Miscellany + sonnet

Thanks for everyone’s good wishes on the new book projects! I’m excited to get started and happy to know that others are excited to read them.

This week…I flew to Florida on Tuesday to give a speech on Wednesday morning. Continuing the theme of making the most of getting there the day before the event, I met up with Amanda (who was also at the NY orchid show in early April!) for dinner, and in the morning, I was able to run on the beach.

Since the end of my running streak (and especially given my back issues these days) I tend not to take my running gear with me on short trips. But I’d looked at the hotel I was staying at, and saw it was pretty close to the water. I also saw on my itinerary that my speech was not at the crack of dawn.

So I packed my shoes and went for an early morning run on the beach. I love the ocean, and it was wonderful to just take in the sky, clouds, sand, and morning sun. The run was not pain-free, but doable. I’m glad I paid attention and planned for that possibility. However…I will not be running Broad street this weekend. I had high hopes that I would be able to run 10 miles by early May but that is just not happening. Oh well. My husband plans to run it.

(It looks like it might be rainy … injured or not I am not a fan of running in the rain!)

Now that I have made it through all the organ music BWVs in the Bach project, I’m enjoying a little change of place. I listened to the English suite on harpsichord the other day (BWV 806) and quite liked it. I am moderately inspired to learn a few more of the 2-part inventions (to play on the piano).

It is May! May should have a number of fun things happening. I’ve got plans to take a quick trip with my daughter. I’ll be going to hear the Bach B-Minor Mass in Bethlehem again (BWV 232!). I am also just happy to have warmer weather. I feel constantly cold during the winter, so it has been delightful some days to not need to wear socks. I even painted my toe nails! Then the 4-year-old desperately wanted his toenails painted, so we chose a deep green color.

Maybe I’ll even (finally) buy a car. I put shopping on the list for this weekend. Stay tuned…

In the meantime, here’s another spring sonnet, currently called “April,” with a little nod to The Wasteland:

A fog as on the water, thick and low,
but here the misting clouds are lightest green —
fluorescent, nearly — buds all set to show.
The woods are glistening with their April sheen.

How many million leaves just lay in wait?
The branches, bare, concealing all this mass.
A bit of sun and warmth unfurls them, straight,
until the crowns are glowing like the grass.

Some Aprils might be cruel. I don’t know why.
The heady earth can seem so eager, still,
the sorrows linger even as the sky
turns gray to white to blue, and soon the chill

of morning flees. Viburnum-scented air
will comfort as it can, as spring might dare.