April Fools

Tulips Searching for Spring

Tulips Searching for Spring

April Fools

Did spring come in

on a brisk March breeze?

The days warmed under azure skies.

Wood frogs rattled from their pool.

The river flowed swiftly

filled with a vernal flood.

There was hope for the start

of the new season, but April

has given us a tease – snow

and cold temperatures arrive.

As we move forward

into the new month,

we move backwards

into winter’s harsh days.

Lainie Senechal

Announcement: Lainie will have art and poetry in an online event, “Spring Awakenings”, on Saturday, April 6th, at 7pm. Link: www.kajiasostudio.com.

Sugaring

Sawyer's Sugar House

Sawyer’s Sugar House

Sugaring

A streak of warm days

followed by frigid nights

brings a surge of sap

from the Monadnock maples.

The flow collected then placed

in large wood-fired boilers.

It seems forever to cook down,

only stopped when a sweet,

sticky syrup remains.

Across the region a chain

of sugar shacks, at full

capacity, run day and night.

Although production can be

a pain, the season is short

and the result is a tasty treat

that marks the start of spring.

Lainie Senechal

Announcement: Lainie will have artwork and poetry in an online presentation,  “Spring Awakenings”, on Saturday, April 6th at 7pm. RSVP administrator@kajiasostudio.com

Spring Awakenings 2

Pussy Willows

Pussy Willows

Spring Awakenings 2

When will the atmosphere

shake off its winter mood?

The trees are a tangle of

bare branches, gray and bent,

from the season’s heavy snows.

Hopefully the seeds of summer

are beginning to stir

and soon we will sip

spring’s sweet, green wine.

Lainie Senechal

Announcement: Lainie will have artwork in an exhibit, with the Saxton River Art Guild, at the Main Street Arts gallery in Saxton River, VT from March 9 through April 21. The reception will take place place on March 9 from 2-4 at Main Street Arts.

Spring Awakenings

Paddling  Along the Edge of Spring

Paddling Along the Edge of Spring

Spring Awakenings

As winter’s chill continues

what lies underground waiting

to climb into the vernal warmth?

The division between this season

and the next is not a wall but

a gradual wave of unfolding.

Soon the river will roar with

the flood of melting snow

and our spirits will soar

in a balmy spring breeze.

Lainie Senechal

Announcement: Lainie will have art and poetry in an event at the Kaji Aso Studio, 40 st. Stephen St., Boston from March 2 through April 24th. On Saturday, March 2nd from 7 – 8:30 pm there will be a reception including music and poetry at the studio.

Beyond the Storm

Snow on Branches

Snow on Branches

Beyond the Storm

Today, after the storm,

wind bothers the branches

sending ghostly veils of snow

across the frozen forest.

Juncos have returned –

they chase each other

around the balcony

searching for sustenance

among the scattered seeds.

The sun sparkles on the snow

and dances on the rapid ripples

of the fast flowing stream.

A bright winter day

with all of the beauty

this season can bring.

Lainie Senechal

January Snow

Along the Contoocook - January

Along the Contoocook – January

January Snow

Snow arrives in the night,

descends swiftly down during

the frosty January day.

It defines barren branches

and settles in large, white puffs

on the sturdy evergreens.

Juncos appear below feeder,

scratch the small drifts

to seek needed morsels.

As shadows stretch across

the balcony, flakes finally fade

and the forest falls into

a dark and quiet repose.

Lainie Senechal

Full Moon in December

Moon Dream

Moon Dream

Full Moon in December

The full moon’s soft light

drifts in and out of passing clouds

on this frosty winter’s night.

A few might release flakes

that sparkle like stars

in the bright lunar glow.

Lainie Senechal

Announcement: Lainie will exhibit artwork in a group exhibit at the Whiting Library in Chester, VT, during January and February. The opening reception is on Saturday, January 13 from 11:30am-1:30pm.

The Autumn Forest

Fallen Willow Branch

Fallen Willow Branch

The Autumn Forest

In the autumn forest

on a day of calm breezes

and cloudless skies,

the trees seem content

to rest in the golden light -

their floor a brown carpet

of abandoned leaves.

A few greens of moss

and fern emerge from

the layers of debris.

A moment with no hint

of winter storms that will

bring snow and frigid winds.

Lainie Senechal

An Autumn Afternoon

Autumn Leaves

Autumn Leaves

An Autumn Afternoon

Beyond the window’s shutters

all the birch leaves are golden -

they dance in the autumn breeze

as afternoon’s light twinkles

among the bright branches.

This moment, however, is tenuous

and will soon draw to a close.

Then the crows, silhouetted

against the bare limbs, will call

raucously across an empty forest.

Lainie Senechal

Announcement: Lainie will have paintings and poetry in the Kaji Aso Studio exhibit: “Flying Together: Celebrating 50 Years”. The reception,including music, poetry and art, will happen on Saturday, November 4th at 7pm at the Kaji Aso Studio, 40 St Stephen St., Boston. There will be an online exhibit on November 12th at 7pm.