Category: Photography

Faces

I put the flower in a cup of water so it will not wilt. The cat puts her face in it as well. She wonders what that flower is doing here. The flower isn’t doing anything. It would have preferred to remain where it had been attached to its true source of nourishment and understanding, its roots. They miss each other.

Birds sit on a railing watching me approach. They aren’t struggling to survive. Survival is not that hard. They are not afraid I will pick one of them and put it in a cup of water so it will not wilt. I have no crumbs for them. They don’t mind.

SUMMER FLOWERS CUT
KIKI DRINKS BLOSSOM WATER
BIRDS WATCH AS I WALK.

Linked to dVerse Haibun Monday. Toni is hosting on any topic.  Come join us to write a haibun.
Photos: “Kiki Hiding Her Face” and “Birds on Boardwalk”, below, both by the author. These are linked to K’lee and Dale‘s Cosmic Photo Challenge with the theme “faces”. My cat Kiki’s face is hidden.  The birds don’t mind showing their faces anywhere.

Birds on Boardwalk

Yellow Blooms

Their beauty’s only here for days.
Their pretty ways
We want to last
Too soon have passed.

Like every joy we’ve tried to hold,
Like yellow gold,
Like dreams come true
Come touched by blue.

The flowers tried. We’re on their sides.
The present hides
Yet yearns to show
Where all dreams go.

I am hosting today at dVerse. The form is the minute form illustrated above. You can find directions on how to write this at http://www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/minute.html.
Photo: “Yellow Blooms” by the author and linked to jasenphoto’s Tuesday Photo Challenge — Yellow.
I also linked this to Floral Friday Fotos.

High Water

The river overflowed the trails.
The brown cattails
And lilies there
And birds don’t care.

My disappointment flickers though.
I’ll let it go
Eventually.
There’s much to see.

When blocked from going on my walk,
The chatter-talk
I want to mind
Can rest, unwind.

Linked to dVerse Quadrille celebrating its 6th Anniversary and hosted by Grace with prompt word “flicker”.
Photo “Exterior of the Trail” by the author linked to K’lee and Dale‘s Cosmic Photo Challenge with theme “exterior”.  I am on the outside or exterior of the Des Plaines River Trail at Half Day Forest Preserve.  High water from the rains a couple days ago overflowed the river onto the trails although that overflowing is not evident in this picture.  The collage below contains scenes in Half Day Forest Preserve that I would have missed if the trails were usable.  They are also part of the “exterior” of these trails.

Scenes from Half Day Forest Preserve

July Challenge and Alien Artifacts

Jillys2016 offered a July Challenge for collaborative poetry.  One poet writes the first half of a poem and then another poet finishes it.  My four line poem “Home Tour” may be used for this challenge.  Pretend it is supposed to be an eight line poem and write the second half.

Here I try to complete Charley’s first half.  Charley’s part is in bold red.  It is a quadrille, a poem of 44 words.  He provided the first 22 words.  I have to add the next 22 words of the poem.

The bird broke
my concentration
when he pecked
the door.

“Anatomy of Melancholy”
from my fingers fell.

Closed, it hit the floor.

The bird came in.
He said, “Lenore.”

I said, “What?”

“Nevermore.”

“Never mind?”

“Anymore.”

I boot¹ the bird
and shut the door.

¹Some may argue that what I should have written is “I shoot the bird”, because it sounds better and that is what they would have done, but I will refrain from comment.

Photo: “Ever Growing” by the author linked to K’lee and Dale‘s Cosmic Photo Challenge on the topic of alien artifacts. I am hoping the pots will serve as alien artifacts where we are the invaders and plants are seeing if they can make use of our advanced technology.

Home Tour

Let us climb these well worn stairs,
Light above and peace throughout.
Heart tells mind, “Don’t worry here.
Love will show us all about.”

Linked to dVerse Open Link Night hosted by Björn.
Photo: “Going Up” by the author. Linked to jasenphoto’s Tuesday Photo Challenge where the prompt is “steps”.
I am also linking this to Jill Lyman’s July Challenge. Consider this an eight line poem of which I’ve written only the first four lines.

I’m exploring medieval lyrics.  I think the above might be called “trova romantica” with form and style related to the troubadours.  I’m trying to use the Portuguese Redondilha maior meter, a seven syllable line with the last syllable accented, but I might be missing something.

Announcement

The Spring issue (Vol 97, No 2) of The Lyric Magazine, “the oldest magazine in North America devoted to traditional poetry”, arrived in the mail.  It contains my poem, “Chutes and Ladders”.  I am grateful to the editor, Jean Mellichamp Milliken, for selecting it.

The Blessing

Any blessing we receive
May it pass on from us to you.
Every blessing should conceive
A future blessing if it’s true.
So with passing may we leave
You hope to manifest what’s new.
Forgive what we did not get right.
Arise. Be blessed with holy light.

Linked to dVerse Poetics where Paul Scribbles is hosting with the prompt “blessings”.

Midsummer Daydream

I walk toward Sunset Ridge Woods busy dreaming while this summer day is busy being beautiful.  Last night I read a fable telling about fairies guarding a forest glen.¹  They punished cutting trees in their creative ways using the imaginations of the trespasser. They were more effective than fines–and swifter. Natural retribution could take years or generations. Those fairies kept the riff-raff in line–if you believed in them.

Today governments take over guarding forest preserves. Perhaps they do permit what some might call over-harvesting where it’s out-of-sight and wild. Like beauty, one guy’s rightful use is another guy’s misuse. Governments keep the opportunists in line–if you believe they can.  I wonder how my mind would survive a trespass on a fairy glen? Maybe they still rule in these subtle ways even without my acknowledgment of their existence. If so, who could stop them?

SOUNDS OF SHRILL TRAFFIC
SUMMER WARMS THIS SUNSET TRAIL
SHELTERED BY STILL TREES

¹“The Man Who Had No Story” in Jane Yolen’s Favorite Folktales From Around the World.

Linked to dVerse Haibun Monday hosted by Grace with prompt “Summer”.
Photo: “Green Midsummer Madness” by the author linked to K’lee and Dale‘s Cosmic Photo Challenge with prompt “midsummer madness”.

Menu Filtered Reality

The menu doesn’t nourish like a meal,
But helps the heart decide on what to do.
Consider how true knowledge twists what’s real.

Words conceal whenever they reveal.
There’s always something more to struggle through.
The menu doesn’t nourish like a meal.

What’s fully true is more than we can feel
Though what we feel reveals that pure truth, too.
Our knowing turns and teases what is real.

Food may be a medicine that heals
Or poison that consumes us as we chew.
The menu doesn’t nourish like a meal.

The heart insists the brain submits and kneels
So it can help them both explore what’s new,
Obtain sure knowledge teasing what is real.

Impulsive day is eager for a deal.
May dreamy night’s correction shelter you.
The menu doesn’t nourish like a meal
Nor does true knowing circumscribe what’s real.

Linked to dVerse Meeting the Bar. I am hosting today and the form is a villanelle. You are welcome to link a villanelle you have written for this prompt.  The modification I made to the villanelle form is to not exactly repeat the second line of the couplet theme.
Photo: “Sweet Corn” by the author