Tag Archives: dance

A Wish for April

A Wish for April

When twilight comes knocking on winter’s door;
The dusk beckons with its deep purple skies.
Distant stars burgeon with flaming ardour,
The woods come to life in glow of moonrise.

Faeries dance underneath the pale moon’s light;
Gold and peach, a daffodil pas de deux.
Sweet melody of flutes colors the night,
In soft tapestry of jewel tones and hues.

My heart is weary as the night grows long,
So I close my tired eyes and kneel in prayer.
I take comfort in the nightingale’s song,
A sense of hope fills the early spring air.

Awakened from my dreams, I count to ten,
And I am wishing for April again.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2024
March 23, 2024

It’s Saturday again, and I’m not sure exactly where this sonnet came from. Let’s just call it sheer luck, haha! I have been piecing together lines for the last few days, and the poem turned out much differently than how it started. Sometimes phrases just pop into my head, and I have to jot them down quickly, lest I forget. Some lines come to me, but don’t fit into the current poem. They get tossed into my random line pages for using another time. This is just a little whimsical ditty about dreaming of the magic of spring, and the dancing of the flowers (faeries) under the moon.

Yes, spring officially came this week, but it doesn’t seem like it. Today was a dreary, rainy, cold and extremely windy day. We get a wicked west wind that rushes down the street and hits the front of our house dead on. This afternoon when I stepped out in the yard, it felt like hurricane force winds! My poor daffodils and jonquils were bending and brushing the ground – fortunately, they are quite resilient! I guess I’m just wishing for April to get here, as March has never been my favorite month. It’s a most impatient month, even worse than January when you are sort of resigned to it being winter. Right now it is too cold to wear sandals, and even I (who rarely complains about cold weather) am ready to pack away my cable knit sweaters until fall! Only 9 more days….

Until then, I wish you warmth, peace and love!

Xoxo,

Colleen

Mood: Whimsy
Inspiration: “The Four Seasons – Spring” by Vivaldi

Ecrits Blogophilia Week 38.15 – Sheer Luck
Hard Bonus: Incorporate a song title by Dean Martin (“Deep Purple,” “Dream” & “April Again”)
Easy Bonus: Reference faeries

Dreams of The Wildflower

Dreams of the Wildflower

Sleep
descends
like warm winds
that carry me
in the deep of night
colors swirl in my mind
as I drift into the void
I have a strange dream about you
purple paisleys and blue stars morphing
as we dance beneath the smoldering sun
lips graze and I blossom beneath your touch
like a wildflower springing to life
and I’ve never been so happy
pure love pulses through my veins
but where do our dreams go
when life brings you down
I hold them close
in my heart
until
dawn

Colleen Keller Breuning ©2024
January 20, 2024

Hello, friends and family! This poem was inspired by some vivid, colorful dreams that I experienced during my bout with COVID back in the fall. I remember seeing beautiful swirling purple paisleys and blue stars as I closed my eyes and drifted off. I was so sick and on several meds including an anti-viral, but the dreams were so weird and delightful. I’m really not sure if the disease or the medication caused these dreams!

We got about 6 more inches of snow yesterday, and it was a very soft, powdery snow. I have been working long hours again this week and did not get a chance to go out in the snow until this afternoon. Dan and I bundled up and braved the 18-degree temps for a long walk around the lake. The skies were a crisp blue, and the snow sparkled like crystals when the sun hit. A large part of the shaded western edge of the lake had frozen, and geese were walking on the ice. It felt so refreshing to get outside and breathe the frigid air. It cleared my mind and allowed me to bask in the winter beauty.

Here’s one of the funny points of our week… Dan had to perform an emergency C-Section. On the loveseat. It seems little Bobby got a wild hair on Wednesday night and for some reason, he was able crawl into the innards of the furniture. Dan noticed him struggling, he had somehow squeezed through a tiny opening between the wood frame and up into the back upholstery! He was meowing loudly and hissing out of fear and distress. You could feel him through the furniture and see him moving! We tried every way possible to free him, turning the loveseat upside down, inspecting for an opening, but there was nothing! Finally, it became clear we had to cut it open. Dan retrieved his hunting knife and carefully slit the fabric on the backside. I was able to see Bobby on the other side of the opening and coaxed him out. Then he bolted up the stairs and hid for an hour. We are able to laugh about it now.

Naturally, the cats have been completely obsessed with the loveseat since then, sniffing at it and napping on it. First Dan stuffed the inside with every throw pillow and unused blanket he could find, and sealed it up with – you guessed it – duct tape! Now the poor loveseat has a long, nasty C-Section scar lol. We’ve never had to do something this drastic because of a “stupid pet trick!” The next day one of Dan’s clients told him their kitten got behind the drywall, and they had to cut a huge hole in the wall to get it out! We are just grateful that Bobby didn’t decide to do this shenanigan while we were on our trip to Florida. So, all things considered, it could have been a lot worse. Oh well! We had been talking about replacing the living room furniture soon anyway…. are cat-proof sofas a thing?

I wish you all a lovely weekend! Stay warm and enjoy the beauty of the winter season!

Xoxo,

Colleen

Mood: Peaceful
Inspiration: “Soulmate” by Andrea Vanzo

Ecrits Blogophilia Week 28.15 – Where Do Dreams Go?
Hard Bonus: Include a quote or line from Martin Luther King Jr. (“I have a dream”)
Easy Bonus: Incorporate a wish

Circle of Stones

Circle of Stones

There’s thunder in the glowering sky
way down in the hushed valley tonight.
The sun is dropping to the horizon,
the clouds refract its amber light.

Something strange is stirring in the air,
I hear their voices carry on the breeze.
I rise up from the evening mist
and climb the hill toward the trees.

There in a clearing of fallow fields
on a cliff overlooking the rocky strands,
they gather round the circle of stones
with glowing torches in their delicate hands.

Beneath the luminous moonlight,
peach chiffon skirts flutter as they dance.
The buzzing of honeybees in my ears,
I stand before them, drifting into a trance.

I long to touch those rocks of Craigh na Dun,
to transport me to a place so far away.
From the craggy shores of my distant past,
time traveling to the frontiers of a new day.

Sometimes I’m tough as hammer and nails
and sometimes I wilt in the pouring rain.
Circle of stones, grant me the strength
to make a new life and cast away the pain.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2023
June 9, 2023

Happy Friday/Happy Saturday, all! I am writing this late on a Friday night, listening to the Outlander soundtrack. But I will sleep on this and post on Saturday morning, as it is getting late.

As soon as I saw this week’s topic “Time Traveling,” I was immediately taken back to Scotland in the 1700’s. I have been following the Outlander series on Starz for years, and I am also reading the books. Currently I am almost finished reading “Written in My Own Heart’s Blood,” which is the 8th book of Diana Gabaldon’s series. I am thoroughly enjoying the storyline and of course, the characters Jamie and Claire Fraser!

There have been times in my life where I’ve thought it would be cool to transport to the past… or maybe the future. The future actually seems a lot scarier to me!  It is fun to fantasize about that, and I imagine the details of what it would be like. But then you realize you cannot really escape your present. (Or can you?) We are put on this planet for a reason, to thrive and hopefully make the world a better place when we leave. We ponder it and think life might have been simpler in the past, but could you really survive in the 1700s without modern conveniences like indoor plumbing, cell phones or your car? Not me! Maybe you could, maybe you were born to compete in the show “Survivor” and rough it out in the wilderness! But I’d say that takes a very unique, tough individual. I definitely wouldn’t be cut out for that. Hell, I hated camping while in the Girl Scouts and certainly couldn’t and wouldn’t do it now lol. Not even if it was glamping! No thanks, no soggy tents or even cabins with spiders for me. You’ll find me at the nearest Ritz Carlton, Kimpton or Marriott Courtyard Hotel instead!

This poem is a musing about Claire’s journey through the stones of Craigh na Dun, a fictional place set in 1700s Scotland. I imagine what she must have gone through, straddling the present and then being dropped into a past which was harsh but yielded a beautiful love and a new life. As for me… I’m perfectly happy where I am in my own life, in my little bubble surrounded by family, friends, cats, nature, mountains and sunsets. And I plan to stay around for as long as possible and live my life to the fullest!! Just exploring some fun and fantasy this week. Have a lovely weekend, all!

XOXO Colleen

Mood: Imaginative
Inspiration: “Faith” from Outlander soundtrack by Bear McCreary

Ecrits Blogophilia Week 49.14 – Time Traveling
Hard Bonus: Include a Meat Loaf lyric or line (“There’s thunder in the sky,” “way down in the valley tonight”)
Easy Bonus: Mention a hammer and nail

Sisters of the Moon

Sisters of the Moon

Thunder rumbles across the land,
drums reverberating in the night.
I walk alone in barren fields
to join my sisters in the moonlight.

Arise, oh pagans of the north
our fevered fires burn within,
taste of honeysuckle on our lips,
the zephyr’s touch upon our skin.

Eyes scan the indigo skies,
searching for the waxing moon.
Gardens burst with pastel colors
as May gives way to bloom.

Dance, sisters, in green meadows
with crowns of flowers in our hair,
holding hands and singing songs
our voices floating in the air.

Now here comes the rain again,
trying to drown the fires within,
like the Temple of Artemis
washed away by greed and sin.

Huddled in the forest haven,
soaked by the relentless torrents,
we chant prayers of solemn thanks
until the dirge of clouds relents.

Rise up, sisters of the moon,
feel the flames within ignite,
always running wild and free
on our path to eternal light.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2023
May 13, 2023

Happy Saturday! I was not planning on writing a piece quite like this, but believe it or not, the Green Day lyrics steered me in this fun direction. It could be also that I am in the midst of reading one of the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. If you haven’t watched or read the Outlander series, you are missing out! I mean, you know…. Jamie Fraser in a kilt!!! *sigh*

If you’ve seen the show, the introduction of each episode features the mysterious Gaelic Beltane dances, which is just beautiful. The ritual dancers with long flowing dresses and candles, so very mysterious and stunning. I just let my imagination run free this week and imagined dancing in the fields with my two beautiful sisters, whom I love very much! I always feel young and invigorated when I am with them, and we always have such funny and beautiful memories to share. Love you Barb and Sarah!

This week everything seemed out of whack, work was tough and things were getting me down. Today was a rainy day, and fortunately, we had planned to go visit Mom to celebrate Mother’s Day a day early. Sarah, Chris and the kids joined us. We picked up pizza and salads and enjoyed a wonderful afternoon with Mom, full of stories and laughter. I love casual get togethers like that, and for me it was a huge mood lifter! On the way home, we encountered a huge backup on the Potomac River Bridge, where Route 340 to Harpers Ferry was completely blocked and the police were diverting everyone to go south on Harper’s Ferry Road. We were stuck quite a while, and it took a long while to finally get to Purcellville. We saw many Loudoun County fire and rescue trucks heading west for what we hear was a major accident. It took us a lot longer to get home, but we were grateful to get home safely…. as some were not so fortunate apparently. Makes you count your blessings, for a small  inconvenience is nothing compared to the alternative.

Wishing all you Moms of all kinds out there a very safe, happy, peaceful and restful Mother’s Day! XOXO Colleen

Mood: Imaginative
Inspiration: “Outlander”

Ecrits Blogophilia Week 45.14 Topic: Staying Positive in a Negative World
Hard Bonus: Use any lyric from a Green Day Song – “here comes the rain again” & “always running wild and free”
Easy Bonus: Reference one of the 7 wonders of the world (modern or ancient) – Temple of Artemis

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/

Inspiration: Wine and Sophie Hutchings music
Mood: Happy

Weightless

Weightless

Twilight calling
scent of jasmine in the air
starlight falling
silver strands upon my hair.

You take my hand
pull me close against your chest
love is dawning
my fretful spirit cannot rest.

See the ambient moon rising
high up in the night
and my heart aches for freedom
to dance in the amber light
to spread my wings and take flight
holding on
until dawn
when we rise with the sun
breathe in the fresh air
floating on the clouds without a care.

And I’m weightless…
weightless in your arms
weightless in your arms
shelter me from harm.

Venus shining
passion puts us in a trance
swaying to and fro
captivated by romance.

Evening is long
filled with the mockingbird’s song
tender lips graze
wash away the tears and wrongs.

See the ambient moon rising
high up in the night
and my heart aches for freedom
to dance in the amber light
to spread my wings and take flight
holding on
until dawn
when we rise with the sun
breathe in the fresh air
floating on the clouds without a care.

And I’m weightless…
weightless in your arms
weightless in your arms
shelter me from harm.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2022
May 21, 2022

It’s been a very long time since I have written. Lots of things were keeping me in a writer’s block of sorts the past few months …. a new job, busy tax season, the sudden death of Dan’s brother, dealing with grief and other life changes. As a result, I got out of the habit of keeping true to my Friday morning writing schedule. I really miss our Blogophilia group, that kept me on track. I miss our interactions and find myself on social media a lot less these days. I hope to get back to my writing weekly, even if it’s a simple haiku.

Here’s a little song, lighter than what I’ve been feeling lately. Here’s to love….

xoxo Colleen

Inspiration: “Serenade” by Emiliana Torrini
Mood: Wistful

Dance of Life

Dance of Life

Dance of Life

Perched by the open window
tiny dancer bathed in glow
beneath a veil of green eyes
gilded lily in disguise.

Faded scars cannot erase
sad memories from a place
where sticks and stones broke her bones
sharp lessons learned long ago.

Dodging minefields, cat and mouse
secrets hidden in old house
one magic moment has turned
to cold dust where fire once burned.

Sinews, muscles stretch and thrash
finding strength amidst the ash.
though hope seems lost with no trace
she exudes amazing grace.

A strong breeze from down under
pushes sorrow asunder
as she glides forth, free from strife
in this mystic dance of life….

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2015
August 19, 2015

Blue Reverie

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Blue Reverie

As the clouds dance their pas de deux
In the blue reverie of the night sky,
Moonglow reveals the spirit of you,
And my heart is lifted up so high.
In the blue reverie of the night sky,
Stardust mingles with the shooting stars,
And my heart is lifted up so high
Above the treetops, so very far.
Stardust mingles with the shooting stars.
Birds serenade with gentle lullabies
Above the treetops, so very far
As wistful tears sting my weary eyes.
Birds serenade with gentle lullabies,
Invoking memories from long ago.
As wistful tears sting my weary eyes,
A restless breeze blows through my window.
Invoking memories from long ago,
My senses stir within, the past reborn.
A restless breeze blows through my window,
Imparting sweet essence of apples and corn.
My senses stir within, the past reborn,
Walking hand in hand through fields of gold.
Imparting sweet essence of apples and corn,
Countless chapters remain unwritten, untold.
Walking hand in hand through fields of gold,
The autumn colors paint their brilliant hues.
Countless chapters remain unwritten, untold.
Oh, to have just one more day with you!
The autumn colors paint their brilliant hues
As amber sun plays in periwinkle skies.
Oh to have just one more day with you!
I have much more to say than a final goodbye.
As amber sun plays in periwinkle skies,
My heart breaks with the call of the solitary loon.
I have much more to say than a final goodbye,
But the hour of parting has come too soon.
My heart breaks with the call of the solitary loon,
Moonglow reveals the spirit in you.
But the hour of parting has come too soon
As the clouds dance their pas de deux.
Colleen Keller Breuning © 2014
September 26, 2014

She Who Dances in Snow

She Who Dances in Snow

Black velvet drapes of dusk
cloak moss covered hills.
The air exhales its chill
as February blooms beneath
a burgeoning gibbous moon.

Wisps of white crystalline
fall — leaping, swirling,
around glowing streetlights
like vagrant moths
courting open flames.

Here! I am here,
the snow falling around me,
falling down like soothing rain,
manna from heaven,
sweet nectar on my tongue.

Thoughts of grandeur
swell inside my mind,
my heart in relevé,
I dance in the gravel driveway
in a pas de deux with the lamppost.

Mr. Stone is taking out the trash,
dragging his bins to the curbside
on this bitter Tuesday night.
He leans against the western wind,
catching a glimpse of my performance.

I pause from my unabashed reverie,
exclaiming, “Snow! It’s snowing!”
as my new neighbor shakes his head,
pondering his odds, wondering his fate
of landing another loon on the block.

Then, with the delight of a child,
I do cartwheels in the fields of white,
waltzing the night away with Old Man Winter.
Yes, I am that crazy Southern girl,
the belle of the winter ball…

She who dances in snow.

Colleen M. Breuning © 2012
February 7, 2012