#CosPhoChal – Page 33 – Poetry, Short Prose and Walking

Smile

These photos were taken only a few days apart last October. I deliberately went out in the falling snow to take the one below. Snow looks misty when it blurs bright boundaries. I also enjoy seeing sharp contrasts such as those made by the autumn light and shadows in the one above.

Thinking back on both of those very different kinds of day when looking for some photos to post made me smile.

Linked to K’lee and Dale’s Cosmic Photo Challenge with the theme of Showcase 2019 and to Trent P. McDonald’s The Weekly Smile.

Winter’s Breath

Winter turns the spirit out.
Leaves go red and fall.
Snowy silence sits about.
I wonder at it all,
But know the proof comes in the spring
When leaves and flowers bloom
When birds again have warmth to sing
And outside’s like a room.

Linked to K’lee and Dale’s Cosmic Photo Challenge where the theme is “The Coming of Winter/Winter’s Breath” or “Playing with Light”.

Also linked to Trent P. McDonald’s The Weekly Smile. I realized that I don’t understand all that I think I do. No matter how bad that might seem, my smile comes from also realizing that it isn’t all that bad.

Also linked to dVerse Quadrille. De Jackson (aka WhimsyGizmo) is hosting with the word ‘spirit’.

Blurred

Roses are red
Violets are blue
All that goes blurry
Gets clearer with you

Linked to K’lee and Dale’s Cosmic Photo Prompt with the theme ‘Blurred’. And linked to Trent P. McDonald’s The Weekly Smile since I realized that any of us being here at all would be miraculous. What made me smile about that was we actually are here.

What Dreams May Come

When pure dreaming helps the seeing
Stars shine. Sunlight’s setting, fleeing.
Deeper darkness cracks decreeing
Once aware now always being,
        Smiling, feeling all that's true.
Like a myth made fact by living,
Turning, dawning, lightness giving,
Faithful beyond magic, winning
        Life with understanding too.

Linked to K’lee and Dale’s Cosmic Photo Challenge with the theme ‘What dreams may come’ and to Trent P. McDonald’s The Weekly Smile. What made me smile? When I looked up I saw Venus and then Jupiter – and then I realized that other mysterious dim light, higher up and not in the photo, was Saturn.

The poem practices imitating other poetry. What I am imitating here is Tennyson’s rhyme and meter in The Lady of Shalott. I’m not sure what my poem means. Hopefully it brings a positive smile.

Linked to dVerse Quadrille where De Jackson is hosting with the word ‘crack’.

This Thursday at dVerse Meeting the Bar I will be featuring imitation as poetic practice. You may pick whatever you want to imitate or you may pick Tennyson as I have.

A Smile from Somme Woods

This trail was made for such as me
Who’d sometimes like a woods to see
Though urban sidewalks faithfully
May lead me on elsewhere.

Without the leaves my sight can go
Between the bony branches so
I look about. Beyond them show
Home-bound streets out there.

Linked to Trent P. McDonald’s The Weekly Smile. Although chilly and overcast my walk through autumn’s presentation of Somme Woods made me smile.

Also linked to K’lee and Dale’s Cosmic Photo Challenge with the theme “spooky”. The photo below with all the dark, bony branches seem spooky.

Autumn Leaves / Autumn Light

Linked to K’lee and Dale’s Cosmic Photo Challenge with the theme “Autumn Leaves / Autumn Light”.

Also linked to Trent P. McDonald’s The Weekly Smile. Last weekend the maple leaves were brilliant. Although most of those leaves fell, as I expected they would after the brief snowstorm, some remained on this cloudy, cold Saturday which was warm enough to melt the snow. That made me smile.

Sun, Sea and Sand

Suffering’s a blessing,
Waves caressing shore,
Sand absorbing moisture,
Turning hearts once more.

Liked to K’lee and Dale’s Cosmic Photo Prompt with the theme “sun, sea and sand”.

Cosmically Circular / Cosmically Square

Today darkness seems square like an evergreen against a maple in fall and brightness looks circular like a flower’s bloom. I may see them differently tomorrow, but they blend together cosmically like joyful austerity, like getting unexpected things right, like warm and cold.

This past week the weather has shown how awesome autumn can feel, fitting itself in between summer and winter. It made me smile. The weather got it right.

Linked to K’lee and Dale’s Cosmic Photo Prompt with the theme “cosmically circular/cosmically square”. Also linked to Trent P. McDonald’s The Weekly Smile.

Trent P. McDonald’s image for The Weekly Smile

Inside Out

Inside the oak it’s rich with rings,
Ringing without sound.
Richly rests this oak that clings
Still soundlessly on ground.

Linked to K’lee and Dale’s Cosmic Photo Prompt with the theme to pick one or more of inside out, outside in or upside down.

The poem illustrates the figure of speech known as a polyptoton where a root word is repeated but not exactly such as “rings” and “ringing” or “rich” and “richly” or “sound” and “soundlessly”. I will be featuring polyptoton on dVerse on October 24th.

Tomorrow Through the Past

The past is holding me in place.
The present sets me free.
The distant future’s smiling face
Lies past this tulip tree
And past the trunk of this great oak
With distance calling me.
Live that future. It's today
Returning smiles the future gave.

Linked to K’lee and Dale’s Cosmic Photo Challenge with the theme ” A Vision of Tomorrow/Through the Eyes of Yesterday”. Also linked to Trent P. McDonald’s The Weekly Smile. My smile this week comes from having the opportunity to write this poem. Also linked to dVerse Quadrille where Merril is hosting with the word “set”.