January's Tan-Ku

"January is the month to let go of fear and embrace transformation." - AI

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When the Poetry Sisters (Tanita, Laura, Mary Lee,  Liz, Sara, Tricia, and  Kelly) announced their January challenge, write a tan-ku, a tanka followed by a haiku, I paused because I was unaware of this poetic format. It was time to pick up the snow shovel and dig deep. I started by staring at my photos sharing winter's dazzling scenes of quietude. Then, I turned on the world news with updated reports on the world's sadness. So I picked up my computer mouse and began to compose a tan-ku. It was time to embrace a new format. 

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This worked for me but I decided to concentrate on the mentor poem, Hubrus by Marko Kiakubo & Deborah P. Kolodji the Poetry Sister offered. My first poem did not look as terse as Kiakubo's and Kolodji's poem, so once again with a shovel in hand, I paused to create another poem. 

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Winter Frame

through

the clearest

window

of our traveling car

nature stands still

one frozen moment

clear sky blinks

world tears-up

©CVarsalona, 2025

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Dear Readers, I appreciate any comment you have on my first tan-ku.

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Special Invitation

I am hosting Poetry Friday next week at my Beyond LiteracyLink blog. Join me on February 7th as I honor Valentine's Day, a love-note to the rest of the year (Jo Lightfoot). Please join me by creating your own heartnote, valentine, poem, digital artwork, etc.  I look forward to seeing the variety of imaginative work that will brighten the Heartnotes Padle that you can find here.

Valentine's Day is the poet's holiday! - Ted Koosner, Poet

Let's gather to honor "love as the poetry of the senses"!

(Honore de Balzac)

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The Poetry Friday Roundup is brought to us this week from Florida. Our wonderful host, Jan Annino at bookseedstudio, offers interesting information and much poetic goodness.

Winter's Brushstrokes

AI states that ethereal strokes on canvas create a sense of tranquility. These brushstrokes can be used to depict landscapes. Since college, I have enjoyed photography, especially capturing the beauty of winter. Playing with different digital apps, like Graphite and Fotojet, is a current passion. I start by taking photos of a winter day. Then, I  use digital tools to create scenes that evoke different sensations. 

In a world of hectic movement and chaos, peace is a necessity. Today, I offer a slice of winter's naturework in different poetic formats.

daylight transforms

into darkened sunset shades

inked sky rests

©CVarsalona, 2025

After creating my digital artwork, I used it as a prompt for writing. I tried a variety of formats and finally settled on the cherita, a poem that conveys a story. I used a poem by Alan Wright, Australian poet, as a mentor text to weave my poem.  

in the silence of a chilled night

animals hibernate in winter's bliss

humans dream upon stars

winter transforms earth's landscape

into frozen etchings against the sky

sharing its stilled tranquility

©CVarsalona, 2025

Thank you Two Writing Teachers for providing a writing space for reflective writers from around the globe.

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Special Invitation to Slicers: 

Love is a canvas furnished by nature and embroidered by imagination. -Voltaire

I am hosting Poetry Friday on February 7th at my Beyond LiteracyLink blog.  I will create a heartnote, valentine, poem, digital artwork, etc. and a padlet, titled Heartnotes for all interested writers to add their work. Join me on February 7th as I honor Valentine's Day, a love-note to the rest of the year. (Jo Lightfoot)  I look forward to seeing the variety of imaginative thoughts and artwork.

Year of the Wood Snake

2025 is the Year of the Wood Snake. The last celebration occurred 60 years ago so there is excitement for this year's event. Years ago, my family traveled to Chinatown in New York City and watched the colorful parade followed by a delicious dinner. 

To celebrate this momentous Year of the Wood Snake, Jone Rush MacCulloch invited writers to join her annual New Year's Postcard Project. Below are the names of poets (Linda Baie, Patricia J. Franz, Michelle Kogan, Denise Krebs, Linda Mitchell, Mona Voelkel, and Tabatha Yeatts-Lonske) who sent me offerings on various topics: Year of the Snake, florals, light, and hummingbird poems that share creativity and artwork. Since my computer is acting up, I will need to delay the sharing of these wonderful poems for another date.

*My Poetry Postcards will hopefully be sent out this weekend. I thank all of the poets who sent me their postcards. Each one is unique and interesting to read.

Below are two poems I created for the Year of the Snake.  

Happily, I added my one little word to the above poem
with advice that I need to remember. Below is another short example.

2025 Year of the Snake
r

I recall many Chinese New Year's parades in the streets of Chinatown, New York City. Colorful costumes dazzled onlookers. There was music, dancing, and a costumed animal, symbolizing the year of a specific animal. Streamers and firecrackers added to the excitement of the parade. Many people shared Chinese cuisine throughout the day. 

This year the wise wood snake encourages people from different parts of the world to gather together in joyful merriment. As a sage filled with wisdom, the wood snake reminds us to:

 Embrace new beginnings.

Paint a blank canvas.

Walk in stillness.

Join a parade.

Unfold the new and

Let go of the past.

Be mindful of 

Wood snake's wisdom:

Growth requires patience,

Adaptability, and inner strength.

A year of newness and

Transformation awaits!

draft © CVarsalona, January 2025

Thank you, Tabatha Yeatts, for hosting today's Poetry Friday Roundup.

Join Tabatha at her blog post to enjoy the poetic goodness of poets and see the online booklet she created with poems from a variety of writers.

I thank her for adding my poem to the Brave Poetry Project.

 Within yesteryear's corners

darkness held hidden patches of fear.

An image, a sound, and thoughts

bring flashing moments to life

haunting a withered soul.

Is there enough moral strength

to sweep away persistent fear?

Within corners of today,

life finds a light to extinguish

grief-stricken moments.

A mindful pause searches to

release hidden patches of fear.

Bravery finds its soul.

©CVarsalona, 2025

Winter Musings

🌲“Winter is a season of hope and magic, filled with the wonder of snowy adventures and cozy fireside stories.” – Unknown🌲

The grandgirls cozily find their space in the great room the light of day darkens. The window shades open as we wait for nature's sublime movie screen to share its story of the expected snowfall. A bird flies onto the neighbor's lawn expecting seeds from the feeder. It stands puzzled in the slush and disappears as...

snowrain

drips droopily

down to the patio

unsure of its permanency

watchful wonderfilled eyes

question nature's

reasons

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weather

interrupts life

or does it bring solace?

slow down, gather with family

laugh, play, and enjoy life

hot cocoa time

warms life

©CVarsalona, 2025

In the above poem, the voice questions nature's path but also sees the positive side of being at home with family on a snowy and icy day. Prose and a new format for a poem are combined to create an eintou. This is a traditional form of West African poetry. It is a 7-line poem with a syllabic/word count form consisting of 2 words/syllables in the first line, 4 in the second, 6 in the third, 8 in the fourth, 6 in the fifth, 4 in the sixth, and 2 in the seventh. 

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Winter Serenity

Winter Advice

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fountains dance

 iced-winter patches standstill

be in the moment

©CVarsalona, 2025

Poetry is a wonderful way to capture inner thoughts that are hiding inside. Sometimes nature shares its darker side as seen with the California fires. Climate can change and alter patterns in harsh, unexpected ways. Northern Virginia schools had snowstorms and chilling temperatures that interfered with family schedules and children's education. 

Stay warm and believe in hope during dark days!

I join Two Writing Teachers, a writing space for reflective writers. 

Winter: Time for Home

 🌲 “Winter is the time for comfort, for good food, and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.” – Edith Sitwell🌲

In the cold of winter, warmth is a common thought. Blankets of snow warm the landscape while inside the fireplace warms the little girls. We watch the day pass by. The flank of windows brings us closer to nature and its daily changes. Green patches pop forward with snow as borders. One deer jumped from one small patch of woods into another across from our house. It was a spectacular sight. We waited silently for the rest of the deer family but they did not come. I've heard the coo of two birds as they soared across the community but birds don't nestle in the backyard during the chill. Perhaps, the tiny one that fell frozen on our front porch tried to fly south. The fox jumped back and forth from the woods near a neighbor's house. Some animals frolic in the winter chill, while others seek refuge. We watch the antics and the sorrow within the warmth of our house, knowing that winter is a time for home.

winter's scenic sights

delight snuggling children

from inside out

©cvarsalona, 2025

haibun draft

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Since our winter days have dipped below freezing, I thought of adding some color to the photo of the scene outside my front porch. The two older grandgirls are inside lounging by the warm fireplace with furry throws wrapped around them. Warm cocoa, peppermint, and a warm shower bring the comfort of winter right into the home.

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is hosted this week by

professor/poet Tricia Stohr-Hunt who is sharing an interesting poem about the typewriter. As part of the Poetry Sister's, Tricia invites all to this month's writing challenge. 

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I also have an invitation: Loveuary Heartnotes

I am hosting Poetry Friday on February 7th at my Beyond LiteracyLink blog.

HeartNotes

I invite all to create a love note, valentine, poem, digital artwork, etc.

 I will create a padlet, titled HeartNotes for interested writers. Join me as I honor Valentine's Day, a love-note to the rest of the year. (Jo Lightfoot)

Winter Silence

🌲 “Winter is a season of recovery and preparation.” – Paul Theroux 🌲

Early morning stillness:

From a photograph

to digital art

In this frozen winter

I would like to decorate the silence

that stills the start of the day.

Perhaps, the sole bird's coo

will wake the chill or

bells will dance in the wind.

Nature knows the next step.

Meanwhile, the house is heated. 

The fireplace stirs with warmth

and the day begins.

©CVarsalona, 2025

(Credit and thanks to Linda Gregg for the italicized line below.)

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     Winter Love by Linda Gregg

I would like to decorate this silence,   

but my house grows only cleaner

and more plain. The glass chimes I hung   

over the register ring a little

when the heat goes on.

I waited too long to drink my tea.   

It was not hot. It was only warm.

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Special Invitation to Slicers: I am hosting Poetry Friday on February 7th at my Beyond LiteracyLink blog. Create a love note, valentine, poem, digital artwork, etc. I will create a padlet, titled Heartnotes for interested writers. Join me as I honor Valentine's Day, a love-note to the rest of the year. (Jo Lightfoot)

Thank you Two Writing Teachers for providing writing space for reflective writers from around the globe.