In this episode of Poetic Resurrection, Sonia Iris Lozada shares her poem “Outcast” from her book Inspire Me: Awakening Dreams. Inspired by the dandelion—so often dismissed as a weed yet full of nourishment and healing—Sonia reflects with emotion and compassion on what it means to be misunderstood, overlooked, and yet quietly resilient. While the poem was born from feeling, listeners may also hear echoes of psychology within it. Carl Jung’s shadow self reminds us that what we push away may hold hidden medicine, and the study of resilience speaks to the strength of rising again after being uprooted. Themes: - Misunderstanding and hidden value - Emotional resilience in the face of rejection - Jung’s shadow as a lens for integration - Nature as metaphor for the human spirit

In this episode, Sonia Iris Lozada shares her poem Doorway, a reflection on thresholds—those moments in life where we stand between what has been and what is yet to come. With her signature blend of poetry and conversation, Sonia invites listeners to consider the spaces we step into and the ones we leave behind.

The doorway serves as a metaphor for transition—whether grief, growth, or new beginnings. The stillness before stepping through is just as meaningful as the act of moving forward. Every doorway asks us to choose: to stay in the known, or to enter the unknown. Sonia connects the poem to her own experiences of grief, transformation, and creativity.

Doorways exist in many forms: relationships, careers, health, and inner growth. It’s okay to pause at a threshold—reflection is part of the journey. Crossing through is an act of courage, even when the next room is uncertain. Poetry can help us reframe transition not as loss, but as opportunity for expansion.

Reflection questions for listeners:

1. What doorway are you standing in front of right now in your life?

2. What feelings arise when you imagine stepping through it?

3. What do you want to leave behind on the threshold?

4. What do you hope to find on the other side?

If Sonia’s words resonated with you, share this episode with someone who may be at their own threshold. Subscribe to Poetic Resurrection for more reflections and poetry on navigating life’s transitions.

Music:"Parting of the Ways - Part 2" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode of *Poetic Resurrection*, Sonia Iris Lozada shares her poem *Insensible*, written during a time of overwhelming grief. The poem explores the raw emotions that often accompany loss: frustration, anger, exhaustion, and numbness. Rather than offering a neat resolution, Sonia reflects on how grief sometimes manifests as emotional overload and the inability to feel at all.

- Grief is not always tears—it can manifest as frustration, irritability, or numbness.

- Emotional overload often leads to temporary emotional shutdown, a natural coping mechanism.

- Healing does not follow a timetable and can include moments of silence, anger, and detachment.

- Allowing grief to unfold without forcing clarity is itself an act of healing.

- “Don’t ask me for anything / I’m exhausted by existence.”

- “I don’t have the patience to think / to write / to be.”

- “Just emotionlessness, yet full of emotion / Emotional overload / insensible.”

Sonia reflects on her own experiences with grief, sharing how periods of numbness and irritability were not signs of failure, but part of the grieving process itself. By embracing these feelings without judgment, healing gradually unfolded. The episode encourages listeners to accept their emotional states, even when they feel contradictory or uncomfortable.

Listeners are invited to reflect on their own relationship with grief and to give themselves permission to feel—or not feel—without expectation. The reminder is simple: grief is not something to control, but something to witness and live through. Healing comes with time, compassion, and patience.

Episode closes with an offering: a reminder that numbness, rage, and silence are all part of healing. Sonia leaves listeners with the gentle affirmation that if all you can do today is breathe—that is enough.

"Clean Soul" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Welcome to another episode of the Poetic Resurrection Podcast. This episode is in memory of my father, Francisco Lozada, who passed away on Father’s Day, June 15, 2025. During his memorial, I read a tribute to him and, in a rather unusual moment, I sought guidance from my higher self. The response came to me as a poem/letter.

This episode is dedicated to everyone who has lost a loved one. My dad was the last of his generation, and his absence will be deeply felt. Sending love to my dad and to everyone out there who is grieving. Blessings.

Final Tribute: “Today My Dad Took His Last Breath”

In loving memory of my father

Today, my dad took his last breath— a long gasp followed by the slow, steady beats of his heart.

Beats that continued even after he had said farewell to life.

Farewell to family. Farewell to his independence. Farewell to the walls of his home.

My sister was there— a witness to his final breath. I’m grateful he didn’t leave this world alone.

She held his hand as he whispered goodbye to this earthly plane— his hurt, his love, his joy, his pain.

I said goodbye and told him I loved him over video—

Afraid I might arrive too late to hold his hand while the rhythm of life still echoed in his pulse.

I arrived ten minutes after he passed.

Ten minutes— a breath, a blink, a lifetime.

Still, I am grateful.

Grateful for the time we shared. Grateful for the grace of presence. Grateful that he was my father.

And I, his daughter.

Song by Gotama - Forgiveness

Welcome to the Poetic Resurrection Podcast. I’m Sonia Iris Lozada—poet, voice, soul traveler. Today’s offering is a moment of stillness and remembrance. A breath into the vastness within us… and around us. What if your body wasn’t just matter… but a shimmering map of memory? What if your cells knew how to dance the cosmos?

Reading of “Cosmos” from Inspire Me: Awakening Dreams.

We are not just bodies. We are stardust stories. Every ache, every joy—encoded into light. This poem came through as a reminder: We don’t have to hold ourselves together so tightly. Sometimes, the breaking is how we remember. Sometimes, the scattering is how we reconnect. When you feel lost… maybe you are simply orbiting — in motion, becoming. And when you return to yourself, you bring the wisdom of the stars. You are the cosmos. Shimmering. Expanding. Returning.

Thank you for joining me in this moment. If this touched something in you, I invite you to sit with it… breathe with it… or share it with someone whose soul might need it. You can find more of my poetic transmissions, including my book Inspire Me: Awakening Dreams, on my website at poeticresurrection.com. Until next time… Walk gently. Speak soul. And remember—your light shimmers with blessings

#PoetryPodcast #CosmicJourney #SoulPoetry #SpiritualAwakening #CosmicLight #EdgewalkerTransmission

Music: Ether Vox by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/7014-ether-vox

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Thank you for joining me for another episode of Poetic Resurrection. I must be open with you—life has recently been a tumultuous journey. I understand that this is merely a temporary phase, but my aspirations producing this podcast season with video and on a weekly basis have slipped through my fingers like sand. I'm healing from an injury, which has added to the complexity of my days. My father is unwell, and I've had to make multiple trips to Chicago to be by his side. Although the podcast was something I truly wished to pursue, the clarity and motivation seemed to elude me, like mist in the early morning light.

However, a silver lining shines through as my book, Inspire Me: Awakening Dreams, has garnered the most glowing reviews I've ever received for my writing. This book, a labor of love years in the making, delves deeply into the themes of grief while also exploring the triumph over personal obstacles through wisdom and the act of surrender. Today, I will delve into my poem "Lost for Words," which reflects on navigating the complexities of our modern world and understanding our role within it. It speaks to overcoming life's myriad challenges and realizing that we alone hold the power to transform the perceptions of our thoughts and emotions.

In this upcoming season, I'll be sharing and discussing poems from my various collections, with a special emphasis on my latest book, Inspire Me: Awakening Dreams. This season is unique as I will be recording video content for YouTube, while the audio will be available on all podcast platforms. We will also feature a few guests who will either read or discuss the poems. I encourage you to join me this season as I explore different approaches to writing poetry. We'll dive into the inspirations behind each poem, the emotions felt before writing, and various aspects of self-awareness and acceptance, as poetry allows you to be authentic.

Today, I'll discuss my book, Inspire Me: Awakening Dreams, which explores the theme of grief, inspired by my personal experiences. Over two years, I lost my mother, sister, and a close friend. To lighten the book, I included quotes, uplifting poems, and meditations. I'm a survivor, and if you've read my previous works, especially "The Little Girl" from my first poetry collection, Inspire Me: Raw, you'll understand. I've faced trauma, but coping with grief is exceptionally tough. You must confront it and move through it because suppressing grief can cause additional pain and unforeseen sadness later. One of the best pieces of advice I received was to dedicate an hour a day or week to looking at pictures, watching videos, or listening to audio of the loved one who has passed. Allow yourself to cry and experience your emotions. This practice can help lessen unexpected emotional triggers, like hearing a song that reminds you of them.

The poem I'll be reading is titled "Strange Thing Grief."

Music by: Kevin MacLeod - A Turn for the Worse

Welcome, dear listeners, to the finale of Season 6. Our literary journey has taken us through the works of novelists and poets, exploring the depths of Literary Fiction. And for our closing episode, we have a special guest - Chuck Rosenthal, acclaimed author of Awake For Ever in a Sweet Unrest. As we delve into the premise of his latest book, we are transported into a world of love, longing, and artistic passion. Through this enthralling conversation with Chuck, we not only unravel the complexities of his main character Beatriz but also gain insight into the lives of 19th century romantic literary giants. Get ready for an educational and fascinating finale that will leave you yearning for more.

Tune in to our upcoming season, where I will recite my poetry from all of my published works. Season 7 is aptly named "Inspire Me," promising to ignite the soul and capture the imagination. Each episode will be a journey through words, painting pictures of raw emotion and thought-provoking ideas. So, sit back, relax, and let yourself be inspired by the power of language and the artistry of poetry.

Awake For Ever in a Sweet Unrest. Deep within the hidden library of Los Angeles' iconic poetry venue, Beyond Baroque, all modern electronics mysteriously fail. There, 19-year-old Beatriz encounters Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin Shelley, who promises a magical adventure back to 19th-century Europe.

There, Beatriz meets literary legends John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mary Shelley, and Lord Byron, experiencing the romantic landscapes and dangerous exploits of their world. As she navigates this liminal space, Beatriz discovers the power of poetry and art, and the courage to find her own identity.

Rosenthal, an acclaimed author, brings historical figures to life, offering a deeply intimate tale of passion, creativity, and self-discovery. Awake For Ever in a Sweet Unrest is perfect for anyone who has ever lost themselves in the magic of a hidden library.

Chuck Rosenthal was born in Erie, Pennsylvania. He attended Allegheny College, Bowling Green State University, SUNY Buffalo, and the University of California, Davis, where he earned several advanced degrees in English, Sociological Theory and philosophy. He earned a Ph.D. in English and American literature with emphasis in creative writing and narrative theory from the University of Utah.

Rosenthal is the author of fourteen novels: the Loop Trilogy: Loop’s Progress, Experiments with Life and Deaf, and Loop’s End; Elena of the Stars; Avatar Angel, the Last Novel of Jack Kerouac; My Mistress Humanity; The Heart of Mars; Coyote O’Donohughe’s History of Texas; Ten Thousand Heavens; The Legend of La Diosa; You Can Fly, a Sequel to the Peter Pan Tales; The Hammer the Sickle and the Heart, Trotsky and Kahlo in Mexico; and Let’s Face the Music and Dance a hybrid novel.

He has published a memoir, Never Let Me Go, and a travel book, Are We Not There Yet? Travels in Nepal, North India, and Bhutan (Magic Journalism), as well as a second book of Magic Journalism, West of Eden: A Life in 21st Century Los Angeles. Rosenthal published two books of experimental poetry, Tomorrow you’ll Be One of Us (sci-fi poems with Gil Wronsky and Gronk, illustrator) and The Shortest Farewells Are the Best (noir poems, also with Gail Wronsky). They also wrote and directed the sci-fi play, People of Earth, This Is Your Last Warning, performed at the Craft and Folk Art Museum in Los Angeles. Rosenthal has written a book of animal philosophy, How the Animals Around You Think, the Semiotics of Animal Cognition.

He’s published in numerous journals, and read and lectured at universities and on television and radio throughout the U.S. as well as in Mexico, Argentina, India and England.

Please check out his website:

https://chuckrosenthal.com/