back in the spring of the year
there were hundreds of pelicans here
and tourists would flock
to this gorge of gray rock
and everyone was of good cheer.
but now it’s the end of july
the river has almost run dry
and all that was here
is gone till next year–
summer camp’s over. goodbye.
–photo by me
I can’t believe I’ve stumbled upon an old, abandoned house out here in the woods. Surrounded by a sea of wildflowers and encroaching trees, it reminds me of a great ghost ship on the stormy main. The tentacles of a giant sea monster have wrapped around her, and are ever pulling her down. Some day, she’ll go under.
when old houses fall
their delicious mysteries
go under with them
–Photo by me
the tiny chameleon tree frog
blends into the forest motif
as a gray little bump on a log
or a green little lump on a leaf,
and nobody knows where he goes
whenever he’s not on the ground,
but equipped with his suction-cup toes,
he’s sure to be hanging around.
–photo by me
there once was a red-eyed old ghoul
who haunted a broken-down school
till the townsfolk all came
with their torches aflame–
now he lives in the woods as a rule
–photo/art by me
there once
was a self-righteous man
who built
himself a tall, open tower
from which
he would peer out over
his world
to search for his soul.
every day,
he would climb the stairs
and scour
the heavens for it;
sometimes,
he felt it was near.
in time,
it was too much for him,
and the
self-righteous man died.
in silence,
his soul flew from the roof
–photo by me
–photos by me
I went looking for a nice flower foto for the blog. It was very hot out, but I just needed one good one, so I ventured into the woods and down to the pond. What a mistake!
Suddenly there were swarms of deer flies all around me. I took off running, but to no avail; they circled me like I was standing still. And then it got bad. They were in my shirt and under my glasses; I was afraid they would get in my mouth.
I ran blindly through the woods until I came back out on the road. Walking home, I was shaken and rather bummed that I didn’t get the shot, but so glad to be home. I was about to go in, when–you guessed it–there it was, not ten feet from my door: my flower foto!
–Photo by me
nature loves painting
beautiful wildflowers
on roadside landscapes.
i picture her as a girl,
hopping and skipping
along the ditches,
accidentally on purpose
spilling and splattering
her summer colors
with reckless abandon,
and leaving a trail
of beauty behind.
–photo by me
before telling a joke,
you must get it;
after breaking a bone,
you must set it;
before bathing a cat,
you must pet it;
after writing a poem,
you must edit.
–photo by me
your neighbor’s eye is fixed on you
for she’s intrigued by all you do
so don’t get mad and call her out
but give her ‘things’ to talk about
and then take solace in the thought
that you can do ‘things’ she cannot
so start the show and have some fun
before your audience of one
–photo by me
michaeljordahl 