Melissa Ann Goodwin: May: Playing with Haiku

How brave the saplings

that forged a pathway through stone

just to glimpse the sea

Melissa Ann Goodwin

I am an author, award-winning poet, photographer, yoga teacher, and caregiver living on Cape Cod. My books include a wholesome contemporary romance novel: Candles in the Windows, A Christmas Romance; two middle-grade novels: The Christmas Village and Return to Canterbury; a poetry collection: The Brook in the Woods Behind Our Old House; and a self-illustrated picture book: Come Fly with Me. I have taught yoga for nearly 20 years and specialize in meditation, sensory awareness training, and restorative practices.

About My Poetry

It wasn't until the forced isolation of the pandemic that I began to explore writing poetry with dedicated effort. To my surprise and delight, several poems that emerged from that time went on to win honors and awards in international poetry competitions. A small collection of my work was a top five winner in the 2022 Oprelle Masters Poetry Competition, while individual poems earned awards and honors in the Bigger Than Me and Coming Home Competitions, The Prime 53 Poetry Competition, and the Vivian Shipley Award. In 2023, I published my first poetry chapbook, The Brook in the Woods Behind Our Old House, which is available on Amazon.

About My Photography

I am an amateur photographer who has experienced a lovely degree of success in juried shows and competitions over many years. A competition juror once said that I have a "lonely eye," which was meant as a compliment and which I took as one! My photography is spontaneous - meaning that I do not seek out or wait for lighting, cloud movement, sunrises, or sunsets - I simply respond to a scene or moment that speaks to me, compose quickly, and hope the resulting image will touch and uplift the heart.