Category Archives: Nature

by

Speechless 



 
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
  


Words have fled my lips,

like moulting feathers that litter the ground,

useless.

My heart is in my throat.

I see abundance.

Numerous seals and penguins dot the landscape

like so many pixels creating an image.

Great beauty rises from stark surroundings.

Thick glaciers melt into leaping waterfalls,

cascade to the sea.

Wash over red rust whaling station scars

that blister the horizon.

Macabre glory days over,

sea and salt air reclaim what once ignored her.

Beleaguered oil containers lean into the future

waiting for cargo that will no longer fill

their insatiable appetite.

Once we pillaged the sea,

now the earth. 

			


	

	


		
			

	

				

						
							  by  					

		
						

							Perpetual Grin
					

			


	
	

		
chinstrap


(personal photo)

I had a two foot tall escort,

black and white on my left.

Dark cap strapped smartly

below his little chin.


We slipped and slid

along a snowy slope,

his steps mirrored mine.


A crunch,

a waddle,

a slide corrected,

we descended in time.


A perpetual grin

on his face

and now, also on mine.

			


	

	


		
			

	

				

						
							  by  					

		
						

							Vision
					

			


	
	

		
penguin


(photo credit: personal photo)

I saw with my own eyes

a humpback breach

on cool grey waters. An ice berg floating

in the distance.

I did not need a macro lens shutter burst

to know that I had witnessed

a beautiful spectacle.


I saw with my own eyes

elephant seals jostle and wrestle

like young males flexing their muscles

in a gym.

I did not need to check the angle of the sun

or composition of the image before me

in order to enjoy.


I saw with my own eyes

penguins on a black sand beach.

Fur seals and elephant seals lay in the sun.

I sat on a dirt mound,  without a camera lens.

Curious chicks waddled close.

I did not need a view finder

to see herringbone feather patterns

an arm’s length away from me.


I saw with my own eyes

seals leap in the bow waves of our boat.

Somersaults and flips

brought a smile to my face.

I did not need video replay to witness

their fun living in the moment.


I saw with my own eyes.

I heard with my own ears.

I do not need technology to know

life is not meant to be

viewed through a narrow lens.

I want the panorama.

			


	

	


		
			
		
			
		
			
		
			

	

				

						
							  by  					

		
						

							Splash a Rhythm
					

			


	
	

		
rain


Music tapped at my window this morning.

A wet beat ran down my pane and dripped into my dreams.

I awoke with a song in my head, a moisture chorus

surrounding my world in a watery ditty.


Rain dropped and trickled,

     plopped and splashed,

It dribbled and drizzled,

     sprinkled and sprayed.


Like an amateur band jamming for fun, enjoying simple play,

the showers continued their invitation to come out;

to hum in the mizzle, and stomp in the mist,

splash a rhythm in puddles and create my own tune;

an impromptu session, special performance

with Madame Nature.

			


	

	


		
			
		
			

	

				

						
							  by  					

		
						

							And Then It Rained
					

			


	
	

		
storm-aug4-hailfloodpaulmAugstorm


(internet photos)


(This post was inspired by the incredible, fierce storms that have been striking Calgary this summer.  The hail yesterday and today caused widespread flooding and damage.)


Purple and black,

bruised clouds

scud over the city.


Petulant,

they throw a tantrum,

hurling hail.


Nothing held back.


The dam is burst,

waters unleashed.

The dark nebulae

kick and spin,

stomp and roll.


Trees julienne, leaves shred,

sidewalks become a smorgasbord,

greens on ice.


August warped winter wonderland.


Chin held up in defiance,

the churlish horde moves on,

anger simmering.


Tossed salad neighbourhoods

left in their wake.