Still Blooming: Notes from June 7, 2025

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Opening Reflection:
June has arrived with its heavy green and its sudden rains. The air feels thicker, like it’s full of stories still half-formed. Some days I feel suspended between seasons. While remembering the promise of spring, I am bracing for summer’s heat. 

Writing Update:
I’ve spent much of this past week revisiting older work, not to revise it, but to reflect on it. One poem in particular came to mind after a recent conversation with my wife about small joys: the first blooms of the season, the reappearance of the birds in the yard, or how the light changes across the lake.

Spotlight Poem: “Early Spring”
Read it here: Early Spring (March 2022)

This poem was inspired by a walk my wife and I took through Paintsville Lake State Park. It was still winter, but there were signs of an early spring The trail was still wearing winter’s grey and there was a cold breath of wind off the water. But in the middle of all that stillness, she saw them: the first wildflowers of the year.

Her joy in that moment was palpable. Her joy was soft and reverent, like she was seeing a sign that the world was thriving again, and she was too.

The poem captures this feeling of connection. While she was encountering the first flowers of spring, and feeling the world wake up, it was renewing her too. Her renewal was contagious. As she rejuvenated, I was struck by how her energy was uplifting for me as well.

When I look back at this poem I am reminded that inspiration can come anytime, even just on a stroll along a trail at the park. 

What’s Ahead:
I’m still shaping the path for my next poetry collection. I have been editing, reordering, and reworking some of the poems. I have also been working on the cover. It is coming together, but it isn't in its final form yet. When it is ready, I may share it here. 

Gratitude + Connection:
Thank you for reading, for listening, for making space for poetry in your day. If you liked Early Spring, feel free to share it or let me know what images or lines stayed with you.

Until next time,

Donnie

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