Upper Cataract

Upper Cataract

      margaret falls

   is well known
to local people,

      a beautiful
   sight to see.

      peaceful place,
almost level walk in 
to see such beauty.

this time of year!

      we visited 
   our campers.

a two year old child
      is so much fun!


   i would have 
      expected
mosquito attacks,

waves of the little
      flying leeches!

they never appeared.


looking a bit like 
   the diamonds 
      in her eyes

   strings of water,
trickle down over 
      wet shale,

another kind
   of amazing!


margaret falls

Foggy November

looking down the shore,
   there is so much and 
      so little to see.

how much do we miss?


   under the meniscus,
it is a different world.

      small creatures
such as we never see,

   this is their world.


      small creatures thrive
where i could not breathe.

   what it is like
      to be such a
small creature.

that i know,
      i cannot 
understand


   then i look at you;
that's a strange 
      thing too!


   fog in november,
      as our world 
turns upside down.

Passionate Purple

Passionate Purple

how could i argue
with her wishes?

only a little colour,
she wanted purple,

a colour that may 
not have been my
first choice.


golden sunrise is 
a beautiful colour
that i never chose;

i admit i wouldn't
have chosen that
colour either.

(i'm happy to see it,
sunrise and sunset)


how could i argue
with her wishes?

only a little colour,
she wanted purple,

a colour that may 
not have been my
first choice.

The Near And The Blue

a breeze through
the trees on a 
far distant hill;

it cools on a 
hot summer day.

far away fades to blue;
we know it is true
and red brings you 
closest of all.

the sun overhead
brightens up
aye to zed,


bold rainbows seem 
to hold the key 
for understanding 
real 3d


up close a mountain
has so many colours;

as we look further,
all its colours fade
to hues in blues.


so sometimes 
we can understand
part of what we see

Almost Fallen

every time i look,
there's something
unexpected,

if i look with a
truly open mind.


a red leaf holds on.

today it is too early,
one would think.


but looking out at
this cooling place,

i can remind myself

this leaf is dead
and will surely fall.


its time has passed,
though ours are 
yet to be.

the leaf and us 
in synchronous
patterns

a little out of sync

Colour Patterns

colour patterns 
in a tree!

no story there,
we want to 
create meaning,

where maybe 
there is none.


meaningful messes,
scrambled colour,

interesting chaos,

colour confusion!
sunshine behind
everything,

bright and dark,
all in one place,


this season begins
in a rash of colours.

we understand
it as a different
kind of language.

Things Beyond Colour

   there are things
that you must see
      someday before

your eyes shut,
things beyond 
      colour.


   looking south,
along the lake,

   a place where 
we used to live.


   at least once 
called lake of 
   many colours.

colours not so
   important.

      a beautiful
place to miss.
   and we do.


some place times
      in spacetime
are memorable.

   like some people!

Sunflower Mood

Sunflower Mood

bright morning sun,

shining on a day
requiring joyous
encouragement...


huge flowers,
loved by ay least
one oddly 
(reputed) painter.

raging against
all that he could
not understand,

declaring it stupid,

struggling always,
raging even
when alone,


known as the 
villiage idiot,
the odd fool

wirh few friends,
expecting enmity
everywhere,


justified in his
own mind,

certain that his
foolishness was
some kind of 
special wisdom... 

and yet he painted,


for that, we  might
forgive his horrible
strange appearance

or maybe not.

Fallen Leaves 2016b

Fallen Leaves 2016b


beneath the trees all 
   lying on the ground,

      cold and wet upon
   the autumn earth,


i see them in their
      naked death,

   lying there alone,
dead and forgotten 



      that was then.
i see it coming back.

   today i saw again 
and photographed
red leaves on trees.


      beside the river;
which seems to live
   in seasons too,
flooding in springtime.

never quite the same,
though the patterns
      seem unchanged.

Orchids in Hawaii

national gardens
have so much
to offer us

plants like orchids
from many places we 
have never been


we've been to
a few hot places,
where you must
eat ice cream

melting (sweating) 
bodies under a 
mediterranean sun

(and maybe a bit 
of summery fun)
 

we went for a little
respite (a break 
from winter cold)

getting away from 
long dark nights,
and too much
ice and snow


orchids don't care
wherever you've been.

they might be as pretty
as anything you've seen.