Winding Trail

photo by PSC

Behind her is a winding trail

circuitous route

all but invisible beyond the last bend

no end in sight

(but that may change at any moment)

only a few stones

in her pocket, enough to get her to the next stop

two steps forward,

three left, one back, spin, pause, repeat 

Honestly,

she has no idea where she is going

only imagines

when she arrives, she’ll know it
 

REMNANTS in the ATTIC

Remnants in the Attic

PSC / 2008

Rummaging through attic

keepsakes and photographs

remnants of a past

unknown and unremembered

odds and ends

snippets and clippings

from quilts of lives that came before

a common thread runs through us all

Whisper of touch tickles my cheek –       

art of ambitious arachnid –

spinning my mind

backward in time to marvel at how

we are all connected

by thinnest of ancient lines

gossamer fine, strong as steel

Linked by color of eyes, curl of hair

bone and blood, flowing

through time and space and memory

as a river over eons of rock

They speak to me in silence

stories told in my childhood

forgotten and recalled

memories re-captured and

over distances of time

I grasp the past

they touch tomorrow

we remain connected

THE LAST CASUALTY

public domain photo of the World War II Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial in Saint-Avold, France.

The Last Casualty

 PSC / April 2010

He’s buried in Lorraine, France.

Imagine, if you will,

his mother’s pain

upon learning

her young soldier son

shot by a sniper unaware

peace had already been declared.

True story:  John Smyk, an uncle I never met, was shot by sniper fire several days after V-E Day (Victory in Europe) had been declared.  

He was barely 20 years old.  His body is buried in the Lorraine American Cemetery, Lorraine, France.  Rest in peace.  

photos by PSC

Photo credit:  Public domain photo from the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) web site per their copyright info:

Photo Licensing

	This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work prepared by an officer or employee of the United States Government as part of that person’s official duties under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code. See Copyright. Note: This only applies to original works of the Federal Government and not to the work of any individual U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, county, municipality, or any other subdivision. This template also does not apply to postage stamp designs published by the United States Postal Service since 1978. (See 206.02(b) of Compendium II: Copyright Office Practices). It also does not apply to certain US coins, see The US Mint Terms of Use. العربية | ‪Беларуская (тарашкевіца)‬ | Български | বাংলা | Català | Česky | Deutsch | English | Esperanto | Español | Eesti | Euskara | فارسی | Suomi | Français | Magyar | Italiano | 日本語 | 한국어 | Македонски | മലയാളം | Plattdüütsch | Nederlands | Polski | Português | Português do Brasil | Русский | ไทย | Türkçe | Vèneto | 中文 | ‪中文(简体)‬ | ‪中文(繁體)‬ | +/−
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Haiku & Let's Plant Flowers (rerun) for Memorial Holiday

photo by PSC

Respectful mourning

suits this solemn occasion

A befitting mist

Busy day ahead, decorating graves, and I have a posting from last month

that perfectly fits this occasion so... hoping you'll forgive the repetition.  

Wishing you and yours a safe, happy & respectful Memorial Holiday!

  

Here's the link:   Lets Plant Flowers!

 

BOOK SPINE POETRY - A BIT of SILLINESS

 

A BIT of SILLINESS for SATURDAY!   

BOOK-SPINE-POETRY 
 

THE CHALLENGE:   Use the TITLES of BOOKS to CREATE a POEM.

It's FUN!  Give it a try!

Here's my (silly)attempt:   (See transcript below)

photo by PSC /2012

Marriage lines?  A Separate Peace? 

The Book of Questions. 

How Did it Begin?

The Little Prince -- he’s got 

the whole world in his pants.

Mythology!  

 Uh oh… 

viva la repartee.

True love?  

 The age of fable! 

Maybe (maybe not)

‘Scuse me while I kiss this guy…

Miracles, morning glories & moonflowers!

Good garden magic on the wing

for one more day.

In case you're curious, here's my book list: 

Marriage Lines by Ogden Nash - a fun bit of silliness!  

A Separate Peace by John Knowles - serious reading. 

The Book of Questions by Pablo Neruda - excellent poetry!

How Did it Begin? by R. Brasch - hundreds of little known facts!

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery - a classic!

He’s Got the Whole World in his Pants by Gavin Edwards - humorous collection of mis-heard lyrics

Mythology by Edith Hamilton - self-explanatory

Uh-Oh by Robert Fulghum - amusing observations from both sides of the refrigerator door

Viva la Repartee Dr. Mardy Grothe - clever comebacks & witty retorts

True Love by Robert Fulghum - stories told to and by Robert Fulghum 

The Age of Fable Bulfinch's Mythology - just what it sounds like

Maybe (Maybe Not) by Robert Fulghum - second thoughts from a secret life

‘Scuse Me While I Kiss This Guy by Gavin Edwards - more mis-heard lyrics

Miracles by Lewis - poems written by children

Morning Glories & Moonflowers by Anne Halpin - a gardening book

Good Garden Magic by Celia Toler - another gardening book

On The Wing by Bruce Brooks- birds, from feathers to flight

For One More Day by Mitch Albom - serious nostalgia

WANT TO SEE MORE? 

Check out the book-spine-poems of these folks:

(And then -- go play with your books!)

• Carrie Cuinn - carriecuinn.com 
• Maria Popova - brainpickings.org
• Candlewick Press - pinterest.com - I am not sleepy  
• Candlewick Press - pinterest.com - kiss the cow  
• Travis Jonker - 100scopenotes.com
• Catherine - oneinchtall 
• Hannah Gosselin - wordrustling 
• Lynn Daue - rhymes with tao 

 

GRUDGES to GRAVES

public domain photo of flood wall depicting notorious Hatfield and McCoy families  - credits below

Grudges to Graves

Tale of old times: dissenting views, two
too stubborn for discourse, dialogue
sporting myopic opinions
disagreement sparks dispute
descends to squabble, bicker, brawl
word gauntlets thrown, seconds chosen,
family feud ensues, lingers, loiters
Albatross animosity remains
wounds won’t scar
blood still seeps
into eternity

* * * 

 public domain photo credits:

Description	English: Close-up of a section of the floodwall along the Tug Fork River at Matewan, West Virginia, USA. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed levees and floodwalls along the river to protect the town. The wall depicts the families involved in the notorious Hatfield-McCoy feud of 1878–1891.
Date	10 March 1999
Source	U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Digital Visual Library Image page Image description page Digital Visual Library home page
Author	U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not specified or unknown
Permission (Reusing this file)	This image or file is a work of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers soldier or employee, taken or made during the course of the person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain. English | Русский | +/−

 

ELEPHANT WHISPERS

public domain photo - credits below

Elephant Whispers

Final Silence settled in.

And, who’s to say how the message arrived?

Spilled by the stars, perhaps, bandied by drumbeats,

thrumming of heartstrings, implications of eagles,

gossip of frogs insinuated in sinuous rivers,

tattled by trees, whispered in the wind, trunk to trunk….

It really doesn’t matter how

they discerned the news

or whether or not

you believe.

Still,

they

grieve

* * *

Inspired by events following the death of Lawrence Anthony (author / The Elephant Whisperer ) 

 “If there ever were a time, when we can truly sense the wondrous ‘interconnectedness of all beings,’ it is when we reflect on the elephants of Thula Thula. A man’s heart’s stops, and hundreds of elephants’ hearts are grieving. This man’s oh-so-abundantly loving heart offered healing to these elephants, and now, they came to pay loving homage to their friend.”

The above quote was "clipped" from the news article.  "Click" on this link for more information:

Wild Elephants Gather Inexplicably to Mourn Death of Elephant Whisperer

public domain photo - credits:

Description	Deutsch: Herde Afrikanischer Elefanten (Loxodonta africana) verschiedenen Alters in der Serengeti English: A herd of African Bush Elephants in Serengeti Français : Un troupeau d'Éléphant de savane d'Afrique (Loxodonta africana). Photo prise dans le Serengeti, en Tanzanie. Kiswahili: Matembo hawa waishi Serengeti
Date	29 July 2010, 11:00
Source	Own work
Author	Ikiwaner