This is a time of year a virus peaks its ugly head around mid-November. It spreads a virus to those most vulnerable. You may not “catch” it at the same time; you may not catch it every year and yet, there does not seem to be guaranteed antibiotic to cure its infective powers.
September days start waning as the sun sets sooner; October days rob you of nature’s dinner’s sweetest and most potent “digestif”. November drops its veil of hoary matter and thickens day after day, week after week hiding nature’s Monet, slowly slipping into Picasso’s Blue period. Nights are longer than days and symptoms of this virus multiply
Humans are deprived of nature’s nutrient feeding brains with hope and cheer. Life, death, separation and loss blend. Waiting, as it stings open wounds and those who’ve barely healed are reminded of life’s demises.
Children as well as adults struggle through these muddy paths sucked into the windstorm of grief and loss adjusting to season’s changes in the depths of their heart and soul.
Staring out her window, faithful cat by her side, cloves comes to mind. That dark bud stares at her, hard and bitter scents bleed into her soul, remembering Grandmaman in the kitchen adding spices to the turkey dressing. A portion of sage, pepper, salt and savory, are measured in the palm of her hand. She smiles when asked the portions as she adds just a pinch of cloves. Only she had the antidote that lifts the greyness of the soul and makes the heart beat anew.
Mother’s spice of life
unopened flower buds
cloves of promise
© Tournesol’15
The prompt at Linda Hill’s Friday reminder for Stream of Conciousness Saturday is “clo”
Tournesol dans un Jardin 
Reblogged this on Stop the Stigma.
LikeLike
As always, most beautiful nostalgia tinged with memories. Described in most poetic terms the darkness that is so harsh on us. How do I relate about this Blue Period!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah, merci, ma belle Julie! I was careful not to include Picasso’s Blue Nude since we are trying to get out of this mood …hence, clove plant…les clous de girofle have many health benefits but the scent of cloves and sage remind me of GrandMaman:)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah, merci, ma belle Julie! I was careful not to include Picasso’s Blue Nude since we are trying to get out of this mood …hence, clove plant…les clous de geroffe have many health benefits but the scent of cloves and sage remind me of GrandMaman:)
LikeLike
I found this a fascinating take on this prompt Cheryl-Lynn…..so much to consider and so much to avoid like the bugs at this time of year….hope your weekend was/is a good one.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Michael, I had a nice quiet weekend, thanks again.
LikeLiked by 1 person
SAD symptoms. They’re a bugger. Let’s break out the cloves. And the mulled wine!
LikeLike
Haha you’re so right 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree with Julie! You made the sad days of winter into something lovely.
LikeLike
Thanks, Melinda. Just think, in just 7 days is the shortest day of the year and then we can only look upwards and onwards.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank God! A minute more daylight after that we’ll gain each day and that is a happy thought.
LikeLike
Now I know why a psychiatrist explained that S.A.D. starts in September to January…now it makes sense.
LikeLiked by 1 person
yeah that’s when we start losing daylight. It becomes really noticeable as we move closer to the time change. You can help but be aware that soon the sun will set while you’re still in the office. It’s kind of depressing to leave work at 5:30 to a pitch black night. It makes it feel sooooooo much later even though it’s not.
LikeLike
We have a light therapy lamp at the office…I used it once but our night shift workers find it helpful. I plan to start using it at my break at 5p.m, may help until I finish work at 10pm
LikeLiked by 1 person
It might. we don’t have that at my office but then we close at 5 and everyone’s gone by 6 pm.
LikeLike
If offices had full spectrum lighting it would be much healthier but most companies will not or cannot afford it. It would save on many absences.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I guess SAD does cause absences. I always go out an walk on my lunch hour despite the weather just to get some sun. It helps a great deal.
LikeLike
Well then, you are the smart one:) I only walk about 30 mins outdoors in the daylight going to work.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I read somewhere that 15 minutes is all you need to fight SAD.
LikeLike
Not sure about that…night shift workers finish at sunup and get at least 30 mins of it. I wish there was a blood test to check deficiency of Vit D
LikeLike
Thanks for letting me know your poem is here. So powerful, and as you said melancholy. I’m glad you also included the memory of your grandmother and the haiku. Both made me smile!
I don’t have those associations with September-December. I remember getting really depressed every January and February though. One year I made a list of all the big life events that happened during those months of my life, some traumas, some not, but loss of some kind was usually involved. I was amazed at how long the list was. I decided to start going to India in January and February to see if that would shift the pattern and it did. As soon as the energy shifted, I switched my annual India trip to late November and December though. India is way hotter in January and February! 🙂
LikeLike
I think it is a mix of SAD, here we are more north and days are shorter. Sun sets at 4p.m…and after December 22nd days will start getting longer so by February the days are more reasonable. I think many feel depressed end of January to end of Feb here due to being shut in with the cold weather and snow. If I look back, many difficult situations in my live happened Nov and Dec. but SAD was not known then.
LikeLike
There is a lot of SAD in Seattle too. It gets dark very early in the evening.
LikeLike
It is nighttime at 4p.m. here and daylight around 7am
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think that is pretty close to Seattle although there may still be light a little later.
LikeLike
Snow will help even I worry about the driving for my kids. It makes it all brighter:)
LikeLiked by 1 person