Fuchsia Whispered Wows

 A palette of colors 

awaits

the tip of Mother Nature’s paintbrush.

A dip into fuchsia pulls color across the sky.

Next orange sherbet spills across the atmospheric canvas.

A deep lavender dabbles cloud streaks,

as a faint baby girl pink tops off the sky.

A day-glo orange orb

sinks 

through the colors of this evening’s 

composition.

A crowd of people stood silently on the beach watching the sun sink into the waters of the bay. An utterly amazing fuchsia shade glowed underneath dark lavender clouds. You could hear whispered wows spreading through the crowd as everyone absorbed this beauty. 

I have seen many sunsets in my lifetime but this one was so unique. This sunset over the bay at Dewey Beach had colors like I had never seen before. It seemed almost incomprehensible that the sky was this ablaze with such a vibrant pink. My phone’s camera could not capture the colors’ vibrancy. It did not even come close! I just needed to stand there and soak it in so my mind would be able to pull it up as a treasured memory of this year’s vacation. 

The Moon Did Play

 

The moon came out to enjoy the day.

Amongst the cotton-candy sunset, he did play.

Glowing brightly, catching his friend’s ray,

Then tossing it back, his celestial talent was on display.

So tonight I caught a poem. I was sitting in my backyard when I turned around for a second and noticed the half moon glowing in the daylight sky. A thought popped into my head-“ The moon came out to enjoy the day.” Then the next rhyming line just flowed. I was not intending to write a poem but I immediately grabbed my journal and started writing. The words just flowed out. I love when this happens! Such a great way to end this lovely summer night.  

Honestly, in my opinion, today was the perfect summer day. It was a glorious blue sky, full sunshine, no humidity, high 70 degree day. The moon had the right idea. Who wouldn’t want to play and enjoy this gift of a day. 

A Poetic Round of Seasons

The summons-

winter wildflowers

waterfalls frozen in a moment.                                 

                

The birds SANG!-

two season intertwine

guardians of Spring's door.

Skyscrapers in the woods-

dance of joy

Spring serenade.

Small masterpieces-

golden warrior

the knowledge of trees.

Love in the lilacs-

Comforting coo

Beauty, gratitude, peace.

                                                                                                           Ombre blue-

innocence

stillness' illusion.

Summer lights-

embrace or wither

a square of sunshine

jewels of a storm.

Flowers= memories and smiles-

some love for shade

am I that acorn?

Caught in a glance-

beams of heaven

summer slips to September.                                                                                                               

Reiterate wishes-

behold the beauty

nature= truly me.

The beauty in an ending-

fading mask

maturing to let go.

Bathing in a forest-

beautiful or horrific?

shining delight- December sunlight.

                                                                                                    

A whispered wish-

triggered transformation

accumulating quiet.

                                                                                                        Beautiful winter blues-

a cry unfrozen

a poetic round of seasons.

I honestly can't believe that I have been posting to this blog for a year. The first post was February 15, 2021. I have walked and written through all four seasons. I hoped to have captured the beauty that nature possesses during the changing seasons in my words and photos. 

The above poem is a Found poem.  I just took the titles of my blog posts in order and the above poem is the result. I was surprised at how well the titles could flow from one to the other- well,except- Am I that acorn?

I want say thank you to...

• you, the reader. I hope you have enjoyed the posts and experiencing the awe the can be found in nature.
• Jen Knight Laffin for inviting me to Time to Write and Teach Write. You made me be able to say- I AM A WRITER! Your coaching was so valuable to me. It made me be able to put my words out into the world.
• Donnetta Norris and Teach Write for offering courses that helped me develop as a writer and specifically how to begin a blog. Donnetta - you were a wonderful teacher!
• Greg and Felicia for going on hikes with me in all types of weather. 

Thank you for reading through a year. I hope that you will continue to check in with this blog. I will keep walking, writing and sharing. 

Summer Slips to September

Anticipation is so high in the

Beginning of summer.

Classes end,

Days grow longer,

Energy of possibilities pulses.

Freedom from routines

Greets us on 

Hot, humid hundred degree days.

Ice cream drips down sugar cones

Junking up hands with stickiness

Kids licking both in delight.

Lightning bugs flash on and off these

Moonlit

Nights

Offering

Peaceful

Quaint lighting

Round our bonfires, relaxing us.

Sun sinks into waves, a

Tapestry of nature’s artistry as

Utter beauty paints the sky.

Vacation lessens with each sinking.

Winds of September bring cooler air.

X’s on the calendar mark each day’s passing. 

You hold tight to summer’s pace

Zoning out for one final day. 

So yesterday was Labor Day and today is my final day of summer vacation. School begins tomorrow. All of this brought me to reflect on the summer. Oh, how quickly it seemed to pass. 

Those days of…

Waking up at a time of my choosing

Soaking up the sun in hours spent outdoors- hiking, biking, yoga

Reveling in the beauty of nature - capturing it in photos

Writing for myself- filling notebooks with the joys of this summer

Devouring books just for the delight of reading and escaping

Vacationing with family- hiking, games, laughter, meals, cherished times

Oh July and August what treasures you brought!

I decided to honor my last day by respecting summer’s slower pace. Taking the time to just be throughout this final day. I know the schedule, rushed routine and stress return tomorrow. I am savoring these last moments of summer… how delightful it truly is. 

Poetry Form: Alphabet Poem

Caught in a Glance

 

    

Vivid orange flicks through

my field of vision.

Following it to my right,

3 monarchs in flight.

My field of vision-

wildflowers blooming all around

large and small butterflies are found.

Following it to my right,

A butterfly perches on thistle

with its proboscis unrolled into the bristle.

3 monarchs in flight,

a delicate graceful dance-

How lucky was I to catch this in a glance.

This Sunday afternoon I decided to go for a walk along a trail that I hadn’t been to in awhile. Upon arrival, I noticed the field was full of blooming wildflowers. I figured it would be a treat to wander the trail through these alone. I didn’t know that I would be treated by nature to so much more.

A few minutes into the walk, something bright orange flew through my field of vision. I looked and saw a monarch fluttering around. Then another one came and joined in the up, down twisting dance.  Then to my amazement a third one joined in the game of hopscotch from flower to flower.

Now, I have seen monarchs many times before but a few things stood out of the ordinary this time. First was the vibrancy of their orange. I don’t know if it was the angle of the sun or the background of greenery but they just glowed. It simply was stunning! (I know that this time their color was brighter and deeper because my husband commented the same thoughts that I had been thinking,)

Second, I usually see one monarch flying on its own and then pausing to eat on a flower. This time the dance of flight of 3 monarchs together was joyful. I couldn’t help but stop and smile as you saw them playing together in the sunshine.

As I continued down the path, I thought my butterfly encounter was done for the day. Then I rounded a curve in the path and came upon a batch of thistle. Sitting on a tip was a black and yellow butterfly gently opening and closing its wings. I took tentative steps forward hoping to get a closer look. The butterfly’s proboscis was unrolled and moving up and down as it sucked up nectar. It was amazing to just be still and watch a butterfly feed. 

This trail gave me experiences with nature that I was not expecting today. The butterflies were the joyful ones. (I’ll save the tales of frogs and baby chipmunks for another day.)

Poetry Form: Trimeric (a poem with 4 stanzas, the first stanza has 4 lines, the other 3 stanzas have 3 lines, the first line of each stanza is a refrain of the corresponding line in the first stanza)

Some Love for Shade

Step

into

Summer’s shade

Coolness fills the air

Protection from intense sun rays

Comfortable relief in daylight’s shawdowy darkness

Its’s over 90 degrees and the humidity is 49% making it feel like 97 degrees outside.

A 4 day heat wave is predicted with today being the lowest in temperature- ha! 90 is not low.

On days like these, I am so absolutely thankful for the shade cast by our sun. When outside, I seek it out. That is where I want to be- in the shade of a tree or the shadow cast by my house. The shade makes these days bearable. These dark areas on a summer day make it so you can still venture outside and enjoy.  It makes it feel like you are note melting into the earth.

Stepping into this summer darkness, you feel the temperature drop a bit. I think that shade is often taken for granted but I just want to say loud and proud today that I LOVE SHADE!

Poetry Form: Fibonacci Poem  The syllables in one line equal the total number of syllables in the preceding two lines (1,2,3, 5, 8, 13…)

Embrace or Wither?

Searing heat

  radiates

from sun rays

to everything

they grace their

potent light upon.

Plants shrivel,

grass browns,

humans stay inside

to escape

the humid, hot,

instant sweat-creating air.

Waves upon waves

of increasing heat,

days upon days

of grilling sunshine,

no one ventures 

outdoors

to embrace summer joy-

so many days left to wither.

In my mind, summer is supposed to be filled with outdoor adventures surrounded by nature. It might be a Book Club meeting in a forest, a yoga class at a beach, or a hike in a cool creek. It is a time of outdoor enjoyment.

So the past few days have been horrible for me. I have stayed in my house basically all day. The feel like temperatures were above 100 and the humidity was so high. There was a Heat Advisory for the area. Honestly, if I just stepped out of the house and stood there, sweat would be dripping down my face. 

I HATE days like these. I know that I am probably in the minority in upstate New York because we don't have a long summer. But I truly don't understand the love for days like this. I can find nothing enjoyable about them. I don't want to live inside in July or have AC on all of the time. I love windows open and fresh air moving throughout the house.

These days of neighbors staying inside, no children's laughter filling the air and the hum of air conditioners running seems like such a waste of these precious summer days. Instead of the day being filled with life, its hours seem to wither away. 

Oh cooling breezes when will you arrive so I can again embrace the fullness of summer days!

Summer Lights

 glow

                                glow

          glow

Did you know?

Summer vacation is a go!

                               FLASH

flash

                flash

No need for the daily dash

just sit back, relax and crash.

glow                           glow

        GLOW                               GLOW

                       glow  glow

A June nighttime show

announcing summer vacation is a go!

As a teacher you truly live to say- "School's out for the SUMMER!"

On my first night of no alarm clock the next day, I sat in my backyard at dusk. As it darkened, I was treated to a natural light show. Fireflies were in abundance. Lights were flashing here, then there throughout my garden. It looked like strings of fairy lights had been laid in my bushes as they twinkled with this summer light. It added a party feel to my yard. It felt like the world was cheering that I had made it through this challenging and unique school year. The here and there again lights bubbled joy within me and launched me into my summer mode of beginning to slow down and rejuvenate. Embrace those summer nights!

Photo from Shutterstock 

My photo did not really catch any fireflies glowing. It was just black.