Drops of Inspira

 Hello! It's been raining in my corner of the world. A lot. Normally, the small mountain town where I live gets rain only a few times a year. In the past week, the weather has been saying that we've had as much rain as we normally have in three months. And the storm is not done yet. Next week, we get more rain. All week long. Right now, it's crisp and very cold. Thirty-five degrees with an actual feel of twenty-nine degrees.  Despite the cold, and the wet, it's actually very beautiful. There's something to be said about rain-washed peaks, fog and crows in the early morning. The buildings' colors stand out in stark contrast to their bleak surroundings, looking for all the world like a water-color painting.  As the rain was coming down, I paid special attention to the way the drops hit puddles, popping and splashing in cheerful, chuckling laughter the way only raindrops could laugh.  Water rushed down the street, catching bits of oil from parked cars that gave it ...

      Carpe Momentum... "Seize the Moment".  I have been thinking about this a lot. It's what the theme of this month is about, in essence, and it's what I did this weekend. I work a 9 to 5 job that is mostly mental, which makes it hard to write as frequently as I'd like. It also means that I get to the weekend completely drained. I push and pull all week, and I wash up on the shores of the weekend, feeling like I just came off a shipwreck.  I know many of you deal with the same thing. A full-time job isn't for the faint of heart, but it's what many of us do to survive.  This weekend, I decided to seize every moment. This meant staying up until eleven on both Friday and Saturday, but I don't regret it.  Here are some things I did: Friday: Stayed up late talking to a friend. Chatted with a sibling via text. Washed all my bedding. (This was an enormous task. Apparently, I really like blankets.) Read some of Saber's Pride by C.M. Banschbach. (This is ...

  Hello and happy Autumn! I know that it's been a new season for a bit now, but last month was busy. Anyway, I had originally planned on celebrating Autumn this month. I'm going to get right down to it. Here are five things I love about Autumn. 1. The Colors Where I live, the leaves change colors. At the peak of the season, the mountains are covered in orange, red and gold. It's spectacular!  There's a piece of road right around where I live, where the tree branches arch overhead. Walking through there is like walking through a cathedral. It's glorious, especially in the late afternoon when the sun is going down. The light catches the leaves and turns everything to a reddish gold.   It's lovely taking a walk during this season. At the far end of a five-mile stretch, there's a tree with heart-shaped leaves that turns into a beautiful conflagration of red.  2. The Weather The temperatures dip to the low seventies and sixties this time of year in my part of the...

Today marks one entire year since I first launched Poetry 15th on this blog, so it's my 1st Poetrversary. Yay!  I remember being very uncertain when I first started this. It's scary to put yourself out into the wide world. Especially for this introvert, but it's been rewarding. Little by little I'm letting go of fear and letting these paper-thin wings take flight. What is Poetry 15th? For those who are new to this thing, every fifteenth of the month, at roughly 2:30 PST, I drop a poetry prompt and a corresponding poem on this blog. Whether you use the prompt, it's up to you. You can use it to make your own poem or inspire some other creative endeavor.  Here is the prompt for this month: There you have it. Now I'll confess, I don't particularly enjoy the ocean. Too many unknowns hiding down in the depths, but I do like being there, walking on the beach, collecting shells, occasionally boating and dipping my toes in the surf. The ocean is powerful and awe-insp...

It's been a very rainy, foggy April. About every other day it rains from sunup until sundown.  One thing I love about the rain and fog is that they intensify the surrounding colors. The fog drifts through the tall pines, wrap its fingers around the red barn on the hill and floats over the pond.  However, I am glad for days like today where the blue sky spans the horizon, the beautiful flowers are seen clearly and the wind blows through the trees carrying with it the scent of growing things.  Even during the rain, hope is tangible. It's just around the corner. This brings me to the poetry prompt for this month, which is hope. In a world that seems to get darker and darker, I'm clinging to the hope that this is only temporary. One day the night will end and morning will be here. Please feel free to use this prompt to do your own creative thing. Here is my response taken from my poetry archives. I wrote this poem several years ago and thought it was fi...

The old rhyme goes, "April showers bring May flowers."  Lately, the world seems to be experiencing a lot of "showers", both rain and disasters. As I'm writing this, the Corona Virus, or COVID-19, is killing people every day.  Many, including myself, have lost jobs as a result, lives have been disrupted, weddings canceled, sports put on hold, etc. The list goes on. The point is, life hasn't been normal in a while. I'm tempted to look at my "forecast" and see nothing but endless rain.  At this point, quarantine is supposed to last through April. Maybe even beyond, God forbid.  Even the weather has been weird. It's been raining on and off for three weeks now in my part of the world, and more rain and snow are in the forecast for next week.  Yet, as the rhyme goes, with the showers, brings flowers. I'm hoping and praying that something beautiful comes out of this. I don't know what it will look like, but I know it will come....

Spring seems to bring out the contemplative mood in me. Not entirely sure why. Maybe it's the plethora of rain and cloudy days, (Rainy/cloudy weather is my thinking/creative weather and I love it!), or the tiny baby animals or the flowers pushing their way up through damp soil.  Spring is a special time. Today is the Ides of March. You know, the day on which Julius Caesar is reported to have been stabbed to death? Yeah, that day. And no. I'm not writing a poem based on this event, although that would be interesting. No. The topic of the month is spring.  Spring is the time of growing things. It's the time that the manzanita tree buds and the birds sing and daffodils make their appearance. You are more than welcome to use the above prompt do your own creative thing.  Here is my response: Hurray for daffodils! My favorite spring flower, the herald of the season! Have an absolutely fantastic day! Until next time... -Arysta Henry/ ...