Vacations are meant for enjoyment, a relaxed pace, and lingering in the wonder of just being. This past week, my family soaked in the blessings of nature during a wonderful mini-vacation to Cape May, New Jersey. The ocean called to me and I could not resist its invitation to indulge in the art of leisurely living. After all, I miss the beach, slow walks on the boardwalk, and soaking in the sun's rays.
When summer seas combine with sunlit skies
and waves crest in diamond-studded waters,
high expectations rise.
Nature offers a sweet surprise
of creamed-colored seaside dreams
when summer seas combine with sunlit skies.
Nature does not always comply. Storms arise
with abrupt torrents causing harm. Will
high expectations rise?
Summer has its ups, downs, but softly sighs
as rainbows arc the sky with grace
when summer seas combine with sunlit skies.
As a marshmallow-colored sky dries,
Nature clears away some fears. Will
high expectations rise?
Alas, the season waves its goodbyes
passing its torch to autumn's brilliant flame
when summer seas combine with sunlit skies
high expectations rise.
©cv, 2021, draft
The villanelle is a challenging nineteen-line poetic form of five tercets followed by a quatrain. You can read more about it at Writers Digest. When the Poetry Sisters decided that this month's challenge would be a villanelle around some kind of dichotomy, I cringed. I never wrote a villanelle before and I just came back from a delightful vacation. So I slipped into this challenge knowing that I needed support. I am open to any suggestions on how to improve this poem because I know that is ROUGH around all edges. At least, I tried something that was way beyond my comfort zone.
Unfortunately, my timing is off so excuse me as I tiptoe into the Poetry Friday Roundup at my poetry friend Becky Herzog's blog, Sloth Reads. Happy International Friendship Day, Becky! Thanks for reminding us and sharing your recent summer poem swap from Jone MacCulloch.
