Winter’s Dance

Frozen Scene

Winter’s Dance

by Caroline Clemens

The bleak outlook of a cold winter’s day,

Makes waltz’s misstep as slippery ice brings,

Hardened limbs and hearts, like branches and things.

The red heart pulses, while eyes visualize grey.

Can they dance if a mind has gone away?

Echoes past in cathedral loudly rings,

One and two and breathe; loves melody sings.

 

Stilled and quiet, winter grieves her lost love.

The sympathies of ages mark time in church.

Yet, sapphire souls seek freedom in futile search.

Their lonely griefs covered with knitted glove,

The Winter’s Dance keeps time like bell above,

Unites them through winter wondrous trees of birch.

Loves end lasts forever, not winter’s lurch.

 

~2 verse, 7 lines, 10 syllable w/ 1,4,5 and 2,3,6,7 to rhyme describing winter, love and the end/changing of both.

Photography by Kim Troike

Art & Poetry

 

Monet_-_Monets_Garten_in_Giverny

Gardens at Giverney by Claude Monet

Thanks for stopping by today and looking at my blog gardenliliepub! I’m showcasing one of my favorite artists (I have so many others to discover) Claude Monet, a French painter.

Above is the Gardens at Giverney, which I hope to visit soon, and maybe someday I’ll even have a small garden such as this. In the meantime I have this blog. These paintings are pictures from Wikimedia Commons, a site where one can browse and use for purposes such as this, sharing. I selected the above to go with my peach background, a color fresh for summer and I’m from the peach state.

Below is a painting titled, “Three Trees in Grey Weather,” and I love threes. I think I’ve mentioned this before with my last name Troike meaning three horses pulling a chariot in Russian, holistic teachings like physical, mental and spiritual triangles, and I have three children. So here you go with three trees using lavender or periwinkle color for the leaves. Monet loved color, he used it with the impressionistic style.

Three_Trees_in_Grey_Weather_1891_Claude_Monet

Three Trees in Grey Weather by Claude Monet

I have written a book of poetry! Never in my life would I have thought I might do that. NEVER. And I’m not a pessimist by any means. Frankly, I’m the opposite. That pink bunny, every-ready charged drum playing commercial, that’s me. Today my book of poetry is FREE on Amazon. Yes. Five days over the summer I’ve put it to specially be FREE. Look below and click on link for purchase. I hope to inspire others like I’ve been inspired. Poetry is real, it’s a way of putting down some words that might have two or three interpretations and you let it go without screaming to the world what you’ve said. Real people write real poetry.

Below is Claude Monet’s Dinner painting. I used to have this one framed and hanging in my kitchen. I gave it away after I enjoyed it for several years. The smile on her face was all I needed for payment. I also used this setting in my novel. It is what I referred to in my mind when I wrote a scene from Into the Vines.

Monet_-_Das_Mittagsmahl

Dinner by Claude Monet

Finally, I’d like to share with you a poem from my titled book, “Autumn Quotes.” The prompt was to write a poem of who you would like to meet present or past and why.

MONET

Another time another place,
I’d gather in the garden.

We’d speak of letters written.
How time is short, our thoughts numerous.

He’d sip. I’d sip. We’d share despair.
Our obsessions by the yard, on and on,
A solitaire, mindful existence, intriguing.

Realism … defined, perception expressed,
Monet the artist, romanticism and freedom.

We’d share the wine; I’d ask the ??
He’d tell me about independence, his struggle,
To be himself, absorbed in context.

Camille and many femmes …
Paint me, paint me, to see what you see,
That would brighten and open my eyes.

We would sit for a bit, touch glass
Toasting art in the garden. Relaxed.

Then we’d take the train, 1877,
And jump right into the station.

And go to the sea, where I would see,
The colors and expressions in his impressions.

But I shall never forget the time
My note card exposed, the magpie,
My endearment for my artistic angel.
Lovingly bestowed upon my lovely,
Naturally like art.

Then we would walk along the Seine
Puffs of his smoke I might catch,
As he would talk of finer points and prisms.

We’d cross the bridge and he’d tell of,
The water lilies, a motif or flower aquarium.

I’d want to know how he kept going,
Amidst an exhaustive, endless piece?

Painting is what I do. I do this with peace.
As war ignites, I paint early and long,
I give for France as my contribution.

We walk the bridge over a vast lily pond,
And end at a cafe where his friends join in,
I hear some wide eyed stories
Never told and I am enlightened.

By Caroline Clemens

How many Monet paintings do you see in my poem? Credit to Wikimedia Commons for Monet paintings.

Amazon

Wikimedia

 

 

Shakespeare Whispers Love

 

Shakespeare Whispers Love

I do believe
What do I believe?

Not gonna worry
Time moves forward
So should I …

Unsteady that’s okay
Who’s perfect anyway?

Big eyes I have
For summer, she’s so sweet

Dreams, y’all, I’ll start new

Blue water floats my hope
Lasso this grin, no line just rope

I’ll be where the stars are many
Wishes plenty tossed in air like a penny

Shakespeare, whisper in my ear
Words that warm, drowning my fear

So in the end I’m just a heart
Waiting for love, my true sweet tart!

By Caroline Clemens

Photo by iStockImages

*For National Poetry Day from the poetry collection titled Autumn Quotes by Caroline Clemens on Amazon.

Christmas Is Over

Christmas DecorationsChristmas is Over!

This is my son’s favorite ornament. So, of course, I love it too! A couple years ago I put an old picture just above it, and snapped away. It captured a whole lotta love. You can see Tigger dangling from the tree in the old pic, and coca–cola, well, we love the drink. We live in Atlanta, Georgia. So we better. Ha–ha!

The train that went around the bottom of the tree, and played music every year at Christmas time is where the kids clamored. There, or whatever room I set it out in. The words they shouted when they came over were, “Where’s the train? Where’s the train?” Off they’d go mesmerized for hours, or so it seemed. There is something about kids and trains. What is it? Who cares? It just is.

Why can’t time just stop for awhile, and not move forward?

Because, milady, it just doesn’t. So get prepared, and keep moving forward. You never know when a special moment will last a lifetime. You just don’t know when the memory is made that makes you smile, makes you cry, or just plain makes known to you, that you are alive and so thankful.

De–decorate!

Yes, that is my task for the weekend, and I’ve got no early start here. Who on earth relishes that one? Not me. I say I’m going to thin it out, but do I? I’ll let you know, maybe. 🙂

Fairytale, Little Match Girl

Anderson’s Little Match Girl

Resolutions or Goals!

I am a goal setter, so I don’t mind when I slack just a bit. I try and treat myself with kindness, you know, don’t be too harsh. Nobody wants to end up like the little match girl (one of my favorite fairy tales). That’s for the rest of the world … the big, bad world.

Here goes …

Yep, I still need to get in shape (guess I fell out of shape somehow). For some of us we put others first, with kids you have too. Some people manage to be perfect with kids, but I’m not one of those. So, I’m first now. Four months should be a good amount of time to firm up, I’m guessing!

Second is to promote my novel. That is coming real soon, like in two–three weeks. Stay tuned!

Third, well, let’s see. Clean & decorate my house, get a job, travel, taxi driver & cook for my kids, and be happy. Oh, I fooled ya as I already do all of those.

Lastly, I did get a camera for my birthday. I will learn it, and take some photos to share with you here, and on my other blog of this beautiful city I live in … Atlanta, Georgia.

Thanks for stopping by! I’m off to work out very hard.

By Caroline Clemens~~pen

Kim Troike photo credit#1

Wikipedia Commons photo credit#2