Tag Archives: spirit

Chickadee

Chickadee

The sun rises with crimson and gold flair
with scent of lilacs on the morning breeze.
Sweet chickadee sings and darts through the air,
landing with grace in weeping willow tree.

She is the sunshine that lights up my life,
my reason for being, my heart’s delight.
Sweet chickadee eases my pain and strife,  
her radiant smile, a beautiful sight.

As the sun fades to indigo twilight,
mystical clouds move on horizon far.
Sweet chickadee drifts into velvet night
amidst a sky full of moonlight and stars.

All through the seasons of blooms, sun and snow
Her heart stays with me, wherever she goes.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2024
May 18, 2024

Hello from Florida! 🙂 Dan and I are down here babysitting the grandkids while Katie and Brenton are on a trip to Europe for a destination wedding. We are having so much fun with them, but boy is it exhausting, haha! (At least when you’re in your 60’s, it is…) They are non-stop fun, energy and relentless negotiators!! We have been playing, swimming, lunch at Chick-Fil-A, a trip to Publix, made spaghetti dinner, played indoor camping, and are about to make some Rice Krispie treats once Posie wakes up from an unplanned nap.

This sonnet just sort of morphed from a nature poem into a love poem. It’s a bit of a tribute to three radiant, beautiful women closest to me in life – my mother Gloria, my daughter Katie and of course, my granddaughter Posie. They are all my reasons for my being, in different ways! So I guess you could call this is a Mother’s Day poem. The chickadee is one of the sweetest birds in the garden that just seems to radiate love. My Mom, Katie and Posie all remind me of their kind spirit. They are beacons of light in my life. Each one of them touches my heart and lifts me up in their own special way. I’ve never referred to any of them as a chickadee, but maybe I’ll start calling Posie my little chickadee — I think she’d love that.

As for memories of my mother, there are far too many wonderful ones to mention. She has always been my rock, my confidante, my prayer warrior, and my friend throughout my entire life. Mom, I can never thank you enough for the support and love you’ve shown me over the years. I would never be the woman I am today with you, and just so you know — I am becoming more like you every day, haha! I LOVE YOU, My Old Chickadee!! (I say that with so much love, as I am now also an old chickadee myself LOL!) Hope you all had a Happy Mother’s Day filled with family and love!

Xoxo, Colleen

Mood: Happy
Inspiration: “Songbird” by Fleetwood Mac

Ecrits Blogophilia Week 46.15 – Wherever She Goes
Hard Bonus: Include a song title that mentions something celestial (“A Sky Full of Stars” by Coldplay)
Easy Bonus: Incorporate a memory of your mother

Lost At Sea

Lost at Sea

The stars are falling cold
from the moonlit velvet sky
their light disappearing
into clouds of indigo.

Beyond the faded sun
the angry sea roils and churns
waves crash on craggy rocks
as a bitter wind blusters.

Memories crash and burn
as I sink into the void
forever lost at sea
a rogue letter gone missing.

Tears burn along my eyes
unleashing trail of sorrow
I brace against the pain
holding on until morning.

As a new dawn blossoms
I bask in your warm presence
as your soft voice whispers
my soul is renewed with hope.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2023
December 2, 2023

Happy Saturday! Wow, I can’t believe it is already December. Where did this year go?

This poem was inspired by reading Dylan Thomas poetry. I was particularly struck by the line “the stars are falling cold,” and that got me thinking about my Dad and the void that I feel every holiday season without him here. Lately I am feeling my mortality watching the years rush by and seeing the aging process in my mom, my relatives and even myself. Sometimes it feels like I’m on the sinking Titanic, panic washing over me. It’s been extremely sad to see many of my relatives pass away during the last 15 years. There are so many fond memories of all of them, and I miss them deeply.

It’s that time of year when Christmas preparations are in full swing. I did a lot of Black Friday through Cyber Monday online shopping last week, avoiding the crowds at the stores. Since we’re traveling during the holidays, I am having many of the gifts shipped to Katie’s house so I can avoid overloading the car. That means I’ll have some wrapping to do when we arrive down there, but that’s okay.

Today it’s a foggy, relatively warm day. We plan to put up a few outdoor lights, but we’re scaling our usual decorating back since we’ll be gone for the last 10 days of December. I am doing some country country style BBQ pork ribs in the crockpot and rice/black beans for dinner. I am also hoping to get out for a run this afternoon since it’s going to hit 60 degrees.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend, and may you be filled with the spirit of the holiday season!

Xoxo,
Colleen

Mood: Introspective
Inspiration: “Woven Song” by Olafur Arnalds

Ecrits Blogophilia Week 22.15 – A Letter Came in the Mail
Hard Bonus: Quote Dylan Thomas (“The stars are falling cold” & “That burns along my eyes”)
Easy Bonus: Name a ship (Titanic)

Just Like the Stars

Just Like the Stars

She rose with the dawn, spreading smiles,
Laughter and song carried for miles.
Her voice, a beacon from afar…
Her eyes were bright, just like the stars.

She danced across the astral planes,
Neptune’s fog and Jupiter rains.
Twirling beyond Venus and Mars…
Her eyes were bright, just like the stars.

Cold silence broke deep in the night,
Nothing could ever dim her light.
Fragile beauty, branded with scars…
Her eyes were bright, just like the stars.

She rose with the dawn, spreading smiles…
Her eyes were bright, just like the stars.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2023
August 18, 2023

Happy Friday! And this week it is Writer’s Choice week in Blogophilia, the writing group I belong to! That means we can choose our own prompts and pictures as inspiration to write.

Honestly, I don’t even know where this came from this evening. I was sitting here after dinner, listening to some ambient music, trying to get some inspiration for a poem. Usually all it takes is music or a lyric to get my imagination going. I scrolled through some memorable lyrics I have written down from many years of blogging and I came across the Lyle Lovett lyric “Her eyes were bright, just like the stars.” I just ran with that lyric and crafted a Kyrielle Sonnet around it.

This imaginary girl in my poem is an optimist and a dreamer, who gets beat down in her life. No matter what happened to her, she rose to overcome the difficulties. Her eyes were always bright in the darkness, and her light could never be dimmed no matter what she went through. I believe all of us have this little girl (or little boy) inside of us. Perhaps we have faced difficulties in life that have scarred us or dampened our will to carry on. But we have those scars to remind us how strong we are, what we have been through, the battles we have endured, and proof of how resilient the human soul really is.

Wow, that sounds awfully deep for this poem that sounds like someone just dancing aimlessly through the galaxy without a care in the world! Well, that is where imagination and dreams come in… we need those in our lives, as an escape from harsh realities. It’s kind of like when you just go outside at night and sit and stare at the moon and stars. Don’t you feel a sense of serenity, or that you are one with the universe? It helps to settle down the anxiety when you realize that even though you are but a speck in the universe, you are NOT alone. Well, it is very meditative for me!

So go ahead — dream on, dance through the galaxy, and always keep your eyes as bright as the stars, my dear ones!

Xoxo
Colleen

Mood: Peaceful
Inspiration: “A Melody” by Ralph Zurmühle

Ecrits Blogophilia Week 7.15 – Resilience (Writer’s Choice)
Hard Bonus: Write a Kyrielle Sonnet (Writer’s Choice)
Easy Bonus: Use a Lyle Lovett lyric “Her eyes were bright, just like the stars.” (Writer’s Choice)

The Whispering Wind

The Whispering Wind

When night falls with pain and sorrow
and I’m feeling cold and hollow,
in the midst of anxiety,
the whispering wind comforts me.

Hear the caress of windchime rings
as the lonely mockingbird sings.
While pondering my destiny,
the whispering wind comforts me.

Now as my restless spirit roams,
guide me to my heavenly home,
and when the rain falls to the sea,
the whispering wind comforts me.

When night falls with pain and sorrow,
the whispering wind comforts me.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2023
March 3, 2023

Happy Friday! I quickly penned this sonnet in between work projects this evening. It’s feeling a little bit like winter this evening, dark and the wind a bit gusty. The wind seems to speak to me here at our home in Virginia. We get a very strong western wind that comes straight down the road and hits the front of our home, as we are at the bottom of the cul-de-sac. Sometimes it whispers, but other times it howls like a banshee! I almost think the wind is one of my muses. I mean, after all, I am a Gemini an air sign. Maybe that’s why the wind evokes my senses. I have sensitive but strong lungs, haha.  

I can’t believe it’s already March. The winter has flown by. Are you ready for spring? I certainly am – and my daffodils are already starting to bloom. I hate to complain about the weather too much, but it sure has been finicky lately. One day it’s 30 degrees, next day it’s 70! The highly variable temperatures are confusing the spring bulbs, and also wreaking havoc on people’s health. I think it’s safe to say most of us are ready to embrace some warmer weather and enjoy the sun a bit. And on the bright side – daylights savings time starts next weekend, so it will be lighter later in the day. Yahoo! I can’t wait for that, as it gets old driving home from work in the dark. It can be a bit nerve wracking, and I’m always paranoid I’m going to hit a deer or something.

Nothing else new here. Dan and I are pretty busy with tax season, so we haven’t been doing much but working. One of these days we’ll get out for a winery visit, but not this weekend. Lately we’re lucky to go to the grocery store together, lol… We need to plan our next vacation, as this is the first time ever we don’t have specific plans in the books. A tropical getaway sure would be nice! Hmmm…. time to start daydreaming. But more likely, it will be a trip to Florida to visit the grandkids, whom I miss dearly. Have a great weekend, everyone.

xoxo
Colleen

Mood: Windy
Inspiration: “Whispering Wind” by Moby

Ecrits Blogophilia Week 35.14 Topic: Whispering Wind
Hard Bonus: Incorporate a lyric from the band New Order  (“when the rain falls to the sea”)
Easy Bonus: Include a gymnastics event (rings)

Whistle of the Train

Whistle of the Train

I can hear your voice calling me,
a gentle breeze across the sea,
in the mourning dove’s sad refrain,
with every whistle of the train.

As tracks of hot tears stain my face,
my heart longs for your warm embrace,
a balm that soothes this endless pain
with every whistle of the train.

The candlewick is burning low,
twenty years gone, I miss you so.
My love for you will never wane
with every whistle of the train.

I can hear your voice calling me
with every whistle of the train.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2023
February 25, 2023

To Dad… I know you are watching over me. I miss you and love you so much!

Mood: Missing You
Inspiration: “Dear Father” by Neil Diamond

Happy Saturday, everyone! I started this poem on the 20th anniversary of my father’s death, which was February 17, 2023. But for some reason, I needed some time and space to finish it, so I put it aside. I have been so busy at work, and I was aware this day was coming soon. But when I looked at the calendar that morning it hit me like an anvil to my heart. I started to weep, tears of sorrow falling for the man who gave me life. I couldn’t seem to shake it, so I let the emotions out.

Dad was our rock, a gentle giant, a silent man. However, when he had something to say – you listened! I feel like he was my protector, as most of siblings undoubtedly feel, too. He realized that I was young, stupid and was going to learn things by my mistakes in life. Yet he stood by me and loved me throughout these challenges. Both he and Mom have been there for me through many difficult times, my darkest days. I am ever grateful to both of them for giving me the best possible childhood, even though we struggled financially at times. I have the happiest memories to carry me through life.

Trains have a significant meaning in my life since my Dad worked at the railroad yards.  Growing up, he would take me to some of these locations, let me explore the parked caboose and roam around the yards. I would clean up the office space, even cooked a baked bean dinner on a small gas heater one time at Cumbo, a remote rail yard in West Virginia! That probably would be considered taboo in this day and age, but I loved it. Every time I hear a train whistle, I think of him. I don’t hear them often where I live now or when we lived in Florida. But at my Winchester office, I hear the nearby train whistle several times each day, and it is such a comfort to me. I feel as if it’s my Dad telling me he is just fine.

Naturally, we all wish we could have had more time with him. He died way too young, only 68 years old. It was small cell lung cancer, as he was a life-long smoker. It was absolutely heart-wrenching to see how that disease consumed him. It really hit me thinking how Dan and I are inching ever closer to that age, and facing our own mortality is frightening. I guess we need to try to make the most of every day we have on this Earth!  I think that is a message we should all take to heart.

The video I am posting from Neil Diamond is a song Dad loved and played often. It has a special place in my heart and evokes memories each time I hear it. Have a good weekend!

XOXO Colleen

Ecrits Blogophilia Week 34.14 Topic: Freedom of Choice
Hard Bonus: Write a Kyrielle Sonnet (my writer’s choice)
Easy Bonus: Include a train whistle (my writer’s choice)

Unbroken

Unbroken

I
hover
in darkness
looking for light
the minutes tick by
waiting with bated breath
countdown to imminent death
from the graveyard, the spirits cry
hanging in the icy air of night
reality shines, eyesight to the blind
shivering as memories cloud my mind
leaving my loneliness unbroken
heart ravaged by words unspoken
hold on ‘til the bitter end
my spirit shall transcend
standing in the fray
with the heart-felt
promise of
New Year’s
Day

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2023
January 7, 2023

Happy New Year! It’s my first blog for 2023. I am glad that 2022 came to a close, there were lots of ups and downs for our families last year. Many happy memories were made, but we experienced the shocking death of Dan’s brother Bob in April and his oldest brother has been suffering with major health issues since July. It really opens your eyes to our own mortality and the realization to live life to your fullest.

We are all getting older and experiencing our own aches, pains and illnesses. In the past 13 months I’ve had COVID, pneumonia, bronchitis, multiple sinus infections, and gall bladder surgery. I am extremely healthy and very active, but experienced long COVID with lingering respiratory and fatigue issues.  All the other sickness followed COVID, which makes you wonder how badly it affects our immune systems. Those of you who know me know that I don’t have a lot of patience for being under the weather. I don’t have time for that but have learned this year that I need to make time. Self-care is so important. Even doing little things like making sure you get enough water to drink each day can make a huge impact on your general health and how much energy you have!

I don’t believe in New Year’s Resolutions, I just believe in always striving to be the best I can be, whether that is in my home life, my health, my job, etc. One thing I did achieve last year is that I lost about 15 pounds last year using the Noom app, and I feel great. It was a slow, intentional loss that happened over several months. It is based on the psychology of eating, and helps you identify eating habits and make changes. You basically log weight, food, exercise and water into the app, and progress through the course. I want to keep that weight off, because I feel so much better in my skin. There were no food restrictions, keto, paleo, intermittent fasting or crazy diets involved. It was more of an intentional mental shift to eat mindfully and healthy, in moderation, and cut down on portions and be accountable to yourself. That being said, I gave myself grace and still splurged over the holidays, enjoying the things I love: Christmas candy, cookies, wine, champagne, shrimp and cocktail sauce, mashed potatoes with gravy, corn pudding, etc. I just did it in moderation, and I tried not to continue a binge of these things.

This weekend is dedicated to one of my least favorite tasks: undecorating the house. Yep, all the Christmas decorations are coming down, the tree will be dismantled and the “gift shop” closed until next year. (That’s what Dan jokingly calls our house when it gets fully decked out for Christmas). It is always kind of sad, but it’s necessary. I feel the urge to get everything back to normal now. Busy season is already upon us, and I’ll be working major overtime beginning next week. I wish you all a Happy New Year and lots of love!

xoxo
Colleen

Mood: Reflective
Inspiration “Time” by Hans Zimmer – amazing composer!!

Ecrits Blogophilia Week 27.14 Topic: Keeping Up With Time
Hard Bonus: Include an Edgar Allen Poe line or quote (“hanging in the icy air of night” and “leave my loneliness unbroken”)
Easy Bonus: Mention shrimp and cocktail sauce

Light Fading

Light Fading

Twilight is falling,
autumn breeze blowing.
Past the honeysuckle bushes,
my tired feet are slowing.

My breath comes in gasps
under periwinkle skies.
Can you see the light fading
when you look into my eyes?

Is this how it will go
when we get to the end?
Will you take one last glimpse
and let my spirit ascend?

Will you hold me and dance
beneath the amber moon?
Or kiss my lips tender
as the wayward geese swoon?

I’m grasping onto moments
like the free-falling sand.
Can you see time slipping through
my pale weathered hands?

Now the wind pushes onward
and like a willow, I bend.
As I grow ever weaker,
will you hold me til the end?

Then search for my light
in the field of white stars.
Speak to me nightly
as I watch from afar.

Tuck away our memories
and forget them, never.
My spirit glows in your heart,
for my love is forever.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2022
August 21, 2022

I wrote this about a month ago and tweaked it today, on my Dad’s 88th heavenly birthday. As I get older and closer to the age he was when he died back in 2002, I can only imagine how sad he must have felt in his final months. I am sure he wanted to hold onto all of us for as long as he possibly could, despite his pain… It made me ponder and think of how I would feel, if I knew that my time was ending soon. How much I would miss my sweet husband, my children, my grandchildren, and my family and friends! Not wanting to cause pain, but knowing they would be devastated after I was gone. It also provides some insight and a reminder that we should live every single day to the fullest, and be grateful for those in our lives. We never know how much time we have left on this Earth.

Not trying to be melancholy, but sometimes my mind goes to these places and this is how I deal with it. My poetry is my refuge, my comfort, my way to deal with overwhelming emotions. I share it so that you can take from it what you want, and to feel whatever emotion the words might dredge up inside your soul.  I wish you all peace, love and pray that you continue to make happy memories and cherish your loved ones. I know I certainly will!

xoxo Colleen

Inspiration: Moby “Everloving”
Mood: Thoughtful

Lines in the Sand

Lines in the Sand

The wind blew cold
The moon grew old
And just where did our time go?
In void of gray
You slipped away
Where all cloaked emotions flow…

Inhale the breeze
Of churning seas
As hope scatters across land.
I stand alone
Hand clasping stone
And I draw lines in the sand…

I drew you lines in the sand,
Lines in the sand…

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2022
July 4, 2022

I’ve been on a real Radiohead kick the past few years, and I was excited that both of my sisters are Radiohead fans as well! This is one group I have yet to see in concert, but I’m keeping my eye out for their next tour. 😉

I think Thom Yorke is one of the most brilliant lyricists and singers. His voice is ethereal, haunting, and sends chills down my spine. I particularly love this song, “Sail to the Moon,” which Thom wrote for his son. It makes me think of my beloved Tommy, especially during Tommy’s battle with lymphoma, which fatefully claimed him. I would sing the lyrics to this song to Tommy, and pray he was going to be okay.

Somehow as I was listening to this song, it inspired this poem. I don’t know why but it just came to me, starting with the phrase “lines in the sand” and it just sort of morphed into this. I love when that happens! Thank you, Thom Yorke, for your constant inspiration!

xoxo Colleen

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

Promise of the Rose

Promise of the Rose

A promised green garden withers to seed,
Dried petals scattered on the barren ground.
Silent anguish as the crimson rose bleeds,
Grief carried on the wind without a sound.

Tears burn a path when hope has slipped away,
Hot crystals sparking precious memories.
The fragrance of the summer jasmine sway,
The gentle rhythm of the crashing sea.

Now the nightingale sings a soothing tune,
Spread your wings, set your restless spirit free.
It’s time to soar beyond the crescent moon,
For the universe is your destiny.

Somewhere beyond a million silver stars,
Eternal rapture beckons from afar.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2021
February 15, 2021

A repost of a poem written and dedicated to Cherry Rose, a kind and beloved poet who passed away. Love to all! xoxo

Come listen to my poetry reading on Spotify!!!