Observation Series #4 - Poetic comments on everyday happenings, sometimes with a political or moral comment. To read Series #1, Series #2, and Series 3.

A Lesson from the Sea

I walk along the fine-sanded shore
....barely escaping the rolling waves.
But a moment too late,
....I am doused by an errant rogue
....unfamiliar with the rhythm of the others.
Laughing at life’s unpredictability,
....soaked to the waist,
....I know the sun will soon dry me.
All that will remain
....is a residue of salt
....reminding me of unannounced visits.

Comments: The event is true but speaks to far deeper thoughts. No matter how hard we try to predict life's outcomes and nuances, the "unannounced" occurs leaving its mark.

Nature's Cathedral

I roll through the spires
.....of oaks and maples.
All line the path I ride,
.....all swaying to the rhythm of the wind.

Today is worship day,
.....though it not be the Sabbath.
Along this trail the Spirit speaks
.....to all who listen.
The leaves whisper of creation.
The birds and insects sing
.....like an angelic choir..
The cathedral so majestic
.....only the Great Architect could create.

Comments:  A section of the bike trail between Bellville and Lexington runs through a wooded area.  This section of the trail has also inspired an earlier poem, Enchanted Forest.  On a day in August the above was inspired.

Serenity

How do you describe
.....the sound of a fountain?
Is it gurgling, splashing,
.....babbling, or  bubbling?
One early morning
.....seated on the cool wrought iron chair,
.....I watch the water tumble
.....over the tan granite boulders
.....to the awaiting pool.

How do you describe the silence
.....of the wings of a butterfly,
.....fluttering through air
.....as it dances from leaf to leaf?
You marvel
.....at the grace and fluidity.
Some say that if it lands on you
.....luck will abound for the day.

How do you describe
.....the serenity you feel
.....in the presence
.....of a gentle, flowing fountain
.....or in the midst
.....of dancing  butterflies?

Comments:  The two examples are from personal experiences while visiting Florida in November.  Described are two simple pleasures, one made by man and the other by the Creator, that offered me a sense of serenity.  Like any emotion or feeling, it is hard to describe with descriptive words.  Thus, I tried with questions.

Late August Ride

Fog hangs
........ghostlike along the trail.
Half a mile later
........the near fall chill
........no longer bites the skin.
The goosebumps are gone,
........waiting to appear another day.
Lazy black-eyed susans
........wave back and forth
........in the breeze.
Leaves scatter the trail,
........hints of the season to come.

Comment: This poem and the one that follows attempt to paint a word portrait of two experiences along my favorite, the B & O Bike Trail.


Fall Ride

Splashes of color have begun to appear.
The train rail marker no longer hidden
........by the deep greens of summer.
Fields harvested, barren
........except for the Mallards
........cleaning the meager remains
........before heading southward.
The chipmunks still
........scurry along the trail.

The day is cold,
........brisk enough
........with each pedal
........to pierce the leggings.
But the warmth of beauty
........soon prevails.

Comment: Hope you enjoyed the word picture. However, as English poet Radclyffe Hall states, "Language is surely too small a vessel to contain these emotions of mind and body that have somehow awakened a response in the spirit."

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The Kindle

My kindle doesn’t have the feel
........of a worn book,
........pages tattered, edges turned,
........signs of print often read.
Sure, I can enlarge the fonts
........for aging eyes,
........but where is the tactile feel
........of completing the page,
........flipping and moving on?
The weight, the carrying under the arms
........replaced by an electronic tablet
........that contains the words
........but not the soul.

Comment: Yes, I love my Kindle when I am traveling or need to keep things light. However, I still prefer the weight, the heft of a solid bound book, preferably hardcover. Perhaps it is my age. But my son, who is twenty-eight, a voracious reader, and very heavy into technology, still prefers the bound book when reading at home. Nevertheless, my prediction is that in less than fifteen years, digital format will be the primary format. School districts in order to save on the high costs of bound textbooks that often become obsolete within a few years due to the ever ongoing growth of knowledge are already purchasing digital domain books. They can upgrade texts at less cost. Some of my poet friends wax long on the topic, strongly on the print side of the debate. Do you have a personal preference? Let me know.

Leaf covered trail
Fall at Kingwood Center, Mansfield, OH
Tai Chi at Kingwood Center
Soft Cherry Mums

 

Click for seven additional poems in Part 2 of Series #4, The Roads Traveled, Come Out, Waiting, Today, and The Springtime of Life

Click for three additional poems in Part 3 of Series #4, Go II, Life Bits, and Peace, where art thou?

Life (Peace) Historical And more Graduate Observation Reminiscence