Poetry Peeps Challenge as March Marches On!

A few years ago, I was invited to view my first hummingbird. It looked like a little fairy as it flitted around my friends' upper deck. I tried to take a photo but it popped up and down playing peek-a-boo with me. Hence, no photo was captured, but I was delighted ans inspired by the tiny bird's sight.

The above creative invitation is from the Poetry Sisters.

Tanita, Laura, Mary Lee, Liz, Sara, Tricia, and Kelly.

Pantoum poems are marvelous nuggets of repetitive lines.

You can read more about this poetic form here.

Hummingbird's Flight

a small fairylike bird hummed

while moving through the windless sky

with no care in the world, it shunned

my camera as if it were shy

while moving through the windless sky

playing peekaboo it avoided

my camera as if it were truly shy

then flitted away - beak pointed

playing peekaboo it avoided

photos though fancily dressed

then flitted away - beak pointed

flying backward toward the west

©CVarsalona, 2024

I also penned a pantoum to two seasons, winter and spring  

You can read my "Seasons Transition" blog post with the pantoum here.

Exciting News!

Laura Purdie Salas' new kidlit book, Oskar's Voyage, arrived. 

Stay tuned for my book review of this amazing story.

 is hosted this week by

 one of the talented Poetry Sisters, Tricia Stohr-Hunt,

 at The Miss Rrumphius Effect blog. 

Enjoy the Poetry Friday Roundup!

I also offer this Slice of Life to Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Story Challenge.

Day 28 with thanks for their month-long writing challenge.

Seasons Transition

Spring is here but Winter holds on with its brisk winds and upcoming storm.

It's time to remember: "No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn." (Hal Borland)

My dwarf weeping cherry tree enjoyed

its first bloom at the end of winter. 

It's now waiting for spring to nourish it. 

*******

winter winds wistfully whisper

a tingling tune across night sky

rejecting departure, earth's resistor  

allows spring to sashay by

a tingling tune across night sky

welcomes brisk weather 

allowing spring to sashay by

until seasons blend together

welcoming brisk weather

spring sun sways

until seasons blend together

in a playful way

spring sun sways

reigning as the sole survivor

in a playful way

spring becomes the advisor

Draft, CVarsalona, March 2024, pantoum

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Heartnote to Spring

💖

"Blossom by blossom the spring begins." 

Algernon Charles Swinburne

My pear tree showcases her white blossoms.

*******

I am ready to offer my blog post to Poetry Friday and 2024 Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Story Challenge.

Logo created by Tanita S. Davis

Thank you to poet and author Rose Cappelli for hosting this week's Poetry Friday Roundup. She offers a post on her new birdfeeder and the number of birds making frequent visits. Click here to find more poetic goodness.

 

I am also offering this Slice of Life to the 2024 Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Story Challenge. Click here.

Path to Renewal in Late Autumn

Looking back to my teenage years, I remember falling in love with fall. I enjoyed walking alone through the leaves listening to crunching sounds while breathing in the scents of autumn. I became a Central New York autumnophile who observed and reflected on the beauty I saw.  

Two weekends ago in Virginia, Autumn brightened the sky. Temperatures were warm and inviting. When my husband suggested taking a country ride to Shenandoah National Park I welcomed the trip. After all, I had years of memories of New York autumns. The short trip was filled with Aha moments. The countryside was dotted with multi-colored trees in brilliant tones. I don't think I ever saw such splendiferous beauty at the end of October. I felt renewed energy as I breathed in the warmth of autumn air and was astonished by the breathtaking beauty found on Skyline Drive as we drove upward stopping at various elevation sites.

copper-colored, regal red, and cinnamon paints

splash across the blue-bonnet sky

nature unveils her autumn gift

along a mountaintop trail

splashed across the blue-bonnet sky

darkened hues edged in white cotton puffs

along a mountaintop trail

offer nature's expansive wilderness view

darkened hues edged in white cotton puffs

above rows of fieldstone edging along the trail

offer nature's expansive wilderness view

a mute testimony to a cultural past*

above rows of fieldstone edging along the trail

majestic trees blaze in brilliant colors

a mute testimony to a cultural past

of copper-colored, regal red, and cinnamon paints 

©CVarsalona, 2023

*Shenandoah National Park: From Idea to Reality article

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Breathe in Autumn's breathtaking views.

Feel RENEWED.

Be grateful for the Master Painter's artistic touch.

"I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor and your wonderful miracles."

-Psalm 145:5

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Be mindful:

Fallen leaves on the ground are the golden song of immortal creativity.

~Amit Ray

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I am grateful that this month's Spiritual Journey host, Fran Haley, teacher-leader, and writer, suggested the theme of renewal as our prompt. It is the right choice for the first days of November which allow us to breathe in crisp air and watch the leaves fly by. 

My path to renewal of mind, body, and spirit began with the trip to Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park and continues each time I step outside into nature's freshened pathway. I reflect on these slowdown days of Autumn that showcase Earth's beauty and provide renewed energy to partake in nature's gifts.  

"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day." -2 Corinthians 4-16  

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Because my time is running out this weekend, I am adding my post to the Poetry Friday Roundup. Children's Author/Poet Buffy Silverman is hosting today, She is celebrating the publication of her newest children's book     ==================>.  

November enters with gratitude for life and living.

TIME TO CELEBRATE POETRY FRIDAY

#smallpoem for Anastasia Suen's November Challenge

#SOL22 March Musings Day 12: Snowflakes Dance

Nature is full of genius, full of divinity;  so that not a snowflake escapes its fashioning hand. Henry David Thoreau 

Wrapped in falling snow, delicate snowflakes

Cascade with wind behind their wings.

In morning's grayish wake,

No winter bird sings.

Cascade with wind behind their wings,

Snowflakes dance in zigzag pleasure.

No winter bird sings.

Winter shares its crispcool treasure.

Snowflakes dance in zigzag pleasure.

Window panes paint frozen views.

Winter shares its crispcool treasure.

Green tones turn to whitened hues.

Window panes paint frozen views

In morning's grayish wake.

Green tones turn to whitened hues

Wrapped in falling snow-delicate snowflakes.

©CV, 2022

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Thank you Two Writing Teachers for this daily meeting place to connect with a community of reflective writers.

March Musings Day 10: Grandma Love

Phone call comes in awakening me from a deep sleep. 

Our little girl is not feeling well. She has a 102-degree fever. Can you take care of her tomorrow?

Groggily I ask, "What time is it?" After a few more stumbling thoughts, I figure out that it is Monday night at 7:30 pm. I am surprised. Did I really take a three-hour nap? After I check my calendar, I respond to my daughter, "Yes, of course. Bring Aurora here tomorrow morning."

Tuesday morning comes and a very tired two-year-old with a running nose and sad eyes enters the house. She clings to her daddy. There is no doubt that she is ill with a cold. After a few hours, she bounces back, starts talking, and begins her day. 

It's time for a temperature check. Aurora is intrigued by my thermometer. I feel a gentle tug. Clearly, Aurora is determined to take matters into her own hands. 

"No, Gramma. No, Gamma" 

She takes the thermometer and moves it across her forehead. We clap when her temperature breaks. Then, she spends the day relaxing with her toys, learning during puzzle play time, and resting with a very long nap, much like mine was the day before.  

I Can Do It

Am I sick?

I don't know?

I can click.

Grama, let go!

©CV, 2022

After a hearty dinner with the family, Aurora and Sierra get ready to leave with one request. 

Sierra would like a weekend sleepover.

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Over the course of several days, I think back on the experience of having my little grandgirls visit. I begin to compose my first pantoum poem.  My writing friend, Fran Haley, has written several and offered guiding information. You can read her lovely poem, First Time Keeping, here. 

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Sweet Little Miss, 

I sweep you in my arms

Squeezing love from your heart to mine

Each visit we meet.

I sweep you in my arms

Swinging you through the air

Each visit we meet.

Grandma's love is real.

Swinging you through the air,

You  laugh with glee

Grandma's love is real.

Time together is precious.

You laugh with glee,

Squeezing love from your heart to mine.

Time together is precious,

Sweet Little Miss.

©CV, 2022

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Gratitude to Fran Haley for this information:

To write a pantoum, use this line sequence: The pantoum is a poem of any length, composed of four-line stanszas in which the second and fourth lines of each stanza serve as the first and third lines of the next stanza. The last line of a pantoum is often the same as the first.  (1234 2546 5768 7381)

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Tonight, I write for two writing communities.

Thank you, Poetry Friday, hosted by the dynamic duo, Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong. They are sharing their newest book, Things We Eat, a poetry anthology featuring foods poems from A to Z  

Thank you Two Writing Teachers for this daily meeting place to connect with a community of reflective writers.

Today You Are Four

It is quiet in the house except for the hum of the twirling fan. Only cracks of lights enter the darkened room. I steal a few moments to be alone with my thoughts. It is the eve of my granddaughter's fourth birthday. A whoosh of camera-ready moments rushes past me, from infant to toddler to a curious little girl. The years of her joyous life "whisper loud enough to make me stop and take stock."*

I dedicate the following pantoum poem composed of four-line stanzas in which the second and fourth lines of each stanza serve as the first and third lines of the next stanza. The last line of the pantoum is the same as the first.

💖

It was but yesterday

when you entered a calico-colored world

with your curious stance

that brought so much joy.

When you entered a calico-colored world,

you became our wonder baby.

Your curious stance grew

in natural settings.

You became our wonder baby`    

listening, learning,

in natural settings

that often led to new discoveries.

💖

Listening, learning,

you skied and climbed hills.

leading to new discoveries,

opening a new world of wonder.

You skied and climbed hills.

Your toddler passions have grown each year,

opening a world of  new wonders.

Today you are four!

💖💖💖💖

Your toddler passions have grown each year.

I watched with pride.

Today, you are four-

it was but yesterday!

©CV, 2021

Birthday love  💖 is sent to my "big girl" granddaughter, Sierra.

Thank you for always sharing your exuberance for life.

*Line lifted from my writing friend, Fran Haley, in a comment to slicer Chris Margocs."

 A Slice of Life for a Special Day

Focus on Life's Blessings

When Susan Bruck posted the following inspirational quote at her blog, I knew it would be a beautiful opening for this month's Spiritual Journey Thursday on reflection. 

"The Japanese philosophy encourages us to focus on the blessings hiding in our daily lives, and celebrating the way things are rather than how they should be." -Thomas Oppong

For many of us things in our personal lives are stressful. Pandemic blues follow. The facial coverings we wear may mask our feelings, holding us back from seeing life through a different lens. With determination and faith we need to find what is beautiful in life to restore a sense of joy. In trying to sort out my own emotions, I turn to nature's transformative touch. 

Remembering the brilliant sun over the marsh, the reeds brushing lightly past one another in a spring breeze, and the recent dark storms led to the creation of an inspirational digital filled with Long Island sights. I added the sketched hand to signify a need for humanity to reach out and connect with others. 

In this spirit of making connections, I reflect on an unusual Thanksgiving with my family. There were many differences that made this feast a new normal one. Instead of Mass at the Cathedral, we sat at home watching it on television. There was a small turkey breast with sides for our family of three, and Zoom and phone calls to connect with relatives and my granddaughters. Within the unfamiliarity of events there was a constant. The sermon, like many others, was a memorable one for our times. Our new pastor presented an urgent message: make Thanksgiving an action of the spirit, not just one day of celebration. His simple words encouraged all to fill our hearts with gratitude each day. Knowing that I had a dip in my positivity level during the pandemic, his message resonated with me.

As the pastor suggested, we need to become people filled with gratefulness for the blessings of life, not dwelling on the stressors that have us exploding like volcanoes of ill-wanted toxins. 

O Lord that lends me life, lend me a heart replete with thankfulness.

-William Shakespeare, Henry Vi, Part II, Act 1, Scene 1

🍁🍃🍂🍃🍁🍃🍁🍃🍂🍃🍁

Thanksgiving Pantoum

 

Oh, my soul, focus on blessings

found on quiet earthen paths.

Follow the journey to

thankful living.

Found on quiet, earthen paths

find gratitude for

thankful living.

Connect in hope.

Find gratitude for

the things that are.

Connect in hope.

Share this season filled with nature inspired awe.

The things that are

can bring a sense of peace.

Share this season filled with nature inspired awe.

Oh, my soul, focus on blessings.

©CV, 2020, Long Island

A pantoum consists of four-line stanzas with the second and fourth lines of each stanza becoming the first and third lines of the next stanza. The last line of a pantoum is often the same as the first.

🍁🍃🍂🍃🍁🍃🍁🍃🍂🍃🍁

Let the spirit of Thanksgiving

Become today's living action!

Awaken joy along the trail.

Be grateful for what is.

©CV, 2020, Long Island

🍁🍃🍂🍃🍁🍃🍁🍃🍂🍃🍁

I plan on searching for life's small details to see the positives and share these with others.

What can you do to tip the scale to increase your positivity level and  

celebrate the way things are rather than how they should be?

🍁🍃🍂🍃🍁🍃🍁🍃🍂🍃🍁

Thank you to my poet-librarian friend, Linda Mitchell, for hosting this month's Spiritual Journey Thursday. She chose the topic reflection as her inspiration for the action of reflecting  on what has been. 

I join my fellow writes as we pause to reflect

and extend our thoughts and prayers for all who are in need

during trying pandemic times.