Poetry Friday Wishes

For the past weeks, I have been wishing upon a star to make my dreams and my family's dreams come true. If you have not read my January blog posts you would not be familiar with my wishes that did come true so let me quickly summarize them. January was filled with the wish to switch from a rushed pace to a relaxed one. With that in mind, my dreams cascaded into thoughts of a magical land, hence a cascade poem evolved filled with wishes. A three-generation family vacation was planned by my daughter to the magical kingdom of Disney World with a cruise to the Bahamas on the new Disney Wish that followed.  Finally settled, the family shouted out their biggest argh as official pirate mateys who traveled the seas. A stand-alone wish to have a family vacation without my husband, son, and me getting COVID was granted but as fates would have it, the sirens of the Caribbean left their mark. I sit here covered in a red rash taking strong meds to bring my immune system back to normal, another wish that will be granted. The end is a tale as old of time for several trips in years that have past had medical issues surrounding them. From hurried to relaxed, I indulge in some quiet moments, With focused feelings and postcard imagery (a line from poet Alan Wright's poem) writing and recalling our fabulous trip to Disney. 

With focused feelings and postcard imagery

Wish You Were Here  by Alan Wright

magical touring

dipped in fairytale wonder

sparkles in a sea of amusement-

with focused feelings

and postcard imagery

I float in a pool of serenity

soaking in childhood delights

©CVarsalona, 2023

When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true!  

wishes are wisps of a dream come true

that

float

across

stars

that

transform

into

actions

that

come true-wishes are wisps of a dream

©CVarsalona, 2023

My thoughts float backward to a sandy beige beach with turquoise waters. A balloon filled with poetic essence transports me into a blissful state.

one word digital art concrete poem shared at my keynote presentation on Zoom last night

Click here to see the original concrete poem.

With gratitude for all the sweet memories of a family vacation, I bid you a bibbidi-boppity-boo wish for a magical day filled with color.

Please join me to celebrate the Poetry Friday Roundup with our host, Laura Shovan. Laura is showcasing Laura Purdie Salas' new nonfiction picture book, Finding Family: The Duckling Raised by Loons. 

I'm off to read all the poetic goodness provided by the Poetry Friday writers 

and then, join Laura Shovan's 11th Annual February Poetry Project.

Cascading Into a Magical Land

Another year is here and there are many challenges that will come our way. Hopefully, the challenges will be productive and enriching. Some may overflow with joy and others tinged with sorrow because life has a constant ebb and flow of ups and downs. Understanding that transformation is key to moving forward, I now add it to my list of descriptors for my one word 2023, Be". I am ready to sink into quiet time and remember the exhilarating feeling of the ocean tide, soon to come back again. 

Now, toward the end of January, I am still trying to "de-Christmas" my home in preparation for a long-awaited family trip with my granddaughters, 5- and 3-year-old, a delightful age to visit Mickey and Minnie in Florida. The magic of Disney World will be our fairy tale story as our family enters a whole new world of imagination on site and then, off to the new cruise line, The Wish. We have waited several years for this moment that is happening due to the efforts of my daughter. My biggest wish is that COVID does not join the Magic Kingdom and our first  cruise trip.

Since I will be with the family when the Poetry Sisters showcase their January challenge on the January 27th Poetry Friday, I decided to play with a new poetic format, a  CASCADE poem prior to the family trip.

The Cascade form takes every line from the stanza of your poem and TRANSFORMS those lines into the final lines of each stanza thereafter. Beyond that, there are no additional rules, just a request.Try to incorporate the idea or word transformation as you write. 

A Magical Wish

I wished upon a star long ago

baby girls transformed into toddlers

Minnie Mouse parades into their lives

their world cascaded into a magical waterfall

experiences flowed in a continual stream

I wished upon a star long ago

now they dream of a magical kingdom

and a cruise line where wishes come true when

baby girls transformed into toddlers

they dress in matching Minnie outfits

fly into a magical  land of imagination where

Minnie Mouse parades into their lives

©CVarsalona, 2023, draft

Thank you to the wonderful Jan Annino from the Sunshine State for hosting Poetry Friday with an interesting brief look at the talented poet/author Sharon Lovejoy.

Note:

This post was written prior to today.

My family just left  Disney World and are traveling to Disney’s new cruise boat, The Wish. Since there will be very limited internet connections on the ship I will most likely read the Poetry Friday blogs on Monday and Tuesday of next week.

From Rushed to Relaxed

Excitement is in the air but so is stress. We are leaving for Disney World followed by a cruise to the Bahamas on the new Disney Wish boat. While we are genuinely excited to visit Disney World with the family and the little grandgirls, we feel a bit hurried. The weather decided to play a trick and dip down to the 40ish degree temperature at night while sailing to the Bahamas. That means rethinking packing. We are not good packers, to begin with, and there is still a good deal to do before we board the plane to Florida on Wednesday morning.

My son had a bad respiratory virus last week and just finished his meds when my husband started coughing throughout the night. Now, he starts meds tomorrow and that leaves me but I am feeling fine. There has to be some gratefulness and so, I indulge in a manicure/pedicure. Ah, relaxation is a gift. The lotions smell wonderful and the massage chair offers a chance to slow down and de-stress. I imagine the warmth of the sun surrounding me.

wishing for warmth

in the midst of winter's grasp

peaceful prospect

nature offers a reprieve

turquoise waters and sunshine

©CVarsalona, 2023

Image by buckeyebeth from Pixabay

The radio airs an ad about a vacation. I hear the word blissful describing a trip. It sounds delightful and adds a layer of peaceful contemplation. I drift into the act of "just being". Time moves from hurried to tranquil. The aroma of floral products fills the air. The Vietnamese New Year decor adds a touch of festivity and remembrance of the Chinese New Year parades we enjoyed in New York City. feeling renewed. From rushed to relaxed, I walk out the door feeling renewed. 

©CVarsalona, 2023, digital art

Thank you for reading my Slice of Life at Two Writing Teachers, a place where teacher writers meet and share their stories.