Weather Update

February 20, 2026

Weather Update

low pressure system

tender, sensitive,
vulnerable, tightly-wound,
infuriated,
short-tempered, tear-filled,
nothing yet tear-spilled

—dotty seiter

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*The Friend Who Is Addicted to Chiclets*
detail from a larger painting;
ink and watercolor pencil on paper
*Let’s Face It With Friends* series
2026

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Notes about poem and art:
• In “low pressure system” I play with haiku, using a standard syllabic 5-7-5 pattern to open an idea, then add a 5-5 couplet to heighten and close the exploration.
• The Friend Who Is Addicted, like the speaker in the poem, is tender, sensitive, vulnerable, tightly-wound, infuriated, and short-tempered but, unlike the speaker, she is gonna gosh-darned chew her way out to the other side of her feelings come hell or high water.

artist at play

finding faces in neurographic contour drawings, let’s face it with friends, playing with haiku

Posted by:

Dotty Seiter

10 responses to “Weather Update”

Joyful Puttering

February 20, 2026 at 8:22 am

Your play with words and syllabic patterns fascinate me… and your found friends tickle me. I adore the Friend Who is Addicted to Chiclets! We all know her! And we all have some of her in us!

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1. Dotty Seiter
  
  February 20, 2026 at 9:10 am
  
  Word play and syllablic patterns have long magnetized me; thanks for letting you know that my word play+ fascinates you, MaryAnn; it’s a gift to share the pleasure—as you know through your art and sharing : )
  
  Chiclet friend gets a smile out of me and, I agree, we all have some of her in us!!!
  
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Simone

February 20, 2026 at 9:38 am

Oh, how I love your painting/poetry combo!

>

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1. Dotty Seiter
  
  February 20, 2026 at 9:58 am
  
  Simone: oh, how I love and appreciate your love of my painting/poetry combo, a combo which has your inspiring encouragement behind it. I continue to thank you!
  
  And thank you for stopping by to comment here on today’s post.
  
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lolajovan

February 20, 2026 at 2:51 pm

Dotty!!! Oh my goodness, how I love this haiku! I am so often “tear-filled” these days. Just a matter of time before those tears spill over and create a flood event. Oy!

Love this friend – she gets it! She’s going to get to the other side! I am grabbing her coattails and hanging on – maybe she can pull me through? xo

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Dotty Seiter

February 20, 2026 at 3:34 pm

Lola, thank you for letting me know my haiku touched you. The frequency of finding ourselves tear-filled these days … sigh. I’m happy to report that since I wrote that haiku (maybe two weeks ago?) several gentle triggers opened the spillways for me, for which I am most grateful.

This friend is for sure gonna get to the other side! Open your hands quick—she’s tossing Chiclets your way!!!

xoxo

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Sheila Marie Delgado

February 21, 2026 at 3:41 am

Love these both. The poem. I know her, yeah. And, I’ve sometimes been her. LOL. I have a very good friend who listens to me at those times. And I listen to her, in her times. (Thank goodness)

Your friend looks so much like my cousin’s wife. I did not like her in the beginning. She was, so wound up. You said it tightly wound. And while she was not short tempered, it did feel like she could lose it at any moment and have a small crying fit or tantrum. I steered clear. But later I got to know her better, and I admire her more than I think she knows.

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1. Dotty Seiter
  
  February 21, 2026 at 5:50 am
  
  Sheila, thanks for being one of the friends to receive the uncomfortable stressful feels I was wrestling. Putting the feelings into words and sharing them helped me pivot, and I’ve made mindful changes over the past couple of weeks, returning to lighter welcome feelings and greater equilibrium. I’m grateful. Thank you for sharing the story of your change from steering clear to admiring in one of your relationships : )
  
  Namaste.
  
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carol lee

February 21, 2026 at 3:47 am

Had this up on my computer since yesterday! I should have known something wasn’t right because the image was gone! After writing a message came up… couldn’t send message!

Your poem made me sad, but on second thought, good to get the feelings out. Hope you have come out of the dark place into a more positive disposition! Hey, chew some chicklets!

Love your new found neurographic friend, smiling away, chewing the gorgeous flavors!

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1. Dotty Seiter
  
  February 21, 2026 at 5:55 am
  
  Carol, thanks for persisting in sending a comment despite a cyber snafu en route. Your observation that it can be good to get the feelings out certainly proved true for me. I so benefited from pausing to take stock, identify and name what was taking place in my mind, and share the feelings in words. From there I was able to bring mindfulness to bear on the situation—game changer! If I had Chiclets at hand I’d no doubt be chewing right along with my neurographic friend!!!
  
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