Wintry Beauty: "Do...do...do...Lookin' out my back door..." (Creedence Clearwater Revival)

photo by Jeanne

As Mark Twain once remarked, " In Connecticut, if you don't like the weather today, wait until tomorrow." Well, as forecasted, we received our little bit of January snow. Today... So beautiful with the sun making its sporadic appearance throughout the day. 

Icicles

 Icicles 

In my childhood, 

I sang a song that went like this: 

🎶 Icy-icy-icicles... 🎶

Now, icicles suspended 

from tree limbs and eaves

make me believe 

that my life is like these 

frozen suspensions, 

for I am a collection of 

life experiences, 

some transient, some suspended, 

some spun from the realms of time

where memories live in my heart, 

converging with the present,

holding onto the belief 

that they have aligned 

with the Truth 

 of Divinity: 

Love.

© Jeanne I. Lakatos

To hear me recite this verse, please click HERE.

Winter's Breath

 Winter's Breath

It comes on the wind,
fresh, cold.
 Snowflakes whisk 

through the air,
kiss my cheeks,
and instantly melt 
with the warmth, 
flowing from my heart.
I feel their arrival 

around me, surrounding me. 
My hair begins to curl 
with the moist, cold air.

With each click of icicles

falling from trees' branches, 
Winter's Breath assures me 

that there will be a Spring

and with it, the peace 

of the sun's sweet smile
in God's Time. 

© Jeanne I. Lakatos

To hear me recite the above verse, click HERE. 

Insouciance

Insouciance 

Feeling soucieux,
for the Bus has left without me,
I delve into the furthermost
reaches of a leather universe,
searching for a tissue to dry my tears,
lacking in certain finesse.

Soon, I touch something
soft, limp, fuzzy with appendages!
Ew, what has crawled into my purse?
Gingerly, I lift out the soft, limp,
fuzzy object by one of its appendages.

It stares at me with beady eyes
still, silent, smiling at me
insouciant as ever, James Joyce.
I rejoice... a friend!

What bus? 

© Jeanne I. Lakatos

* insouciant or insouciance: nonchalant, unconcerned

* soucieux: worried, concerned 

One Midnight, Long Ago

 

I took this photo of the River Shannon in Limerick, Ireland.

One Midnight, Long Ago

Gentle, gossamer wisps of vapor
frame a celestial tableau
amid indigo heavens
illuminated by the faint and distant sparkle
of a beckoning, fiery glow.

The vibrant sky heralds
a world below with hope
that the heat from this angelic miracle
will fuel yearning souls
with the fervor for righteous aim.

In the bitter cold of midnight, 
ardent love and devotion
expressed from a Mother's heart 
to a Newborn's eye
fulfills the prophesy~ a King is born.

© Jeanne I. Lakatos

To hear me recite this poem, please click HERE.

Epiphany!

Life’s intermittent Light

 shines 

through our souls, 

revealing the softness within, 

knowing that this heavenly force 

originates from 

the intensity of hardship 

learned by living 

in the profusion of opportunity 

that surrounds us, 

revealing Truth

in God's Time. 

~ from my operetta, Luminescence

© Jeanne I. Lakatos

Happy New Year, 2026... An Exercise in Illumination!

 

Whether you'll be bringing in the New Year with a crowd or by the tender glow of a single lamp near a cozy fireplace, (new moon tonight, so moonlight is out of the picture), may your illumination lead you to peace, love and joy!

The new year begins as any other day with the exception of a different numeral representing the earth's orbit around the star we call sun. Often, we use this time to mark an opportunity to make changes; however, change can occur more readily if one is clearly aware of that which may or may not need alteration. With this in mind, below are three New Year's creative challenge options:

OPTION I:

1. Get a piece or two of paper and a pencil. Yes, I said paper and pencil. Okay, you may use a pen if that's all you have.
2. Find a quiet place and plant yourself. (It could be indoors or outdoors.) Get comfortable.
3. Close your eyes; breathe slowly in; exhale very slowly out. Repeat this a few times until your mind is calm, open, and receptive.
4. Be aware of every sensory response that you experience for 10 minutes and write them down in the form of a sensuous poem.

OR

OPTION II:
Ask yourself what it is that you will do this year to advance humanity (or simply yourself) toward a higher level of consciousness. Then write a poem about it.

OR

OPTION III:
Write your own version of 'Auld Lang Syne.' 

A couple 'illuminations' of mine:

New Year Haiku

Nuance awareness

Axis of vision’s splendor

Creative vigor 

© Jeanne I. Lakatos

*******************

Aulde Lang Syne Revisited

The moment passes

into a new year.

In heart and mind

serenity is clear.

In this sweet moment

reigns our chance to thrive

to bring love, peace and joy

fully alive!

© Jeanne I. Lakatos

You can hear me recite the above verses by clicking HERE.