Tag: poetry

crane cinquain

fincrane1

crane

tall, red-crowned

calling, dancing, bowing

legs like broken sticks

sandhill

***

At first, I thought these were a couple of young deer behind the trees, as we don’t get many cranes in the wooded portion of the state. They are a very old bird, and have a peculiar walk. They remind me of some kind of dinosaur. With their sandy brown backs, it’s easy to see why they’re called sandhills.

fincrane2

–photos by me

 

Living on the Edge

finalpit

When the iron ore ran out,

The mine pit was abandoned,

And there it sat for years,

A gaping wound in the earth;

A world of rocks and dirt

And sheer cliffs of stone

Devoid of any sign of life–

Till Mother Nature moved in

And started redecorating.

She filled the great hole

With crystal clear water

And hung living wallpaper

Over the barren cliffs.

She turned it into a world

Of birds and rainbow trout;

Of beautiful, swaying trees

And plants of every kind.

She turned the dead pit

Into a living paradise.

–Photo by me

road to happiness

finroad

as of late

i meditate

when life

becomes a mess

i close my eyes

and visualize

the road

to happiness

to play this game

i have to name

the hills

i come upon

and then i try

to rectify

the problem

and move on

when at last

all hills are passed

and i have

found my way

sometimes i find

a little sign

saying

write a poem today

 

–photo by me

Haibun: Beaver Dam

3dam1

My son Aaron and I are way back in the wilderness of Superior National Forest, and we’ve just stumbled upon a recently constructed beaver dam. Unfortunately, beavers like to lounge around inside their “lodge” where they’re high and dry, and safe from predators during the day. The construction project is all done on the night shift, so we’ll have to settle for some photos of the pond.

3dam2

Mama is most likely tending to some little ones inside the lodge, as beavers have from one to four kits in the spring.

One thing there is no shortage of out here is woodticks. We must have pulled twenty or thirty of the little blood-suckers off our legs already. And then there’s lyme disease.

Well, it looks like there will be no tail-slapping activities here today.

* * *

found a beaver dam

a newly built beaver dam–

and no beaver. damn

3dam3

–Photos by me

 

Say Again, Cap’n?

finship

The ship was in great peril;

Her hull had sprung a leak,

And so our captain called the crew

On deck so he could speak:

“We’re working to repair the hull,”

He crooned, clearing his throat,

“Until we do, our big bilge pump

Will keep the ship afloat,

And as repairs may take some time,

I’m making this decree:

All non-essential items

Must be thrown into the sea.”

And yet the ship sunk faster,

And our frantic captain roared,

“That pump is too damned heavy,

We must throw it overboard!”

llama

1llamafin

llama

social, curious

grazing, spitting, playing

may save us all

camelid

 

2llamafin

Imagine my surprise when I ran into this woolly gal out in the woods! She had escaped from a nearby farm, but she happily followed me to it. The farmer told me that they used to have two more, but one wandered off and the other was killed by a bear.

Llamas, with their unique kind of blood, have recently shown an exciting potential for a coronavirus treatment. Go llamas!

3llamafin

–Photos by me