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).

March Winds

As I made my way to my exercise class this morning, the winds of March blew throughout our community.  A Christina Rossetti poem reminded me that she, too, felt the strength of the wind in the 19th Century. She asked an interesting question at the onset of her two-stanza poem: Who has seen the wind?

I may not have seen the wind early this morning, but my friends and I certainly felt its chill and force. In the late afternoon, the March wind continued to roar even louder while I sat in the house. My patio became dishshelved and the top of the table umbrella broke off.

Yes, the wind was forceful today so I say, HANG ON to your patio furniture, dress in layers, and WONDER what's next.

Pinterest Winter Art

Who has seen the winds of March

come rummaging by?

Picking up furniture, as if

he's the strongest guy.

His strength and power

swoops everything in sight

within one single hour

he soars into the night.

©CVarsalona, 2023

🍃

Parents, Teachers, and Librarians: 

As the winter winds of March come roaring in like a lion, have some fun with children. Read Wonderopolis - Wonder of the Day #1407 and check out the fun activities for a science lesson.

Write a poem like I did to get ready for April's Poetry Month, or listen to music(see below).

You are my child

You came like the winds of march

With all the love in your eyes

You are my child

You came like the morning lights

With all your love, in your eyes.

Stanza three of Winds of March, a song by Journey. 

🍃

As the wind continues its willful path of making the tall trees sway and

bushes shimmy, I wave goodbye and join

 Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Story Challenge - Day 14.

November Autumn

This week, fall weather reminds me of November days when I was a child in upstate New York State. Winter usually visited around Thanksgiving and continued her journey up to Easter. The weather was always the center of conversation; now, Winter's nip in the air again interrupts Autumn. Instead of crispness in the air, the shock of blowing cold air leads me to wear triple layers of clothing in the early morning even though the sun shines brightly. Leaves are crinkly and create interesting sounds as they scatter underfoot. There are no birds soaring and chirping this week. Perhaps, they realize it is time to head south. The local meteorologist predicts a long week of cold weather and snow in some areas. Luckily, the heating system keeps it warm inside the house. The beauty of the season keeps floating back into my mind

"Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit and resign yourself to the influence of the earth."  - Henry David Thoreau

For me, Nature Nurtures the Soul!

Each Wednesday, Margaret Simon posts an invitation to write alongside her at This Photo Wants to be a Poem. Yesterday, she posted a photo of a cardinal that reminded me of a winter day several years ago. A cardinal perched on my picket fence and let me approach so I could take a photograph. Below is my response to Margaret's photo, Cardinal in the Cold.

Cardinal Ponders

May you enjoy the upcoming season of joy.

For now, stroll over to Jama Rattigan's blog,  Jama's Alphabet Soup, to enjoy the Poetry Friday Roundup and Jama's beautiful spread of Thanksgiving art, desserts, and a poem that is a parody of Thanksgiving. 

It's a Heatwave

What is someone to do when it is ninety-three degrees outside? 

Here is a funny comic that is a good response for me the baker. A few years ago my 4-year-old granddaughter called me Namacookie because I would bring a homemade treat when I saw her.

Since the above option is a stretch, I have a plausible plan-sit under a large umbrella looking at the beautiful landscape surrounding the pool in our Virginia community. Relax. Catch a few rays but when the sun's rays feel like a layer of heat penetrating my skin, dangle my feet in the pool. Another option is to stay cool reading a book in the shade or airconditioning.

summertime magic

floats through a cooling breeze

heatwave ignored

©CV, 2021

Stay cool and remember Roman Payne's quote (that I formatted into a poem).

 "O, Sunlight! 

The most precious gold

 to be found 

on Earth."

Even in a heatwave, there is something to be grateful for!

Have a cookie and enjoy life!

 

(Have you ever heard Marilyn Monroe sing A Tropical Heatwave?  

Click here. Go to 2:20 minutes to listen to the song.)

It's Slice of Life Tuesday so I am traveling over to Two Writing Teachers to offer my slice.

Winter Wail

In the middle of the night, a howling began that disturbed my sleep. Half-awake, I tried to ascertain the origin of the incessant wailing noise. Was I dreaming? Was someone in distress? Where was the sound originating? I stumbled into the bathroom to look out my window. There was an eeriness unfolding. I watched the silhouette of majestic trees swaying back and forth in a hurried manner. 

When morning arrived there was a chilled calm in the neighborhood. Winter Wind left its calling card and the prospect of chilly weather for the week.

Winter has been an interesting season this year on Long Island so I continue to write documenting what I notice and wonder. Have you been intrigued by nature this winter?

Today is the final warm-up before Two Writing Teachers' month-long writing challenge begins on Friday, March 1st. I'm ready! 

 

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.