Category: Nature

Winter Paints December On Lake Erie

If you look closely, you will see
the masterpiece Winter painted
along mighty Erie’s shore
in the darkness, well into the early morning light.

You will see his fondness for delicate shades of gray,
How one by one he bends and sheaths the tall ornamental grass
in rounded silvery whiteness, and
how he paints ripply footprints at the water’s edge.

If you look closely, you will see
the fluttering gulls in the distance,
Seemingly small, yet not insignificant,
Every detail a pixel of life.

There’s more, if you look closer,
If you’re willing to brazen the biting wind,
Like the pile of jagged sticks, and mossy green rocks from summer,
Now a single creamy white ice sculpture.

And if you hold your eyes and heart wide open,
you can read the painter’s signature
written in the battleship gray sky—
December

Gazing Inside

Look deep inside
That place only you really know
That somewhere, always home
Never too far away
In reach when you need it
There in a glance

No need to linger
Longer than a moment
You already live there
It’s your place to be who you are
Everyone else, just a guest
At your invitation

See that stargazer lily over there
Its stamen jutting outward
It’s an invitation to you
Step inside, yourself
Smile
Give yourself a hug

On Spotting a Red Fox in the Tall Grass

I saw a red fox today,
and watched it stealthfully wind its way
through the tall grass on the edge of the forest.
Its bushy tail, with a distinctive white tip,
swayed back and forth,
as it carefully made its way toward a nearby thicket.

It didn’t take long for the birds and chipmunks
to spot their cunning predator,
and scurry away, abandoning their lunch
to avoid becoming the fox’s midday snack.

Nor did it take long for the fox
to sense my footsteps closing in on him.
The rusty red canid froze in the grass,
hoping I would lose sight of him.
Then, without warning, he bounded off
into the forest depths,
leaving me only with my footsteps.

I know it sounds silly,
but I felt privileged having seen the creature.
He made me feel that just maybe
God was smiling down on me today.
And I swear, as I was walking back to the house,
two huddled chipmunks high-fived me
to show their appreciation to me
for scaring off the dredded fox.

I told them they could save their applause.

Click here to hear me read this poem.

Meditation on Highest Callings

Help me linger
in the morning sun.
Help me soak up
its powerful warming rays
that fall like velvet
through the trees.
Help me dance
in unending circles
in the scented breeze
blowing gently
across the yard.
Help me never again deny
the magic
that life sweeps across me
in every breath I take.
For then
I have reached my highest calling
in accepting
what life does bring.

Click here to hear me read this poem.

Blue Sky Meditation

A perfectly blue sky
hung overhead
all day long.

Something about such a sky
makes you wonder deep and wide.

Something about such a sky
makes you release yourself
just a little bit more
than you ordinarily do.

Something about a sky
without clouds
makes you carefree
and almost endless.

Something about such a sky
unfetters you
releasing you from yourself
and letting your heart float
like a bright red balloon
into the sky’s vastness.
And there
you disappear
and become the sky.

Morning Clouds and Sun Sing Their Songs

Scarlet-orange clouds
painted their way
across an early morning sky.

I watched them
slowly turn,
like autumn leaves,
into a chorus of color.

I heard them singing…
Simon and Garfunkel’s song, Cloudy.
I laughed
at how out of tune
a couple clouds sounded,
especially those singing bass.

After all,
this is Saturday morning,
and there is no need
for thundering voices
to fill the sky.

The sky brightened suddenly,
as the sun jumped in
with its own song:
the Beatle’s Good Day Sunshine.

Never Close Enough

It’s hard at times
to feel close enough
to Mother Nature.
Even when draped
in her glorious colors,
dazzled by her magic, and
overtaken by her beauty each spring.

It’s hard at times
to feel close enough
to Mother Nature.
Perhaps I expect too much, and
want to hold onto
what belongs to everyone,
but really no one.

Maybe I dally too long
in the wake
of the precious Mother’s waves of glory
that lap at me until
I submit to her persistent advances.

And then,
once I am hers,
resting comfortably in her arms,
she sets me down,
only to pick up another child.

The Flowering You

It’s springtime!

Imagine you are a flower.
This is your day to bloom.
Show off your new blossoms.
Allow the sunshine to touch you
from your roots to your leaves.
Smile at the other flowers around you.
Sing! Flowers have beautiful voices, you know.
Raise your head proudly, and feel
the gentle breeze moving you from side to side.
Wallow in those refreshing spring showers
that make you grow.
And by all means, give thanks to all
who have helped cultivate you
throughout your beautiful life.