Archive for the ‘monthly musings’ Category
june is…
We’re nearing the end of June which means that 2007 is just about half over. Can you believe it? Weren’t we just bringing in the new year a minute ago?
I don’t make resolutions at the beginning of the year, but I do find that the midway point is a good time to look back on the previous six months—and that’s pretty much what June means to me.
So here is my June Monthly Musing with a special thanks to Leonardo, my lion and partner in crime as part of the pride at the Shameless Lions Writing Circle:
June is…
A melody of reflections
Accompanied by
Bright beams of light
Sneaking in through tiny cracks
You couldn’t have seen when it was dark,
Torturous heat
Making me nostalgic for
The days of two or more pairs of socks,
Crackles and pops
Choking billows of grey smoke
From the pungent, annual wildfires,
Summer peaches
Bursting with sweet innocence
Of childhood, bicycles, swimming pools,
Spotted night skies
Glistening with such knowledge
That I truly can see forever.
Where have I been? Where will I go?
Where are the answers?
Dream on.
How does June make you feel? What comes to mind when you think of June? Do tell!
*P.S. After I posted this, I went over to Cheeky’s place and read her post entitled “Remembering: Way Back.” So much of it reminds me of June and summer and good times that I wholeheartedly recommend your going over there to check it out. And tell Cheeky I sent you!
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[tags]june, poetry, middle of the year[/tags]
may musings
It’s about time to think about the month of May and what it means to me; I’m going back to the haiku form that I first used for March:
As your name suggests
Possibilities abound
Nothing definite.
Better, worse, the same?
Your warm optimism taunts
One way to find out.
This is part of my Monthly Musings series. Also be sure to check out Cheeky’s May reflections.
If you’d like to join, scribble something about May and send me a link.
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[tags]may, poetry, haiku[/tags]
adoring april
Time for my April Monthly Musing seeing as we’re only a weekend away from the end of these lovely 30 days.
I love April, second only to October, my birth month. Makes perfect sense because if you mapped out the year, they’d be on opposite sides of the scales, balancing out the coldest of the cold and the warmest of the warm with their usually pleasant although often unpredictable temps.
And if I’m about anything, I’m about balance, being a Libra and all.
April is special, though, because it gives me a bit of warmth, a glimpse at the months to come, a feeling of being more alive and wanting to get out and feel the sunshine on my cheeks again–which is saying a lot for someone who really, really doesn’t enjoy baking in the sun. Needless to say, the SPF always comes first.
I didn’t use to get Spring Fever when I lived in the United States, and maybe that’s because where I lived, the weather never got spectacularly warm until Julyish, so what was the point anyway…but here…I have felt my entire mood shift in just a month.
I find myself getting up earlier and earlier, not being able to fall back asleep once I start thinking of getting up and out and walking with Luna and getting so warm that I have to take off even the lightest of jackets. I feel more energized, wanting to clean out all the must and dust of winter, smelling the freshness of flowers mixed with cleaning solutions as they waft out of the window and balcony door, which, thankfully, I have been leaving open all day now.
Not even sending off my American taxes in the middle of all this can spoil the mood.
April also marks the beginning of Spring Cleaning down at what we call “il giardino.”
It’d be safe to assume that P did the majority of the work as I was busy taking photos; bless his heart, he actually told me I could bring a book!
Here’s part of the area after many hours of P’s hard work:
And here are two of our new little friends:
Now go check out Cheeky’s thoughts on April, and then get out there and enjoy the final days of this special month.Don’t forget that you, too, can appreciate each month as it passes by recording your thoughts–and letting me know so I can link to you.
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[tags]april, gardens, calabria, lizards, snails[/tags]
ode to march
For my second Monthly Musings, it’s time to tackle big bad March.
I had originally planned on posting each Musing on the first of the month. Yes, I know March is nearly over, but since I made up this meme only for me, I can make up the rules as I go along too. Kinda like Calvinball, for those of you who remember my fascination with a little boy and his tiger.
Anyhoo, I’m most definitely not a poet, but this time, I decided on a haiku–thanks for the inspiration Bella and Guinness Girl!
Maybe I’ll do this for all the months now.
Or maybe I’ll change my mind come April.
I love power.
Me and My March
Flippant, fickle month
Warm, cold, wild, calm, cruel, and kind
My kindred spirit.
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[tags]march, poppies, flowers, haiku, poetry[/tags]
fancying february
I have a list of writing prompts stored in various files, paper and computer. I came across one recently that goes like this:
“What does January feel like? Write a poem or paragraph (or whatever) that explains your opinion of and emotions felt for the twelve different months of the year.”
OK, I missed January, but I’m going to start today with February. If anyone would like to join in the Monthly Musings Meme, feel free, and please leave me a comment so I can find you.
Here goes:
February. Just the word conjures up layers of clothes, snuggling up close, and mugs of hot chocolate. It’s the shortest month of the year and many would say, “thank goodness!” But not me. I rather enjoy this mini-month.
For me, it serves as the month where I can comfortably, without guilt or peer pressure, be a hermit. I can hole myself up near the fire, just the computer and me, or a good book and me, or, you know, if I’m feeling semi-social, P and me, and just relax, relishing these laid-back 28 (sometimes 29) days of blah.
I’m not big on new year’s resolutions, but even if I were, I don’t think I’d make them until February. January’s still too hectic, recovering from the holidays, getting the house back into everyday order, planning out projects, budgets, and basically debriefing the previous year. How can I possibly decide what I want for myself for the next 11 months with all that going on?
February, on the other hand, is the month in which I pick up the fun stuff I had been meaning to do, reading books I had been too tired to get to at night, thinking about learning to knit (again), getting papers in order for my taxes. OK, the last one isn’t so much fun as necessary, but the wind outside does give me just enough inspiration to dig into the stacks of papers.
February forces me to stay inside the house, and I have to admit, I kinda like it. A lot. All that time to decompress. Stop. Appreciate. Enjoy.
But it’s a short month, so there’s not a whole lotta time between checking on Phil’s shadow and greeting the lion or the lamb. February tends to fly by, but after a month of slowing down, I’m always ready for March’s sunshine and earlier sunrises to kick my butt back into gear.
Because, you know, hibernating can get tiring.
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[tags]february, in like a lion, out like a lamb, hibernating, writing prompts, writing[/tags]
Michelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived.
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