When lightning strikes
And thunderclaps, feel
Mother
Nature’s angry wrath
Tuesday 28 June 2022
WETLANDS
Each year migrating pairs
Return to the wetlands
to breed
To join the resident
inhabitants
Who have never felt
the need
Frantically honking
Geese
Ducks and Swans of
assorted breeds
Nesting Wildfowl of
every kind
Using the seclusion of
the reeds
And in the rich
wetlands
The multitude can
readily feed
FROM THE OLD
From the old,
The sick,
And the weary,
To the young,
The active,
And the teary
One thing I’ve come to know.
Is everyone loves the snow
THE CHILD COMES ALIVE
The child in us all
Comes alive when it
comes
It has the uncanny
knack
To chase away the
glums
I still get excited
Just thinking about it
And when it starts
I don’t want it to
quit
The child in me comes
alive
It really excites me
so
When I hear someone
say
“It’s starting to
snow”
THE LANDSCAPE IS DESERTED
The landscape is deserted
The lake is frozen,
The reeds heavy with
frost
And the Ducks have
flown south
The snow lays deep
And Deer have
meandered
To greener pastures
The songbirds have
migrated
Leaving trees bare and
empty
Though the sky is
clear blue
And the sun bright
It holds no warmth
And the air is fresh
and cold
Monday 27 June 2022
THE AIR IS COOLER
The air is cooler
Just below the tree
line
In the foothills of
the mountain
Peace and quiet reigns
In the shade of the
pines
And the freshness
Of the evening breeze
But for the bird song
CAUGHT IN THAT FIRST INSTANT
Caught in that first instant,
That first take from a
distance
There appeared from
the Woodlands edge
A kind of low misty
apparition
Almost like a cloud of
drifting smoke
Emerging from the tree
line
Of course, when I got
closer I realised
It was just the
flowering Hawthorn
TEARS OF THE SUN
Icicles hang,
Crystalline and pure
Like tear drops
Frozen in time
An encapsulated moment
Of joy or sorrow?
Held in icy limbo
Until the sun
Releases the tears
LINGERING AUTUMN
In the forest,
The skeletal trees
Herald winters
imminent approach
But for now
The autumn lingers
But the fruiting
brambles bushes
Will soon feel winters
icy fingers
On the leaf carpeted
floor
Life continues
And the forest
creatures
Go about their work
For today it is still
autumn
And tomorrow is
another day
Saturday 25 June 2022
SUMMER RAIN
It rained an hour ago
Short and sharp
Now in its wake
The air is clean,
fresh
Summers rich scent
Heavy in the evening
air
And from the tree tops
Moving gently in the
breeze
Undelivered rain drops
fall
Like a maidens tears
EARLY MORN
Stepping into the garden,
The wet grass beneath
my feet
Everywhere fresh with
morning dew
The air honeysuckle
sweet
The dew drops
glistening,
The sunlight weakly
warming
It’s so good to be
alive
At the dawn of another
morning
WINTERS GRIP
The snow has settled on us
Like a shroud.
Each day growing deeper
Silence fills the
emptiness of the landscape
But for the ghostly
sound of the wind
High in the tree tops
The meadows and fields
have vanished
The river flows mute
beneath the ice
The next valley is
unreachable
The mountains as
unattainable as the Moon
But soon spring will
release the land
From its icy captor
And the winter we be
no more
Than remembered conversations
Beside the roaring
hearth
FATHER FROST
Father Frost, with icy fingers
Holds winter in his
frozen grasp
And spreads it wide
across the land
Till it wears his
thick winter cloak
MORNING DELIVERY
The sun slips beyond the horizon
Like a letter slips
into an envelope
Where it will stay
until the dawn
When the envelope
reopens
Spilling its contents
into the sky
Brightening the world
Lifting the heart with
its delivery
Like a missive from a
loved one
Friday 24 June 2022
THE SPRING MELT
The heavily laden
Mountain slopes
Slowly shed their winter
coat
Beginning the slow
spring melt
The snow and ice
Releasing the water
Imprisoned within it
Metamorphosing as it
seeps
Into every crevice
Rivulets gently
trickling
Into dormant streams
Gaining volume and
momentum
As it tumbles downward
Swelling and growing
Feeding cascading
waterfalls
And white water rapids
As it races to the valleys
below
THE CHERRY BLOSSOM
The cherry blossom
Filled the tree
A brief spectacle
Of perfect beauty
Until the petals fell
Like pink snowflakes
And in the breeze
Danced like confetti
Outside the church
On our wedding day
LITTLE BIRD BRING US
Little bird brings us
Your sweet song
To woodland
And to meadow
Usher in another
Blessed summer
HUMMINGBIRD FLY
Hummingbird fly
On vibrant wings
Sip, iridescent beauty
From trumpet blooms
The nectar sweet
With long slender bill
In flower deep
ON THE CUSP OF SPRING AND SUMMER
On the cusp of spring and summer
Hawthorn hedgerows
bloom
And produce their
fruity haws
Before the autumns gathering
gloom
THE RED SQUIRREL
The red squirrel
Cute arboreal
Character
Once abundant in our
woodland
Now small in number
Only survive in small
pockets
Thanks to the grey
intruder
RED ADMIRAL
Red admiral flutter by
You Beautiful
butterfly
Drink from the
buddleia
Lovely Vanessa
atalanta
FROM THE BREAK OF EACH NEW DAWN
From the break of each new dawn
When heralding the new
day
The sun crests the
horizon
To Paint the eastern
sky
With natures orange
glow
Until it sets again
In majestic splendour
Beyond the western
hills
And is swallowed by
the darkness
It gives life with its
benevolent light
LEAVING WINTERS SHADOW
When we come out
Of winters shadow
And it’s finally
spring
There is fire in my heart.
And a lightness in my step
And the world seems
full
Of infinite
possibilities
Friday 10 June 2022
THE CHILL WIND
The chill wind
Bitter and biting
Buffeted the house
Rattling the windows
And whistling at the
door
Exploiting every weakness
Exposing every crack
To chill us to our
bones
THE STORM RAGED
The storm raged
Thunder roared
And lightning flashed
As rain fell
unrestrained
From leaden skies
Like liquid knives
Dropping into the
sodden land
Night came early
Beneath the slate grey
Until a tear in the
fabric
Of the unremitting
deluge
A perfect patch of
blue
Showing through the heavy
sky
Brought tranquillity
With a glimpse of
heaven
Through the darkness
A beam of heavens
light
Shone down upon the
land
A beacon from above
To let us know
We are not forsaken
THE SWIFT
The familiar forked tail
And crescent wing
Of the agile Swift in
sky
Performing aerobatics
Above the fields of
gold
So pleasing to the eye
LONG TAILED LINNET
Long tailed Linnet
Sweet flying Finch
Trill and twitter
Your pleasant song
All Summer long
KINGFISHER, KINGFISHER
Kingfisher, Kingfisher
A glint of silver
Catches your eye
And like an arrow
You dart with purpose
Beneath the water
With barely a splash
Disappearing for a
moment
Before returning
With the silver prize
SMOOTH SOFT STONES
Smooth soft stones
Picked from the beach
Rounded and smooth
To the touch
Opened a floodgate
In my mind
As distant memories
Rushed in
Of a different time
and place
A simpler time
And way of life
When hours could be
spent
In the innocent
pursuit
IN THE SUMMER FOREST
In the summer forest
I stared into the
silent waters
Of the mirrored pool
It was a place spoken
oft in lore
An eerie haunted place
The stillest place I’d
known
To stand too long
Appreciating its
tranquillity
Could cost you your soul
There were no fish
To break the surface
No insect ventured
near
Bird song fell silent at
its edge
And no creature
quenched its thirst
No one knew if its
waters were deep
Or merely murky
shallows
It was not an inviting
place
But if you stared too
long
Into its mesmeric shadows
You would not tell the tale
THE AIR WAS SULTRY AND STALE
The air was sultry and stale
The heat oppressive
I sought the sanctity
of the shade
Embracing its coolness
I walked beneath the
leafy canopy
Where the silence welcomed
Contented I walked
In the leafy summer
forest
Until within a glade
I came upon a woodland pool
Its still dark waters
Looking glass flat.
I peered through my
own reflection
Into the charismatic
depths
And felt unnervingly
as if
I was staring into the
depths
Of my own soul
And for the first time
On that sultry summers
afternoon
My skin felt cold
IN SPRINGTIME
In springtime
I walk in dappled
shade
Down along
A woodland brook
Where Narcissi grow
And bow their heads
In deference
To the singing stream
WISPS OF WHITE
Wisps of White
Decorate the azure blue
Like absent minded
stokes
Of an artist’s brush
While the sunbathes
the land
With its benevolence
WHEN THE WIND IS IN THE WEST
When the wind is in the west,
Is the time I like the best
When the wind is in
the west,
I know I can shed my
vest
WHITE AS LUNAR LIGHT
White as Lunar light
Moonshine birds fly
lonely skies
Where echoes can’t be
heard
THE HEDGEHOG CULL
The campaigners have won
The Hedgehog cull won’t
be done
They argued it
shouldn’t go ahead
It was just wrong they
said
Saying they were un
putdown-able
I think they are just un
pickup-able
THE RICH FED GROUSE THRIVE ON THE MOOR
The rich fed grouse thrive on the moor
The golden hare lives
on the valley floor
In the meadow you’ll
find rabbits there
While the fox sits
patiently in his lair
WHEN THE WIND IS IN THE SOUTH
When the wind is in the south,
And the sun is in the
sky
This is the time I
like most well
And my spirits are
very high
BUSY BEE
Under a sky of periwinkle blue
The honeybee sips the
morning dew
Then she spends the
daylight hours
Humming amidst the
meadow flowers
THROUGH GREEN-WOODS AND MEADOWS
Through green-woods and meadows
The happy travellers
wend
Along the meandering
river
Until they reached
journeys end
Thursday 9 June 2022
IN THE WATER MEADOW
In the water meadow
The Mayflies pirouette
On gossamer wings.
A pair performs a duet
As they dance their
Ephemeral vignette
AMIDST THE REEDS AND RUSHES
Amidst the reeds and rushes
Dragonflies hover by
the river still
Where the weeping
willows
Drooping branches spill
AUTUMN LEAVES ARE GATHERING
Autumn leaves are gathering
Golden in the
hedgerows
As the sun sits lower
in the sky
Shadows lengthen
across the landscape
Heralding winters
approach
WHEN THE WIND IS IN THE NORTH
When the wind is in the north,
It blows me back and
forth
When the wind is in the
north,
I stay indoors
thenceforth
IS IT THE ANGER OF PETULANT GODS?
Is it the anger of petulant Gods?
In their Olympian Penthouse
Exploding their
volcanic wrath
Down a molten hillside
Or an angry planet
From deep within
Trying to cleanse the
earth
Of it’s unworthy
guardians
THE SCENTED TROPICAL BREEZE
The scented tropical breeze
Blows offshore, gently
Carrying exotic fragrances
Of paradise out to sea
Wednesday 8 June 2022
RICH TROPICAL SCENTS FILL THE AIR
Rich tropical scents fill the air
And are carried on the
breeze
As the waters of the
pacific
Lap at the sands of
perfect white
THE SKIES OF ENDLESS AZURE
The skies of endless azure
Stretch to the distant
horizon
And in fond embrace
they kiss
The iridescent blue ocean
THE FIERCE AUTUMN GALES
The fierce autumn gales
Howl all through the
night
Whipping up the seas
And turning wave tops
white
The pour souls at sea
On the dark autumnal
night
In the teeth of the
tempest
Feel its savage bite
And pray to their gods
To save them from
their plight
As the gale blows
through
On the dark autumnal
night
WHEN THE WIND IS IN THE EAST
When the wind is in the east,
Is the time I like the
least
When the wind is in the
east,
Then winter has been
unleashed
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