Shutterbug

Shutterbug

It seemed unfair  

that trap –

the snare

 you (cunning) set

to snatch and

catch a glimpse,

and yet…

that creature caught –

it brought a smile

of joy to me

to see your quarry

perfectly –

fully captured,

wholly free

PSC /2016

This poem was inspired by some photos and articles I've seen and read recently about specific instances where a photographer used staging tactics (food as 'bait', cameras with timers, etc.) to capture photos of animals in the wild.  (I confess, I've put out food to lure birds closer so I could photograph them. The photos on this page are all mine. This, however, was going above and beyond. In one instance, it was the animal itself that actually took the photos -- and they were pretty great photos too! -- sparking a lawsuit and some debate as to who actually possessed the copyright for those particular photos, the photographer... or the monkey. (Honestly! You can't make this stuff up.)

Anyway, if you'd like to read more about my inspirations for this poem AND see some of the excellent photos that occurred as a result, you can hop over to the links below. (I didn't include those photos here because, well, you know, copyrights.) 

The monkey lawsuit

(macaque & nature photographer David Slater’s camera)

• npr.org - federal judge says monkey can't own copyright to his selfie
•  theguardian.com - monkey selfie case animal photo copyright
• petapixel.com - PETA's lawsuit over a monkey selfie copyright

 Some wild (& trained) barn owls

•  dailymail.co.uk - Nesting barn owls pose for wildlife photographer (Robert Fuller)

• dailymail.co.uk - Photograph reveals prey's eye view of barn owl 

(Photographer John Walters & animal trainers Lloyd and Rose Buck)

Photog Allan Dixon takes animal selfies  

NOT exactly the same situation as those above -- but cute & entertaining, none the less:

• boredpanda.com - Funny animal selfies - Allan Dixon

Also linked to dVerse Poets Pub Open Link Night at #172 where any poet can submit one poem of their choice. Come play with us at: dversepoets.com - open link night #172
 

  

Inimitable Trees

“I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.”

– Joyce Kilmer

Inimitable Trees

What more could you or I

(or anyone) ever hope to add, do you think,

to the amazing, miraculous, natural grandeur that

inhabits, resides, abides in any (every) solitary tree?  I

know (with certainty) my paltry poetic vocabulary shall

ever fail to conjure an inkling of such unequaled, never

to be replicated perfection.  One need only listen, breathe and see

in order to embrace the mystery, music, magic and majesty of a

single towering redwood or oak. Close your eyes and know the poem

has already been written in wood across the sky – those lovely

noble limbs in silver snow, autumn glory, or graceful green – as

holy as any sacred sanctuary, welcoming as home, gracious as a

friend. Couldn’t we (shouldn’t we?) all aspire to be a tree? 

PSC /2016

 

This poem was written in response to a prompt from De Jackson over at dVerse Poets Pub. The assignment is a new (to me) poetic form called ‘the golden shovel’.

(It was a lot tougher than it looks. I dare you to try it!)

Hop over to the site to find out more about the form and to read more 'golden shovel' poetry:  
dversepoets.com - The golden shovel form

From there, you can jump over to other poets sites to read their ‘golden shovel’ poems.

NOTE: I chose the first 2 lines from Joyce Kilmer’s poem “Trees”

You can read Kilmer's entire poem here:  poets.org - Joyce Kilmer - Trees