Ice and Fire
Category: nature
December
Moody, these December skies
brooding chill interrupted
by sun’s sudden emergence
To hibernate, or brace
the wind; stiffen protectively
or inhale invigoration
Caution guides my steps
intimate with wintry passages
acknowledging that I am December…
(Image my own)
Stillness
Insects dance
at river’s edge
I am tempted
to run away
but heron’s calm –
a presence I depend on –
invites me to stay
Within the frenetic buzz
he and I find stillness
(Tuesdays, I borrow from Twitter @Vjknutson. Image my own)
In My Defence
The Great Blue heron declares me an annoyance
to which the Blue Jays rasp accordance –
I know I am akin to predator
but I come here with need
to this bug-infested
weed-ridden
riverbed
To be
Torn
as I am
by an undefinable
rustle, an inner bleed
that craves patterns, or signs
naturally occurring rhythms to define
my place within this current worldly disorder
(Image my own)
Summer Susans
August eyes are brown
winking in yellow bonnets –
flirtatious Susans.
(Image my own. Summer Susans first appeared on One Woman’s Quest II, August, 2019)
Appreciation (haiku)
Flowers greet the rain –
face up appreciation –
nourishment’s glow.
(Appreciation first appeared on One Woman’s Quest II, July 2020. Image my own)
Of Water
Soul begs for the reassurance of flow –
an enchanted place along the river,
a moment of solace in which to breathe
Heart glows at the sounds of summer –
children’s laughter raised above the splash
of clear blue – refreshing memories.
(Image my own)
Priorities
Supper dishes abandoned,
we cruise the backroads,
destination: river’s edge
A muskrat creates ripples
distorting mirror images
disappears into murky unknown
A canoe glides by,
occupant a silhouette
in the golden sun’s descent
We linger in the warmth
of the fading glow, celebrating
summer’s gracious moments.
(Image my own)
Needing a Sign
Restlessness accompanies me
on this sojourn today –
unfazed by ripe red
belly of robin,
or shimmering emerald
of breeding merganser’s crown.
My lens seeks out decay –
rotting wood, darkened cavities,
as if my soul craves reassurance
that life persists even where death
hovers – I need a sign
Discontent, I move on-
drive the river road
snail’s pace – praying for
something to shake
this malaise –
birds come and go,
trees radiate Spring green,
I pause, unmoved.
And then I spot it,
across the river, up high,
a massive hulk;
lens raises, adjusts, snaps,
the regal hunter turns toward me
regards me with ferocious intensity,
does not falter on his perch –
All-seeing, fearless,
he is spirit-manifested,
a messenger, lifting me
from stagnation –
momentary redemption.
(Needing a Sign first appeared here, May 2019. Image my own.)
Peace is Present
Infernal trek!
Wasted, mindless days
these chains of self-reproach
Will I never reach
yearned for peace?
Carry this burden
into the wind,
feet shuffling
eyes skyward
Stalwart trees
observe my passage,
birds offer accompaniment,
sun’s warmth charms
Nature intervenes –
peace is present.
(My image)
One Woman's Quest 