Postcard from Long Island's Sunkissed Shore

There's nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it's sent away."          - Sarah Kay

For 45 years, the south shore of Long Island, New York became my family's go to happy place. My husband was a beach lover since a child. Sea air fresh like morning dew drew us to the ocean throughout the year but summer was a special season for sunkissed days of rest and renewal. I fell in love with the sea breeze, sound of the tide moving in a rhythmic pattern, and the ease of relaxing in sparkling sand. To capture the beauty of the ocean, I created the above digitized image of the Atlantic Ocean in Long Beach. A postcard was created after I captured the ocean waves rushing to shore. 

While in vacation in New York and Cap May, I felt the ocean wind luring me back to nature, I  watched the tide dance toward the shore. I paused to ask myself one question, "What opens my heart and mind to the mystic call of the sea?"

the ocean lures me

shimmering like royal jewels

in summer's sunshine

seagulls circulate

skyward landing at shore lines

watching ocean tides

sea treasures surface

rinsed by tidal water

families gather

seawaves swell with might

slow down with gentle noises

sea souvenirs surface

within the ocean

one finds the rhythm of life

rest and renewal

the ocean calls me

quiet presence free

draft ©CVarsalona, 2026

Dear Friends,

Sea waves and gushing sounds lulled me into quiet moments of deep thought. A new pathway unfolds as nature and hope nurtures my life. I realize now that my one word, restore, arrived at the beach along side me  I felt its presence. The summer of 2026 has become my turning point. Jeremiah 29:11 states,: "For I know well the plans I have in mind for you-oracle of the Lord-plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope." (Catholic New American Bible) With hope I shall move onward. - Carol

___________________________

The Poetry Sisters (Liz, Sara, Tanita,Tricia,Mary Lee)

invited #PoetryPals to write a haiku sonnet. While not ever writing one, I gave it a try using the four 3-line haiku plus a couplet of 5 syllables and 14 lines format. 

and Mona Voelkel, our host.

Mona found a wishing rock on Charlestown Beach and created a delightful poem. Join her blog to read more poetry from the Poetry Friday community.

Note: It was a busy week so my entrance is later than I wished. I will indulge in Poetry Friday reading this weekend.

One Word: Restore

It is official! My one word, RESTORE, has opened my heart and soul as a guide on my 2026 spiritual journey. You can read more here about the steps I took to find my one word and invite my Mind and Body to engage in my under-construction plan.. 

The digital graphic below is my opening piece  a faithful walker on the spiritual journey to revive my heart and renew my life.

one

word floats

like snowflakes

dancing to earth

in rhythmic motion

swaying with every

sound of chilling, blowing winds  

seeking winter's blanket of white      

quietude evolves, nature pauses, 

one word, restore, offers a deeper rest 

© CVarsalona, January 2026 

This month, the Poetry Sisters gathered to create the first monthly challenge for 2026. Poetry Friday poets were invited to write a tricube. Below you will find my tricube series of 3 stanzas of three lines each.

2026 One Word

one word flies

with weathered wings

should you choose

time moves on

2026 comes

word appears 

"restore" sparks

energy 

guiding light

© CVarsalona, January 2026

***

Arctic Blast

Arctic Storm

blasts through states

with iced snow

winter roars

whirls and twirls

share its blast

cold winds

tip the scale

no snowmen

© CVarsalona, January 2026

*****

Visit the Poetry Sisters and enjoy reading their tricube poems. Poetry Pals are invited to join in. 

Mary Lee @ Another Year of Reading, Laura @ Laura Purdie Salas,

Liz @ Liz Garton Scanlon, Sara @ Read Write Believe, 

Tanita @ {fiction, instead of lies}, Tricia @ The Miss Rumphius Effect 

*****

It's time to join the Poetry Friday Roundup at the Poem Farm with our host, Amy Ludwig VanDerwater. She offers us a triolet poem with two outstanding thoughts: 1. One can be one's best self in many different ways. 2. True goodness will not always be celebrated.

*****

May everyone feeling the chilling winds of the Arctic Blast be restored by thoughts of an early spring.  

#PoetryPals September Challenge

Autumn Delicacy

the day before fall arrived

my family drove to the apple orchard that showcased its bounty

despite the ominous darkening of clouds

nature hovered over the farm land and winced at the clouds

ripe and almost ripe apples announced their arrival

my family and I applauded nature and its bounty

as the sky darkened we found a part of the orchard that was bountiful

new apples with juicy sweetness hung below the clouds

my little grandgirls were mesmerized and will never forget arriving

especially since rain arrived with dark bountiful clouds 

draft ©CVarsalona, 2025, tritina

I thank the Poetry Sisters (Tanita Davis, Tricia Stohr Hunt, Mary Lee Hahn, Sara Lee Holmes, Laura Purdie Salas, Liz Garton Scanlon) for their enjoyable September Challenge. This was the first time I tried to write a tritina that was invented by poet Marie Ponsot. The tritina is not an easy poetic format for me but as one of the Poetry Sisters' #PoetryPals I enjoy engaging in their challenges.

Note: By the way, this was the first apple picking event that the sky opened up and provided a few drizzles in the orchard followed by a rainstorm during our outdoor lunch. Now, that is a memory we shall not forget.

It's Friday and time for the Poetry Friday Roundup with our host Amy Ludwig VanDerwater. She encourages us this week to try something new. Join me as I add my blog post to Amy's Roundup. Please read Amy's poem, You Choose You, that you will find here at The Poem Farm. Students will enjoy this poem. 

Getting The Blues

There is an art to summering during the summer season. It begins with a place animated by nature's hand and a feeling of ease. Sunshine warms hearts while clouds stretch across the sky watching below. A curtain of positivity swishes in the breeze. But there may be days when gray clouds push through the sunshine and thunder through trees.  Either way, bright sunshine or torrential rains, nature nurtures human beings in invisible ways. This I know since my family and I set out on a journey to celebrate my husband's life, as he wished. Summering was a treat since the weather was beautiful and the memories fond.

It is three weeks since we celebrated my husband's life. I carried home with me a spirit of peace but lately there have been difficulties sleeping. I wake with thoughts that I am overwhelmed. My dreams encourage this feeling although I cannot remember exactly what I dreamed. I turn to my writing to find a sense of balance but deep inside there is a void. 

I thank the Poetry Sisters, Tanita at {fiction, instead of lies}, Laura at Laura Purdie Salas, Tricia at The Miss Ruphius Effect, Sara at Read Write Believe, Mary Lee Hahn at Another Year of Reading, and Liz at Liz Garton Scanlon, who invite writers to join their August challenge. I am happy to do so because I need a distraction from reality. Their prompt states, "If poetry is a love letter to readers, this month, we're writing back. Using Nikki Giovanni's "Talk to Me, Poem, I Think I Got the Blues" as a mentor verse, we are writing poetry in conversation with a poem and adding the hashtag #PoetryPals to our posts and social media. 

My strike line for a Golden Shovel poem comes from  

Nikki Giovanni's mentor text/poem,

Talk to me, Poem, I Think I Got the Blues.

Dear Poem, I need to talk.

Each night, I wake up mid-sleep to 

stop worrying about me.

Are you listening, Poem?

Discombobulated, I

feel, so let's pause to think

before writing. I

need to stop waking up shaken. I got

an overwhelming amount of the

to-do-list blues.

(Poem, help me to feel renewed!)

draft © CVarsalona, 2025

It is time to offer this blog post to the Poetry Friday Roundup who is hosted by Karen Edmisten. Karen is sharing her poem for the Poetry Sisters' challenge. Click here.

Stay tuned. In the near future, I will share a mini-gallery of artistic expressions, The Art of Summering 2025.

Welcome to the Art of Summering 2025 Mini-Gallery

The World Whispers in Wonder

December marks the end of this year. Winter arrives quietly, and the Poetry Sisters (Tanita, Laura, Mary Lee, Liz, Sara, Tricia, and Kelly) encourage #PoetryPals to join their December challenge. They are composing haibuns, beautifully brief melanges of a prose poem and haiku, as created by Matsuo Bashō.

I reflect on the winter scene photographed by my daughter in 2015 and the quote by the marvelous poet, Lee Bennett Hopkins to write my haibun.

The world whispers in wonder as winter's serene beauty glistens across the snow. Trees at ski resorts tipped in white frosting create a snowdrop wonderland. Areas without sparkling snow find beauty among leafless trees and seasonal greenery. Some days reflecting on nature's serene beauty is a common practice. Other days are pampered by the sun in the south or drizzling rain in drought-ridden areas. Whether you find winter etched in a canopy of frosted elegance or enveloped in a golden sunrise, know that winter blankets Earth in various styles. Time for a quiet self-care pause.

early december stillness
embraces fall's fading breath
winter arrives

CVarsalona, 2024 haibun

🎄

Is hosted by Artist/Poet Michelle Kogan

who is also participating in the Poetry Sisters December Challenge.

🎄

Note: My book review of Clara's Kooky Compendium of ThimbleThoughts and WonderFuzz created by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong can be found here. I am honored that my poem, Would You Like To Bake?, is published in the new book.

Recipe for a Mindful Work-In

Thanksgiving is always a busy holiday but such a wonderful time with family. While my Poetry Friday post is late in coming, I wanted to join in to celebrate poetic goodness. My traveling poet/teacher/friend, Ruth Hersey, is hosting today from her new residence in Uganda. She shares odes about a kitchen table with lines that illuminate the significance of daily life and family. Please travel to her blog here for a feast of poetic goodness not to be missed.

During this week, my thoughts centered on new baking recipes to dazzle the Thanksgiving table: freshly pureed pumpkin pie with an oreo crust and chocolate pecan pie with hints of whiskey. I also contemplated the Poetry Sisters' challenge to create a recipe poem with a new twist: be creative with form, length, meter, or topic using an assemblage of elements with recipe text/cooking instructions. I used the language of my recipes to create a self-care recipe poem for post-Thanksgiving. 

Back Story: This month has been filled with many events and downtime has taken a back seat. During yoga, I listened carefully to my yoga teacher's thoughts. Inspired by her inspirational thoughts, my topic evolved.  

May my recipe for a Mindful Work-In bring a plate full of zen and peace. As I write, I relax and begin a work-in practice that allows the mind to let go. The body relaxes and the soul finds inspiration in the silence of the room. 

"Silence is the eloquent expression of the inexpressible." Sri Chinmoy, poet

Recipe for a Mindful Work-In

Ingredients

1 quiet place to ponder

1 cup of brewed herbal tea

1 tablespoon of honey

a pinch of peace

liquid awesome

1 yoga mat

Instructions

Preheat your space to relax the muscles, mind, and spirit.

Start off with a full playlist of quieting music.

Gently add a flow of soft breath.

Mix in praise-worthy raised arm movements.

Scoop up generous amounts of drishti.

Slowly whisk in bending bows.

Add 1 cup of refined liquid awesome.

Gently smooth out the process.

Pour your body onto the mat in svanasana.

After 5 minutes, release the pose.

Cool down your mind, body, and spirit in gratitude.

Namaste.

©CV, 2022, draft

Within silence

the mind understands what is

involved in the

quieting of senses. Eloquent

ways of expression

evolve in awareness of

what is the

inexpressible.

©CV, 2022, draft

Thank you Poetry Sisters, Laura,  Tanita,  Mary Lee,  Liz,  Kelly,  Tricia,  Sara,  and Andi for the November Challenge to write a recipe poem. 

Thanks to Tanita for the above ad. #PoetryPals