven into a tapestry for onlooking readers. Thank you, Julia!