Winter Gray & Crystal Healer

Days pass by. The sun remains covered by ethereal clouds of gray. Cold temperatures negate the ability of walkers to take a winter walk while admiring winter's beauty. I sit watching the snow lessening while leaving patches of earth’s greenery for me to enjoy.

Something nags at my heart. Is it grief, sadness, or both? Is the shadowed sun grasping for a glimpse of spring or the feel of warmth coming from its rays? Where is there a heart healer? At the stroke of morning, a new February Poetry Project prompt is offered by poet/author/educator, Margaret Simon. “Choose a crystal to use as a muse for your poem today”. Like Margaret, I chose a shadorma poem format to write my thoughts.

Crystal Heart Healer-Mango Calcite

I hear tales

of your healing strength

soother of 

body, mind,

soul, bringing positives

to my broken heart

©CVarsalona, 2026

It is said that Mangano Calcite uplifts the human heart and body. The next time I am near a jewelry boutique, I shall browse through the crystals to find this one. For the time being, I shall listen to the beautiful, calming song, Restore My Soul, that I found to embellish my one word, "restore".

It's Friday the 13th and the sun finally turns the sky to a positive shade of sunshine rather than this morning's grayish color. I now turn my thoughts to Poetry Friday with the talented and creative poet, Robyn Hood Black, who is hosting today. It looks like it will not be an unlucky day with Robyn at the helm. If you go to Robyn's blog post, you can see some very charming products she creates at .

It's a Snow Day

Snow fell silently in the night becoming the first snowfall this year. I was surprised when I woke to a beautiful scenario. Fresh white snow blanketed Earth reminding me of New York winters.

First Snowfall

-surprise-

winter storm

breaks the record

newborn snow cradles earth

nostalgia

©CVarsalona, January 2024

snow

brings smiles

to grandgirls' faces

even in the cold

temperature

©CVarsalona, January 2024

Winter's Second Shift

winter

watercolor scene

evokes fond memories

of pristine virgin snow 

uninterrupted

©CVarsalona, January 2024

Snow still falls late on this winter afternoon. There has been a steady stream of downward movement. Only the plowed streets show the wear of trodden movements. It's quiet and serene. No sounds break the silence that nature provides. Peace on Earth is gratefully accepted, as is another artistically rendered peaceful scene sent to me from artist/poet, Michelle Kogan.

old growth forests...

let's flourish them through many

generations!

©Michelle Kogan

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After a long week of snow cancellations, doctor visits, and family paperwork, I am pleased to enjoy a few moments of nature's peaceful snowstorm (#2) with Poetry Friday's host Robyn Hood Black. As I and two neighbors prepare to host our community's Winter Wonderland Tea Party, I am also pleased to read through Robyn's Tea Time blog. What a serendipitous happening!

Thank you Robyn for this beautiful translated haiku by Issa.

rising into

the year's first sky...

tea smoke

There's more poetic goodness at Robyn's blog, Life at the Deckle Edge. Enjoy the weekend. Snow seems to be the major headline in many parts of the USA.

Flutterings of the Heart

Spring is the time when God's magic is at its grandest. ~ Toni Sorenson

A magical Spring day opens with softly wrapped gentle heat and a sun-blinking sky. It is time to "Be", breathe in Spring's sweet-scented perfume, and listen to nature. The mallard duck and his partner walk silently to green places of repose, birds swing by waiting for their turn at the feeder, and bunnies hide until they hop to nibble on bird seeds. Small simple observations lead to artistic visualizations. Poetic goodness flows near the fountain waiting to be awakened during May's plantings. The garden is at rest and so are those relaxing in verdant, manicured lawns. Spring provides a restful environment. 

The above prose and image poem haiku combine to create a haibun.

While designing the Springsations Gallery of Artistic Expressions, soft musings from poetic hearts led me to write the following haikus.

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small observations

nature sits on dewed petals

spring's marvelment

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be still moments

brushed by the Divine artist

earth's creative art

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quiet birdsong

chirping sounds of springtime

nature speaks of bliss

©CVarsalona, 2023

(If you are reading or creating, you may want to listen to Music of Nature here. The sounds and photos are soothing.)

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I am signing off now, wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day!

May Spring's seeds bring you blossoms to add color to your springtime days.

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I am eager to join the Poetry Friday Roundup with today's host, the haiku wiz poet, Robyn Hood Black. My humble poems are inspired by her work.

You will find a sweet haiku about new mothers at the blog post.

Thank you, Linda Baie for creating this small moment photo.

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You can see the new blend of art with poetry at my Springsations Gallery Padlet.

If inclined to add another spring-theme image poem to the gallery, please do so.

Finding Calmness

In an attempt to find calmness amidst the continued turmoil of a life move, I sneak a few moments to recall a beautiful day with my family. Lately, it is not often that I have time just to write. I forgot the feeling of free-floating with thoughts, the gentle swish of word weaving, and the sound of fingers tapping on a keyboard. It is soothing to be alone with my thoughts so I drift off into the world of quiet writing.

What happens when I digitize one photo and begin the word weaving process? I slip into a zone that I have not been able to enter for several days. I find a spark to ignite my "return to nature" thoughts. The end product is an image poem with three different versions and three different poetic forms.

two ducks + one lake = placidity

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ripples on the lake

swirl with lustrous movements

reflection in peace

⁕

springtime

promenading

leisurely

!

©CVarsalona, 2021

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One photo taken + same photo digitized + one equation poem + one haiku + one anchored tercet = five artistic expressions for National Poetry Month.

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Springtime Tranquility

At word weaving's end,

sparks light the way

for peaceful rest!

©CV, 2021

It is a wonderful feeling to steal one hour of quiet time to turn one memorable afternoon walk with the family (especially my two little granddaughters) into a slice of life with the Two Writing Teachers' community.

Thank you, Laura Purdie Salas for the equation poem format, Robyn Hood Black for your absolutely wonderful online haiku workshop, and Northern Poetry Library for the anchored tercet form. 

Inspired by Autumn Morning "Awe Walks"

In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous. - Aristotle

I hear the call of morning in the woods.

Autumn morning sweeps into daylight.

Breathes in crispcool freshness.

Dialogues whimsically with Nature.

Turns to awaken a weary world.

At ocean's edge, baby gulls test their skills,

Fly into a watchful October sky

And dip into glistening waters

Of diamondsparkle seafoam.

A lone tree bedecked in russet

Lays a blanket of crunchable leaves.

Waiting for schoolyard childrens'

giant leap into autumn majesty.

I wander through Autumn mornings connected in silence with nature. Awestruck with earth's goldleaf colors, I feel the warmth of September-in-November-joy.

©CV, 2020, Long Island, NY

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Intrigued by the appeal of an aubade, a poetic format that appeared on Linda Mitchell's blog as a challenge for her fellow Sunday Swaggers. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary explains this form as a song or poem greeting dawn; a morning love song; a song or poem of lovers parting at dawn. I chose to write my first aubade as a morning love song.

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Lord Bryon sums up an intense love of nature in his poem:

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,

There is a rapture on the lonely shore,

There is society where none intrudes,

By the sea and music in its roar:

I love not man less, but nature more.

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Lately, I have spent many days taking awe walks, soaking in the intensity of autumn while trying to make sense of a pandemic upside-down life. Awe walks are simple antidotes for stress. They allow me to shift my attention outward instead of inward leading to a feeling of well-being. Another way for me to achieve a sense of balance (my one word) is to join the Poetry Friday Roundup each week. This week, Robyn Hood Black is hosting, at her website, Life on the Deckle Edge. Robyn's post is full of poetic goodness. As one of the stops on the HOP TO IT Blog Tour of Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong's new poetry anthology, Robyn shares her enthusiasm for the book and her own children's poem published in the anthology. Robyn also provides congratulary remarks for fellow poets' new books .

2019 Kidlitosphere Progressive Poem Continues

Today, it is my honor to continue the journey of the 2019 Kidlitosphere Progressive Poem, an annual tradition of our poetry community. At the beginning of National Poetry Month, 30 bloggers, poets, and children's writers joined Irene Latham's challenge to write an original poem. Matt Forrest Esenwine began the process with a creative move. Using found lines from song lyrics, he created line 1 of the Progressive Poem. Other poets followed in suit, adding their found lines from songs that resonated with them, making each line unique.

Each day the Progressive Poem grew, I felt a little bit more nervous. After all, growing up I always enjoyed listening to music but did not know lyrics for sing-alongs. I questioned if I could find lyrics that would fit so I began searching for possible songs, like Chad and Jeremy's A Summer Song and Ella Fitzgerald's Summertime. Song titles from my summer galleries and accompanying lines started filling my digital journal. Then, on Palm Sunday, when the sun peeked out behind the clouds, I decided to take a spontaneous ride to the boardwalk. Christie Wyman just posted her line, "I wanna fly like an eagle, to the sea," so off I went with my husband! The Long Beach Boardwalk was surrounded by a dense fog making the ocean not visible but I could hear the sounds of the sea and sky and smell the fresh salt air. The quick trip energized and inspired me to write.

I woke on Monday morning, looking for day 15's blog by the amazing poet and creative artist, Robyn Hood Black. Her line made reference to the Masters Tournament and a song from a 1985 movie revolving around America's favorite pastime. My immediate thought was "Really Robyn, a tiger!" While I loved the line, I thought of it as an interesting curveball so, with expectation, I took a swing at how I would like the poem to progress. I wanted to keep the summer vibe from a child's eyes. I thought about little ones I saw playing in the sand on Sunday and my grandbaby who loves music and lullabies. It was then that I found Song of the Sea, a lullaby that featured a recurring question and descriptive action. By Monday evening, I decided that the question from "Song of the Sea would be the beginning of line 16 but flipflopped between two Mary Poppin songs and another specific action line from the lullaby. When I reread the stanza orally for one more time, I realized just what I felt I needed. 

Are you ready for line 16?  While it is long, I wanted the end of the stanza to be a visual invitation with action. I offer the line to you now. Please feel free to comment. 

Endless summer; I can see for miles...
Fun, fun, fun - and the whole world smiles.
No time for school - just time to play,
we swim the laughin' sea each and every day.

You had only to rise, lean from your window,
the curtain opens on a portrait of today.
Kodachrome greens, dazzling blue,
It's the chance of a lifetime,

make it last forever-ready? Set? Let's Go!
Come, we'll take a walk, the sun is shining down,
Not a cloud in the sky got the sun in my eyes.
Tomorrow's here. It's called today.

Gonna get me a piece o' the sky.
I wanna fly like an eagle, to the sea
and there's a tiger in my veins.
Oh, won't you come with me waltzing the waves,
                                                                                          diving the deep?

Found Lines:
L. 1   The Who, 'I Can See for Miles' / The Beach Boys, 'Endless Summer'
L. 2  The Beach Boys, 'Fun, Fun, Fun'/Dean Martin, "When You're Smiling"
L. 3  The Jamies, "Summertime, Summertime'

L. 4 The Doors, 'Summer's Almost Gone' / Led Zeppelin, 'Good Times, Bad Times'

L.5   Ray Bradbury, 'Dandelion Wine

L6    Joni Mitchell, "Chelsea Morning"

L7    Paul Simon, "Kodachrome," "Dazzling  Blue"

L8    Dan Fogelberg, "Run for the Roses" 

L9    Spice Girls, "Wannabe"/Will Smith, "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It"

L10  The Beatles, "Good Day Sunshine"

L11   The Carpenter, "Top of the World"

L12   Lin-Manuel Miranda, "Underneath the Lovely London Sky" from Mary Poppins

L13   Carole King, "Hi-de-ho (That Sweet Roll)"

L14  Steve Miller, "Fly Like An Eagle"

L15   Don Felder, "Wild Life"

L16   Nolwenn Leroy, "Song of the Sea" (lullaby)

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April Schedule  -  If you are interested in the backstories of each Progressive Poem writer, please visit the sites linked below. 

1 Matt @Radio, Rhythm and Rhyme

2 Kat @Kathryn Apel
3 Kimberly @KimberlyHutmacherWrites
4 Jone @DeoWriter
5 Linda @TeacherDance
6 Tara @Going to Walden
7 Ruth @thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown
8 Mary Lee @A Year of Reading
9 Rebecca @Rebecca Herzog
10 Janet F. @Live Your Poem
11 Dani @Doing the Work that Matters
12 Margaret @Reflections on the Teche
13 Doraine @Dori Reads
14 Christie @Wondering and Wandering
15 Robyn @Life on the Deckle Edge
16 Carol @Beyond LiteracyLink
17 Amy @The Poem Farm
18 Linda @A Word Edgewise
19 Heidi @my juicy little universe
20 Buffy @Buffy’s Blog
21 Michelle @Michelle Kogan
22 Catherine @Reading to the Core

23 Penny @a penny and her jots

24 Tabatha @The Opposite of Indifference
25 Jan @Bookseestudio
26 Linda @Write Time
27 Sheila @Sheila Renfro
28 Liz @Elizabeth Steinglass
29 Irene @Live Your Poem
30 Donna @Mainely Write

#haikulove for H is For Haiku

Did you know that February is National Haiku Writing Month? I did not realize that until today but I have been spreading #haikulove throughout the month. In keeping with the haiku celebration this month, I am sharing an amazing treasure trove of A to Z haiku from Sydell Rosenberg (1929-1996), an accomplished poet whose imaginative poetry will delight you and hopefully inspire you to read and even write haiku.

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For decades, Amy Losak, daughter of poet Sydell Rosenberg, worked tirelessly to make her mother's dream of publishing H Is For Haiku, A Treasury of Haiku From A to Z come true. On April 10, 2018, the dream became a reality; Sydell's book was published. Amy and I have been exchanging messages about her mother's book for several months so I am excited to showcase Sydell's work and provide readers with Amy's perspective on the charming and whimsical way her mother envisioned haiku. 

Haiku is that fledgling moment when

the wingstrokes become sure-when the

bird has staying power in the air

-Sydell Rosenberg

Parents, educators, and children will fall in love with Sydell's small nuggets of thoughts on city life and nature in H Is For Haiku. Her book is an invitation to slow down, pause, and savor the small moments of life. Let's take a look inside this treasure trove of haiku happiness.

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In light of the recent snow that has fallen on Long Island and larger amounts in other parts of the country, I present Sydell's haiku for the letter C:

My little grandbaby would be upset if her baby could not be retrieved from a buried car but this dolly appears to be excited about her adventure. Sydell's 5-7-5 syllable pattern and child-friendly wordplay heightened by Sawsan Chalabi's imaginative illustration and visually appealing font provide the right amount of whimsy for a winter tale. 

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The meteorologists accurately reported that Long Island's snow would come and go, so the following haiku by Rosenberg seems appropriate, especially since my husband usually forgets to take in my Grandmother's vintage watering can. 

In this imaginative haiku celebrating the letter D, the arrangement of raindrops from a human-like cloud brings nature to life and invites us into the poem.

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In this haiku featuring the letter H, don't you just love that Rosenberg compared umbrellas to mushrooms and that Chalabi's brightly colored artwork captures the intent of the poem in a fanciful way? Based upon the Long Island weather report, this morning I thought I would see a line of children with umbrellas like the one above but nature had other plans. The sun decided to appear instead of the predicted rain. At least, I have this haiku to remind me that weather can be damp and wet but sparkly, too. 

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I hope you are intrigued by the sneak peek of H Is For Haiku. There are 26 haiku in this charming alphabet book for little ones and adults. Now let's turn our attention to Amy Losak and her journey to fulfill her mother's wish.

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Interview with Amy Losak

1. Amy, how did you begin the process of showcasing your mother's work?

The process was slow and halting. It took me such a long time to mobilize, for various reasons having to do with my own innate tendency to procrastinate, my fear and lack of self-confidence, and my continuing and paralyzing grief over my mother's sudden death in 1996. Thanks to the support of many understanding people, I finally began to make some small but eventually steady strides in reviewing and organizing some of her copious work. This was around 2011,

At one point, I had a kind of Eureka moment: I remembered that, a long time ago, mom had one idea in mind for illustrating her manuscript, if it ever became a book: children. I came up with my own, related idea to contact nonprofit children’s art education organizations and offer mom’s “word-picture” haiku as teaching tools. I also contacted various other organizations serving kids: nature and literacy groups, child life specialists, etc., with my ideas to integrate the beauty of haiku into their educational, creative, or therapeutic programs.

At last, I connected with an outstanding New York organization, Arts For All (arts-for-all.org), and they “got” my vision. We’ve had a successful partnership for several years now. I fund the teaching residencies. AFA teachers have used a number of mom’s haiku in two city schools (one in the Bronx, one in Queens) to help teach the basics of drawing, painting, and collage; music; and theater, to mostly second-grade students (and other grades, as well). I’ve had an opportunity to visit the two schools several times to discuss mom’s haiku and share some of her story (it’s important that they connect the words to a real person: the writer). The teaching artists are so talented and dedicated, under the amazing leadership of Executive Director, Anna Roberts-Ostroff.

Other rewarding endeavors I have engaged in:

-Programs with the Children’s Museum of the Arts (Manhattan), the Queens Botanical Garden (Queens, NY), and the Teaneck Creek Conservancy (Teaneck, NJ).

-Free event at the Poets House in Manhattan. 

-Upcoming workshop on April 25 for Poem In Your Pocket Day-https://poetshouse.org/event/poem-in-your-pocket-day-2/

2. What do think of the way the illustrator visualized your mother's haiku?

Sawsan Chalabi’s art is wonderful–full of vim and joy and I love the clever lettering. The poems are an integral part of the illustration. Schalabi.com

3. What are your next steps for promoting the concept of small moments?

I hope to continue interacting with young people in various settings on the potential for haiku to elicit and capture an appreciation for the “small moments” that surround our daily lives. I also hope to publish another haiku picture book, perhaps one that combines my work with my mom’s. It’s in the works!

4. What would you like to add to our discussion, Amy? 

I view myself as an eternal beginner. I started writing haiku late and I have a lot to learn. This is fine! For me, it's more about the process than the results. Writing haiku has opened my eyes and all my senses to the myriad small moments that can be treasures, if we only take the time to perceive them. I enjoy writing haiku, even though it’s anything but easy. Of course, this process helps me stay connected to my mom. Poets study and practice this form seriously for years. It's a dedicated community that is global. I feel fortunate to be part of it, thanks to social media.

5. Let's list the accolades for your mother's book, Amy.
-Chosen by National Council of Teachers of English as a 2019 Notable Poetry Book
-Nominated for the 2018 Cybils Award in Poetry 
-Included in SCBWI's 2018 Official Reading List
-Selected by Amelia Island Book Festival in Florida for its Authors in Schools program
-Received 35 ratings and 20 reviews on Goodreads.com
-300 third grade students at Yulee Elementary School attended Amy Losak's presentation and        received copies of H Is For Haiku

As Amy says, "Some of Syd's short poems (a few were published decades ago) have a city sensibility. But they also have a universal, timeless appeal. Haiku are brief: they impel young readers to slow down and linger over something they may ordinarily overlook, and perhaps find bits of magic there."

I would like to thank Amy Losak for continuing conversations with me so the magic of her mother's delightful haiku could be showcased during National Haiku Writing Month.

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I close with my version of a weather report for Long Island

and what I imagine Virginia weather would be like.

These digital inspirations were humbly designed using Rosenberg's delightful haiku and Chalabi's imaginative illustrations as mentor texts.

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This week, Poetry Friday is hosted by the talented poet, experienced haiku writer, and creative entrepreneur, Robyn Black at her blog site, Life on the Deckled Edge. Please circle back during April for National Poetry Month when all the Poetry Friday poets will be celebrating.

Save the Dates:

4/17/19 - International Haiku Poetry Day

4/26/19 - Poem In Your Pocket Day

*Interested readers can purchase a copy of H Is For Haiku: A Treasury of Haiku from A to Z, by Sydell Rosenberg and Sawsan Chalabi (Penny Candy Books) at your favorite local or online booksource.