🌞Every summer, I travel with my children to visit our family in the place I once called home. Here are a few photos taken, along with a new poem composed during our visit this July.
Summer’s Ardor
Sunlight spills through baby blue,
Stretched across a span of puffy white,
Clouds spun plentiful and plump,
White winged in still repose,
Silence broken by the coo-coo of a gray dove,
She perches in a thicket of blue spruce,
Carries grubs to her waiting nestlings,
Takes flight swiftly, body ample yet lithe.
Day seeps in slow and warm, a turtle’s pace,
Echoing the long, throaty, round coo-coo of the dove,
Time lulling in summer’s stippled light,
Hours elongating with heat and light and color and life,
Pink hydrangea, rose petals opening to a waking sky,
White lacy bouquets swaying on green stems in soft breeze,
Hush of dawn broken only by birdsong,
Hum of steady stillness dappled in sunlit shadows.
Summer’s smooth jazz quartet,
Of light and warmth, melody and repose,
Strings of plenty playing blithe and true,
Breezy rhythms floating, melting, blending into skin,
Piano ivories pollinating the air with sweet melodies,
Saturating earth in a syncopated frenzy of life,
Of summer’s love and lust,
Of our fervent, honeyed dreams.
Copyright @ Stacie Eirich, August 1, 2022.
🎼Musically, the last month has been an exciting one! The Stay at Home Choir, which I have been a member & singer in since March 2020, began rehearsals for our second Album Project — and released two new songs in July 2022.
🎶 Notes from Our World Released on July 15th, this song is a brand new piece created by composer/conductor Gareth Malone specifically for SAHC, with lyrics written in collaboration with the choir. Proceeds from the single, which can be found at the link below and on streaming platforms (Apple, Spotify) go to Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), towards supporting humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.
🎶 Vuelie Released on July 29th, this song is well-known for being featured in the Disney movie Frozen. It gave Stay at Home Choir singers a unique opportunity to learn about the indigenous culture of the Sami in northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. It was also a memorable experience because kids around the world, including my daughter, were able to join us in singing a special children’s chorus part. I’m proud of her for trying something new and sharing her voice in Vuelie.
📕 What have I been reading? I’ve recently finished two beautiful books of poetry: Blue Horses by Mary Oliver and Dream Drawings by N. Scott Momaday. I’ve also been listening to the audiobook for The Reading List, which I read in hardback format last year. It’s our library’s Book Club pick for August, and I’ll have my short video review up soon. Look for it below!
Thank you for visiting my monthly blog; it's readers and listeners like you who keep creators inspired. Have an abundant August, and stop by again in September for some fall fun!
In Verse & Songs -Stacie ✍🎵🌼