| Poetry Anthology Weather & Climate |
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| Written &
copyright by John Good Graphic design by Mark Foshee |
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Just A Month From Midsummer (A Lyric) Being in the presence of natural beauty has a way of casually opening up our hearts and souls, and of bringing out the philosopher in all of us. In this case a birdsong early one summer morning was the agency. |
| Listen to John's take on the poem.
Alternately Just a Month From Midsummer. |
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Camping in Wessex Wessex is an old name for an area of England that included the south coast. Where magpies are said to steal jewelry. Cormorants hold their wings straight out to dry after diving for fish. Seagulls react to changes in weather. Ospreys sometimes build nests on cliff ledges. |
| Listen to John's take on the poem.
Alternately Camping in Wessex. |
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Solstice The word solstice (heulsaf) refers to the shortest and longest days of the year respectively, when momentarily the sun appears to stand still. |
| Listen to John's take on the poem.
Alternately Solstice. |
| Listen to John's Welsh version of the poem.
Alternately Heulsaf (Solstice). |
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The Best We Can Arizona is not the only place to enjoy summer rain storms, but they are especially welcome in the hot dry desert, and seem almost intimate in the mountains because of the elevation. Anyway, everyone everywhere should pay attention to the often extreme weather pattern swings these days, if only for our grandkids sake. |
| Listen to John's take on the
poem. Alternately The Best We Can. |
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And Then Rain No one can predict the weather any distance ahead these days. Western Europe and my own Wales have broken all records for heat. The Southwest and adopted home Arizona are in a severe and extended drought, and on and on all over the world. Under these circumstances, the great cycles of seasons, whether out of sorts or not, take on vital significance for everyone. The return of measurable summer rains to Arizona this year, at least, has given the distressed land and people a little respite. |
| Listen to John's take on the
poem. Alternately And Then Rain. |
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Eira (Snow) This is two poems written in Welsh then translated into English later. The Welsh originals are in Englyn form; a development of ancient bardic practice. They were written in different places and times; the first, Eira (Snow), in Hope, Idaho, the second (untitled) in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. The person in the snow is dreaming of a place in the sun. The musical arrangement uses traditional techniques of setting such poetry to music, known as Cerdd Dant. |
| Listen to John's take on the
poem. Alternately Eira (Snow). For more about traditional Welsh poetry and music: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Englyn https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerdd_Dant |
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Cymylu (Overcast) I’ve said it before that Wales is the Mawsynram of Europe and Mawsynram in India gets over 300 inches of rain a year. Wellies (rubber rain boots) are essential equipment for the autumn, winter, spring and even summer in Wales! Strangely enough, having spent childhood expecting rain, drying off after rain or being caught away from home in a downpour, I love a rainy day. Even after having thoroughly dried out in California, then Arizona, I sometimes get something like restless, if it doesn’t rain for a week or more. I guess puddles are in the blood now. |
| Listen to John's take on the
poem. Alternately Overcast. |
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Rhapsodic & Then Rain Two Windscapes
There’s a long-held Welsh folk tradition that pigs can see the wind. People can only see its effect, but as a metaphor for the human condition, it is clearly visible. |
| Listen to John's take on the
poem. Alternately Rhapsodic & Then Rain. |
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international spring...
Similar Weather |
| Listen to John's take on the
poem. Alternately Similar Weather. I also wrote San Anselmo Reprise while at the same friend's house. |
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