summer magic and a blog break

~ jama

“I almost wish we were butterflies and liv’d but three summer days — three such days with you I could fill with more delight than fifty common years could ever contain.” ~ John Keats

“Wonderland” by Christian Schloe

 

It’s Summer!

Hello, fragrant, fruitful mornings with sunlight streaming through the windows, long lazy days luring us to dreaminess.

 

“Wind, Clouds, and Tea”

 

Awake, abloom, aloft — we eschew the tedium of routine, courting freedom, relaxation, play. William Carlos Williams once said, “In summer, the song sings itself.”

SUMMER SONG
by William Carlos Williams

Wanderer moon
smiling a
faintly ironical smile
at this
brilliant, dew-moistened
summer morning, —
a detached
sleepily indifferent
smile, a
wanderer’s smile, —
if I should
buy a shirt
your color and
put on a necktie
sky-blue
where would they carry me?

“Secret Entrance”

 

There is something so carefree and magical about summer — time of campfires and fireflies, travel and adventure, wonder and romance.

“Fly Away”

 

We need venture no further than the pages of a good book to discover our heart’s delight. Cicero said, “If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”

THE HOUSE WAS QUIET AND THE WORLD WAS CALM
by Wallace Stevens

The house was quiet and the world was calm.
The reader became the book; and summer night

Was like the conscious being of the book.
The house was quiet and the world was calm.

The words were spoken as if there was no book,
Except that the reader leaned above the page,

Wanted to lean, wanted much most to be
The scholar to whom his book is true, to whom

The summer night is like a perfection of thought.
The house was quiet because it had to be.

The quiet was part of the meaning, part of the mind:
The access of perfection to the page.

And the world was calm. The truth in a calm world,
In which there is no other meaning, itself

Is calm, itself is summer and night, itself
Is the reader leaning late and reading there.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

 

In the reverie of a fine summer night, the line between reality and imagination blurs. The sky opens wide with possibility, showing off its stars. Novelist Peter S. Beagle said, “Anything can happen in a world that holds such beauty.”

“The Wishing Star”

 

SUMMER STARS
by Carl Sandburg

Bend low again, night of summer stars.
So near you are, sky of summer stars,
So near, a long-arm man can pick off stars,
Pick off what he wants in the sky bowl,
So near you are, summer stars,
So near, strumming, strumming,
So lazy and hum-strumming.

“Night Makers”

 

As we sign off for our summer blog break, we wish you the calm and space to dream, long arms to reach for the stars, and big bowlfuls of inspiration and whimsy.

“Moondrops”

 

🌟 HAVE A TERRIFIC SUMMER AND SHINE YOUR LIGHT!! 🌓

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“Midnight Sky”

 

“All in all, it was a never to be forgotten summer — one of those summers which come seldom into any life, but leave a rich heritage of beautiful memories in their going — one of those summers which, in a fortunate combination of delightful weather, delightful friends and delightful doing, come as near to perfection as anything can come in this world.”

—L.M. Montgomery, Anne’s House of Dreams

 

“Set Your Heart Free”

 

♥️ The digital illustrations in this post were created by Austrian surrealist artist Christian Schloe. See more of his work here.

*

The lovely and talented Michelle Kogan is hosting the Roundup. Drift over in your hot air balloon and check out the full menu of poetic goodness being served up in the blogosphere this week. See you in late August/early September!

Copyright © 2018 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.

64 thoughts on “summer magic and a blog break”

  1. Gorgeous art!! So many stars and butterflies 🙂 (Maybe “Night Makers” is my favorite.) Thank you for showing us what summer can be. Wishing you a glorious one!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Summer gives us the leisure to read what we please — truly a gift, and a means to travel the world without leaving our chairs. 🙂

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  4. What do I think? I think I feel like I’ve just taken a swim…a lovely swim in a clear pond. I have tasted summer and touched the sky and wrapped it all around my shoulders.
    Enjoy your break, Jama. I wish you refreshment, a recharge and delightful words. Thank you for bringing summer here today.

    Liked by 2 people

  5. Jama, your poem choices are revelatory but even more, these illustrations (I want to call them paintings) remind me how charmed I am by the surrealists–I’ve been longing without knowing it to have my mind’s eye stretched and filled! Have a great summer!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I love the element of surprise that characterizes surrealism. Possibilities we’d never even imagined. But most writers, I would think, are innate surrealists — one foot in reality, one in fantasy . . .

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  6. Wishing you the loveliest of “blues” this summer—ocean, sky, mountains, horizon…and over all, peace. Thank you so much, Jama, for all the beauty you put into the world…

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Oh Sharon, what a lovely BLUE wish!! Thanks so much; appreciate your support over the years. Peace for our blue planet!

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  7. I absolutely love these images. I confess I am a little sad the artist isn’t a woman. I will follow the link and look for more.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Thanks, Jama, for the summer inspiration. Your post fills me up! Yesterday was one of those days that reminded me of that “Secret Entrance”. I wanted to be out all day, it was so beautiful. Wishing you a summer filled with nights of summer stars and a quiet house.

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  11. I love these magical paintings! And the poems and quotes you pair them with bring the magic of summer to life. Enjoy every minute of your summer!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hope your summer is magical . . . it’s challenging these days to put worries and concerns aside, but this only means we need to stay positive and appreciate our joys even more.

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  14. What a gorgeous post. I love everything about it… the images, the poetry, everything… thank you. And best wishes to you for a wonderful summer break.
    mb

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  16. I’m going to leave your blog post up for sometime Jama, there’re so many quotes, poems, and images that I love here, what a wonderful way to begin the summer–I’m definitely inspired. Now I know I have everything, as “Cicero said, “If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.” And those butterflies are ethereal, thanks for this gorgeous post!!! Enjoy your summer, and see you as the seasons turn …

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  17. Gorgeous post, Jama. These lines from Stevens hit me like an arrow:
    The summer night is like a perfection of thought.
    The house was quiet because it had to be.

    The quiet was part of the meaning, part of the mind:
    The access of perfection to the page.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. That’s my favorite part of the poem too, Laura. I always think back to my college days when I read Stevens. 🙂

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  20. Oh, Jama, this post is positively sublime! What a dose of beauty, and oh, how I needed it today! Christian Schloe’s art is gorgeous, and the poems you’ve chosen for summer are perfection. I always miss you when you go on your summer breaks, but I wish you all the refreshment, joy, and beauty that you bring to others. xo

    Liked by 1 person

  23. Jama, this post has lifted & drifted me in all the right ways.
    Not only by the surreal beauty of the artwork you’ve curated by Christopher S. or the poems & Cicero quote, but also through the lilt of your poetry, between the classic poetry such as:

    “Hello, fragrant, fruitful mornings with sunlight streaming through the windows, long lazy days luring us to dreaminess.” by Jama June 22 2018

    LOVELY words, lovely you.

    See you later, alligator…..

    Liked by 1 person

  26. Jama, thank you for sharing these stunning images and finding the perfect summer poems to pair them with. I want to step into that butterfly balloon and sail into a “brilliant, dew-moistened/summer morning.” Wishing you a “never to be forgotten summer!”

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes, wouldn’t it be nice to drift away in a butterfly balloon, far away from all the madness happening in our country? sigh . . .

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  27. Thank you for this summer reverie! What a collection you have assembled. I think my favorite is the Cicero quote, except I’d amend it to a book and a porch. Such a lovely time of year. Have a great break!

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  29. Mesmerizing, every selection of words and art – thank you, Jama! Enjoy “delightful weather, delightful friends and delightful doing” – and doing nothing at all when the mood strikes. Love to you and Mr. C. and all, and see you in a little while.

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