Clunker Give and Take

Linda Mitchell, librarian, poet, and collage artist, enjoys sending out clunker lines to other writers.  According to Linda, "a clunker is a line or lines that didn't work in a particular poem". Periodically, she invites Poetry Friday writers to create a poem from one of her clunker lines. 

After taking a look through Linda's clunkers, I settled on one line, "daisies nod hello springy stems". The line immediately brought me back to my high school senior prom. During my teen years, I adored daisies, but not only the typical daisy with white petals and a yellow circle in the center. I dreamed of a bouquet of multicolored daisies that would match the gorgeous gown my mother made for me. Since that time, I have enjoyed the simple appearance of a daisy. It evokes joyful feelings. In exchange for Linda's clunker, I sent the following thought, "a harbor of shared memories". Her thoughts rose into a fine poem (click here).                     

With Linda's clunker line, daisies nod hello springy stems, I created a poem for springtime.

photo by LAWJR, Pixabay

Daisies blush after morning dew;

Bask in sunshine, wake anew.

Daisies nod hello springy stems,

And bow to spring's greentone gems.

Songs of springtime freshen the air.

Waiting for summer's  goldenwear.

Daisies dance to sunshines's  tunes.

Offer their gifts.

Nature swoons!

©CV, Summer 2025

💖

Teenage Love

"I will  go pick daisies and have a happy heart." - Kimber Annie Engstrom

Why do daises

Fill my heart with memories?

Flash back to my teenage years.

I sent you my heart

And a bouquet of daisies

Let's dance the prom night away.

©CV, Summer 2:025, sedoka 

Sedoka Guidelines from Writer's Digest:

• Two three-line stanzas
• Five syllables in the first line and seven syllables in the second line
• First stanza is a question by one lover
• Second stanza is an answer by the other
• It's traditionallly a love poem.

I am checking in with Heidi Mordhorst, the host of Poetry Friday this week. She has news, an annoucement of The Nature of Our Times anthology. Congratulations, Heidi. One of her poems was submitted for the online Gallery to be in the print book.

🌞

Summer Invitation:

In 2018 I created a global Gallery titled The Art of Summering. 

7 years later, I invite writers,  photographers, digital artists, teachers, and students to join me next week at my blog, Beyond LiteracyLink, since I will host Poetry Friday on August 22nd. I would enjoy reading your interpretation of your 2025 summering experience. I will showcase each person's work at my blog  presentation or in a presentation.

Celebrating, Not Mourning, Life

At the end of our nine days of celebrating my husband's life I found peace in the gentle waters of sunset. Golden layers of sky surroundied the harbor.  It was time to pause and gaze at nature's reflections and remember past layered memories.

summer sweltered

gentle waters shared stillness

sunset celebrated

sunset spoke

of life's celebration

stilled waters agreed

©CV, August 2025 

One of my writing friends, Bob Hamera (aka arjeha), offered a quieting thought to me. "Life should be celebrated not mourned."  I brought that quote on my family's trips to various ocean spots. I step back now thinking that it was peaceful to shift my focus from mourning the loss of my husband to honoring  the life lived and the impact it had on others. The celebration of life ceremonies during the nine days offered comfort and remembrance in a special way.

Thank you to Ralph Waldo Emerson for his beautiful quoteL

"Every sunset brings the promise of a new dawn."

Now that I am home in Virginia, I shall remember to walk forward in peace.

nature's stilled waters

offers solace

My Slice of Life 

for Two Writing Teachers

A meeting place for a world of reflective writers.

Celebrating Life With Family

What is life without a loving family? 

Ever since I was a child, I felt the closeness of family even during challenging times. This year, during springtime, sorrow and loss unexpectedly interrupted our family life when my husband Richard fell prey to an incurable, silent disease. Cancer swept across his body as quickly as mighty waves moving across the ocean. My family withstood the rush of anguish and a heart-rending situation, yet we prepared for a family trip to the Atlantic Ocean in Cape May, New Jersey, and the south shore of Long Island, NY, to honor my husband's life. 

As we drove to the ocean sites, I followed the inspiration of Albert Einstein. "Rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life". We felt the glow of sunshine streaming down on us as wind-driven waves rushed in with diamond-sparkling effects and quickly returned seaward. The first seaside landing in Cape Map allowed our extended family to enjoy the children frolicking in the water, the delicious seafood, and creamery ice cream delights. We lived life as a summer vacation should be, and yet we remembered that one member of the group was missing. 

As our immediate family traveled north to Long Island, we eagerly prepared for the Celebration of Life ceremony at Jones Beach's Field 6. The beach was quiet. As we moved closer to the ocean, we watched the constant flow and backrush of ocean waves. The ebb and flow of the tides brought peace to the ceremony. Readers' words flowed across the sea. My mind floated like the waves, not about sorrowful days but to present moments. The seagulls flew across the South Shore beach, squawking in tune with the crash of the waves. The magnificent ocean at Jones Beach, Long Island, NY, offered a private place to honor a man with whom I spent close to 49 years of marriage. I was present, my mind was cleared of daily busyness, and I seemed to float with the rhythm of the tides as I looked across the horizon.

not a day to mourn

but one to celebrate life

peaceful souls connect

©CV, July 31, 2025 

I now think of that day at the majestic ocean. We brought the immediate family together and linked our souls with Richard's. There was a powerful release of tension, loneliness, and grief. "Ocean separates lands, not souls".  (Munia Khan) 

" Say not in grief ' he is no more' but in thanfulness that he was."

Hebrew Proverb 

For me, without family, life spins in an unsettled world.

I am thankful for my family, their love, and support,

and the tiny heart shell that was my heaven-sent sign at the shore.

Today is Spiritual Journey Thursday (SJT). Leigh Anne Eck is our host today. She chose the prompt, family, for each writer to ponder. This is a powerful prompt for me. Please visit her blog post here to enjoy the blog posts on "family". Leigh Anne is sharing about her Mother, who recently passed away. My thoughts and prayers go out to her and her family.

I am also sending this blog post to Molly Hogan at Nix the Comfort Zone. I have missed the last two Poetry Friday Roundups because we were enjoying 9 days of celebrating my husband's life. Now, I am ready to settle down and find a respite through reading both SJT and Poetry Friday blog posts from two different writing communities. I already read Holly's post that provided a look into nature and the word pause.

Nature as a Healer

"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where Nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike." -John Muir

When I read this quote in one of Carol Labuzzetta's blogs, I quicky recorded it in my digital journal. I knew that the family would feel the restorative power of nature in another week. We will travel to Cape May and the South Shore of Long Island, NY to celebrate the life of my husband, as per his request. Click here to read my recent Slice of Life. 

Being in nature for nine days brings a smile. There will be time to pause and relax, remembering the summers of our lives basking in sunkissed sands and my husband's stories of his early life when he romped in the surf with his friends. I also remember our summer days when our children were young. We enjoyed the warming sun's rays, the coolness of the ocean's waters spraying our bodies, and the many walks on the boardwalk. Little did we know back then that our family's life would change radically as my husband's days on earth quickly faded.

I think back on John Muir's quote, knowing that soon nature will provide peace to my soul and healing to my emotions and body. The warmth of the sand, the beauty of the sea, and the calling of the gulls will bring me home to Richard's sacred place. 

He provided an intinerary for our celebration of life so we will honor his wishes. While he did not include Cape May in his plan, we will travel there first and remember our time together. Then, we will drive to Long Beach, Long Island to return to Jones Beach, Field 6. There we will send our fondest memories from the ocean waves to Richard's new home above. 

Join me as I let nature bring its restorative powers of healing to each member of my family. 

during summer days

nature nurtures bodies and souls

finds pathways to peace

on quiet walks warmed by sands

gifts of solace comfort life

you look downward

from heaven's golden seat

wishes of love float

 ©CVarsalona, summer of 2025, draft

digital art of a Long Island Beach

🌞

It's time to offer my thoughts about my husband's Celebration of Life at the shores of Cape May, NJ and Long Island, NY. My Floridian poet friend and book lover, Jan Annino, is hosting the Poetry Friday Roundup. Her blog post, Resilience, is interesting and starts off with a photo of a manatee enjoying his time floating followed by questions for readers. "Do you need a pause? Do you yearn to just drift? Besides Jan's post, she introduces each poet/writer and the poetic goodness that they are sharing.

On Understanding Grief

It has been a long process to understand what grief is and how to manage its effects on life. At the end of July my family will travel to Cape May and Long Island to celebrate my husband as per his wishes. We have so many memories of those amazing summer days at the shore, frolicking in the ocean, eating fresh seafood, and watching little grandgirls enjoying the sunshine and ice cream. 

One of fellow writing poets, Linda Mitchell, sent me a comment on my recent blog post, Understanding Grief. It's not necessarily the memory of a thing but how a loved one interacted or responded to a thing that is the sharp edge of a memory." This blog post as created based on Linda's thoughts and support.

Memories appear in my conversations, photos, and life events. The family and I respond with loving thoughts of my husband who has been part of my life for 50 years, if we count the 2 years before we married. At the end of July we would have been married for 49 years. At the different shores that we travel to we will remember what was in our sunkissed summers and what will be as we celebrate Richard who loved the Long Island shore, especially at Jones Beach, Long Beach, and Rockaway Beach. Long before I met him he and his friends spent summers enjoying their time with each other at the ocean so the family will do the same this vacation. There will be beach time, traveling to favorite restaurants, enjoying a variety of ice creams, and meeting with friends we have known for years, all to honor Richard.   

As Charles Bowden said, " Summertime is always the best of what might be." Add to that William Carlos Williams' quote, "In the summer, the song sings itself". Summer is the season that families enjoy and so we are already making our itinerary and gathering our clothes for 9 days of vacationing in nature's waters and sunkissed sands. 

A Memory for Richard

 

sending summer's sunkissed thoughts

beyond the gates of heaven

where eternal peace flows

we will dig into summer sands

splash into diamond-sparkling waters

and honor your summertime state of mind

©CVarsalona, 2025

🩷We Remember Long Beach's Summers that Brought Sunshine and Joy🩷

©CVarsalona, 2025, digital art

In Jeremiah 31:13 it says "I will turn their morning into joy".

This heavenly promise will help me turn mourning into joy as I continue my journey of healing and renewal. I embrace hope during our upcoming celebration that honors my husband, who was a loving father, and grandfather.

I join today's SLICE OF LIFE at Two Writing Teachers,

a  place where reflective writers write,share, and give.

Understanding Grief

On July 2, 2025, Tabatha Yeatts (this week's Poetry Friday host) sent me an email about a Poetry Workshop at 7 pm that I might be interested in attending. One hour before the workshop began, I emailed Jena at Evermore and inquired about "The Mystery of Grief-Writing into the Loss" with Evermore Poet Laureate Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer. I was happy to join the  Zoom event on short notice. Over 45 attendees were on the Zoom call. Each person experienced grief in different ways. Rosemerry, the poet presenter, was a caring poet with a genuine spirit who encouraged everyone to write for themselves. I heard the words, "Today, grief is settling in my heart". With this prompt, I knew I was in the right place.

During the two-hour workshop, there were poems to listen to, comments to be made on Zoom or in the chat box, writing time, and small group chats. Rosemerry led us through each step in her calm manner, encouraging everyone to use as many senses as we could when writing.  Prompts such as "Write directly to grief and about it.", and "What is your relationship to grief?" were shared. The small groups opened the door to deeper conversation. There was something solemn and safe about being with a community of people who experienced grief in their lives. Rosemerry let us know that she also felt the pangs of grief at an earlier time, but she continually smiled sharing her hopes with us. You can read about Rosemerry at her website. In her Daily Dose of Poetry section, there is one poem that really touched me.

It's the Forth of July Again July 3, 2025

And I didn't go buy fireworks today. Not yesterday, either. Nor will I buy them tomorrow because you will not be here to light them. I realize now what I loved about fireworks was how much you loved them, the way you brightened when the fuse was first lit, the way you glowed near incandescent as the sparks and colors fountained and flashed. And […].  -Rosemerry

During the 15-minute writing section of the workshop, I composed the following quick write prose poem based on Rosemerry's prompt suggestions:

All I know is grief comes with a sigh, caught between sorrow and acceptance. It floats on memories that settle in my heart. Grief tugs, flows, and drops words like acorns quietly falling from autumn trees. Grief knows no boundaries. It is heavy until the day it moves on. It never removes itself totally, at least not now in the raw stage that I am in. - CVarsalona, 7/2/2025

Post-Workshop Thoughts:

I have felt the pain of loss and overwhelming sadness about losing my husband so unexpectedly. Yet, tears don't flow as much now with help coming from faith. "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." Psalm 147:3 is comforting and allows me to hope that it will bring renewal. I thank Evermore and Rosemerry for The Mystery of Grief-Writing into the Loss workshop. It was a safe spot to speak to others who understand grief as an emotion that surrounds life during this new, raw period. Rosemerry's soft voice, story, and songs inspired me to pen the following poem a few days later.

Post-Workshop Inspirational Quote and a Golden Shovel Poem:

The faith that I love the best, says God is hope!

-Charles Peguy's The Portal of the Mystery of Hope

 I walk into the heat of the

Summer season with strong faith

Reliving past moments that

Belong to our summers. I

Feel the warmth of everlasting  love

Along with challenges during the

Years we shared our best

And worst times. Who says

We walk alone when God, 

Our protector  is

Sending hope. 

CVarsalona, July 2025

Join me at Tabatha Yeatts at The Opposite of Indifference for the POETRY FRIDAY Roundup. Each week, she has different types of poetic goodness, artwork, and interesting thoughts for the poetry community.

Photos Turn to Poems

Sunshine peeks through my windows. Today's a writing day under the sun. I open my digital journal and consider the writing prompt provided by Jenna Korman from Two Writing Teachers: "What in your life is writable about today? Summertime surrounded bu beautiful gardens, layered sunrises, and tranquil sunsets always sets the mood for a dazzling day despite the heat.

I take out the drafts of poems suited to pair with the beautiful pictures shared by Margaret Simon, the host of This Photo Wants to be a Poem. Below you will find how lovely the summertime nature photos address the writing prompt provided by Jenna Korman.

Nature is filled with beauty that opens the sky each day.

morning sunshine winks

layered darkness sits above

unpredicable

summer weather dilemma

nature plays in the background

CVarsalona, June 2025 draft tanka

Photo by Margaret Simon

water

silently still

welcomes whispering wind

breezing by the daisies

awakening

CVarsalona, June 2025 draft elfchen

Photo by Molly Hogan

A New Thought for the 4th of July

"Miss Liberty, at Dawn's First Peep, Awakes the Echoes from Their Sleep"

(Original Postcard from Turn-of-the-19th Century)

It's Friday, July 4th. Happy Independence Day and Poetry Friday. The Inklings are writing poems of protest for our nation’s birthday. They invite other writers to use their voices and their art to make some noise! 

I, like others, believe in freedom, democracy, and the power of the people. Being authentic is essential. Humanity needs to amplify its voice on issues of national concern like the Big Beautiful Bill. Yesterday, I received an email from one of my son's agencies. They are asking  parents and clients to reach out to our legislatures.because the disabled community will be affected by the bill. The goal is to bring parents and clients together to share our concerns that may affect change. 

Collaborative action plans are important for a future-ready world. In classrooms and other educational settings, students work in teams to collaborate with others. They develop goals to reach out to their community as creative thinkers and writers with voice. Will this action shape the future?  Perhaps, but we need to continue supporting students in efforts to learn with vigor, work collaboratively, and develop a spirit of camaraderie and citizenship in this modern-day world that has many flaws.

Ignite the American Spirit

      Authentic voices 

      Make noise as they

      Embark on 

      Roads ahead  

      If freedom devotees

     Commit they will rise

     As responsive Americans ready for

     Next steps:

     Shape outcomes with

     Positive approaches

     Inspire students to

     Reach out with concerns

     Ignite the flame

    To make more noise

     draft CVarsalona, July 4th, 2025

A little push is needed to make legislators understand the needs of all groups.

I will do my part.

***********************

I am late to offer my Poetry Friday blog post but this piece took a great deal of thought. Thank you Mary Lee Hahn, our host this week, for bringing the community together this week. Please read her post, Independence Day Roundup of Protest and Praise for This Complicated Country We Call Home, and other writers' blogs by clicking here. 

Still Waters on the Spiritual Journey

It has been a long, lonely walk since my husband passed away on April 2, 2025. It feels as though I walked through valleys flowing with torrents of rain, waiting for a sign that would wash away sorrows. Upon waking, I realized that I dreamed of still waters that framed our summer days on Long Island. 

I remembered those scenes were we talked, dreamed, and felt the freshness of life. Yet remembering is difficult when grief haunts life. In Long Island, I could find still water spots where peace existed each summer. We were able to drive twenty minutes to enjoy carefree days at the beach. We enjoyed both still waters and days of fast rushing waters. As I look back on photos of past summers, I realize that the times of still waters were also filled with spirituality. There was a spirit of peace at the shore as if God was giving us fuel to propel our journey. Even when we experienced challenging, roaring waters, we could move from these faith-shaking events to deal with the issues before us. 

BUT during this year's late winter and early spring, we were tossed, shaken, and left befuddled by the reality of a rare disease that broke down our psychological well-being and dispositions. We needed still waters for spiritual rest. Unfortunately, that did not come readily. On the last day of my husband's life we found the peace he needed. Each member of the immediate family, felt the spirit of the Lord surrounding my husband as he moved from the transport van to the hospice room, a place of peace and spiritual rest. It was there that he laid in the still waters of faith and let his spirit be lifted from this world.

Since the last day, I have searched for ways to relieve anxiety. The well-know Psalm 23 offers a pause that slowly leads me to a new path on the spiritual journey. With that and Leanna Crawford's Still Waters music video, I feel the cool refreshment of spirituality. Listen to the beautiful song, Still Waters, based on Psalm 23.

Oh, the Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.

He leads me by still waters 'til my fears are gone.

☀

☀

I wake to summer dreams that flow like still waters.

Even without you, I know you are with me.

The Lord's scripture remains on my heart

and goodness flows like the creek's water.

©CV, 2o25

 ☀

Today is bright with sunshine. The house is quiet. 

I know that I shall find my way on the Spiritual Journey.

 ☀

I join my Spiritual Journey Thursday host, Karen Eastlund who leads us through the theme "still waters" today. Karen shares a remarkable series of adventures she and her husband enjoyed over the years. Her closing thought is "I can think of nothing more beautiful and life-giving than water". Her photo of the sun setting over the still waters of Minnesota is awesome and calming. Click here to read Karen's Blog and other Spiritual Journey writers' post.