THE SUN BURNS BRIGHT ABOVE THE BLUE

 

The sun burns bright above the blue

From above the clouds up high

Shining brightly through the rain

Painting rainbows across the sky

BENEATH THE FOREST CANOPY

 

Beneath the forest canopy

In the Emerald darkness

Of the ancient wood

It was refreshingly cool

But shadow soon gave way

To the dappled shade

Where the sun pierced

The leafy veil

Littering the floor

With Golden discs of light

And when the forest thinned

We came upon a Deer

Grazing in a forest glade

BENEATH THE LEAFY CANOPY

 

Beneath the leafy canopy

Moonlight pierced the darkness

And shafts of lunar light

Like a brilliant laser show

Illuminated the forest floor

THE SAVAGE NATURAL SCENE

 

The savage natural scene    

In the winter meadow

Where the Falcon feeds

His talons red in the snow

LITTLE BIRD BRING TO US

 

Little bird bring to us

Your sweet song

Bring it cheerily

With the spring

To the woodland

And to the meadow

And with your

Sweet melody

Usher in another

Blessed summer

THE HEATHERS CLOAK THE HILLSIDE

 

The Heathers cloak the hillside

And Buttercups dot the meadow

The Bluebells carpet the woods

And Orchids pepper the hedgerow

In an understatement of radiance

Where the wild flowers grow

PRESSED FLOWERS

 

Flowers picked fresh

In the meadow

Where love bloomed

And a kiss was stolen

 

The delicate blooms

Were lovingly preserved

Betwixt printed pages

Of a weighty tome

 

Now they are desiccated

Between the leaves

Blooms long since dried

Still evoke memories

Pressed blooms from

When love was young

Mementos of love

From a time long ago

Soon I was once again

In the meadow

Where love bloomed

And a kiss was stolen

THE WIND WHISTLES

 

The wind whistles

The frozen rain bites

And the chill runs deep

And we must escape

To shelter safe inside

Where the barn owls sleep

FLAME TREES

 

Flame trees in the jungle

Petals like tongues of fire

Burning bright in paradise

A DEW DROP SLOWLY ROLLS

 

A dew drop slowly rolls along the broad leaf

Like a perfect pearl, it moves on its journey brief

Before dropping off the edge to a rivulet below

And the pearl disappears into the mercurial flow

A BUMBLE BEE BUSIES

 

A bumble bee busies

A Butterfly rises and dips 

And there amid velvet petals

A single hummingbird sips

SAVAGE SEA

 

All at sea, all at sea

In the teeth of a gale

Under a savage sky,

Black as night,

The wind blows unabated

Rain stings the flesh

And drowns the spirit.

Rolling black waves

Crash like thunder

All around us

As nature displays

Her awesome power

We pray to our Gods

Our course changed

By great waves of doom

Driving us on

Against our rudders will

To end us on a shallow reef

BE GENTLE WITH THE EARTH

 

Be gentle with the earth

It matters such a lot

Look at the landscape

And don’t be the blot

Be gentle with the earth

It’s the only one we’ve got

FROM THE SIGHT OF THE FIRST SWALLOW

 

From the sight of the first swallow

To the moment of the last fall of snow

More than a short romantic interlude

But nonetheless it was bound to conclude

A love born beneath a swallow’s wing

Perished on the very eve of spring

AS BITTER WINTER DISAPPEARS

 

As bitter winter disappears

The springtime cheers

As with each new flower

The season grows in power

Spring is here again

Stirring the souls of men

THE OPAQUE MISTS

 

The opaque mists

Blur and soften

Disguising the landscape

Hiding from sight

Until the sun warms

And burns the mist away

INHABITING THE MARGINS

 

Inhabiting the margins

Of the water’s edge

The waterfowl are found

Hid amongst the sedge

AS LENGTHENING SUMMER SHADOWS

 

As lengthening summer shadows

Give way to Autumnal shades

The last snows of winter

Are but a heartbeat away

THE SEASONS COME AND GO - SUMMER

 

The seasons come and go

Almost monotonous I know

One after another, as planned

Like the sweep of a clock hand

Each season reminding us all

That from winter to the fall

Is yet another year slipped by

A step closer to when we die

A depressing thought I know

But let the seasons come and go

For I think it would be a crime

If there was to be no summertime

THE SEASONS COME AND GO - SPRING

 

The seasons come and go

Almost monotonous I know

One after another, as planned

Like the sweep of a clock hand

Each season reminding us all

That from winter to the fall

Is yet another year slipped by

A step closer to when we die

A depressing thought I know

But let the seasons come and go

For I think it would be a crime

If there was to be no springtime

ILLUMINATED SUNSET CLOUDS

 

Illuminated sunset clouds, lit

Like smoke in a funeral pyre

In red and orange shades

As the sky burns with fire

THE PAPILLION AFFAIR

 

My friends happened to mention that

They didn’t particularly like butterflies

And my parents lost it completely,

Not caring for wherefores or whys

My friends became persona non grata

Treated as if they were evil Visigoths

It wasn’t as if they harmed butterflies

They just thought them arrogant Moths

NATURE GIFTED US WITH THE SNOWY OWL

 

Nature gifted us with the snowy owl

Who on majestic wings takes flight

In the Arctic regions of the North

Hunting its prey both day and night

LIKE WIND BLOWN PETALS

 

Like windblown petals

The snow fell in gentle swirls

Settling on the landscape

To delight the boys and girls

THE MILLPOND WATER

 

The millpond water

In the sultry air

Stood eerily still

its mirrored surface

Reflected its image

In crystal clarity

So perfectly still

That the millpond water

Could have been

A looking glass

For young Alice

To enter wonderland

WATERFOWL

 

So ungainly on the ground

Quite displeasing to the eye

But when they effortlessly

Spread their wings and fly

They perform a graceful ballet

Across the bright blue sky

THE SHARP-EYED SPARROWS

 

The sharp-eyed sparrows

Darting to and fro

Examine the soil

Disturbed by the hoe

Picking out a morsel

And off they go

LIKE WIND BLOWN PETALS

 

Like windblown petals

The snow fell in gentle swirls

Settling on the landscape

To delight the boys and girls

THE MILLPOND WATER

 

The millpond water

In the sultry air

Stood eerily still

its mirrored surface

Reflected its image

In crystal clarity

So perfectly still

That the millpond water

Could have been

A looking glass

For young Alice

To enter wonderland

WATERFOWL

 

So ungainly on the ground

Quite displeasing to the eye

But when they effortlessly

Spread their wings and fly

They perform a graceful ballet

Across the bright blue sky

THE SHARP-EYED SPARROWS

 

The sharp-eyed sparrows

Darting to and fro

Examine the soil

Disturbed by the hoe

Picking out a morsel

And off they go