The Month of Purification and the First Month of Spring

February is the last month of meteorological winter, thank goodness, because I am looking forward to spring. Since I enjoy learning the derivation of words, I looked up the meaning of “February.” It is derived from the Middle English feverer and from the Old French feverier, which were based on the Latin februarius, which was derived from februa, the name of a traditional purification feast held at this time of year. Thus, the name represents purification, love, and awareness. Our current Valentine’s Day emphasizes love more than purification or awareness.

March on the other hand was named after the god Mars who was the god of war (many wars were begun in the spring) but also the god of agriculture because farmers begin planting at this time. Because the spring equinox occurs around the middle of the month, March marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Interestingly, the Anglo-Saxons called March “the loud or stormy month.” This March in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where I live, we have had loud winds, snowstorms, and a wildfire—all in the first week of the month. The wind and snow have certainly purified the landscape, but so far, the only sign of spring that I have observed is the twittering of birds who have returned to nest in the hedges in my yard.

My Writing Goals for 2026

1.  Continue to develop my poetry and connections with other poets: I am developing a network through in-person workshops and workshops on Zoom.

• Continue to make progress on my draft novels: 

• Continue to develop a network of kindred spirits in the world of writing and publishing: 

Bardic Trails: Because I am recovering from a fall, I forgot to attend the March 3, 2026, Zoom presentation of Bardic Trails.

Boulder Writers Alliance: Larry Laverdure read from his collection of unpublished poems. Larry ran the Canon Mine Poets group in Lafayette for 15 years. A transplant from New England, Larry has become a committed Coloradan.

Cannon Mine Poets Group: Martin Balgach read for the group. Martin is the author of Too Much Breath (Main Street Rag). His writing has appeared in The Bitter Oleander, Cream City Review, Fogged Clarity, Phantom Limb, Rain Taxi, and Verse Daily, among other journals. He holds an MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts and lives with his wife and son in Erie, Colorado. I also read several of my poems during the Open Mic.

• Columbine Poets: In February and in March, I attended Columbine Poets Zoom sessions. Julie Cummings presented some new forms and gave some writing prompts for contests. Today, we did a critique of each other’s poems. I learn a lot from our critiques.

• Document my writing progress through my blog and post it on the seventh day of each month, one blog per month in 2025:

Today is March 7, 2026. I am posting my third blog for the year 2026. This year, I am focusing on a specific poetic form each month and practicing how to write each of the forms. In February, I planned to work on the haiku, but instead I worked on the ghazal, a form which originated in seventh-century Arabia and flourished in Persian and Urdu literature. The ghazal was introduced in the USA during the  mid-1990s. American poets who have published ghazal include John Hollander, W. S. Merwin, and Elise Paschen.

The ghazal is a challenging form which calls for some study before attempting to write an original poem. They are often performed to music. Both Rumi and Ghalib wrote in the ghazal form. Ghazals focus on themes of melancholy, love, longing, and metaphysical desire. The rules for writing a ghazal are quite formal and require:

• A minimum of 5 stanzas, a maximum of 15
• Each stanza contains a single couplet (two lines only)
• Each stanza must be completely autonomous in terms of structure, theme, and emotional content
• Each line must be the same syllabic length but the meter may vary
• The first couplet must end with the same word or short phrase that is then repeated
• Each additional couplet must also end the second line with the same word or phrase used in the first couplet
• The last couplet must include either the author’s or the subject’s name (or a derivation of its meaning

Here is my first attempt (which required attention, rewriting, and carefully checking each rule) at writing a ghazal:

A Lonely Mourning Dove

Perched on a branch cooing, a mourning dove

Evokes, in a plaintive tune, it’s lost love.

The dove’s melody rings through the air.

I wonder if the bird is singing of love.

Is it singing because it is alone?

The dove bemoans the loss of its dear love.

It recalls its partner that has since flown.

Teary eyes surveil the dark skies with love.

Does the lonely bird hope to be loved?

Does its discontented soul seek solace?

Melancholy pervades its heart and soul.

It honors how this poet sings of love.

Now that I have managed to write a ghazal, during the rest of the month of March, I will study the villanelle form which is made up of 19 lines, five tercets, one quatrain, and has repeating lines and rhymes. Then, for my April blog, I will attempt to write a villanelle.