Springtime Is

As spring evolves, nature brushstrokes earth with variations of dazzling colors. Earth applauds Mother Nature's artistic endeavors and invites all to enjoy the gifts of the season of rebirth. I continue my National Poetry Month project at Spring Seeds Grace April Padlet, sharing colorful artistic expressions of nature's beauty and with poets' and artists' voices. I move with ease from changeable April to May's vitality, "the month of expectation, the month of wishes, the month of hope." (Emily Bronte) 

It is Poetry Friday, a day meant to bring a community of poetry friends together to share their latest writing. I try to read as many of the blog posts as I can. To be candid, life is still messy. This week, Patricia J. Franz is hosting the Poetry Friday Roundup. A couple of weeks ago, she introduced the Golden Hinge poem, and since then, I have been reading hinge poems to learn more about them. Patricia also introduced me to Traci Brimhall's poetry. She is an Associate Professor and Director of Creative Writing at Kansas State University and the poet laureate of Kansas. While reading through her myriad of poems, I found Traci's writing to be deep, reflective, and intense. 

"The spring - dripped its steady syllables. Arise, Arise." from Traci Brimhall's poem, "End of Girlhood"

My second try at a hinge poem uses the lines above to draft a Golden Hinge poem. I placed the key line horizontally, then vertically, to begin the format.

The spring dripped its steady syllables. Arise, Arise. 

The azure sky shared its colors with

spring. She anointed earth with petals of peace,

dripped in floral scents. With

steady assurance, spring presented 

its treasures. Poets chose simple poetic

syllables to proclaim heavenly wishes:

Arise. Nature will soothe your sorrow. 

Arise. Unfold the beauty before you. 

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." -Psalm 19:1

Repeating the word "Arise in the Golden Hinge poem opens my heart mind, and body to a physical and emotional awakening. I thank all my poetry friends for standing by me.

My first Golden Hinge Poem was shared on Margaret Simon's blog post, This Photo Wants to Be a Poem. You can find it here.

When a Photo Wants to Be a Poem

Thank you, Margaret Simon for today's This Photo Wants to Be a Poem, and the quote from Asclepius, "Help me shed the skin of grief and put on the armor of hope."

I was inspired by the Healer title on the oracle card. I decided to dive into the what and why of a snake icon. I found the "symbol, the Rod of Ascelepius, has been associated with health care since the 5th Century BC." (National Center of Medicine) With thoughts of healing, I am ready to revive my mind, body, and spirit by nurturing myself physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Margaret, the following golden hinge poem slid from my thoughts and onto this page. I read and reread my words until I realized that my poem is a prayer from my heart to God.

Help me shed the skin of grief.

Me, finding my way,
sheds tears of sorrow.
The weight of loss is heavy. My
skin shivers in darkened moments
of unresolved sadness.

Grief flows, slides away, returns, so I pray,

and put on the armor of hope.

Put it near my heart, Lord.

On each day boost 

the faith within. Add your 

armor of strength, 

of perseverance, and enduring

hope to revive my being and my spirit.

draft, CVarsalona, 2026

Connections

The sky opened in a shade of gray yesterday morning. Sunlight was not evident, so I spent time meditating and hoping for peace. As I reached for my laptop, Margaret Simon's Wednesday blog, "Photo Wants to be a Poem," popped up on my screen. 

Margaret's photo from Louisiana showed a cardinal posing in a garden of silent stillness. In addition, Margaret shared her beautiful draft poem titled "Besotted". She also added a piece of Southern lore: cardinals visit humans who have lost a loved one. Other tales say that the cardinals carry messages from a heavenly place to earth, as a spiritual sign of connection with the deceased. Lore or not, I was touched that the red cardinal, a carrier of love, offered comfort, especially during this grieving time of life. --- This was Connection #1.  

cardinal's connection

you pose in stillness

waiting to connect

offering solace, comfort-

in nature's garden

love perfumes the air

draft CVarsalona, 2026, cherita poem

Photo by Margaret Simon 

Connection #2: I am sending my poem with a link to Margaret for "This Photo Wants to be a Poem".  

Nature nurtured me yesterday morning and

continues to do so today in the darkened rain.

Day 12, March 12, 2026

12th year with Two Writing Teachers

Thank you Two Writing Teachers for offering reflective writers a meeting place.

Poetry as a Gift

It is mid-January and I still feel the holiday spirit. It exists in my heart. As I "de-Christmas" my house, I muse on how putting away Christmas items is a labor of love. I appreciate each wonderful piece I've collected over the years. The beautiful poetry postcards and swap gifts that arrived from friends across the states not only are wrapped surprises offering delight and wonder but they are now part of my treasured poetry collection.

Today, I share the Holiday Poem Swap organized by Tabatha Yeats.

My swap partner is Gail Aldous.

Check out this gift, a bountiful mix of hibiscus herbal tea, colorful bookmarks, a journal with Gail's favorite quotes, fragrant oatmeal/honey soap, a card, and two poems both focusing on nature.

Seasons is a full collage, poster size focusing on each season and what it brings. Please see the poem that offers spring floating in, summer whispering, autumn painting, and winter waltzing.

Snowgirl Tanka allows me to visualize a peaceful winter day with snow. Isn't the bookmark adorable? I am grateful for Gail's creativity offering her poetic goodness.

A quote by Louie Schwartzberg that inspires me is, “Nature's beauty is a gift that cultivates appreciation and gratitude." The poems Gail wrote for me incorporate one of my loves, the seasons, a gift of nature. The collage poster Gail created shares the various seasons with their changing colors and landscapes. Below is another example of nature's beauty, a full moon.  

Are you transfixed by the moon's luminescence? I love to stare into the night sky and feel its peaceful gift. Yesterday, Margaret Simon showcased a beautiful image of the moon photographed by Jone Rush MacCulloch. She asked observers to write a small poem of presence for This Photo wants to be a Poem challenge.

Full Wolf Moon

layered in velvet

night frames a glowing wolf moon

winter winds howl

heavenly art brushes sky

luminescent beauty reigns

©CVarsalona, 2023

*******

Look what came in the mail? Thank you, Bridget Magee for creating, editing, and publishing such a fabulous poetry anthology. I look forward to ready fellow poets' entries. My two truths and a fib poems are entitled Kindergarten.

*******

At the close of a long day, I abide by Gail's thoughts inside the journal. One of her inspirational quotes is "I inhale peace and exhale worry." Tonight, I am appreciative of the gifts bestowed on me. Tomorrow, I will continue "de-Christmasing" my house. I now join fellow writers at Chicken Spaghetti where Susan Thomsen is the host of Poetry Friday this week.

November Autumn

This week, fall weather reminds me of November days when I was a child in upstate New York State. Winter usually visited around Thanksgiving and continued her journey up to Easter. The weather was always the center of conversation; now, Winter's nip in the air again interrupts Autumn. Instead of crispness in the air, the shock of blowing cold air leads me to wear triple layers of clothing in the early morning even though the sun shines brightly. Leaves are crinkly and create interesting sounds as they scatter underfoot. There are no birds soaring and chirping this week. Perhaps, they realize it is time to head south. The local meteorologist predicts a long week of cold weather and snow in some areas. Luckily, the heating system keeps it warm inside the house. The beauty of the season keeps floating back into my mind

"Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit and resign yourself to the influence of the earth."  - Henry David Thoreau

For me, Nature Nurtures the Soul!

Each Wednesday, Margaret Simon posts an invitation to write alongside her at This Photo Wants to be a Poem. Yesterday, she posted a photo of a cardinal that reminded me of a winter day several years ago. A cardinal perched on my picket fence and let me approach so I could take a photograph. Below is my response to Margaret's photo, Cardinal in the Cold.

Cardinal Ponders

May you enjoy the upcoming season of joy.

For now, stroll over to Jama Rattigan's blog,  Jama's Alphabet Soup, to enjoy the Poetry Friday Roundup and Jama's beautiful spread of Thanksgiving art, desserts, and a poem that is a parody of Thanksgiving. 

Summer's Gifts Wrapped in Poems

In the heat of each summer, we weave words to share our thoughts not on the pressures of life but on its beauty wrapped in reflection. A common bond of friendship brings our poetry community closer together through the art of creating small poems. Despite the pandemic, my poetry swap partner from the Philippines, Iphigene Daradar, shared a little poem and painting with me through virtual means. "I wish I could send this to you physically. Unfortunately, things haven't gone back to normal here."  For a successful swap, Iphigine and I decided to change the way we would communicate.

"The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new." -Socrates

Instead of only gifting our partners with a small poem via postal service, Iphigene emailed me and I sent her a Google slide share. We built a new communication chain through the internet. The pandemic caused us both to reflect deeply on life. Iphigene's thoughts were conveyed through both words and artwork. The poem she created was "one of those things I learned in the duration of the pandemic." In response, I shared a walk through the woods in my new community, along with digital art designed with Google SlideShare. Through digital mediums, we stitched our reflections with the golden threads of poetry. Friendship is a bond that cannot be broken by a global virus. 

Learning to Surrender

Iphigene Daradar

A dried up leaf clings to its branch

The wind blew,

It swayed.

Breaking branch 

It grasp not, but fell

In a slow dance

of gliding

Through air.

Gliding

Through

Air.

Staring into life,

Into each breaking

Learning to

Glide 

Through

Air and fall

In season.

July 2021

Learning to Surrender is a beautiful poem softly rendered in a watercolor-like background. I will think of Iphigene when the leaves gently dance through the sky and remember to glide through challenges, surrender, and rest in the moment.  

Thank you Tabatha Yeatts for gathering our summer poem swap group together again.

***********

Yesterday when I saw the following beach photo by Leigh Anne Eck on Margaret Simon's site, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, I recalled the wonder and majesty of a Long Island Summer evening at the beach. I paused for a moment, let go of my to-do list, and just stared into the photo waiting for words to frame my thoughts. 

sunset spreads like golden wings

across shores' rippling waters

nature shares its evening gift

love story unfolds

©CV, 2021

Photo by Leigh Anne Eck

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It's time to be dazzled by all the poetic goodness at the Poetry Friday Roundup. Our host this week is Molly Hogan. Join me to see what photographer-poet-teacher friend offers at Nix The Comfort Zone. It's all about luscious summertime in Maine.

Thank you Molly for sharing a summer night in Maine.

Conversation Cafe

What fun it is during National Poetry Month than sharing poetry with friends. Margaret Simon, poet teacher from Louisiana, hosts This Photo Wants to be a Poem on Wednesdays. For this week's prompt, she captured a photo of children sitting on top of an old oak tree in New Orleans City Park then, used the Waterlogue app to digitize the photo. For the challenge, I created a  personification poem from the old tree.

Conversation Cafe

I am a gatherer of talk.

Come sit at my table.

I listen with intent,

Hugging every word

With overreaching arms.

Waving goodby, 

I welcome your return.

©CV, 2021

So In Lies Quietude

When thinking about what to write tonight my minds keeps wandering back to the beauty of the much-needed word, quietude.  

unending heat swelters

stress rises

major life move nears

quiet time calls

With the air conditioner oscillating back and forth, I listen to its swish and the beautiful, relaxing music-Peaceful Piano, Cello & Guitar Music by Soothing Relaxation, and enjoy the peaceful moments to find my balance.

Within these quiet moments, I find a nature photo by Molly Hogan at Margaret Simon's This Photo Wants To Be A Poem. Magically, my mind wanders into the marshland photo searching for some space among the flowers.  I wonder if the nearby preserve has baby osprey by now. I visualize the sea breeze calling the geese to swoop down into the marsh water and refresh themselves while splashing.  

Molly Hogan, 2020

summer breezes in

pirouetting with grace

lulling life to rest

finding sweet tranquility

within the stillness of day

©CV, 2020

May you find solace in Molly's photo and join me at her blog, Nix the Comfort Zone, where she hosts the Poetry Friday Roundup this week.  She has a new poetic form that I am unfamiliar with, a montetra poem.  Molly makes the the process of creating her poem seem effortless with her word play.  She also shares a lovely poem by our Summer Poetry Swap coordinator, Tabatha Yeats.  I slipped into Tabatha's poem with her line, "buttersoft lit morning."

Poetry Friday Friends:

With summer on beautiful Long Island estranged in many ways due to COVID-19, I am gathering my collection of image poems sent in for my Embraceable Summer Gallery.  If so inclined, please share a new image poem on the topic, Summer 2020 in the Midst of Quarantine Life,, at your blog for the September 4, 2020 Poetry Friday that I am hosting.  It will be a way to showcase the beauty of nature during trying times.   

Balancing My Days

The heat is oppressive today but a quick lunch outdoors on my patio brings a new sense of balance. Flowers are popping, spreading their own brand of sunshine while some long for a cool shower from the watering can or a quick rainstorm. I move from air-conditioned rooms to outdoor living, admiring the summer plants, and their vibrant colors.

Returning indoors, I find a new post and challenge, This Photo Wants to be a Poem, by Margaret Simon, in my email. It centers around a mesmerizing, long-ago photo from the Library of Congress' G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection, titled "The bride" and invites us to write a small poem of 16 words or so.

Still'
  eyes.
Those hands.
This woman knows work.
She is there
gazing into the future
hoping.
Margaret G. Simon, found poem







I chose to write a golden shovel poem, The Young Bride. Look at the ending words of each line to see the strike line, gazing into the future, emerge.

For a moment while gazing,
my eyes wander into
a sea of endless thoughts in the 
desert days of my future.
©CVarsalona, 2020

Turning my thoughts back to a hot day in July when I married, I found a beautiful poem, To Be With One Another, by George Eliot and penned another golden shovel poem. This time, it is for my husband to celebrate another anniversary in our lives.

To Be With One Another

by George Eliot

What greater thing is there for two human souls

than to feel that they are joined together to strengthen

each other in all labor, to minister to each other in all sorrow,

to share with each other in all gladness,

to be one with each other in the

silent unspoken memories?

Using the strike line, silent unspoken memories, I wrote the following.

Now I turn my attention to my far-away friend, Ruth Hersey, who is hosting the Poetry Friday Roundup from Haiti. I was excited to gift her with a digital journal, Finding Balance in Troubled Waters. May we all balance our days during our Quarantine Life. Stay safe. Love and Peace to all!