Welcome to Poetry Friday, this week hosted by Jan at Birdseed Studio HERE. Thank you, Jan, for hosting! I look forward to what she will share today.
I hope everyone had a peaceful Fourth of July. My celebration was meditating on how much I appreciate the U.S. Constitution.
First, a book recommendation. I’ve been reading novels in verse and discovered the middle grade novel AWAY by author Megan Freeman. It’s a suspenseful and fast read, about a government conspiracy, a crime, that is revealed by a few smart kids. I love how the author keeps the reader reading!
I’m still taking photos and practicing painting with watercolor. This is a photo at Green Lakes State Park near where I live.
I used to run and know that runners, have to keep their mind focused on what’s just ahead. That’s what makes running meditative, being in the moment.
Like most beginning painters, I am learning to focus on the lights and darks, to understand how lights and darks help make a painting three dimensional.
A RUNNER NOTICES
light and dark shadows
sloping hills and forest floor
rocks and sudden tree roots.
©Janice Scully 2026
We teach our kids to live their lives with their eyes open, like a runner in a forest, and like the kids in the novel, AWAY.
I wish all of you a restful summer and if you live in the North, enjoy the warm weather!