Like a Rock

I am like a rock
Shaped by time and circumstance
Solid foundation 
Until the sands shift below
And I turn a rolling stone

Chickory

Flourishing roadside
Transplant in foreign country
Blue joy running wild

Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge (FOTD)

Pigmy Nuthatch

A lovely surprise to find this little guy. I almost deleted the photo, as I thought it was one of the many white-breasted nuthatch photos I had taken earlier that day. Luckily, I met a couple of real birders who told me to keep an eye out for the pigmy nuthatch. I took a closer look at my photos and yes! This bird is native to small, localized areas of western North America, including the pine forests that line the Grand Canyon.

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

A Chōka: Dead End?

From new beginnings
We flow on the path of change
Work and family
Promotions, marriage, children
But in the endings
Great transformation is found
Death of a loved one
A path’s literal dead end
Painful suffering
Meaningless and meaningful 
Brings about new beginnings

#Tanka Tuesday Poetry Challenge, Specific Theme, 10/8/2024 hosted by Sadje. “Write a syllabic poem on the theme of something that brought a big change in your life…”.

Casting Shadows

I sense your uncertainty 
Threatening am I? 
My shadows cast at your feet 
Warning not to enter 
Perhaps a change of perspective is needed 
For my branches offer shelter 
from the true horrors of the world 
and wisdom lurks in the silence 
Yes, take a step…  
Follow the path I have created 
See how beams of light shine upon hidden doors
Each there for you to open
Yes, open a door…
Tell me, what do you see?

W3 Prompt #128: Wea’ve Written Weekly poet of the week, Jaideep, prompts us to write an ekphrastic poem of 14 lines utilizing personification, while evoking a sense of mystery and passage of time.

Eugi’s Moonwashed Weekly Prompt – Writer’s Choice

Naughty Maps

Uncle Charlie was a navigator, but the maps locked in his office weren’t  just charts to his next destination. The Caribbean was his backyard.  He knew every island by name and coordinate.  When my uncle died, my cousins and I entered the secret world of his office. My cousins sorted through trinkets and treasures while I perused his maps.  A pattern emerged and I, rather inelegantly, announced “I knew your father was a pirate!  Each map charts the direction to an island followed by a detailed map of that island.  All have an ‘x’ that marks the spot, so to speak.  Look there — you can see a very small patch of dark blue, framed by a little branch, pinned up by a naughty star.  A variation of that star is on every map.”  My cousins guffawed and handed me the maps. Tomorrow I sail!

dVerse Prosery: Rimbaud’s Naughty Star, hosted by Kim. Kim prompts us to incorporate the lines: “There you can see a very small patch Of dark blue, framed by a little branch, Pinned up by a naughty star” from Rimbaud’s poem “Novel”.

Featured image generated by Copilot and modified by author.

Wanderlust

A hot winding road through dry desert mountains
Bighorn sheep look down from rocky ledges

A river rushes somewhere below
The ancient creator of this miraculous canyon

In the distance I hear
The rhythm of gentle waves lapping the shore
Perhaps they are this way…

The smell of petrichor
I breathe in the cool, damp air
The verdant forest adds vigor to my steps

Where to next?

Lens – Artists Challenge #319 – Setting a Mood, hosted by Ann-Christine

Linking to RDP Tuesday! Wanderlust!, hosted by Martha Kennedy

Anticipating the Unexplored

Awake in bed
Too early
No sign of daylight through shuttered blinds
Doze off and on
Dark, still…
Toss and turn  
One eye reluctantly opens for just a peek
Light, finally!
Blankets hurled
I leap out of bed 
Blinds thrown 
I’m greeted by the rising sun
Blooming over tall mountains
Just waiting to be explored

W3 Prompt #127: Wea’ve Written Weekly by poet of the week, Lesley.

Eugi’s Moonwashed Weekly Prompt – Unexplored

Anniversary

Distant traveling
He is a caged animal
Out of comfort zone
Tension and resentment grow
Disappointment surfaces

A long planned celebratory vacation comes to fruition

Beautiful places 
Experienced together
Tension vanishes
In thrill of exploration
Shared memories gifted us

TankaTuesday Poetry Challenge: Tanka Puenta hosted by Robbie.

Western Meadowlark

Flashes of yellow  
Darting the periphery 
Come into focus

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

Weekly Prompts Wednesday Challenge – Peripheral by Gerry C. and Sue W.