Summer's Benediction
Welcome back Persied meteor shower
Hello, Heavenly Bodies!
Summer ends only when the stars fall.
with a look I see
meteorites in your eyes
don’t doubt your power
Summer’s Benediction
In the McBride house, the last great event of summer is the Perseid meteor shower. This night-time spectacular comes every August. August in the mid-Willamette Valley also happens to be the time of year when you have the statistically best chance of having clear night skies.
My kids and I have watched the Perseids every year together for fifteen years or so. Usually, we watch them from a tent pitched in the yard.
This year we all just stayed up and watched them from camping chairs, hammocks, and blankets.
This astronomical phenomenon is the benediction of our season of leisure, exploration, and bonding. The kids all go back to school soon, with K starting college, and G starting high school. E is a high school junior, and T is in the middle of middle school (7th grade).
We all go into a season with stockpiled memories of laughter and wonder.
What a beautiful world.
Be the weird you want to see in the world!
Cheers,
Jason
P.S. If you love poetry comics, I currently have two books and one zine out.
This collection of three illustrated prose poems explores the struggle to find joy when you’re trapped far from home.
This collage-art graphic novel transports you to a lonely lunar mining colony, a dangerous, dilapidated space station, and the far reaches of our galaxy.
Each poem is set in our near future and forces us to confront how the choices we make today are already shaping our future.
Find ebook and physical versions here.
Beautifully Illustrated Haiku
Find the Miraculous in the Ordinary
This collection of haiku comics from the popular poetry newsletter Weirdo Poetry will fill you with a sense of wonder and awe. With over 100 incredible comics, this book will remind you that there is still hope and peace in our world if you know where to look.
Each poem is a small story that gives you a pop of emotion. It's the kind of book you'll return to again and again. You can take it anywhere! Reach for it when you need an escape from the real world.
This is the perfect picture book for grown-ups.
Wild Divinity is full of emotional, vibrant haiku and stunning illustrations.
Find ebook and physical versions here.
Need a Break from Reality?
This small book will fill you with a sense of wonder and awe.
This is the first issue of Weirdoku, a haiku comic zine. Inside you will find 36 beautifully illustrated haiku about the ocean. Leave the everyday world and find yourself transported to a place of peace and contentment. Over half of these comics have never been published anywhere else before!
Each poem is a small story that gives you a pop of emotion. It's the kind of book you'll return to again and again. You can take it anywhere! Reach for it when you need an escape from the real world.
This zine is currently only available in paperback from Amazon and as an ebook in the Weirdo Poetry store.
What a wonderful tradition, Jason! As my son enters his last year of middle school and my daughter starts driving 😬, I think about our traditions. What will they hold close, and what will they barely remember. I'm sure there's plenty they could think of that I wouldn't.
I grew up in a rural area with zero light pollution. Gained a love of stargazing because the stars were so clear and easy to see. Your family tradition feels familiar and fun to me.