New world perennial found in swamps and marshes. Most common in eastern North America. Also known as a “duck potato” due to it being a tuber producing plant.
Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge (FOTD). Welcome back, Cee!
Lanceleaf Arrowhead
On the Water
While we destroy nature’s habitats, nature is working toward ridding precarious human habitations. We continue to flock toward manmade playgrounds that consume limited water supplies, taxing desert reservoirs that are already drying up from rising temperatures. We build mini-mansions on cleared mountainside cliffs that can no longer absorb the water from torrential downpours, contributing to catastrophic landslides. We house thousands of families in multilevel buildings alongside rising oceans and rivers, while record breaking storms bring catastrophic flooding. Yet, it is a chance many of us are willing to take for a little taste of paradise on the water.
Thanks to habitat restoration initiatives and parkland acquisition, many native plants and animals that live in and around water are managing to cohabitate with humans.
Lens-Artists Challenge #306 – Habitat hosted by Tina
Infamous Greed
His ship did not display skull and crossbones
Yet he was a pirate just the same
Siphoning funds from the exploitable
Hiding behind his cloak of fame
A confident stride and a charming smile
Was all that backed his assurances
When all went down and fraud was found
He unwaveringly claimed innocence
Corporation thus seized
Bank accounts frozen
He boarded his ship
And fled by ocean
With a stash of cash
He had stolen
This poem portrays a fictional character, addressing generally the corporate, political and religious greed of certain high powered individuals exploiting their communities. The featured photo is just a random shot of a man enjoying a nice day out on his boat.
Sultry Voyage
Cold winter days
elicit sultry dreams
Voyages to tropical destinations
where palm trees blow in soft ocean breezes
and saffron sunrises convey promise
Redhead
I photographed these North American diving ducks while they were wintering at a natural pond in the Miami zoo. Redheads tend to winter in the southern and eastern regions of the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean. Spring migration brings them further north and west in the U.S. and into Canada to breed. The male appears to be banded, which I assume is for research purposes.
I. J.’s Birds of the Week Invitation LXX
Transient Waters
Transient calm waters
Destined to be disturbed
Little ripples form
Growing, spreading
Gaining momentum
Flowing, churning
Dams built for containment
Merely temporary barriers
Rising over, spilling
Unconstrained and free
I contentedly ride the rapids
Cooled by the spraying mist
W3 Prompt #113: Wea’ve Written Weekly poet of the week, Sarah, prompts us to “Compose an ekphrastic poem inspired by any image of a body of water (ocean, waterfall, lake, etc.). The image you select may be a photo you have taken, art you have created, or any other image you like.”
Hot Flash Summer
Sweat beneath the sheets
A different meaning was
Hot summer bodies
Entwined deep into the night
Now forced apart with sheets thrown
24 Seasons Syllabic Poetry Challenge, No. 40
Colleen asks us to use one of several proposed summer song lyrics to inspire our syllabic poetry. I chose “Summer heat, boy and girl / but oh, oh those summer nights…” — Grease, ”Summer Nights.”
Featured image generated with Copilot (after numerous messages that my request was “inappropriate content”).
Garden
I enjoy a bit of time gardening, but don’t like to have to “work” in the garden. I prefer to plant perennials that come up year after year, require little maintenance and attract wildlife. This allows me to spend more time enjoying my garden and less time obsessing over it. I just wish the weeds would cooperate.
Currently blooming in my perennial garden and their visitors:
Marigolds are among the few annuals I plant each year, as they attract predatory insects (e.g. ladybugs) that eat aphids and other insects harmful to my vegetable garden. I also find them to be beautiful — vibrant yellow or orange blooms from early summer to late fall.
Two Rectangles
Double doors containing double rectangular windows and bonus matching rectangles within:
A colonial kitchen window with rectangular glass shutters:
Lifted draw bridge reveals identical rectangular patterns for each side of the street:
A colonial house models a small vertical rectangle and long horizontal rectangle:
Rectangular perspectives of train bridge above and covered bridge below:
Lens-Artists Challenge #305 – Two Rectangles hosted by Edigio.
Urban Seats
Sometimes
the city calls
Just a spoonful I need
to bring forth a fresh perspective
A change
Off to
the urban streets
Freed from suburban box
for some lively city bustle
I watch
Weekly Prompts Wednesday Challenge – Perspective by Gerry C. and Sue W.
Sammi’s Weekend Writing Prompt #369 – Spoonful. “This weekend your challenge is to write a poem or a piece of prose in exactly 33 words using the word ‘Spoonful’.”
Kate’s Pull Up a Seat Photo Challenge 2024 – Week 25 at xingfumama.com.
JJJ Interactive Books 