A Light Unto My Path

On the first Thursday of each month, the Spiritual Journey writers gather together to compose their thoughts on the prompt of the month. On this Thursday, the teacher-poet, Kim Johnson, is hosting with the theme,  A Light Unto My Path. I have reflected for several days on how I should create this blog post. I poured through several homilies and podcasts of Father Mike Schmitz, a devout and energized priest and speaker. I also searched songs related to the spiritual journey and light. The reflective times I spent reading opened a path of peace. 

There are many aspects on how Christian singers, songwriters, clergy, and writers form their offerings but one photograph captured by my son, Derek, provided the start I needed. Within his photo, I not only found the beauty of dawn but observed angel formations fluttering in the clouds. This gave me pause, as did the songs that I gathered, poems I read, and spiritual leaders offering their input on Psalm 119:105: "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and alight unto my path." 

As I turn my reflections into poetic thoughts, I listen to Amy Grant's beautiful song of praise, "Thy Word." It is a soothing, lift-me-up song that you can listen to by clicking here. With songs of faith and hope, I find myself in a calming state.

✒

✒ 

illumination

on my spiritual journey

a pathway to peace

Divine Radiance's gift

"Let (the) light shine out darkness"

©CVarsalona, 2026

(last line is from 2 Corinthians 4:6)

✒

Thank you to Jan Annino for hosting Poetry Friday at Bookseedstudio. Her blog shares an interesting title, Chill, and showcases a gorgeaous photo sharing a moment of cool pool indulgence. 

Forevermore

Today, I read Diane Anderson, newtreemom's blog and found an interesting prompt from Ethical ELA's Verse Love challenge. Use the "first words" from a poem that inspired you. 

As many of my poetry and writing colleagues know, I have been bewildered by a new way of living since my husband passed suddenly last April. Writing is my way of dealing with loss and so I try to find time each day to unfold my thoughts. This day started out with what a person in the bereavement phase of life calls a grief burst.  You will find my poem starting with the first line of Rumi's poem, The Window,  a raw piece of writing that opened my soul. I found the above image at Unsplash's free image collection. Then, I scrolled through blogs on love and loss and found a quote that reminded me that love is forevermore. "Love is the bridge between two hearts, and death cannot break a bridge built with such strong and lasting love." I share my poem with you. ⇣

LOVE AND LOSS

"Your body is away from me."     (1st line of Rumi's poem, The Window)

 Year two begins anew.

 Everlasting love remains,

 Tucked away in my heart

 Unexpectedly, grief 

 "Gushes in", flooding 

  My soul with sadness, 

  Changing my perspective.

  I pause in the warm sunlight.

 Tears quietly stream down,

 Like a rushing waterfall.

 Another "grief burst" 

 Finds its way, uprooting

 Years-old, seeded thoughts.

 Your heartnotes sprout

 Preserved in our gardens -

 Forevermore cherished 

 With eternal love. 

 draft, CVarsalona, 2026

                   I listened to this love song.

I have always been intrigued by dandelions and their puffballs' ability to fly through the air with one breathe-in, breathe-out blow. This week, when I saw a perfectly ready dandelion to make a wish, I ran right to the ground and picked the "wish weed" (what I have called the dandelion for years). I  photographed it before the seed heads spread across the lawn. 

←Thank you, Poetry Sisters, Tanita, Laura, Mary Lee, Liz, Sara, Tricia, and Kelly, for inviting "PoetryPals" to write an Ekphrastic Poem for the Poetry Sisters' monthly challenge.  

News of the Week: I happily checked my  Spring Seeds Grace April Padlet and found five poet friends, Bob Hamera, Ramona Behnke, Joyce Ray, Denise Krebs, and Verreno Diane Anderson, who added their creative image poems. There is still time to add your original artistic expression related to the theme. 

Click here to join our lovely host, Irene Latham, at her An Emily Dickinson Poetry Friday Roundup. Irene shares news on her new book, Some Starry Night, which "explores what might have happened if Emily Dickinson and Vincent van Gogh met in 1886 Paris. It's a re-imagining, as Emily never actually went to Paris or met Vincent. In actuality, she died May 15, 1886."

National Poetry Month

Day 24/30

Spring Seeds Grace April

 April 1st arrives with a bit of foolery. In the early morning hours, I witness nature's transformation. The beautiful buds on my dwarf cherry tree blossomed a few days earlier, as if they were announcing the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC. But, as fast as the blossoms bloomed, the tree lost its gorgeous softness of color. 

Mother Nature often surprises us with its timing. Recently, last year's pansies popped with wonder in my outside vase. Nature whispered a welcome greeting to the new season of Spring. I paused to praise the season and reflect. I, like nature, weathered many winter storms this past year. I grieved over loss, felt the pangs of hurt, and experienced fatigue, but there is something different floating in the air now. Springtime opened with blooming trees. Colors that turned from winter white to a dirty grayish hue in March waited for spring to share its runway of colors and open the doors to growth and inspiration.

Now spring seeds grace April as witnessed by my pansies unfolding and surprising me with their persistence from one year to the next. Pansies not only welcomed the season, but they also reminded me to prepare the soil of my heart for the seed of grace to germinate. 

I pray that this season will move me to a new level of growth while unleashing the grief that is deep inside. As a sliver of sunshine offers respite, some anxiety eases, and I hope for a transformation like nature's movement from winter to spring. 

April 1st marks the opening of National Poetry Month's 30th Anniversary. I will celebrate along with fellow poetry writers. Words and emotions will pop as spring seeds grace April. I shall write, read, and photograph nature's pathway through the month as my muse whispers to me and seeds of verse pop up. The richness of the soil and the germination of seeds will bring a level of calmness. 

Day 1/30

INVITATION

Join me this April as I look back on my Gallery of Artistic Expressions, Spring Seeds, which was unveiled in July of 2016.  If interested, write a poem and/or add a photo regarding spring seeds gracing April. I will gather these gifts of verse and create a new gallery of artistic expressions. Perhaps, you will find one of your poems or photos residing in the 2016 gallery. 

Let your imagination take you on a journey throughout National Poetry Month.

2016

Whispering Ink

🔏

spring seeds scatter

across palettes of color

gracing our world

soft whispers of words respond

bouquets of blossoms in verse

©CVarsalona, 2026

Photos Turn to Poems

Sunshine peeks through my windows. Today's a writing day under the sun. I open my digital journal and consider the writing prompt provided by Jenna Korman from Two Writing Teachers: "What in your life is writable about today? Summertime surrounded bu beautiful gardens, layered sunrises, and tranquil sunsets always sets the mood for a dazzling day despite the heat.

I take out the drafts of poems suited to pair with the beautiful pictures shared by Margaret Simon, the host of This Photo Wants to be a Poem. Below you will find how lovely the summertime nature photos address the writing prompt provided by Jenna Korman.

Nature is filled with beauty that opens the sky each day.

morning sunshine winks

layered darkness sits above

unpredicable

summer weather dilemma

nature plays in the background

CVarsalona, June 2025 draft tanka

Photo by Margaret Simon

water

silently still

welcomes whispering wind

breezing by the daisies

awakening

CVarsalona, June 2025 draft elfchen

Photo by Molly Hogan

Nature at Peace

In the silence of evening, stillness evokes peace. Nature floats in the quietude until the morning breaks. At that time, the world stretches its arms, unfolds its layers, and renews another day. 

This morning I pause with prayer waiting for a sliver of light to break through the darkness. "Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. -  Psalm 90:14

↓

morning breaks

slivers of light unfold darkness

earth sings its praises

gentle winds bring renewed thoughts

nature spreads its seeds of joy

©cvarsalona, 2025 draft tanka

If you have not heard Morning Has Broken by Cat Stevens, it is one of my favorite songs. (Beautiful song sung at my wedding) 

Today is Poetry Friday and I am delighted that I woke early to write my post.

Janice Scully is our host today. She honors Women's History Month with pride.

Logo created by Margaret Simon

Today is also Day 14 of the March SOLSC #SOL25

Thank you Two Writing Teachers for the space to write 

with a reflective, worldwide group of educators.

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

Appreciate OLW: Winter Thoughts

      Welcome to the First Poetry Friday of 2022!        

 “Winter, a lingering season, is a time to gather golden moments, embark upon a sentimental     journey, and enjoy every idle hour.”     -Attributed to John Boswell 

Happy New Year to my fellow poets, authors, friends, and guests!

This is the week when my one little word is revealed every year. There were a series of experiences that helped me choose my one word that was officially posted iyesterday. You can find out more information at my post,  Connecting with My One Little Word - SJT 2020, here. I chose appreciate as my one little word but more importantly, I think it chose me too. One line from a TEDx talk by Mike Robbins helped me recognize the importance of my one word as a healing word. "Appreciation is an important element in effectively dealing with the stress of challenges and uncertainty that so many of us are facing these days." Appreciate revolves around the concept of positivity so as I walk through each day, I am ready to find items or events that are small, ordinary, or big to bring a measure of joy into life.

I am ready to appreciate more of life this year. For today's appreciation thought I want to send warm greetings to the Poetry Friday community who have become more than a virtual grouping of writers, authors, and poets. You are all closely knit as a cohesive group of supportive friends. I value your friendship, your critiques, and your encouragement. Enjoy your walk through winter this year and if you are so inclined, send me an image poem, drawing, quote, song, playlist, or any other artistic expression to share the beauty of winter for a new poetic gallery to send around the globe. 

It is the life of the crystal, the architect of the flake, the fire of the frost, the soul of the sunbeam. This crisp winter air is full of it.-John Burroughs

May the crispness of winter fill your soul. Thank you for sharing your posts tonight and tomorrow. I am sorry that this posting comes late. My gathering with my family came later than expected. Now that the little grandgirls have finally stopped talking and closed their eyes for the night, I will post this blog. Click on Mr. Linky below. Thank you for joining my Welcome to 2022 with the Poetry Friday Community. 

v

Welcome Autumn's Precious Gifts

Because autumn is an unparalleled season of grandeur, it deserves praise as it opens its season.

I spent the better part of this week creating several scenes inside and outside my new home to give praise and thanksgiving for autumn. Join me as I welcome through the lens of digital art and poetry one of my favorite seasons. 

Autumn's arrival-

season goes viral.

Nature

has no denial-

Autumn's an idol.

Painter

of earth's revival.

Picturesque idyll-

Savor!

©CV, 2021 

The above poem is a laie, a French poetic form consiting of nine-lines that use and "a" and "b" rhyme in the following pattern: aabaabaab. The "a" rhyme iens are 5 syllable in length while the "b" rhyme lines are 2 syllable. I have looked at this format since Tricia Stohr-Hunt shared it at her May 21, 2021 blog Post.  

 

Gather autumn's precious gifts

in robes of golden sunrise.

Be glad for nature's blessings.

Gratitude abounds!

©CV, 2021 

The above poem is a dodoitsu poem created from the haiku oracle deck designed as a summer poetry swap gift from Mary Lee Hahn. It consists of four lines with a 7-7-7-5 syllable count. 

The digital photo above of my granddaughter and daughter in an apple orchard reminds me of the following quote from Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon: "It was a beautiful, bright autumn day, with air like cider and a sky so blue you could drown in it."

Gratitude Floats Through the Air

sweet smells of cider

bountiful trees of apples-

blessings of nature

©CV, 2021 

The Poetry Sisters offer a tanka challenge for September:  write a tanka, a five-line, 5/7/5/7/7 in response to an original poem from any of the Poetry Friday writers. After that, share it at Poetry Friday and add the tag #PoetryPals on social media.  Below is my response to Tanita Davis' tanks, Ode to the Pink Lady, from November 5, 2018. I chose this poem because it fits in beautifully with the digital artwork of my original picture at the apple orchard (above). 

Ode to the Pink Lady 

who needs pumpkin spice?
apples don’t – no camouflage
is necessary
even caramel* apples
are no match for fresh and crisp

Autumn's Morsels

seasonal delight

the succulence of apples

oven-fresh surprise

caramel, chocolate chips

tasty, little bites of fall

©CV, 2021 

🍃🍎🍂

Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall. – F. Scott Fitzgerald

As I begin this season, I pause in thanks as I notice that autumn is more the season of the soul than of nature." (Friedrich Nietzsche) For the soul-filling days ahead, I feel the peace of autumn days and excited to explore new regions in Virginia with my little granddaughters and family. May autumn soothe your soul! Here is a peek at autumn around the globe. Nature photos are from Terje Akke in Estonia and Jackie Yun in Hawaii. 

🍃🍎🍂

Thank you to my friend, poet Laura Purdie Salas for hosting Poetry Friday this month. She has been busy with her new move, writing a new book, and penning tankas for this month's Poetry Princess challenge.

Vacation

"A vacation is nothing to do and all day to do it in." -Robert Orben

Summer vacation is coming to a close. Back-to-school ads are common. Educators think ahead to their classrooms and schools. Students enjoy their last days of leisurely living.  There is still time to "just be" during this summer. 

I think back on my mini-vacation to the Jersey shore with the grandgirls and

 

sigh with happiness!

During these last weeks of summer, I pause to reflect on what vacation means and how I can savor the last weeks before Labor Day.

Vacations, whether they are full weeks, mini-trips, or just day trips, are for dreamers, wanderers, and all who desire a change of pace, time to live in the slow lane, and "just be".

Post Cards from Cape May, New Jersey, Summer 2021

 

Goodby vacation. I'm off to enjoy my last weeks of summer. How about you?

Tuesday Slice of Life at Two Writing Teachers.

Summering 2021

It's the first week of summer: temperatures sizzle, water sparkles, relaxation beckons, and adventures begin.  With a sinus infection that has me under the weather, I am limited to what I can do but sitting quietly in a lounge chair writing or reading are lay back activities that are both soothing and restorative.

time to kick back   

summer brings relaxation

nature obliges

©CV, 2021

(The photo below of the Pacific Ocean by Kim Douillard was shared by Margaret Simon at This Photo Wants to be a Poem. I read through the various poems colleagues wrote. All reminded me of my beloved Long Island beaches so I decided to add my draft to Margaret's collection. 

june's glistening spray

spritzes salty sea breezes,

exhales energy,

swishes diamond-dazzle drops

cooling summer's sunsoaked rays

©CV, 2021, draft

It would not be summer without adventures, whether they are nearby or far away.  As a child, my adventures were always found in books. I daydreamed about destination places I longed to see. When the pandemic started to rage, traveling became difficult. People began dreaming of destinations that would take them to places beyond their homes. Slowly, traveling bans lifted and fears diminished. Traveling became a topic as the surge for destination trips began.

When the Poetry Sisters posted their June challenge, I knew that it would be a deep dive into the creativity zone and just what I needed to begin my summer adventure in Virginia. The Poetry Sisters ask that each writer create a zentangle poem with an embedded design. For your information, the Poetry Sisters referenced poet Kathryn Apel's explanation of the zentangle in her Poetry Pep Up challenge. "The zentangle poem is a form of found poetry using repetitive lines (zentangles) to frame your poem." My  zentangle for Kat's challenge can be found here. My topic for today's challenge revolves around the topic of travel as it pertains to current thoughts. The referencing article is from AAA World Travel magazine of July/August 2021. My poem follows a simulated roadway.

Travel Popularity

travel deferred

optimism renewed.

this summer,

family feeling confident

to hit roadways.

enjoy the drive!

©CV, 2021

I offer today's poetry to the Poetry Friday Roundup at our Poetry Friday Host, Linda Mitchell. Linda offers her own challenge at her blog, A Word Edgewise. Choose one of her clunker lines in exchange for a quick poem and a clunker line in return.

My choices from Linda's offerings:

found a bit of sunflower

and

trees turned so orange the road looked blue

Stop back to see how I use the above clunkers in a new poem.