January Poetic Journal Entries

Winter winds flutter side to side with quick, light movements. They slip through the night, bringing chilling weather. Even the inside of the house feels cool. Morning wakeups are challenging. I grab layers of workout clothes and rush to various exercise programs. Just like me, January has its own routines.

Below is the continuation of a series of Elfchen poems for this year's poetic journal. You can read the initial poems that show the transition from the end of December 2023 to the beginning of January 2024 by clicking here.

brisk

winter wind

awakens the earth

January's chilled breath whispers 

Brrr!

©CVarsalona, January 2024

fog

sweeps in

like a cloud

mystifying my quiet neighborhood

otherworldly

©CVarsalona, January 2024

Photo by Derek Varsalona, January 2024

This month, two snowstorms arrived, followed by heavy rain, fog, brisk winds, and a few magical spring-like days. During these blasts of weather changes, I enjoy watching the landscape change.

Today, there is a gray sky looming above. Something is brewing. The temperature is lowering. It is time to listen to the weather report.  

Soon, the Ground Hog will make his weather prediction. Check on February 2nd if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow.

I am eager to visit the Two Writing Teachers community  tonight because before today I have not been able to find time to write a Slice of Life. For those educators who live in snowy areas, stay warm by the fireplace (like I am tonight).

Into the Spring Fog

I woke to 44 degrees weather, soft raindrops, and a sky of muted gray. There was silence in the neighborhood as if it was the middle of the night. As I embarked on my shopping run, I turned onto the main roads to find cars lit with headlights, window wipers swishing, and a small number of cars on the road. What struck me was the mood that was being evoked by the mixture of the rainstorm, cloudless sky, and the piping in of slow instrumental music. The name of the piece popped up on the dashboard, Still/Sound.

Wrapped in Morning Fog

on silent footsteps

it came

I drove cautiously

enjoying the scenery

waiting for spring's renewal

©CVarsalona, 2023

My Slice of Life

Day 26 of Two Writing Teachers.

16th Annual March SOLSC! #SOL23

Misty Thoughts Revisited

Last Saturday I traveled to visit my sweet granddaughters. A thick grayness followed me throughout the trip. Upon returning to Long Island, I was surprised by the same gray tones hovering over the Verrazano Bridge. 

A drizzling rain left dampness in the air. As our car approached the bridge, an intense desire to capture the sight of the harbor shrouded in mist came upon me. I decided to explain the sighting through a definito poem introduced by my poet friend, Heidi Mordhorst. Heidi explains her definito as a "free verse poem of 8-12 lines (aimed at readers 8-12 years old) that highlights word play as it demonstrates the meaning of a less common word, which always ends the poem". 

The photo below set the stage for my mind to wander in thought. I modified the word play fun to reach an older group of students. I also added my definito word in a phrase at the end of the poem. 

A misty chill of winter hovers

over an indistinct shoreline.

Nature wraps itself around 

a February morning,

sharing only a fraction of light

within a hazy, hanging fog.

A groggy world passes by,

blurred by discontent as

a single ship glows like a beacon

in the brumous haze.

©CV, 2020

Today is when the Poetry Friday writing community gathers for its roundup. The fabulous poet/author and friend, Laurie Purdie Salas, is this week's host. Join me at her site to read about her new venture. 

*I hosted Spiritual Journey Thursday yesterday. A few of my Poetry Friday friends joined me in writing about seasonal bliss. You can access the post here. If you would like to share your thoughts, please follow the link up. The site is open all weekend.

Misty Morning Thoughts

The day was shrouded in gray tones. As we crossed the Verrazano Bridge, I felt as though I walked into a heavier mist of gray. Everything but the steel on the bridge was obscured so I tried to capture the grayness of the day in a photograph. I wondered about life and felt a strong urge to write. Since I could not get to my notebook fast enough, I scribbled on the back of an envelope, transformed my thoughts into a haiku, and composed this image poem. 

Sometimes it is hard to see in life. If the fog rolls in we can't see anything. Most people get caught up in life that they forget the purpose of life is to be happy.  -Frederick Lenz

The gray sky did not dampen my thoughts at all for I was on my way to see my little granddaughters. It is true happiness to be near them. I am sure that this same sense of happiness and joy I feel are also felt by other grandparents.

It's Slice of Life Tuesday at Two Writing Teachers. I join the community of slicers each week to share a small moment.

Into the Fog

The sun peeked out from behind grayish clouds and for that moment, I felt giddy and adventurous. "Let's go to the boardwalk!" With that quick morning greeting, I was outside in a flash, aching for a chance to feel free with hair blowing in the air. I pulled out my sunglasses at the same time my husband rolled down the windows and off we went. The sun continued to brighten until we neared Long Beach - a hazy light was visible amidst the gray sky. 

By the time we arrived on the boardwalk, an intense fog hovered, reminding me of Carl Sandburg's poem, Fog. As we made our way to a railing overlooking the beach, the ocean was not visible at all. In the many years that I have lived here, I have not seen such haziness encapsulate the sea.  A man on a bicycle came rolling by laughing and calling out to bewildered beachgoers, "If we could see, we might be able to find the ocean."  Determined, I proceeded to capture what I could or could not see through my lens, even though there were stretches of nothingness beyond the beach. 

The word, nothingness, was circling back to me.  Before leaving the house, I engaged in the #SpiritChat Sunday morning Twitter convo.  Was Kumud Ajmani's opening question meant for this boardwalk encounter?  "On Celebrating Nothing(ness)" - what does the phrase evoke/inspire within you today?"  My response seemed fitting for a coming-into-the-fog scene.  "Nothingness is a state of calm, resting in the joy of living." 

No one at the beach seemed to be concerned about the fog and they were certainly enjoying the day. Surfers were fully dressed hoisting their surfboards above their heads. Youngsters were rollerblading, others bicycling. There were even children barefoot in the sand.  A few large trucks were making their way horizontally in the sand, trying to level it out. 

into the fog

they came on

silent footsteps-

waiting for sun

This joyous spring happening on Palm Sunday gave me the inspiration to finish my one line for the annual Kidlithosphere Progressive Poem. Today, was my day to add a found line from a song.  You can see the poem in progress at my site under the title 2019 Kidlithosphere Progress Poem Continues.  

It is Slice of Life Tuesday at Two Writing Teachers so I am ready to add this slice. 

Traveling Through Fog

Winter has been unusually fickle this season. It has changed its course often, going from warm temperatures to cold ones and snowy scenes have come and gone. Last week, winter decided to send a walloping snowstorm to Long Island. There was so much snow that snow shovelers who often canvas the houses in the neighborhood for jobs were nowhere in sight.  So, it was up to our family with its three shovels to dig out. That we did over the course of days until a forty degree day that melted some of the snow away created snow slush. 

Thinking that we were past the long stretch of cold, we packed the car and headed to Baltimore for an out-of-town family wedding last Friday. Little did we know that we would face another strange weather pattern along the way. Torrential rains gave way to a greyish mass of dense fog that was strange in its appearance. A glowing light cast an eerie pattern across the landscape, most of which was invisible. As we crossed the Susquehanna River, the fog thickened and an interesting image formed. I recalled Carl Sandburg's poem. 

THE fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

This fog did not move on as in Sandburg's poem. It remained and enveloped the highway and then, stretched across the city of Baltimore as we entered. Happy that we were provided a beautiful hotel room overlooking the Baltimore Harbor, we were surprised that we could not see much of anything from our seventeenth floor windows. But there was a bright side to this story. The rain, fog, and extremely cold weather made us happy to stay inside and cozy up with our 6 1/2 month granbaby, Sierra. Her smile lit up the room and brought a sense of contentment, despite the strange winter weather. 

Part 1 of heart journeys is my Tuesday Slice of Life so join me as I link this post to Two Writing Teachers. 

Into the Fog

Traveling on Long Island is usually a unique experience 

in managing and maneuvering traffic. 

Back in Time
During my college days, I remember visiting my roommate's family who lived in the western part of Long Island. I was shocked at the busy traffic patterns and the amount of drivers on the road. When I returned to capital area region i thought about the drivers who could capably manage the craziness of the multi-lane highways. Little did I know that one day I would be part of the Long Island morning and evening routine rush hours. 

Fast Forward to 2015
Yesterday while traveling to a workshop on Long Island during the morning rush, a dense pocket of grey matter hovered over the highway. My quiet time that I set aside for reviewing the day's events and observing nature was over. I needed to pay attention to driver safety rules and be cautious and mindful of how to maneuver my car when exiting the parkway. Luckily for me, I was not in the thick of the soupy fog as others were. The fog crept in and walked out silently with the travelers all arriving safely to our destination. 

Life is to be celebrated each day. Being mindful leads to clearer insight. 

Move from the fog into the clearing! 

*********

Each week the blogging community, Celebrate This Week led by Ruth Ayres, writes about their weekly celebrations. Please visit the site here.

Also please visit Mary Lee Hahn's Poetrepository where Mary Lee is encouraging all to create haikus and poetry alongside here. Please visit that site here.