These Walls Don’t Talk

An old house remains on our land. It has two rooms and no plumbing. The remnants of an outhouse sit behind, as does a freshwater creek. We imagine the former residents were farm workers, collapsing onto straw-filled mattresses after a hard day in the fields. Though the only inhabitants truly known are the turkey vultures and raccoons we have chased from the rafters. The thought of destroying this miniscule piece of history saddens me, but the cost and practicality of restoration is daunting. For now it sits awaiting its fate. 

So many seasons 
Walls have stood the test of time
The stories untold

Haibun Monday: Let’s Travel Through Time hosted by Merrill

Wild

“Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world.” – John Muir

Serene Pond – Brunswick, Georgia
Florida Swamp
American Alligator
Florida Softshell Turtle

Lake Lure in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, weeks before it was decimated by catastrophic flooding from the remnants of wild, raging Hurricane Helene.

While difficult to spot mammals sheltering within the thick brush and large trees of the Southeastern U. S., I found delight in the wide open spaces of Arizona and Utah, where certain animals could not be missed.

American Bison at Antelope Island State Park, Utah
Young Bighorn Sheep, Grand Canyon National Park

This pronghorn antelope was almost missed…

Lens-Artists Challenge #342 – It’s a Wild Life! hosted by Egidio.

Mimic

A hundred different songs I hear
Outside my window loud and clear
So many birds there must be
Singing bright and joyfully
I peek through the window blind
A solo mockingbird I find

Northern Mockingbird

“Northern Mockingbirds can learn as many as 200 songs, and often mimic sounds in their environment including other birds, car alarms, and creaky gates. One theory is that if a female prefers males who sing more songs, a male can top his rivals by quickly adding to his repertoire some of the sounds around him.” CornellLab All About Birds

I. J.’s Birds of the Week Invitation CIX

Spring Days

Spring days gratify the soul
Like spring flowers 
Comfortably swaddled in yellow 
Emit sweet nectar
Welcoming all
Who wish to visit

Moonwashed Weekly Prompt by Eugi

Apathy

I sit on the fence of neutrality 
Listening to your perspective 
Perhaps I do not share your views
Yet I will listen 
As you are not going anywhere
And neither am I
I am grounded by my circumstances
Tolerant of your presence
Indifferent to your troubles
As will I be to the next
Who feels the need to bare their soul

An attempt to both personify and objectify the emotion apathy, as prompted by dVerse Poetics (hosted by Mish) and W3 Prompt #152: Wea’ve Written Weekly poet of the week, Anupama.

Sadje’s What do you see # 281

Featured image by Антон Воробьев @ Unsplash

Neon Night

Quiet night for two
We recount our busy week
Grateful for downtime
Glasses clinked and wine consumed
We look to the evening sky

~ The stars are outshined by neon lights ~

Wine glass reflections
Reveal active cityscape
Faint sounds of music
Our restless feet found tapping
Empty glasses abandoned

A Tanka Puente for Tanka Tuesday No.5 : Ekphrastic, hosted by Willow.

Heartstrings

Heartstrings play
Regal beauty
Osprey hunter rests
Swimming fish below school

Osprey

I. J.’s Birds of the Week Invitation CVIII

Sammi’s Weekend Writing Prompt #408 – Heart

Tarpon

Haulover Inlet

In human foibles we focus
The people adore 
An inexperienced boater
Yes! Our audience wants… Additional

coverage of those who fail
But then not wanting to see harm?
Though videos go viral
When we pull the… Sirens

rush to the scene
Police boats flashing, guards of the coast
Death defying rescues
Infrequent at… Usual

footage of near misses and
The scantily dressed on extravagant yachts
Jet skis and pontoons frequently  
Exiting the bay without fore… Consideration

W3 Prompt #151: Wea’ve Written Weekly poet of the week, Jaideep, prompts us to write: “‘The Almost Poem’… a poem that feels like it’s almost something—but not quite.”

Videographers set up at Haulover Inlet in Miami to feature boating videos on their YouTube channel. The inlet can be quite rough at times, exiting the northern end of Biscayne Bay into the Atlantic Ocean. The videographers use high tech camera and drone footage to capture key moments on the inlet.

Spring Stroll

Cool dawn
Light jacket on
Stroll along nature trail
Flower buds silent wave
Their blooms still shy
Birds tweet

Picnic
Consumed on rock 
A scenic view admired
Earth’s star warms afternoon
Jacket waist-tied
Birds rest

TankaTuesday Poetry Challenge No. 4, hosted by Selma.

An Invitation

I gaze at my reflection in the park pond. Tiny ripples distort my face. A backdrop of pink cherry blossoms creates a serene scene, though my internal reflection is anything but. I had hoped that a morning walk in the park would lift my mood. The first warm day after a long and brutal winter. But drifting among the soft spring breeze, there’s a lullaby for suffering. It touches my skin and seeps into my core, taunting me. A troublesome, yet sensible mantra: “A simple spring day cannot erase the pain.”

I attempt to refocus my attention on the tranquil water. Is the pond extending an invitation? Perhaps it is there that I shall finally find peace.

dVerse Prosery, hosted by Björn. Björn challenges us to write a piece of “prosery” incorporating Leonard Cohen’s song lyric: “There’s a lullaby for suffering.”

Sadje’s What do you see # 280

Featured image by Redd Francisco @ Unsplash