Look Around-What Do You See?

Do you pause and look around when outside? I marvel at nature often even now when I am immobolized by the twist of my ankle. cracks of nature opening its sky every morning when I automatically lift pleated shades to invite the garden to connect with the inside. Some leaves are brown crackling with crunch, but Mother Nature is not yet ready to have this "season change with the scenery". 

If you could, how would you describe earth's landscape at this moment? Would it be the sunshiny essence of summer with waves swiiftly moving in foaming waters?  

Or perhaps you would prefer the crispy sound of brittle leaves as we stroll through the trail on a hazy day.

Some people sit and watch the boats spreading their sails on a windy day in springtime.

 Winter captures the beauty of snowfall and a blazing fireplace.

Mother Nature whimsically changes her scenery with flash surprises of different weather patterns. I am in awe of each season that brings more delight and hope for the future.

Have you noticed that I have used lines from Paul Simon's song, A Hazy Shade of Winter in 1966. The Bangles made the song popular in 1987 for a movie, Less Than Zero. Their lines below concentrate on hope. Many people see hope passing away but we need to believe and rebuild hope to find possibilities for the future.

Hang on to your hopes, my friend

That's an easy thing to say

But if your hopes should pass away

Simply pretend that you can build them again

Look around

Thank you, Michelle Kogan, for giving me the inspiration and artwork to write about time and pausing,

IN AUTUMN

Mother Nature nurtures earth.

Kaleidoscoptic coloring dresses

Landscapes in crimson and gold glory. 

Not to be thwarted by grief,

Autumn shares her brilliance.

Leaning on hope's possibilities

Daylight saving time passes by.

Draft, CVarsalona, 2025, Northern Virginia

🍁🍃🍂
Join me at the Poetry Friday Roundup where Carol Labuzzetta is the host. She is chilling out spending time painting, reading, and crocheting. Today, she shares her Northern Lights poem and a gorgeous, serene photo. You can find her here.

Flurry, Float, and Fly!

The first falling of gentle snow is magical and so is Laura Purdie Salas' new book, "Flurry, Float, and Fly - The Story of a Snowstorm". 

Growing up in Central New York, reminds me of the beautiful illustration on the cover of Laura's book. Lovely white snowflakes descending into billowy snow piles is an annual weather scene in Syracuse, NY that occurrs from November to Easter. As you can see from the scene to the left, Illustrator, Chiara Fedele, captures the joy of children frolicking in piles of snowy wonder, taking me back to my own early snow days. 

Author and poet Laura Purdie Salas did not live in a wintery, snowy climate when she was a child and wished for snow. Perhaps this is why she fell in love with winters in Minnesota and shares her joy in this book that opens with color changes in clouds and the wish for snow.

As you read on, the lyrical rhyming and the gorgeous winter scenes mix with meteorological wording give a magical tone to the storyline. "From the north, a polar freeze... from the south, a humid breeze. All winds advance. They mix and dance."  Can you feel the cold and imagine the winds dancing in the sky? This amazing children's book moves on to a beautiful two-page display of a variety of snowflakes with rhyme and the repetition of the title: "Stars and columns fill the sky with dreams to flurry, float, and fly."

It is no wonder that the Kirkus Reviews writes that "deft wordplay and lovely art blend for a tale of a most magical snowy day".

Mid-book a gorgeous scene and lyrical verse not only introduces words that share the serenity of snowflakes drifting downward but a sky of layered colors.

I found many tranquil scenes in the book. One in particular showcases a country house covered by fleeting snow at evening time. Ahh, how lovely!

The ending takes the reader back to the excitement of children enjoying  winter fun outdoors. Laura Purdie Salas offers much more beyond the story. On her website's book page, she shares many resources including, 4 short videos (from the publisher, 2 short writings about her process, 1 silly one to introduce a science weather concept), several downloadable activity sheets, photos of one history of snow, winter poems, and links for educators. Laura also offers a Giveaway to teachers that add student's snowflakes to her Snowflakes Padlet. You can find that here and so many more classroom activities, such us back matter on the science of snow. 

Add this book to your classroom and school library so children can engage in the magic of a snowstorm. A read aloud of the book in the reading corner following with a discussion on how the science of snow blends with poetry is an excellent starter. Be creative with the multiple activities that Laura Purdie Salas offers so they can reflect on nature and the season of winter. Create a Flurry, Float, and Fly! bulletin board to bring winter inside, although the season is not officially here. Meteorologists are already sharing news as the first snowfall moves across the states. So teachers, enjoy the first snowfall virtually or in real time with your students. Create a Flurry, Float, and Fly! bulletin board to bring winter inside, although the season is not officially here. Add in this lovely quote by Lewis Carroll. 

I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields that It kisses then so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, 'Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.' " 

I am adding an equation poem, the format comes from Laura Purdie Salas' Classroom Connections posts. This poem, Flurry, Float, and Fly! connects me with her book and follow-up classroom topic.

snow + imagination + creativity = classroom fun

Today is Flurry, Float, and Fly!'s Book Birthday - 

🎂 the Official Publication Date! 🎂

Thank you, Laura and  Ciara for creating this wonder-filled book. 

____________________________________________________________________

This Slice of Life is dedicated to the educators who provide noteworthy books to their students and family members who continue the art of reading in their homes.

at Two Writing Teachers

Doubt on the Spiriutal Journey

What is on my mind?

Katie Moum, Unsplash

photographer

How does doubt affect me when grief knocks on my door?

At the Poetry Friday Roundup on November 2nd, one of Tricia Stohr-Hunt's lines in her burning haibun prose struck me. "I am only moving, carrying the weight of my own doubt."  I immediately paused to reflect on this thought and evening dreams (sometimes nightmares) that have been burdening me. I knew that I needed to be mindful. A mindful pause led to an intense pondering of my initial question above. With raw thoughts that fell from my heart, I quickly wrote a Golden Shovel poem using Tricia's lines below in italics as my strike line.

What is hiding deep in my soul?

As grief quickly enters and leaves repeatedly,     I

ponder its affect on my daily living.                         Am

I masking my fears and doubts,                                only

spending time worrying and                                    moving

as I try to manage my life that is now                      carrying

the heaviness of each day? Can I accomplish     the

task of handling my loss and dealing with the   weight

of loneliness in this chapter of life? Waves           of

jabbing grief nestle in the depths of                      my

heart. Is there a veil hiding my                                  own  

fragile, plaguing                                                            doubt?

Response to Grief and Doubt

Trees comforts me during the autumn of        life.

Brilliant colors sparkle while sunshine             is

Felt as a warm blessing, not to be                     changed

By grief. So flutter away doubt. Hope will     not

Be extinguished, nor love                                    ended.

©CVarsalona, 2025, free verse poem

     Dedicated to my husband who recently passed away

🍁🍃🍂

Thank you Patricia J. Franz for hosting this month's Spiritual Journey Thursday that focuses on doubt. I also thank you for sharing the insightful article,“The Drawer Where I Keep My Doubts” .

"Doubt, hesitation, unfinished questions, 'small hauntings'—

these aren’t failures of willpower, but the raw material of growth."  -Jeff DeGraff, Professor, author, essayist

Patricia asked an excellent question.

"Where does doubt fit into your spiritual journey?" 

The word, doubt, has been like a seed waiting to grow. It took root long before my husband passed away. It came and went like a roaring storm that gave no warning. Sometimes, it lingered in my mind without me knowing it. Other times, I pushed it aside when I found inspirational thoughts that gave me hope, such as the one below.

And so, friends, I am ready to move on once again, regardless of doubts that I hope to toss away.  I look forward to reading your blog posts on doubt. Enjoy the coming weekend.

🍁🍃🍂

Poetry Friday Friends, I started this week excited to dig deep into my poet-author friend Laura Purdie Salas' upcoming book, Furry, Float, and Fly!  It is a seasonal beauty, and I was ready to write a book review. But as life can throw some bumps in the road, my plans were taken over by grief surrounding me and my friends. I finished my Spiritual Journey blog post with good intentions, but time did not permit it. I hope to finish my review of Laura's fabulous book and have it ready for her publication date, Tuesday. Meanwhile, please visit Laura's welcome to the Poetry Friday Roundup that you can find here at her blog. Enjoy Laura's winter thoughts, NCTE presenter news, and excitement for her book's birthday day. You will also find many blogs that are filled with poetic goodness from Poetry Friday friends.

Hallow's Eve

It was the sign of the times. The Wraiths' Feast came to be. Collegiate voice lifters journeyed through the Witches' Passage to the nearest Wailing Walls. With Lantern Haze devices, they slowly proceeded onward. Under a darkened sky, they listened for Midnight Murmurs from Gossamer Ghosts who enjoyed lurking on the bewitching night of Halloween. 

Are you ready for a ghostly poems prompted by our creative Poetry Friday host, Jone Rush MacCulloch? Jone offers a list of Halloween prompts to create a variety of poems by our community of writer-poets.  What I did was take her poems and introduce them in a short tale that is partially true from my college days with additional support from Halloween photos I took while living in Long Island.           

⇩

DON'T BE AFRAID!

Howling whisperers

screech and whimper.

With bated breath,

 Halloweeners creep quietly,

slowly inching their way

throughout the cemetery

until they notice

a formidable sign.

"Yikes!"  Do you see a conclave before us?

Ghastly, bellowing ghosts circle.

Whose Moolinght Graveyard is this?

I think I know, but

not all agree.

Some friends step back,

tingling like scared cats,

Others mesmerized by the Phantom Lullaby.

Howling screams, frozen in time, rise. Stop!

Something lurks by the Velvet Coffin.

"Let it be known", so it is said.

"There is something haunting

in the light of the moon."

Without delay, scratching voices

rise from the ground.

We quickly skedaddle

under the light of the evening moon,

before sirens chase us out.

©CVarsalona, 2025

Just Remember:

Beware of what lurks at night on Hallow's Eve.

@CVarsalona, free verse, Halloween 2025

@CVarsalona digital artwork 

Follow the light of the moon to Jone's Poetry Friday Halloween Roundup.

You never know what you will find.

Poetry Peeps were invited to the Poetry Sisters challenge for October! A burning haibun arrived from the ashes of my opening prose poem. As the Poetry Princesses noted, the burning haibun is not the "old regular haibun. It highlights the internal landscape of memory and within them, something somewhere must BURN." 

(Please enjoy visiting other poets who enjoyed creating burning haibuns: Tricia, Sara, Laura, Mary Lee, Liz, and Michelle K. Check Tanita's blog to see if more people joined in.)

In prose, I present Hallow's Eve.

It was the sign of the times. The Wraiths' Feast came to be. Collegiate voice lifters journeyed through the Witches' Passage to the nearest Wailing Walls. With Lantern Haze devices, they slowly proceeded onward. Under a darkened sky, they listened for Midnight Murmurs from Gossamer Ghosts who enjoyed lurking on the bewitching night of Halloween. 

Erasure #1. Result after the blackout technique:

it's time. Wraths' Feast came. Voice lifted. Journey with lanterns slowly proceeded. Darkened sky listened. Midnight ghosts lurking on Halloween. 

Erasure #2. Burnout leads to a haiku.

It's time wraith came

voices journey listen

night ghosts lurk

  Draft CVarsalona, Halloween 2025, burning haibun

Oh, what fun it is to capture Halloween Eve, especially since this year I am homebound with a fractured ankle. My boot and walker chair are my costume for a chilly night at home.

Please understand that I have been on slow-go movement since last week.

Autumn Leaves

As the wind tosses fresh leaves across lawns and driveways, I paused reflecting on Emily Bronte's words from her poem, Fall, Leaves, Fall: "Every leaf speaks bliss to me / Fluttering from the autumn tree". Then, I discovered Emily Dickinson's envelope poems.

🍁🍂🍃

🍁🍂🍃

How to Write Your Own Envelope Poem (that begins and ends with the same line)

See Writing Workshop at Teaching Authors for more information

from April Hayland Wayland.

1. Brainstorm what you'd like to write about.  

2. Now start writing-mediocre ideas or good ideas, it doesn't matter-just keep your pen moving. 

3. Play with lines until you find one that is strong enough to begin and end your poem. 

4. Polish your poem. Read it aloud . 

5) Let it rest for a few days. Read it again. Polish it some more. 

6) Do you love it? Then, let your poem out of its envelope! Share it with a friend.

🍁🍂🍃

Quick Write - Haiku

🍁🍂🍃

Thank you, Patricia Franz, for hosting Poetry Friday this week. Besides being a wonderful author and poet she is inviting writers to join her with their own place-based, outdoor-themed poem.

Continue to have a wonderful autumn. The trees are finally parading their finery. Don't forget to check out the poetic goodness from the Poetry Friday writers at Patricia's blog, Reverie.

The Wonder of the Virginia Countryside

There's nothing like the peace of the countryside, the quiet, and the lack of distraction. It helps you to focus your mind. - Jerry Nimm

 UNLESS => your GPS doesn't behave -

directions become a strange series

of crazy U-turn saves

frustrated by gravel road queries -

directions become a strange series

with unknown gravel roads

and frustrating queries -

so I waited for Siri's right codes 

Aminpics from Unsplash

because of unknown gravel roads

distractions led me astray -

while waiting for Siri's right codes

I couldn't find my way

 distractions led me astray

with crazy U-turn saves

I couldn't find my way

because my GPS didn't behave

______

BUT-the bumpity, bumpness

went fleeting by -

when I saw the plumpness

of  fall pumpkins, I sighed!

©CVarsalona, 2025, Virginia Countryside

_____________________________

The modified pantoum poem above shares my travels to Wegmeyer Farms for our annual pumpkin picking event with the little grandgirls. Needless to say, it took my son and me longer to arrive at the farm than my daughter, son-in-law, and grandgirls did. The beauty of nature, the warmth of the sun, and the tastiness of homemade apple cider donuts added to a wonder-filled time. Now, don't ask how long it took to reach our home...

_____________________________

It's time to enjoy the poetic goodness of the Poetry Friday Roundup that is being hosted by Sarah Grace Tuttle. She not only added a poem but shared her new website. She added "a new Poetry for Educators section, with resources and free PDFs to print and use in classrooms.