Last week my family returned home from our beach vacation in Cape May. The house welcomed us. Laundry was piled across the laundry room and the luggage was ready to return to the shelves. The garden flowers were still beautiful and patiently waiting for their water routine to begin again. As returning vacationers, we knew we needed time to pause and recalibrate. Yet, there was unpacking and a couple of days of Grandparent-sitting as must-dos.
What August Knows
Dog days continue.
Humans move slowly in the heat.
Brown spots mingle between once-vivid green grass.
Weeping flowers yearn for cool spritzes of water.
Memories of a creamy-colored,
Sandy beach and turquoise waters remain.
Conversations revolve around downpours
That swept across the sky and slid
Down to earth in a splish-slash manner.
August knows to unplug,
Amidst must-do moments.
©CVarsalona, 2024
Haiku Heartnotes
from Cape May, New Jersey
pause each day
wrap yourself in self-care thoughts
sunsets offer peace
©CVarsalona, 2024
painted ladies pose
as artifacts of the past
summertime's showcase
©CVarsalona, 2024
evening whispers
of peace in the dimming light
seagulls congregate
©CVarsalona, 2024
©CVarsalona, 2024
Find peace at the Poetry Friday Roundup with our host Janice Scully at Salt City Verse. Janice discusses Nikki Grimes' 2023 picture book, A Walk In The Woods, Illustrated by Jerry Pickney and his son, Brian Pinkney.
I love your list of all the things August knows -- you summarized perfectly in those last two lines -- and your snapshot photos and haikus!
ReplyDeleteThere is so much to love in your words, Carol! I know you were working on it when you visited me. I guess we both loved the beach this summer, memories made, of grands & family & sunsets. August is on its downward journey! Enjoy all the days!
ReplyDeleteYour haikus about Cape May brought back many memories from one of my favorite places. I especially liked "evening whispers of peace in the dimming light..." And I agree that "August knows to unplug, Amidst must-do moments."
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rose for agreeing with me about August. At the beginning of the school year, August is the pivotal month to relax and then ready for the upcoming events of September.
DeleteCarol, what a lovely invitation to sink in and slow down during (to *fit* slowing down into) the dog days of August.
ReplyDeleteI love that August knows how to unplug. I always feel like August is the time to rev up for the new school year. My schedule has gone from 0 to 100mph in the last week.
ReplyDeleteMarcie, I remember the feeling of of excitement and nervousness the days before the beginning of school. 100mph means you are revved up and ready to go but don't forget to pause with a breath in and breath out pace. Thanks for joining me here.
DeleteDespite all that August knows, I am stopped by "brown spots" -- which dapple my forest floor amidst the crackling gold and pocked mule ear leaves that are leaving us this month. I delight in your shared reminders to PAUSE. I will bid adieu to some of them on tomorrow morning's walk. Thank you, Carol!
ReplyDeletePatricia, thanks for August's colors and plants. Not matter where one lives August offers different landscapes around the globe. Mugginess came back today and dark clouds but the rain did not. The family was going to a polo match until we heard the weather report. Mother Nature tricked everyone. There was no rain.
DeleteVery nice offerings here Carol on your Cape May reflections. As you recalibrate from your vacation, we are getting read to go in early September. (There'll be more to follow on that). Things are still green here this August, which is unusual. We are still getting an awful lot of rain - I think August knows - the world is changing.
ReplyDeleteI took several tries before I was able to leave a comment. My dogged persistence paid off. I like your poem "What August Knows." I've been pleasantly surprised by a bit of cooler weather the past little bit. I'm afraid August may wake up and scorch us again before she slips away. Your haiku with the accompanying pics were like a slow breath of goodness. Thanks for writing even as you arrived home from vacation.
ReplyDeleteRamona, two days ago the temperature was up to 91 degrees and muggy. I laughed that I entered a store without a sweater that I usually need. Last weekend I found a beautiful leaf waiting for me on the ground. Maybe September's weather will change this year. I am eager to see how nature will present herself. Have a wonderful week.
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