MARCH, a Mercurial Month

March is here with its mercurial spirit, continually changing from bitter storms to golden, sunny days. It's a month of transition for nature, from lion-like roaring to lamb-like gentleness. I march through March, a month of memories, a time to celebrate my husband's life, and honor his passing. The following poems come from my heart as I near the upcoming Year Two. 

  SUPPOSE-Then and Now  

we weaved through life 

like gentle lambs, calmer, calmer

moving through stormy weather

suppose we stretched across the sky

like billowing clouds of beauty, slowly, slowly

floating to nature's rhythm

   suppose we meet in evening dreams

like fairies whispering, circling, circling

into a magical web of forever  

(c) CVarsalona, March 2026 - based on Wendell Berry's poem, Like Snow

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Thank you to Jone MacCulloch

for her Wendell Berry-like poem

Suppose we did our work

like winter, renewing and replenishing

Readying ourselves for spring

© Jone Rush MacCulloch, 2026

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I offer my work to two writing communities

that I belong to: 

Poetry Friday

Linda Baie is hosting the Poetry Friday Roundup today at her blog site, TeacherDance. She offers us a few Friday the 13th superstition stories and a beautiful picture of the sky with an original poem about nature and loved ones.

 

Day 13, March 2026

 12th year with Two Writing Teachers

Pause To Reflect (on the Spiritual Journey)

This year, I chose the word pause to guide my spiritual journey. I had high expectations but little did I know that a couple of months later, I would experience unexpected pauses that started from a simple surgery. During the initial recuperation period, I grieved the loss of my strength. This led to mounting stress. Now,  as I begin physical therapy, I pause to rethink the road ahead. My hope is to have a refreshed attitude and time to enjoy the simple moments of life.

The digital graphic I created shows sunset before the 4th of July fireworks burst into the air. Sky colors are beautiful in Northern Virginia. This particular night was filled with excitement. I wanted to capture the sun's beauty and its awesomeness. I found serenity during the night. After pondering the effect of beauty in the natural world, I created the image poem below. It captured the feeling I had at the fireworks display and gave me hope for a positive spiritual journey.                    

My short poem impacted my thinking? Upon reading quotes, Bible entries, and blogs, on positivity, I found that a positive attitude activates "pause-itivity: the power of the pause". The inspirational writer, Eleanor Brown, also reminds me that self-care is important. If Earth at the end of the day finds rest, I can too. I plan on stepping back to "take time to replenish my spirit and serve others from the overflow-not from an empty vessel." BUT, I cannot do so without the help of the Divine Creator who is present even in troubled times of uncertainty. 

NOT busyness but a slowdown spirit is needed because Life itself is fragile and uncertain (CV). I shall take time to rest in the Spirit, find my way through uncertainty, and with hope, continue the spiritual journey with "pause-itivity". Below is a quick skinny poem with recent photos that made me ponder more.

pause-itivity moments

seeking

peace

quietude

wonder

seeking

hope

inside

rainbows

seeking

pause-itivity moments

©CVarsalona, 2024

★★★★★★★★★★★★★

As the host of August's Spiritual Journey, I offer the prompt Pause to Reflect. Perhaps, this prompt will stir thoughts on your own one word or other sacred pauses in your life.     - Please log in with Mr. Linky below.

Not a Typical Mother's Day

Sometimes, life moves in ways not expected. It can be as unpredictable as storms that pass through or as bright as spring skies offering rebirth. As I reflect, on this past Mother's Day, I realize it was a day not expected yet filled with the love of family. 

I never imagined that I would celebrate the day in the ICU wing of the hospital as opposed to having a leisurely breakfast brunch with my family. What began as a simple umbilical hernia repair turned into much more, two rare hernias most common in women over 65 with a bladder tear, a second surgery detained, pneumonia, and a fungal bacteria. I am spent but there is always hope and family love.

I turn my attention to author/poet Patricia Franz, who is hosting Poetry Friday. It feels so good to join the Friday Roundup this week. After 10 days of medical treatment, I feel the strength of nature surrounding me. I join Patricia who speaks of a forest joy experience and a commitment to the ways of tree-being, silent and tireless. 

Since I am still in the hospital on the medical floor, I need to take my time reading all the poetic goodness offered by the Poetry Friday community of writers. 

Growth on the Spiritual Journey

Springtime offers verdant landscapes with lush settings. It is a time of growth, rebirth, and rejuvenation as Earth reawakens from its winter slumber. The month of May opens the door to our Spiritual Journey host, Jone Rush MacCulloch's, theme on growth.

There is environmental growth and personal, self-growth. The digitized photo of a day with nature is shown below. I distinctly remember walking the grounds of Westbury Gardens, a Long Island historical site, with a euphoric feeling.  Nature was aglow. the grounds were manicured and the gardens blooming. 

What did I learn about springtime from this memorable day? 

• Walking in nature can become a ritual that helps boost energy while developing a positive mindset
• When the earth is blooming there is a sense of calm
• Quiet time helps to get to know yourself 
• Rather than attempting to reach the final draft of ourselves, we should find the courage to keep revising  -Susan David

News:

• I started an abracadabra, magic nine poem for my Poetry Parade Padlet. 
• I will add two wonderful artistic expressions sent via mail from Marcie Flinchum Atkins and Irene Latham. 
• Carol Labuzzetta mailed me her stunning book, Picture Perfect Poetry: An Anthology of Ekphrastic Poetry for Students. I am proud and honored to have three ekphrastic poems and another nature photograph published in her book

You can still send me your image poems or other offerings for the Poetry Parade Padlet, my National Poetry Month project.

Thank you, Jone Rush MacCulloch, for hosting Spiritual Journey with the May theme, growth, for our community of writers. I also thank Buffy Silverman, host of Poetry Friday, for her interesting science-literacy post. I plan on making the rounds this weekend.  

Winter-Spring Tug of War

When I woke up yesterday morning, I could barely see outside. The rain came tumbling down, making a trip to the hair stylist unpleasant. Luckily, my husband saved the day and drove me thinking there would be little traffic. What a surprise to find that the highway was filled with huge trucks and drivers in a rush. In addition, the temperature was colder than expected. The heavy rainstorm and cold winds did not stop the traffic. We were surprised to see several trucks lined along the highway waiting for the unrelenting rain to stop. The long trip was filled with pounding rain until I reached my destination. 

I reflected on yesterday's poem, Season's Transitions. The first stanza is below. 

winter winds wistfully whisper

a tingling tune across night sky

rejecting departure, earth's resistor  

allows spring to sashay by

You can read the full draft of the poem here and then

see what you think of my image poem below.

waves of water slide

down in unstoppable rain

seasons' tug-of-war

©CVarsalona, 2024

☔

I offer this Slice of Life to the 2024 Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Story Challenge on Day 24 instead of 23. After the storm, the long ride to the hair stylist, and Saturday night Mass, I fell asleep while writing this slice (not an unusual experience for me this winter).

Day 24

Will March exit like a lion or lamb?

November's Slow Down Time

Last week, I woke to the sight of my thriving basil plants limp from the overnight frost. While this was upsetting, I reminded myself that November is coming to the end of its trail. Darkness creeps in earlier. Winds whisper in the night and leaves swoosh across the sidewalks. Nature readies herself for a transition. During this time of change, articles and self-help guides are plentiful. November becomes the time to slow down, let go or rest. I turn to F. Scott Fitzgerald's quote, Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall. Autumn is a time for renewal.

As I reset my clock, I decide to pause and reset my self-care goals.: Find ease and peace on a daily level. Indulge in ample amounts of sleep during November's slow-down. Read and write often to unwind. Cherish small moments and find positivity.

In searching for a short poem on November, I found November Night, written by a late 19th-early 20th American poet, Adelaide Crapsey. Below is an example of an American cinquain poem that she created.

Listen.

With faint dry sound,

Like steps of passing ghosts,

The leaves, frost-crisp'd, break from the trees

And fall. 

-Adelaide Crapsey

Intrigued by Crapsey's  word choice and imagery, I penned an American cinquain poem.

Listen.

November winds

chase crunchy, fallen leaves

dancing a quickstep across trails.

Tune in.

©CVarsalona, Fall 2023

While walking the nature trail this week with my little grandgirls, we listened for sounds in the woods, stopped to pick just right leaves for a collage, and made small observations. On the way home, my 6-year-old grandchild, Sierra, began piecing together a draft of a poem about our November walk in the woods. I captured some of her thoughts and merged them into a children's poem with a photo of the two little girls marching in the woods.

What will you do during November's slow down period of of letting go and renewal?

You can find me soaking in nature.

🍁🍂🍃🍁🍂🍃

Since today is Poetry Friday, I am going to soak in the poetic goodness lining up at our host, Karen Edmisten's blog site. Karen is bringing me back to the wonders of Autumn in New York. Join me there.

🍁🍂🍃🍁🍂🍃

A Single Moment in Time

I had never heard of boketto poetry until fellow poet, Alan Wright shared it on his blog recently. As I read his description of the format, I knew that it fit nicely into my journey to just be in the moment. I quickly entered information presented by Alan in my digital poetry notebook. The boketto consists of two stanzas; the first stanza has five lines with a total of 30 syllables - 7,7,7,4,5. Stanza two has three lines and 17 syllables-7, 7,3). In addition, Allan wrote.  "The boketto is akin to staring at the sky or into the distance without a thought...getting lost in one's own self; removing the self from a place mentally. There is no regard to the past and no connection to the future. There is only THIS moment."

Below, you will see the end product of my getting lost in nature for a single moment in time. There was stillness in the heat of summer when I captured the nature photo. The words came days later and were refined tonight. I designed the photo and poetic words into a freeze frame, thus becoming an image poem of late summer. Have you felt the yearning to just be, sit still staring at the landscape, and feel surrounded by quietude? 

Today, I stopped to capture a field of wildflowers in the back of my granddaughter's elementary school. What was unusual was dancing pieces of small white fluff following one another in a horizontal pattern. As the progression increased, I realized that the fluff was in reality floating pollen. I was not quick enough to create a small video but did capture the beauty of nature in this photo below.

wildflowers swayed in the heat

basking in nature's sunshine

while pollen floated gently

irritants felt

on this summer day

ragweed season brought itching,

reminder of childhood and

allergies

©CVarsalona, 2023, draft

Do you have ragweed allergies? It can be a nuisance and a distraction when trying to enjoy a late summer day but make the most of each day. Enjoy the end-of-summer!

🌻🌅🌻

It's Poetry Friday and I am ready to join Rose Cappelli, our host, at her website. Click here. Rose shares her best season of the year through a reverso poem invented by Marilyn Singer.

I am hosting Poetry Friday next Friday. I invite everyone to find their favorite end-of-summer nature photo. Share a moment in time photo and write a poem to accompany the photo. Destination End-of-Summer will have its own Gallery of Artistic Expressions.

Hold Summer In Your Hand

As the summer heat continues, air-conditioned living is a must. Yesterday, I entered a large store and was surprised that the air conditioning system was not working properly. It is difficult for staff to work all day in these conditions. Air conditioning is a mood booster that most people are used to but it was not always this way. With a positive look at summer life, I offer a quote shared by Linda Baie. "Hold summer in your hand, pour summer in a glass, a tiny glass of course, the smallest tingling sip for children; change the season in your veins by raising a glass to lip and tilting summer in." -Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury 

I am tilting summer in with The Poetry Sisters whose challenge this month is to write a poem in the form of monotetra and tag it with the label, #PoetryPals. You can learn more about it at Writer's Digest. 

I never tried writing a monotetra before so this challenge has been more challenging than I thought. The heat has been on my mind, the bounty of the flowers, and the urgency of watering. Besides that, I am participating in the summer poem swaps. These ideas found a way into my poem along with some inspiration I need.

hydrangea's summer blush smiles

underneath heated, cloudy piles 

waiting for rainy-day lifestyles

let go of trials, let go of trials

find beauty in the crystal drops

that flip-flop across, settle, and plop

breathe in summer's sweetened swaps

share peaceful ops, share peaceful ops

©CVarsalona, 2023, draft

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Image Poem

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Jan Godown Annino is the host of Poetry Friday this week. Click here to find a wonderful assortment of summer information on books, poetry, and poetic goodness. Enjoy all that she offers from Florida. (Stay cool, Jan!)

Savoring Summer

Summer is slipping by but one of the highlights this July was designing and hosting The First Ever Kids Summer Fun Fest in our community's grandchildren. After the event, I wrote a blog titled Summer's Magic Comes Alive! and posted it on our community Facebook page and other social media sites. The Lumen5 team noticed it on their site and created a video with the same title and emailed me. The video intuitively captured parts of my writing but let me choose photos and music to accompany the words. As you might expect, Lumen 5 is an AI-powered tool that creates videos to accompany written content." Below you will find what was sent to me before the video.

Introduction: Experience the joy and excitement of a kids' summer fun fest. Watch as children enjoy hula hoops, face painting, water tattoos, and more. See the smiles and laughter as they splash in the pool and receive prizes.

Conclusion: Let the magic of summer fill your day! 

You can see the final 30-second video by clicking here.

I have used Lumen5 for several years and find the experience interesting. It does not replace the writer's creativity apparent during the writing process but quickly generates photos to accompany the text. What it does is create an initial video from the writer's post, and allow enhancements with free photos for a fun experience with video making. The process reminds me of the swimmers I saw in the pool at the Kids Summer Fun Fest. Some splashed around, others floated in a sea of kids but then there were those determined to master the stroke, dunk the ball, or dive into a clear spot. Below is another digital tech-driven image poem created with Canva using free photos found at the Unsplash and Canva sites.

Taking the advice of William Shakespeare, "Summer's lease hath all too short a date", I plan on savoring summer right up to Labor Day.

The Poetry Friday Roundup is a teacher, author, and poet Margaret Simon's website, Reflections on the Teche. Margaret created a yummy post today about delicious homemade strawberry jam from a fellow teacher writer, Molly Hogan. There are photos and an ode to the jam. Now that is a wonderful way to savor summer.

Sparking Clunker Words

It's been a heated summer week so it is time to cool off and end the night indulging in poetic goodness. This week the Poetry Friday host is a remarkable librarian poet, Linda Mitchell who loves to play with words and the collage process. She is ready for readers to spark some original poems from her selection of her old clunky words, lines, or stanza. I decided to dabble in her process to create something new from words that may not have seemed right to her at the time. and be creative in the process.

                                                          catch 

                                                                     a

                                                                        falling 

                                                                                    word

hold onto it

tuck it away

in earth's

deep pocket

grow it

from seed

when ready

let it soar into a

universe of thought

on a summer day

©CVarsalona, 2023

🫖

Minute Sips of Time Together

tea time memories flash through my mind

remembering 

sipping

slowly

talking

remembering

breakfast

on

Sundays

remembering

tea time memories flash through my mind

©CVarsalona, 2023

☔

Rain Day's Magic Words 

On this rain day

through teary eyes I see

your soft hands pray

your rocking chair sway

your cup of favorite tea 

On the brink of summer

you passed into the dark night

became heaven's newcomer

full of creative wonder

with certainly no fright

On this day of torrential rain

I remember your swelling feet

I feel your lasting pain

of which you never complained

in heaven you are complete

©CVarsalona, 2023

👏

POETRY NEWS

The amazing children's author and poet, Irene Latham, sent me some small cards and an Apollo XVII badge (above) as a thank-you for being a moon-buddy. I was surprised and touched. As a moon-buddy, I am enjoying reading Irene's soon-to- make its debut on August 8th. I am delighted to offer a book review of her fascinating book, The Museum on the Moon. Stay tuned for the release of my book review on Irene's latest book.

I bid everyone good night as I prepare for bedtime.

Please ready yourself for the poetic goodness of Linda Mitchell

as she hosts Poetry Friday today. Click here.