Closeup Clematis

once again we see
fields of focus collapse
as you get macro close

a clematis which has
pale subtle colour
seems worthy of
a second look


but it isn't the pale
unsaturated tones
that attract my eye

detail in the centre
seems so crisp
it becomes important

so much more than
pale pastel hues


shapes in the centre
practical and effective

built to get the job done

a clematis knows
that life must continue
(every flower is important)

May in the Rockies

May in the Rockies

      way up there
the season still is winter

      snow floats down
from cloud like dreams

   of cold icy breezes
no dreams too great
   no clouds too high


   rockies are so tall
so tall and ragged

   rugged mountains
unspoiled it seems

something almost
   beyond our grasp
   beyond our reach


much like winter

      a wonder to 
really see winter

horrible to be so
   cold and misery

   unbelievable cold
so insulating clothes
      save us from it

nothing saves us
   from the cold 
inside our bones

Flowering Thyme

a mat of tiny flowers
spreading slowly
slow as glaciers

crawling down
hanging valleys
slowly across our
steppingstone path


purple so close
to dark rich blue

purple colour
reserved for kings

no kings come here

colours don't matter
kings don't care


a mat of tiny flowers
spreading slowly
slow as glaciers

crawling down
hanging valleys
slowly across our
steppingstone path

In Black and White

In Black and White

   before they killed
      the house
they killed the trees

      its there in 
   black and white
the mess they made


      its more than 
black and white
many grey-tones

   fill a gap between
the black and white

there seem so many
shades in shadows


undistracted by colour
      we see more detail

room for different
   kinds of beauty

things we might
      not ever see

(in plain sight)
hiding in shadow

First of the Snowballs

      when springtime
leaps out of the ice
   out of the snow

   leaving frigid days
   and nights behind,


      plants reoccupy
the land inch by inch

      green shoots 
      shoving aside 
clumps of mud 
   (river silt too)
grains of sand

growing around
   bigger boulders


   take it seriously
when you hear the
meadowlark sing

springtime sounds
      waken us all

   with a whisper
(summer's coming)

Bricks on the Chimney

Bricks on the Chimney

looking up to the top
      we see the past
   above the rooftop

bricks on the chimney
      broken and fallen


   evident destruction 
   shows no respect
for a past that made
the present possible

stories under that roof
      will be forgotten


we saw the workmen
   carrying debris
from an open door
      working safely

removing memories
   that still remained
      (not many did)

rejected memories
   may be half forgotten

Ragged

     ragged blue
bachelor button

   tattered blossoms
appeal to something
      wild inside me

   and i notice that
unpatterned scenes
   seem appealing
   as i learn to see


new sights daily
      fresh treats
fresh to the eye

      ragged blue
like a favourite shirt

      worn too often
loved to pieces


too chaotic to endure
      randomly fuzzy
(beautiful in a way
   no use in denial)
 
like thoughts after
      too much time
under a hot sun

June Blooms

June Blooms

   we were amazed 
      by that tree 
without leaves
 
draped with purple flowers
      on an island 
in the mediterranean sea


it was a very hot day 
      in early june 

   not easy to believe
such incredible heat


sky so hot colour
was all burnt out
      of everything
the eye could see

   in the distance
there was africa
   and sand storms

(they were miles high)

   something to see
even once a lifetime

Burning Bush #2

Burning Bush

      stories were told
about magical
   solutions to 
heartbreaking problems

ancient peoples 
   lived with and
somehow solved
      transcending
potential disaster


      a ram entangled 
in a burning bush

   saved a boy's life
an alternate sacrifice 
sent from a merciful god

to an anguished father
      (no doubt of that)
who planned to murder
   his only son

(as a sacrifice to
      placate a god)


   these are flowers
from a burning bush

maybe it's the same
       or maybe it isn't

      (i don't know) or
much like the idea of 
   human sacrifice

   it sounds a little
bit like extreme belief

Fatal Wounds

Fatal Wounds

      sometimes fatal 
wounds are painless 

   there is no time
      to form a scab


siding torn off walls
   leaving just siding

      guts exposed
to carrion seekers

anticipating and death
decay maybe termites


rich wood colours
      centuries old

look and marvel
   these colours
don't come easy


small running feet
   of young children
echo on those floors

   celebrating beginning
a life we might've envied
      (our forefathers)