poetry prompts & travel dreams

{descent}

nothing is quite so sweet
to this wanderlusting soul
as those words that interrupt
my in-flight movie:
"ladies & gentlemen...
shortly we will be making our descent..."

one single impression's prompt for this week ~ descent ~ takes a turn in the direction of travel for me as we gear up for a trip to Charleston SC, contemplate a december return to roma (for a very special friend's ordination), & begin to lay some groundwork for 2010 journeys...here (of course!)...but also here?...here?...or maybe here again?? i really do like the excitement of potential journeys, the comparing of places, all the hopefulness of new experiences! as i perused my romania photos from last summer, i got a lump in my throat about the possibility of going back...but that remains in God's hands right now!

after we left suceava, romania last summer, we stopped again in oradea & were blessed with a free day on our hands. we ambled around the city with melissa...mesmerized by the beautiful old churches & the communist-era buildings...i was so grateful that the old way had not been completely destroyed. my heart could not comprehend the events that my mind knew had transpired there in the last century. how i would have loved to join these two gentlemen on that park bench to hear the stories they could tell....but there were sobering reminders that spoke without words, like this memorial to victims of nazi occupation...an entire room just outside the moon curch (Biserica cu Luna) was filled with candles lit for loved ones lost...a short distance from this church was the St. Nicholas Greek Catholic Church...where we had the sweet pleasure of meeting the sacristan who spoke fluent *english*! (the first time in nearly a week we heard our native tongue outside our little group)...he told of history, both sad & joyful, of those who gave their lives so readily in order that this time may be what it is. & he showed us the great treasure held in his church...a first class relic of St. Nicholas (some of his bones).

our stroll through this beautiful city continued...eventually leading us to this painted monastery...a place so incredibly beautiful & so peaceful...one was utterly removed from the world in the enclosure...the place has settled into my dreams now that i am home...as i organize & upload these photo reminders, i tell myself it is no wonder i am dreaming of 2010's travel possibilities!!

next stop on the journey of reminiscing is my very favorite~ budapest!

oradea, romania, june, 2009

water, water everywhere...

one single impression's prompt for this week is thirst, suggested by my bellavia. this seems an ironic word to me after a week of grey skies & a day of being inundated with rainfall (8 inches in one 18 hour period!), after spending time looking over the bay this morning considering the prompt & marveling over the fact that i am surrounded by water, after wandering back inside for a glass of fresh, clean water without a second thought. it seems as though what i thirst for isn't necessarily a drink...{thirst}


surrounded by water
but i only see the reflection
of the sky
as i look up
while my mind on its pilgrimage
can only think:
"i thirst"
the cloud above like a well
& i think:
"for you my soul thirsts"
& so i walk on looking up

absence makes the heart grow fonder...

thinking about one single impression's prompt for this week, my mind kept wandering to this summer's phone conversations D. & i shared when we were pressed for time & time zones with an ocean & a continent between us. as i traveled more & more eastward, i kept glancing over my shoulder in his direction, wondering, imagining, remembering, anticipating. with text messages at 50 cents (USD) a pop & phone calls 3-6X that per minute, we had to fit a lot of love in a very short space! & it was sweet!


the previous summer just after travel apart, i penned a poem with thoughts of the time & space between us. i found myself looking westward over the sea, imagining us sharing the sun or the moon in that moment...


{untitled...romance}

between the places
where sea touches sky
a breath escapes
shared by you & ithank you, geraldine, for the lovely prompt! please visit more poetic offerings at OSI.

an ocean of excuses...

i am late to one single impression's glorious prompt for this week, but i could not pass it by. sweetest in the gale's offering 'ocean' swam in my mind all weekend & i had no computer access but i did have pen & paper. living by the ocean & seeing its beauty in all seasons is one of the greatest blessings in my life...i have worked through so many of my life's puzzles looking out to sea. i have let it carry my worries away on its currents. i have swum for joy in its waves. i have let the music of its tide put me to sleep. i am in awe of its power~ to churn up & to calm down. it is one of the most powerful ways in which God speaks to my heart. it has been my solace in this season of grief & as i let the prompt carry me, i found once again great comfort.{ocean}

an empty void stretched out before me
the abyss of your absence
& in my solitude i cried
an ocean of tears
their current flowed from the heart
of love
their release filled up the valley
of loss
& on their gentle, lapping waves i sailed
cutting through the sun-dappled shine
into the safe harbor
of your armsplease visit OSI for more beautiful poetry

the fragrance of love

a soft sunday re-entry into blogging...first, thank you so much for your heart-felt words & prayers since the passing of my dear mother-in-law. in her passing she left a wake of love & faith...a hope of one day being together again which brings us great comfort.


i was glad today to remember one single impression & even more joyed by the prompt {fragrance}...thank you, geraldine for such a lovely one. my mind has been curiously wrapped up in sound lately. i have been contemplating my favorites~~ church bells, train whistles, bagpipes, chant. they will likely become another blogpost, but today it was not hard to make the leap from sound to scent. so many times an unsuspecting fragrance transports me to something with such a sudden rush...what a powerful sense, what a wonder. recently i was getting something from the top shelf of my closet & in the process my momma's blanket fell on me. i pulled it from its sack, burying my nose in it & breathing in the scent of my momma. it was beautifully overwhelming. i slept with the blanket that night.{fragrance}


nestled in my mind

seeded among the colors

of petunia & lilac

of climbing red roses,

the fragrance of love

pulls my heart

into a memory

of your perfume

of a moment snuggled in the pew

waiting for the incense

to tickle my nose

waiting to feel

once again at Home.gratitude for...

145. this powerful & glorious sense

146.for the love of family & friends that weaves together a quilt of comfort

147. for journeys completed in joy & safety

148. for my faith which sustains meplease visit OSI for more lovely poetry

dropped

touch of love

our roses are in a fit of profuse bloom right now & i cannot resist keeping a few clipped & scattered about in bud vases indoors. one of my favorite spots for a bloom is on the windowsill of our kitchen sink. last week i was washing dishes, lost in thought, when a breeze carried the scent to me...memories of my daddy immediately filled my mind. he used to raise the very same variety that was blooming right in front of me. when i checked one single impression's prompt for this week's poetry, i was again lost in that moment. our senses can really stir so many memories in unexpected & quite beautiful ways! thank you to whomever suggested this prompt.

touch of love {tactile}

a breeze slipped

through the window screen

carrying a bit of you

& so i leaned into breathe

something of my childhood

rose petal against my cheek

softer than

a tear

another word...

**updated**...& yet another word...cure! please follow this link for an explanation & then keep going on the links to steven's video (also in my sidebar under 'light a candle')...please visit often between now & 30 april.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
following on the heals of last week's "one word" prompt at one single impression is "word" offered by jeeves of silence is poetic (love the name of her blog!!). i find the other word that is often foremost in my mind right along with "gratitude" is "love." i am surrounded by it...whether it be God's love expressed in more ways than i can imagine (He is so wooing me with His delightful spring right now)...or the love of my precious family~~ & these are just the tip of my iceberg of love!!love

woven in the words

traveling miles

or inches

enveloped actions

catching my heartstrings

speaking to the center

of life's delight

bidden or not

love is here

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

speaking love on this fine spring day here in NC...2 guys very dear to my heart just went out to sea...calm waters & the hope of fish bites for them...the hope of some kind of tasty fresh-catch seafood dinner for me! (actually, for all of us!)...no pressure, guys!i am keeping watch on the deck with a fresh cup of coffee, enjoying the still, salty air & joyful birdsong. the hounds have found a sunbeam for snoozing.life is indeed good!

beach glass

walking along the sand
bag in my hand
with thoughts to clean
my storm-pounded beach
as best i can.
i started my walk
wind in my hair
sun on my back
eyes drawn to pieces of this and that,bottles and cans purged from the sea
i would retrieve
as i walked along my soul was quieted
lulled by the rhyming waves
my worries took flight in the wind
i began to see beyond
that which did not belong
drawn to the intricacies of shell
colors of water and sand
cockeyed looks of seabirds standing by
and the majestic pelican's graceful glide
with him i felt my spirit fly.

i still gathered the sea's

unwanted debris

but my mind had shifted in thought

to the acres of diamonds

right under my feet.

one word

after an exceptionally busy week, early this morning i finally had a free moment to click over to one single impression to check the poetry prompt. one word...hmmmmm. i don't do "one" word very well (just ask D. or the soul sisters!!!); i'm more like a "whole story" kinda gal. heck, i even talk in my sleep, sometimes in italian according to D. but one word?? that word must be a very important word, not just a run-of-the-mill, everyday type word...it must be a truly inspired word. honestly, choosing just one is like asking me for a preference on my last meal when i just want to eat my way around the world (or at the very least around the **gelato** world!)...i decided to sit with this prompt through the day to see what might unfold in the course of events.on the drive into the city my thoughts rolled around between choosing a word & the week in passing. i spent an afternoon on the phone with one of my very dearest friends who has just lost her momma, bumping around that strange & sticky world of fresh grief.

i spent another day with melissa packing a garageful of clothing to be shipped for her ministry in romania...which led me to near-panic on the drive home that evening~~ we are bound for europe in just 6 short weeks for a journey that lasts 6 weeks & i had not really organized all the notes & emails for that time, nor had i made a good working "to do" list. (yes, that list is now made & the info packet for the entire journey is printed & organized!)

while i was printing all the lodging confirmations from my email's inbox my italian instructor sent me the 2nd email in as many days, this one with an element of concern ("are you alright?? i have not heard from you this week!") . this prompted a side-tracked response with more verb errors that i care to admit, all the while upping my general panic level another notch (yellow to orange, perhaps?!?!)...must. study. conjugations!!...classes start in 7 weeks!at this point on the drive i found myself taking a deep breath, & then refocusing what we were doing today. we were heading to brunch to see an old friend who was playing a gig. no ordinary guy...an amazing flamenco guitarist who is whupping cancer's backside right now!! it was so good to see paco again. he's looking a bit under the weather but his music is as strong as ever.

aaaahhhhh...time together with D. & my boys, a good meal, the best music, a stroll to the river afterwards on this fine carolina spring day...the thought of "one word" came rushing back to me on the drive home. i must admit that the first word that came to mind was "nap"! (i'm a huge fan of restful sundays.)but as my thoughts threaded together, the ever-present whisper was "gratitude." i'm so grateful...

136. for a dear friend like L. & for her momma who brought her into this world, for a chance to be there for her at this hard time...

137. grateful for melissa & her work, for the example she is to my children...

138. grateful for the awesome privilege of travel & all that affords, for the privilege of being able to join melissa if only for a short while...

139. grateful for the opportunity to study the language of my heart in its native country, for my italian instructor, a true peach of a woman with the patience of a saint & a true gift for teaching...

140. & speaking of gifts~~ grateful for paco & his music...

141. grateful for the privilege of holding these wonderful folks in prayer in these difficult days, days of adjustments large & small...

142. grateful for friends far & near...

143. grateful for precious, quiet moments with my family doing very ordinary things like relishing the taste of food, the sound of chords blended to perfection, the scents of spring air...

144. & grateful for a bit of gelato & a 20 minute nap on a lazy sunday afternoon.in the fourth watch of the night

i wake

while quiet stars linger

around last quarter moon,

undiluted recollections

rush in to fill the vacuum left

by easy sleep;

as they parade

before my internal eyes

i'm taken with the question

'is this really unexpected

in the lot that belongs to man?'

the things that i deem good

or otherwise...

so i take them all for what they're worth

wrapping them in soul's quilted embrace

of gentle gratitude.please visit one single impression for more wonderful poetry...thank you Jess from Wayfaring Wanderer for the prompt "one word."

lenten fast to easter feast...rejoice!!

a very blessed Easter ~ buona Pasqua ~ to all!i very much look forward to visiting blogs i dearly love again now that my internet fast is complete. i have truly missed the beauty of your words, dear friends!this week's prompt for one single impression is offered by sue of sunflower roots...


living water


on high
a pierced cloud
rain coming down
to water the earth
not returning void
but gracing mountainside
rivulets of clarity
pouring forth
filling wells
quenching thirst
for all times
leading to the sea
tidal ebb & flo
washing the whole world
with life

spring cleaning

yes, even the blogs! as my lenten internet fast & a favorite springtime activity of reorganizing/streamlining have progressed, i realized that with my blogging, less really is enough.for now, write away & snap366 will be snoozing while poetic elements & photographs will be found here, randomly interspersed. (phil did beg - pun intended! - to keep dog blog up & running though. i can't say "no" to that face...could you?!?!) since the end of 2008's daily photos, i must admit my camera sees less action. i do have mixed emotions about that, but i do continue to keep it close by for those amazing must-capture moments. as for writing, my classes have progressed to a level of reading/writing intensity that leaves very little spilling over in the way of creative stuff.one of my favorite weekly activities that i plan to continue is the poetry in response to one single impression. when possible, i will continue posting something in response to OSI's sunday prompts here. for 5 april, the prompt is 'listening' suggested by laurie @ april wine...a marvelous word, something i need to do more of.listening
'listen'
one of momma's favorite words
often followed by some advice i did not want
& sometimes, did not heed
i often wondered what you meant when you offered that word
& said nothing more
i did not worry about your intent
because days seemed numbered infinite
but when you lay dying my ears opened more each day
& suddenly i could not hear enough
of what you had to say
& then came the day
you would say no more
to me with words like as before
& still your command echoed in my head
'listen'
even as you had passed that word came on the wind
it's letters spelled in the ringing angelus bells
at sunset