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)
Rain-infused greens
inspire whimsical thoughts –
surely there are sprites
frolicking amongst the mossy boughs,
sheltering beneath ancient roots
whose twisted tendrils rise and dip
in rhythm to Earth’s pulses.
The muddied path pushes back
against my weary legs, invites me
to sit awhile, wonder at the impossible
heights from which birdsong flits across
treetops, pinging back from unseen
distances, unhindered by human progress.
Salmonberries, newly popped,
herald the seasonal shift,
and I watch as a slug undulates
slowly past, antennae bobbing,
the black spots of its tail reptilian.
Below me, lantern-like blooms
of yellow sprout at creek’s edge
their pungent aroma carried by
the still chilled vernal breeze.
A red-breasted nuthatch scurries
up a neighbouring fir, while two robins
flirt playfully on the rainforest floor,
hopping amongst the freshly flowered
trilliums, their white crowns a regal
presence in this place of enchantment.
(Image my own)
Morrell Nature Sanctuary first appeared on One Woman’s Quest II in April, 2018. Morrell Nature Sanctuary is on Vancouver Island, Canada.
Munificence of woods
forestalls growing angst,
imminence of need
Sheltered beneath
a canopy of leaves
I am armoured
paused
peaceful
reflecting
Tomorrow can wait.
(Image my own)
Cast my shadow over white banks
assert presence: proud, defiant
Will find beauty in deserted places
and colour in the monochrome
Haunted by a Winter state of mind
resolved to stretch despite chill.
(Image my creation)
Dove’s mournful cry
spotlights Nature’s calling –
Let us find a harmonic note
sing along for conservation,
for preservation, for a strong
tomorrow – find our voices
and join the chorus.
(A New Year’s resolution for the world. Image mine)
Robin is absent
Winter’s silence
inviting retreat
Children embrace
snow-filled adventures
while I evade spills
Window watching
fluctuations, waiting
for the harbinger’s return.
(Tuesdays, I borrow from Twitter @Vjknutson. Image my own)
To the west, a patch of electric blue
while Eastern clouds tumble grey
With each glance, sky language
alters, as if heaven re-examines
mood – intermittently snows
then explodes in flash of vermillion.
(Image my own)
She flows
unapologetic of her girth,
does not flinch
at barges scoring her surface
nor paddle boats laden with curiosity.
Confident in her fluidity,
she bears the secrets of life –
the sludge of humanity in her belly –
stirs the minds of merchants, and children,
tolerates those who gather at her banks.
The final word is hers – she knows –
no boundaries can contain her wrath
still waters rise and spill;
she is a dragon
Nature’s force,
and she is magnificent.
(‘Mississippi’ first appeared here in November, 2017.
Image my own. Not the Mississippi.)
Potted pleasures hail
Autumn’s arrival – gracious
welcoming party.
(Image my own. Haiku borrowed from One Woman’s Quest II)
Silent as the Great Blue
Autumn hues creep
shifting the landscape
altering my mood.
Do feathers quiver
at the ensuing chill
or is it merely human
this seasonal affect?
(Heron Reflection first appeared here August, 2019.
Image my own.)
