Poetry & Photos by Jobie Avonley

Welcome to My Site — Enjoy your visit. Glad you stopped by! — Jobie Avonley

About Us

Jobie Avonley holding artwork with poem text

Serene waterfront landscape with dramatic clouds

My Unfolding Path and Background

First, I'd like to thank you for dropping by my website! I am mostly a poet, and am diving into sharing my poetry more widely. Hope you enjoy looking around and reading the poems. Feel free to respond by email: [email protected]

I enjoy walking through local parks, doing improv and reading at Open Mics. When the Muse isn't speaking, I serve at church and am always on the lookout for visits from butterflies and hummingbirds! My family roots are American-Ukranian and European — via a Panamanian mother who became a US citizen, making me at least 1.5 generation 'American'. I started the earth journey in Northern California and spent my young childhood on the US East Coast and in the Midwest, and then returned to Southern California, where I continue to reside. Wherever I go I always take my wonder of life, people, places, and nature with me!

PS If you want to read more of my poems, here’s a link to some of my archived poems: tenderandstrong.wordpress.com

Welcome to Jobie Avonley's Poetry of the Spirit

Haiku & Short Poems
Connection—Lips speaking words, by heart unuttered, become mute silenced by babe's cry.
Seeing Clearly—To-Do list worship disintegrates... the light of Spirit shows what's next.

Vintage typewriter with dried flowers on turquoise surface

Poetry

Email [email protected] to subscribe to my poetry & art email list. A poetry subscription offering is coming soon. Check back here for more info.

[email protected]

Art

My Etsy shop will have more to offer soon. Will post here when it does.

Visit Etsy Shop

Encouragement in Poetry

Beaming love — a sacred poem by Jobie Townshend-Zellner (aka Jobie Avonley)

Please visit link to read

New Poems

Womanhood Delivered

My mind’s mouth is sometimes covered by an invisible cupped hand.
My facial mouth is allowed to sip tea and say niceties anytime.
Let words of honesty gather and the cupped-hand specter looms.
I don’t believe in ghosts.

“My heart, why are you quivering?”
“I hear the vicious taunt, ‘Being honest and efficient means you’re not a real woman!’ ”
“Don’t worry, no ghost’ll have our words. They’re kept safe until their time of birthing comes.
Then, we will stand and deliver.
The words themselves will release the ghost’s smothering hands.
Not just from my mouth but from all who take my words to heart.”

Womanly talents have been developed but hardly spoken of — seldom used!
But the mere knowing of geography doesn’t help arrive at any promised land.
Useless, we wander in the desert finding only broken promises.
Then, our hearts see… heavenly guidance?
“Look, a line tossed from above!”
Our hearts hold tight.
Our talents are reeled in, put to use, in our promised land.

— Jobie Avonley

You may also like the related poem, Across the Rio Grande. You can read it here: https://tenderandstrong.wordpress.com/2022/05/07/across-the-rio-grande/

Destiny for the U.S.

Is democracy in decline in the USA?
Well, it’s up to us to say.
Even if we follow self-rule to its tomb
it’s not final.
There’s still a fix.
Self-government can rise again.
Stick with it to the end —
if needed, await its Phoenix.

— Jobie Avonley

A Poetic Tribute to Jim Moreno: When Light Unites

Our Poet-Teacher and Open Mic Host would tell us to invite our “friends of color” to community-wide readings.
I see “friends of color” as those who let their Authentic self be their light.
Because melanin, mere shadow, separates.
But light unites.
Face the light, let the shadow fade —
whether it be black, brown, yellow, red, white.
Because melanin, mere shadow, separates.
But light unites.
Face our brothers and sisters.
It’s the sparkle in our eyes that connects.
Because melanin, mere shadow, separates.
But light unites.

Jim Moreno would tell us student-poets “I love you all … and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Like Jim, we can have friends of many colors because the light of love unites.
To honor him
We’ll keep our unique light bright.
Nobody can separate us when light unites.

— Jobie Avonley

Hushed Footsteps

As if on a carpet of fresh snow
this first day of the new year
people walk in an aura of hush
taking first steps in the direction of their new year.

My footsteps fall beyond the sands of time.
An elder gentlemen precedes me on the sidewalk —
a brief case in hand held with importance.
He turns the corner, ascends the steps of Brueggers Bagels,
and over the shoulder announces, “This door is locked.”
I continue around the building.
From the corner of my eye I see he enters the side door.
Customers chat intently this rainy New Year’s Day of some open stores.
But New Year’s resolutions, like Christmas, can’t be found in a store.
Progressive steps are on a higher plane of thought
but with symbols where humanity walks —
like hushed footsteps, made with soul.

— Jobie Avonley

Jan. 10, 2026 New Year Poem

Hand-drawn illustration: How to HOPE balloon and book

Reader's Favorites

Here – a Piece of Paper

Here, your listening ear
landing pad for creation.
Here, the potter’s wheel
centers imagination.
Here, chisel meets stone –
transfigures a world apart.
Here, the open door.
Here, the ships depart.
Here, the seedbed and the watering can.

— Jobie Avonley

Joy for us!

I am in awe of mirrors.
They redirect light to touch us.
Oh Divine One
praise Your dispatch of reflectors of all kinds —
the faces, places
talents, that shine Your grace into darkened hearts
rekindling their flames.
I praise God for poetry —
like sunlight reflected off deep blue bay waters
it brightens our days
brings joie de vivre to you and me!

— Jobie Avonley

Carvings in Rock

It’s in the breaking of the seed that new growth begins.
Purity of water has power as strong as love.
When we break bread, do we recall the farm workers’ bending backs?
Using Apple devices, do we dwell on the close quarters of those toiling to make them?
Will we recall and empathize with the plight of workers slaving for our creature comforts
when we let ourselves be touched,
and no longer toss our heads and say “Cry me a river”?
Crying out, crying for, lost humanity —
if we all united in that,
the flood of our caring would break open calloused hearts.
As surely as ocean tides carve new forms on coastal rock cliffs
we would carve new forms of humane actions —
guided by our tenderness, newly broken open.

— Jobie Avonley

Courage in Poetry

Shadow-War Hero

Once shadows were exciting!
Dark cloud shadows, with scent of coming rain
The shrinking shadow of a descending carrying-my-friend plane
Fan blade shadows, rotating over my summer reading

But lately, gloomy shadows have come creeping
across my mental landscape,
screaming fearfully ominous lies in my face,
as I’m forging ahead with good projects in my embrace.

“Why are you doing this at all?
“Somebody else could do it much better than you!”
“Your efforts for good are so small
nothing worthwhile will ever come through!”

I should have slammed the door in their faces!
They now hover over me, a black umbrella in all places,
blocking the light, suffocating what’s right.
Under their shadow, will I ever grow?

Hello, warm friend! I feel bouncing off you, the light of what’s true!
Can I grow across to you?
No. To be upright, I, myself, have to head towards the light!
Thank you for your reflected light, it’s given me courage to fight.
I will destroy this tyrannical umbrella of lies by being wise.
When they’re not looking, I’ll give them the boot with what’s true:
“Why are you doing this at all?”
I’m doing this because of my divine call.
over which you have no power at all!
“Somebody else could do it much better than you!”
There’s no one who’s ‘better’ — what’s needed is my uniqueness;
but you can’t understand that — you represent mass hypnosis.
“Your efforts for good are so small — nothing worthwhile will ever come through!”
My efforts are more than your unlawful lies, which are zero.
My source is endless good, which ultimately rules as hero.

— Jobie Townshend-Zellner

Lettering Designs by Jobie Avonley

Lettering design: With Spirit and Soul All things are POSSIBLE