Dog Days

Before the well anticipated menace of horror season.

Before the jack-o-lanterns.

I find myself in the heat of adventure as

Lonely streets welcome me.

 

Blocks lined with willow trees,

Lend aid to Nebuchadnezzar’s wrath.

It smells of summer,

As I soak in the heatwave’s embrace.

 

Finding the sweet spot,

I ride the wave of nostalgia.

Long gone care free days

When I’d bounce along.

 

Sure of greatness ahead,

Glasses, acne, left hand holding a bag of candy.

The scenic route in any season,

Whenever it calls.

 

Trudie

8/16/25

Beautiful Music

 

It’s a bird, it’s a lark, no, it’s Steve LaManna’s Piano Solo titled Lady. When I heard this piece for the first time, I was finishing my exercise routine at the senior center. At the end of the session, the instructor always puts on some calming music to cool us down. We close our eyes and unwind.

As I was sitting on my chair with my eyes closed, listening to this beautiful piano solo, I could feel my eyes tearing up with emotion. The piano keys started talking to me.

I could hear and feel that love I had from long ago that didn’t work out. The keys became a conversation between us. Regretful, playful, each one asking the other to stay, begging each other not to go. How do we extinguish the fire of anger? Or put out the flames of love?

As the piano keys kept playing, they kept growing and growing until they were planted in my heart and soul.

At last, the piano solo was over and I could hear the instructor saying quietly, “Ok, open your eyes and gently stretch out your body,”

Steve LaManna’s Piano Solo Lady is the only composition that has ever moved me like this.

Ellen

City Birds

 

I live on the third floor of a small apartment building in New York City. At the moment, I have one cat. About five years ago, I created “Bird TV” for my cats by feeding local birds on the windowsill, flanked by two screens so the cat can’t fall out while trying to catch them.

Recently, there have been big, plump pigeons, mourning doves, cardinals, starlings, and sparrows.

In quiet moments, when my cat is crouched and preparing to lunge at the offending flying machine, I get an up-close look at what these wild creatures really look like. Smooth feathers. Eyes like microscopes, able to spot bread far above the street at my window. Gray wings, green eyes, beige beaks, spindle legs tipped with toes and claws. Birds both big and small, with remarkable strength and agility.

I’ve noticed that birds have knees that bend backward. Some squabble with each other, trying to snatch the best pieces of bread. It’s fun to watch. My cat agrees.

Georgia

Rainbows

 

I’m not sure how many rainbows I’ve seen in my life—there are too many to count. Rainbows always surprise me because they’re unexpected.

They form when sunlight shines through raindrops. The light bends and splits into different colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

Rainbows aren’t something you can touch. They’re optical illusions. The light has to hit your eyes at just the right angle for you to see one, and because of that, no two people see the exact same rainbow.

Is there an end to a rainbow? No, there isn’t. It’s like a moving target that you can never reach.

Rainbows are reminders that not all beauty can be held or fully understood. Sometimes, all we can do is pause and take in the moment—let the wonder wash over us.

Georgia P.

Sturgeon Full Moon - August 8, 2005

I won’t post the usual generic full moon fluff—offering no practical advice and skipping over the hard truths. The truth is, bad actors are everywhere, infecting our lives with chaos and confusion. We long for things to make sense. We want it to end—

but there’s no end in sight. We crave safety and predictability, the kind we had not so long ago.

What’s happening in our world right now doesn’t make sense. And we don’t know what’s coming next.

When I reflect on today’s social climate, I realize that life has always been, to some extent, about not knowing the next step. How many times have we felt stuck, afraid, unsure of which direction to take? We procrastinate, waiting for a clear path to appear—but it often doesn’t.

Right now—full moon or not—we’re being asked to embrace change, to adapt as best we can. This is not a time to bury our heads in the sand and hope it all goes away.

Because it won’t. Not for a long time.

Still, we humans have agency. We have will. We can keep going. We can adjust to whatever comes. And we can do it with grace and dignity. We keep trying. We keep our eyes open for opportunities that help us get by—just well enough—until this storm
passes.

And it *will* pass.

What lies on the other side will be different—and that’s okay. We will make it through. These times offer an opening. A moment to look at what’s working in your life—your family life, your work life, your spiritual life. Piece by heavenly piece, we’ll all find our way. It won’t be easy—change never is. But an open mind can make the road smoother.

So, under this full moon, with love and peace in your heart, may you find the courage to stay grounded. Work with what you have. Take a quiet, reflective moment and make the best of it—even if you don’t know what comes next.

Georgia

The Fragrance of Roses

 

When the summer months arrive, I’m always excited to see the different types of roses that bloom in front of houses and on fences along the sidewalks throughout my neighborhood.

I always stop and smell the roses because of their beautiful fragrance. If you walk past ten houses, you will see ten different colored rose bushes and they all have their own individual scent.

With all the different roses, I have one that is my ultimate favorite. Most rose petals are one color but my favorite has two colors. Some of the petals are red and some of them are white. The beauty of them is indescribable. Not to mention that this combination of colors reminds me of candy canes at Christmas time.

It is the only rose bush in my entire neighborhood that grows like this. It’s so unique. I must find out where to get one of these two-color rose bushes and plant it in my front yard. Candy canes hanging on my rose bush in the summertime would be awesome!

Ellen

Thunderstorms and Rain

 

Summer is filled with wonderful sounds: the tinkling of ice in lemonade, leaves rustling in the breeze, the sizzle of a barbecue, the jingle of the ice cream truck, birdsong, and the soft glow of lightning bugs.

But summer isn’t complete without at least a few violent thunderstorms and torrents of rain. Lightning cracks the sky open — loud and sudden, with claps that sound like explosions.

Rain joins in with the wind, snapping tree limbs, whisking away garbage cans, shaking stop signs, and drumming on rooftops.

For a few moments, all thought is suspended. You feel small — a witness to the wild and raw energy of the storm.

Georgia