Book That Poet – Cristina M.R. Norcross

BIO: Cristina M. R. Norcross is a freelance writer and poet living in Wisconsin with her husband and their two sons. Cristina has had numerous works published in literary magazines in the United States, England, Wales, Canada, and Algeria, and was included in the international anthology Contemporary Women’s Literature (2007). Cristina has appeared as a special guest on the program Writers in the Round on NH public radio, 106.1 FM. She is the author of Land & Sea: Poetry Inspired by Art (2007), The Red Drum (2008) and Unsung Love Songs (2010). Cristina is the co-editor of the collaborative project One Vision: A Fusion of Art and Poetry in Lake Country.

MEMBER OF:
Pewaukee Area Arts Council (PAAC)
Wisconsin Regional Writers Association (WRWA)
Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets (WFOP)
Council for Wisconsin Writers (CWW)
Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP)

PUBLICATIONS:
Unsung Love Songs, Lulu Publishing, 2010 - $14.00
The Red Drum, Firkin Fiction Publishing, 2008 - $12.13
Available through Lulu.com and Amazon.com
Land & Sea: Poetry Inspired by Art, (Hardcover) Firkin Fiction Publishing, 2007 - $34.95
Available through Amazon.com and BN.com

POEMS ONLINE:
lulu.com/content/3888882
edgelife.net/index.php
knockmag.wordpress.com/2007/01/24/hello-world/
arabesques-editions.com/journal/volume_03_issue_02/cristina-norcross.html
"The Muse and You Blog Talk Radio Show" 1/21/10; Host Mark David Gerson
blogtalkradio.com/markdavid/2010/01/21/the-muse-and-you-with-mark-david-gerson

POEMS

ISLAND COTTAGE

Inspired by the artwork of Irene Ruddock

My little island is this cottage.
A sanctuary’s view of serene blues
and plush, mossy greens.
There is respite from the world here
and yet—
it is here that the world rests.
Ever-expanding circles
of cross current waters stir
just beyond my shores,
and the sea beckons to be sailed.
My spirit flows with the tides.
I have traveled afar
from the comfort of this cottage.
A seafarer’s journey in the mind
brings back a multitude of gleaming treasures—
sunset hues warm enough to bathe in,
and cresting waves that glisten like so many diamonds.
The sky opened up this morning
and the tawny red roof of my dwelling
grew darker with the gliding sheets of rain.
Dancing on the windows was
the reflected light from my soul’s next voyage—
a beacon to guide me home.

—Cristina M.R. Norcross

from Land & Sea, (Firkin Fiction Publishing, 2007)

ONE STORY

"There are nearly thirteen million people in the world. None of those people is an extra. They’re all the leads of their own stories."

—Charlie Kaufman, from his film Synecdoche, New York

Playing the lead in a haystack,
existing side-by-side in our solitary lives,
solace comes when we join these needles together—
the thread of life.

Jumping into character,
taking leave of the present world—
who wears your clothes when you sleep?

I am just a forgotten pebble—
a spark of granite daring to glint.
You see me walking down the street—
out of focus arms and legs—
a disappearing narrative.

The screens keep getting wider—
a stage full of leading ladies and leading men.
They all spin in circles—
red curtains flying.

The cleaner, unheard,
leaves all untouched except the dust.
The man attached to his phone,
alone on the airport walkway,
has a family waiting.
The actress learns her lines on a threadbare couch,
sitting on hope.
We are all One Story.

—Cristina M. R. Norcross