Blue Hydrangea
Mid-July
Pulse of July’s languid hours:
blueberries ripening to deep purple,
lilies aligned in colorful arrays.
Ivory egrets, with graceful steps,
scout among green marsh grasses
that bend in warmer winds.
Heat and humidity have arrived;
energy is lost to move one muscle.
When winter’s blast whitens land
regrets will arise for passing
of these fair summer days.
Lainie Senechal
Separation Across Sliver River
Separation
In an empty courtyard
trees near the fence
rustle like starched skirts
that sway in a slight breeze,
as stars slowly appear.
Each night brings a different
style of longing: sometimes
the heart aches with loneliness,
other nights there is joy
in anticipation of reunion.
Neither changes the situation
nor brings you closer to me.
Lainie Senechal
This watercolor will be included in a virtual exhibit to celebrate the Japanese festival of Tanabata. The theme this year is Tanabata: “An Ancient Story for Modern Times” focusing on the ideas of separation and the wishing, hoping, longing to meet again.
Sunset, Lake Attitash
Journey to Spring
Some days are bright and warm,
followed by cold and snow.
Like the motion of the tides
or the moon, once full, now waning –
the season ebbs and flows
on its slow journey to spring.
Lake’s surface becomes too soft
to support those that fish through ice.
We are headed into a new situation,
wondering how it will unfold.
Lainie Senechal
Announcement: Lainie’s paintings will be on display at the headquarters of the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge during the month of March 2020.
Paper White Narcissus
Imbolc
February first, a great spring festival
for the Celts, who waited
through a tired winter
to face the fresh air
of a new season
and sweep out winter’s lint.
Bellies now full with
milk from sheep’s freshening,
after their lambs were born.
A time to look forward
to the plowing of fields
and first planting of seeds.
Lainie Senechal
Chakra Spirit
Winter Sunset
At end of day
last flash of sun
hovers over lake;
we may be deceived
by its fuchsia brilliance
that travels quickly
from edge of horizon,
a jest of summer
behind bare branches.
But we are not naive,
the peal of winter bells
ring under a waxing moon,
frost king marches forth.
Lainie Senechal
Spirit Tree
Early Winter
An early winter welcomes
with a burst of snow,
as we remember blizzards
of years gone by.
We may wish for
a white Christmas,
or not, maybe zero flakes
and open landscapes are preferred.
We have no bone
to pick with the season,
but hope to endure
what will arrive.
Lainie Senechal
Autumn Assemblage ll
Autumn Rain
Leaves tremble with each drop
as rain showers deepen.
Surf grows stronger
with the storm and rising tide.
Scent of marsh lingers
in moist atmosphere,
a hint of something
that is very old and endures.
Lainie Senechal
Spooky Moon
Harvest Moon
The full moon,
like a round white sheet,
floats through the heavens,
rich with purple clouds.
Who dances under the orb
at harvest time, where
the bounty is gathered
to secure sustenance
against the barren days?
Lainie Senechal
Autumn Assemblage
Autumn Begins
Cool, salty winds blow in
from distant shore.
Sweet, sultry, Southern air
departs with summer sun.
Shelter of green leaves
becomes quite sparse,
as colorful remnants
fly in blustery breezes.
We gaze at evening’s low clouds,
color of purple wine -
wait for the long nights
and melancholy autumn days.
Lainie Senechal
Announcement: Lainie’s paintings will be on display at Amesbury City Hall beginning September 30 through January in a group exhibit titled “Transitions”. The opening is Wednesday, October 2nd from 6-8 pm.
Dahlias in a Green Vase
Near Summer’s End
Morning mist leaves the meadow,
as the rising sun creates
rainbow arcs in the fog.
A humid day concludes
in storms which sprinkle
the dry earth – a gift
from the clouds above.
At night, cooler air
reminds us that summer’s
end is nearly in sight.
Lainie Senechal