September 2022 – Colleen Keller Breuning

Vertigo

Vertigo

My head is spinning round and round,
My feet unsteady on the ground.
I’m caught up in this undertow,
I’ve got a touch of vertigo.

I try to still these waves of change
And close my eyes to rearrange.
I sense your warmth as cold winds blow,
I’ve got a touch of vertigo.

In fields of gold, your lips meet mine,
We savor taste of autumn wine.
Hold me close, never let me go,
I’ve got a touch of vertigo.

My head is spinning round and round,
I’ve got a touch of vertigo.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2022
September 17, 2022

This is a poem I started a month ago, when I experienced a very brief period of vertigo that lasted for only a few hours one morning as I was trying to work from home. I threw down a couple of lines and left it unfinished. I came back to it this morning and it morphed into a Kyrielle Sonnet. That is kind of how I’ve been rolling of late, lol.

Life has been extremely busy with work. This week was the September 15 tax deadline, and I ended up working many hours of OT. Whew! Lots of things (mostly all good) coming up in the next month, though. Tomorrow night, the concert I have been long awaiting – PORCUPINE TREE!! Haha, not many people even know this progressive band. I can hardly wait to see lead guitar genius Steven Wilson and his band perform at The Anthem in DC. We are spending the night at the DC harbor. Then on Wednesday night, PET SHOP BOYS! Yes, that old pop band from the 80’s. I just love them. Remember the song “West End Girls?” AH!!!! They were the soundtrack from the 80s for me, great memories of when Dan and I got together. Our kids grew up listening to their music. It was originally scheduled in 2020, but was postponed twice due to COVID. I don’t know how this old gal is going to handle two rock concerts in one week, but I will hang!

Then on September 27, I’m having gall bladder surgery. Yippee…. NOT! Yeah, this wasn’t in my plans…. but I had some URQ pain over the summer that I finally got checked out. After some testing and a surgeon consult, I was diagnosed with multiple gallstones, so that organ is soon going to be history. Wondering if that has been contributing to a lifetime of GI issues? We shall see…. I’m not nervous about the actual surgery, just a little unnerved at the possible after effects. You know how I love my food and red wine!

October will be a busy work month, with lots of deadlines to meet before a long Florida trip we have planned. It’s a driving trip, with three stops: my BFF Marianne’s house in the Villages for one night, Disney trip with Katie, Brenton and the grandkids, then to Vince and Natalie’s house for some relaxation and fishing! I can hardly wait to see everyone!

Through all of this, I intend to enjoy the pleasures of my favorite season – AUTUMN! My house is already decorated with shades of gold, red and pumpkin. I can feel the crisp change in the air, ever slight that it is. I am looking forward to the beautiful hues that will soon bloom all around us. Take care, friends and remember to cherish the beauty all around you!

xoxo Colleen

Mood: Crazy Busy
Inspo: Porcupine Tree: “Time Flies”

In Vino Veritas

In Vino Veritas

We
drink in
warm sunshine
fingers of light
cascade from blue sky
reflecting off the lake
we wander through the vineyard
pausing to taste forbidden fruit
summer bursting boldly on our tongues
shades of cabernet swirl in cut crystal
as a renaissance flows within our veins
we dance in parade of emotions
bodies and souls in slow tandem
searching for unknown answers
in vino veritas
we bare our secrets
unearthing truth
for the grapes
never
lie

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2022
September 12, 2022

My husband gave me a really cool book for Christmas a few years back, “The Daily Stoic,” by Ryan Holiday. I just love this book, it is chock full of amazing quotes by the famous stoics with thoughts and annotations. I also follow Daily Stoic on Instagram, which is always entertaining and full of wisdom that makes one think. In my reading, I encountered “In Vino Veritas.” This a very interesting and meaningful quote to me, given my love of wine and general observations I’ve made throughout life.

I did a little research on the author of this quote, Pliny the Elder. There are lots of fascinating facts that I didn’t know about him. His full name was Gaius Plinius Secundus. A Roman author, lawyer and philosopher, he lived from 23 – 79 AD. He died while trying to rescue family and friends from the aftermath of the Mt. Vesuvius volcano eruption!

Pliny the Elder started out his Roman military career by serving in Germany, and he ascended to the rank of cavalry commander. His last post was as that of a fleet commander in the Bay of Naples, where he was commissioned to supress rampant piracy of the times. He wrote the very long History of the Germanic Wars , which was comprised of twenty volumes but no longer exists. Pliny also wrote the world’s first encyclopedia, Naturalis Historia, (Natural History). His passion was studying, investigating nature and geography, and writing about all facets of these subjects, which he compiled into 37 books as the model for encyclopediae of the future.

I decided to write a poem this week based on Pliny’s famous quote. It wasn’t the kind of topic that lends itself to a rhyme based poem or strict syllabic rhythm, so I ended up jotting down rahdom phrases that came to mind over the course of a week. When constructing and finalizing the poem last night and this morning, a double etheree ended up emerging. It’s funny how that happens! I hope you enjoy.

So here’s to Pliny the Elder… I raise my glass in a toast to truth, life, love and wine! And cheers to all for a wonderful Labor day holiday weekend!

xoxo Colleen

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pliny-the-Elder

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pliny_the_Elder

https://www.livius.org/articles/person/pliny-the-elder/