Oooh, a Dragonfly!

Rest your wings
Oh, dragonfly
See them shimmer
Like prisms of morning dew
Struck by the first rays of sun
Winking at the sky

Slaty Skimmer
Eastern Amberwing
Blue Dasher
Widow Skimmer
Eastern Pondhawk

Dragonflies are voracious hunters, consuming other insects, including mosquitoes. They can fly forward, backwards and sideways, as well as hover in place. Their wings have sensory neurons that provide instant feedback to the brain for flight navigation. The neurons in dragonfly wings are a subject of study for design of more efficient aircraft. Particularly the eastern amberwing (captured above) with over 3,000 wing sensors in its four tiny wings.

These photos were taken within the last couple of weeks in the Carolinas, southeastern United States.

The featured photo is a common whitetail.

Rainbows

Bleak and weary
Skies of dull gray 
A passing storm
Excites with booming thunder 
Thrills with lightning flashes   
Tired eyes awaken
To vibrant rainbows 

Altered version:

Bleak and weary
Rivulets of dull gray 
A passing stream
Excites with booming timber
Thrills with liquid flows
Tired falls awaken
Creating vibrant rainbows

W3 Prompt #163: Wea’ve Written Weekly poet of the week, Kim, prompts us to write a poem and modify it in whole or in part, using http://www.spoonbill.org/n+7/.

Your Meadow

Today, I hiked to “your” meadow

A place where you found beauty
A place where you found peace
A place where you could be still

I was greeted by swaying golden flowers  
I was touched by swirling butterfly wings
I was hugged by the summer breeze 

I found the meadow just as it was before…
Your final resting place 

Where you were scattered among the wildflowers
Where you flew with the birds
Where you danced with the butterflies

Still, I had hoped to feel something more

W3 Prompt #162: Wea’ve Written Weekly poet of the week, Bob, prompts us to write a poem using repetition and incorporating the word “still” at least twice. “This word connects to the poem’s themes of persistence, memory, and the tension between movement and stillness in grief.”

New Wings

Finding
Summer magic
In endings that transform
To fresh beginnings and promise
New wings

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Ronovan’s Cinquain Poetry Prompt 3: MAGIC

TankaTuesday Poetry Challenge No. 15, hosted by Yvette.

Pine Warbler

Searching for dropped seed
Warblers appear ‘neath pine trees
Smiles simply summoned

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

Eugi’s Moonwashed Weekly Prompt – May 27, 2025

Jailbird

Ain’t never wanted to live in the city
A country girl am I
All the sprawl is such a pity
Aches my heart and makes me cry

It ain’t so much the city folk
I find them quite alright 
Irks me ‘bout the traffic though
Infernal ruckus day and night

Tore off to a meeting at the old Town Hall 
To block what they call “development”
Told the investors they were in for a brawl
Those god-awful suits were hell bent  

Oughtn’t repeat what next I had done
Oh, I reckon I stirred up a clamor
Obstruction, they cawed, as I made to run
Oafs had me thrown in the slammer

W3 Prompt #161: Wea’ve Written Weekly poet of the week, Violet, prompts us to: “Tell a story in verse—true or imagined, rooted in memory or invention… You can let the voice guiding the poem speak in a dialect.”

dVerse Poetry Form: Trolaan, hosted by Grace.

Featured image generated with Microsoft AI

Unique

There you are
Standing upon the hilltop
An off-white white-tailed deer
Unlike your siblings
In shades of brown
Rare sweet cream

TankaTuesday Poetry Challenge No. 14, hosted by Willow.

A Haibun: I Walk Alone

My best friend used to walk beside me. On day trips to local parks, weekend hikes in the mountains and holiday journeys to foreign lands. Lymphoma ended her life four years ago. Though I now walk alone, I find my mother in the bird that lands in a nearby tree, the butterfly that dances among wildflowers and the soft breeze that rustles through my hair. 

Peaceful remembrance
Under the thick canopy 
Natural filters
Neon greens and chocolate
Nutrition for the bereft

dVerse Haibun Monday 5/26/25: Momento Mori, hosted by Frank.

Just a Little Hiss

There sits her sulking silhouette 
Brooding in her extravagant boudoir
Decorous drapes drawn over picturesque windows
Lavish linens hang messily from her ornate bed
He observes her through the darkened doorway
Wondering whether she will forgive him
She slowly swivels in his direction
Her expression eerily obscured by the shadows
But her heinous hiss is unequivocal 

Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge – Silhouette by Gerry C & Sue W

Sammi’s Weekend Writing Prompt #417 – Boudoir

Featured image generated with Microsoft AI

Mayberry

I took a trip to Mayberry
Many a doors there I did see
I walked into Barney’s Cafe
And ordered the veggies of the day
Perused the walls surrounding me
Where posters hung of the Deputy 

The old courthouse and county jail
Were the heart of the Andy Griffith tale
A replica town so southern sweet
With plenty of places to pull up a seat

Dan’s Thursday Doors

Kate’s Pull Up a Seat Photo Challenge – Week 21