Franci Eugenia Hoffman

Sultry Summer Kiss

another sun-salted day
shoeless in the naked sand
donning a wide-brim straw hat
smooching kept secret

My Quest for True Love

as time goes by my hope grows
I blew kisses to the sea
hoping to find my true love
waves caress my face

Love-struck

I plucked petals from daisies
he loves me or loves me not
wrapped in summer’s sultry hues
my heart skips a beat

Affection in Cosmos

sultry summer’s eve
stars muse celestial romance
planets realign

Let Peace Reign

spring summer and fall
chaos of life locked away
winter shows mercy

Relief from the Heat

summer 
easy-going
hammocks and lemonade
the old oak tree a shady friend
heat wave

Love Everlasting

imagine secrets
they carry my soul and pride
in the dark of night
my broken heart cries within
forevermore love still lingers

Once is Enough

bargain basement love
like overused emotions
unfit from the start

Purpose Lost

the air itself paused
unleashing of self-silenced
morphing useless thoughts

Anxious for Change

I wait and I wait
summer dilly-dallying
hoot hoot goes the owl
cicadas crying out loud
I am mindful of karma

~~~

Image

I’m Franci Eugenia Hoffman. I enjoyed a dedicated career in the insurance industry for over 20 years, where I was rewarded both professionally and personally. Now retired, I am following my dreams and enjoy family, travel, writing, and promotion of others.

Franci’s writing and creative endeavors can be found on her blog – Poesy Perspectives. Selected pieces of her work were published in The Short of It – Volume 1 – The Sound of Brilliance, Volume 2 – Reflections & Revelations, and Volume 3 – Natures Discovered. In 2025, she received the Pushcart Prize nomination for Lollipop Days featured on TSI. You can find all her work (whether reblogged or featured) by clicking HERE.

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#TheShortofItVol 1 The Sound of Brilliance, Vol 2 Reflections & Revelations,
and Vol 3 Natures Discovered on Amazon

Xmas

I’m not a big fan of the holidays. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not like Scrooge or the Grinch, but it’s just not my time of year. For me, it gets gloomy right before Thanksgiving, and I can’t wait for January 2nd. Seasonal Affective Disorder is part of it, but I think my dysfunctional past has a lot to do with it, too. Christmases just weren’t particularly happy times for me. Because of this, I do everything I can to weather my past and the cold days (I AM a beach bunny, you know!) to get through these months. The goal is to come out on the other side intact to enjoy Spring and Summer. I’ve managed so far!

Regardless of all my issues, I am wishing you all a whole lot of merry! So, enjoy, however you celebrate this day. :) xoxo

Pie Patch

Inspired by What do you see #259

lovely round kirbus
your meats entice me
encourage me to slice you open
to maniacally empty your being
cut you into pieces
and mash up your insides
to make an orange slurry
adding spices to enhance your flavor
then pour you into a pie dish
to place you inside a small hell
your innards will almost burn
but then i release you to cool
so i may adorn you with a silky sweet cream
and invite all my favorite people
to share in your evolution
they will ooh and aah with every bite
as your essence heads to its final resting place

Cool Days

chilliness seeps in
descending leaves show new hues
fall is upon us

Elisha Ager

Tired

Lacking energy,
Passion drops like the climate, 
A long slog ahead. 

Boreas

Cold seeps into bones,
I ponder the sweeping wind,
On his trip up north.

Persevere

Shimmering glass stars,
Frost shatters into fragments,
The illusion lifts.

Vibrance

A monochrome world,
White fields below black heavens,
But, orange hues dawn.

Cozy

There, in the darkness,
Bright warmth in a log cabin, 
Joy will rise again. 

Rain

Crystals on windows, 
Pitter patter, the drops laugh,
I will sit and read.

~~~

Elisha Ager, an avid follower of traditional Japanese poetry, studied the art of haiku during their travels. Having returned to the UK, they enjoy weaving the precise cadences of haiku with the nuances of the English language, infusing their personal experience with cultural insights. This is Elisha’s first feature with The Short of It.

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Springing

seasons change again
renewal and hope emerge
growth is possible

Chilled

chaotic winds emerge
white snowflakes blanket branches
globe starts to settle

Unceasing Turns

i know
fall is here
the warmth is slowly being replaced
with only slightly heated winds
the thick moisture
once heavy with density
begins to lose weight
and the sky shining less bright
anticipates the swollen clouds bearing snow
the cold winter will march in
to dominate our senses
until just before we can’t take it anymore
then spring relieves us
signaling a renewal
until summer begins to overheat us again
the change of seasons
life’s emotions unfolding in nature

Aishwarya Saby

Delicate leaf

delicate last leaf,
succumbs to strong gust of wind,
as a new leaf springs.

Spring Beauties

bees dance eagerly,
around vibrance of roses,
stashing up nectar,

cuckoo’s joyous song,
calls to open summer blooms,
melody’s rhythm.

Summer Relief

crows pause awhile to,
seek elixir of life, those,
endless summer days,

colours splash across,
as rainbow draws curtain to,
a much awaited spell,

orange flowers,
brighten up dull city roads,
long past summer days.

Winter’s round the corner  

as lakes fill up, seek,
refuge from winter at home,
migratory birds,

brightest star takes break,
and darkness hurries to dawn,
know winter’s around,

remnants of fire,
warming up memories from,
a cold winter night.

An Emperor’s Penance

journeys into middle of an ice-filled
landscape, guards an egg, his very own,
freezing, battling unearthly climes,
in company of his men,
journey to fatherhood,
after lady lays,
she walks away,
he stays strong,
until,
she,
comes,
and takes,
chick back to,
sea, together,
without a morsel,
until then; he braves cold,
Antarctic climes for his young,
an emperor penguin’s penance,
like no other here – year after year,
cold environs cradle warmth of father.

~~~

Aishwarya a.k.a kittysverses loves writing poetry. Her poems have been published in Spillwords, Visual Verse, and Word Weaving Journal. She blogs at kittysverses@wordpress.com. This is Aishwarya’s first feature on The Short of It.

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Heather Carr-Rowe

Stars in Our Eyes

It can be said
that all love
starts like a star
     -atoms collide-
stars in our eyes burn
until gravitational pull
puts our feet firmly on the ground
     -stars collapse-
perhaps, not all love
is like the death of a star

Dead Flowers Rise Again

from sadness,
let spring
rise from the darkness,
sprout seeds from remembrance,
that sunflowers
shall shine once more

        Beacon

          slivers of moonlight
shimmer between dancing leaves
          illuminating

    Duplicitous

moonlight masks
   dark
    aspirations

      Sky

crystal blue
      light
  everlasting

The Messenger

A mourning dove
visited me one day.
He did not coo,
much to my pleasure,
he bobbed his head
all-knowing,
walked about the garden
as we once did.

~~~

Heather Carr-Rowe is an educator and tree lover living on the prairies. In her spare time, she loves to hike, weave, embroider, and write poetry inspired by nature. You can read more of Heather’s poetry at her blog, Sgeoil. This is her first feature on The Short of It.

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