poetry prompt + writing + inspiration = summer bliss
I must admit that summer has touched my soul in a positive way. Even the sweltering heat and torrential rains are prompts to write. Inspiration flows in quiet corners of my garden where the herbs and perennials share the bed. My gardens flourish in the heat this year and the constant series of rain replenishes their thirst. All equates to summer bliss. So just what is the prompt I am using to open my mind to positivity?
Yesterday as host of Spiritual Journey Thursday, I offered a theme to reflect upon: Nurturing Your Summer Soul. The eight SJT writers were from the Poetry Friday and Two Writing Teachers communities. The responses to my prompt were unique but the commonality was that they were rich with personal thoughts, word choice, and inspiration. Please take a look at the writings linked to my host blog. Click here. I appreciate the awesome photographs, inspired poetry, and narratives written by:
If you move over to the Poetryliscious padlet you will see the graphics, photos, and poems attributed to the work created by the above writers. Click here to access the Poetryliscious padlet.
There is a restorative aspect to summer, even in the teeming rain. Last summer, I lost many beautiful plants and herbs either to Virginia soil (Did you know that Virginia soil is full of clay?), heat, or the deer and the rabbits. This summer, with constant care no matter what the weather conditions were, the gardens reaped the rewards of full blossoms and beautiful green leaves. They nurtured my summer soul. The statement, "We might think we are nurturing our garden, but of course, it's our garden that is really nurturing us."
Our trip to the Virginia countryside provided my soul with more nurturing and poetry writing on the effects of the aftermath of a storm. You can read my gogyoshi poem, Nature's Shimmer Touches Life, here. Below is another gogyoshi poem about a beautiful butterfly plant found at a nursery in Orange, Virginia. 
A Touch of Summer
butterflies sweep the sky
slip into a bush for sips of nectar
in a singular sweeping moment
our souls connect with summer
nature nourishes our souls
Next Sunday, I am off to the ocean with our family. I cannot wait to "Smell the sea and feel the sky. Let your soul and spirit fly."- Van Morrison
🌅
For now, I will let my spirit fly over to the Poetry Friday Roundup at Molly Hogan's blog. Molly is sharing her response to the prompt from her Inklings writing group challenge. "Write a poem about any sport you have a connection to = one you participate(d) in or love to watch."
I love your sentiment about the garden. While I'm not a great gardener, I do believe that those things we nourish and tend do the same in return for us, whether they do it purposefully or not. The opening line of this gogyoshi is such a startling image--I love it! I'm glad this summer has felt rich and nourishing for you, Carol!
ReplyDeleteI love the way you find inspiration wherever you look, no matter the weather! YOU are an inspiration. As for your garden, I have found that I need to remind myself to take the long view -- what happens this year is not always what happens next year.
ReplyDeleteYour joy in your garden is delightful! Nature does indeed nourish our souls, and so do poems that celebrate it. Thanks for sharing yours (and for reminding me about gogyoshis).
ReplyDeleteYour summer bliss inspirations are infectious, Carol. Thanks for sharing the beauty of your garden and your spirit. :)
ReplyDeleteLovely poem and line, "in a singular sweeping moment" I'm enjoying all the alliterative "S" sounds and words. Glad the garden spirits have favored you this year, thanks Carol!
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