508. soft & hard

rough become smooth

sweet tarnish of time….

silver and gold

(Time and experience can soften the armor of anything and everything. Steel takes a long time to soften. The soft overcomes the hard. Willingness matters.)

507. greater than great

this says: 

don’t be good

be great

*

even better,

stop trying so hard—

just be yourself

(And it is written: The journey of life is to realize who you are….but first you must find out who you are not. Be yourself.)
 

506. quiet beauty

without a sound

the ghost of yesterday’s flower

looks on

 

(Without color or sound, quieting down to a different kind beauty.)

505. finding money

O, money

O, money, money, money

O, sweet dream

(Years and years and years ago, I went to an art therapist. I was curious, what does an art therapist do?  So I googled ‘art therapist near me’ and off I went.  Can’t remember any details of our session but I did make a giant poster picture with poster paint and my fingers. I gave it a title: Money is Funney. This is it!)

 

504. surprise! surprise!

surprise! surprise!

the brown butterfly and i 

who surprised who?

 

(Just looking around in the woods….then a flash of color appeared and fluttered up and up then settled down over there on the fallen tree, as though it was waiting just long enough for me to take this picture. Do butterflies think, I wonder—do they begin to wonder what, and who, and why? Anyway, I’m sure that, like me, they must try their very best to stay alive and thrive.)

503. flowers 🌺

flowers

can make all the difference 

on a gloomy day

(Remembering to stop and smell the flowers.)

502. rocks

nothing special

reaching up to the sun

rocks

(Like I was saying just the other day, poetry lies in wait everywhere, even in rocks, little ones or big. This reminds me of a good book, which was so good that I read it twice, back-to-back. “Tying Rocks to Clouds” 

From the back cover:

Available new or used from many sources online or try your local library. And if you do read it, let me know what you think.)

501. inside out

inside

looking at trees

outside

(Sometimes we need to turn things inside out before we can fully appreciate what’s in front of us. A shift in perspective can make all the difference.)

 

500. eye-to-eye

upstairs window

like an eye, caught my eye

….OH HELLO

*

life is poetry

when you see it so….

if you see it so

(Poetry lies in wait everywhere, even or especially in a tree.  That tree with the upstairs window caught my eye. I stepped closer, then saw what it had to say. A tree is more than just a tree when you take the time to look, really look, and see what it has to say. Things look different close up.)

499. after all

 

a tree

is just a tree….

and yet

(Every tree has a story, it’s own story, to tell—just look….just listen.)

498. zoom

going with the flow

yoga teacher takes a pose

the cat checks her form

(I am a yogi. Twice a week I teach a morning yoga class on Zoom. Yesterday this picture and poem arrived in my email inbox. I laughed and laughed and smiled and showed it to Willey.😻 Many thanks, Eileen!🙏🏼

By the way the kind of yoga that we practice—it’s not pretzel yoga or down dog yoga, and it’s not only stretching in stillness. It looks and feels like regular exercise yet goes deep. It’s a good workout, interesting & fun, and it’s great for staying healthy and strong—or for getting there—no matter your age. If you’d like to know more or give it a try, send me a message. Thanks🙏🏼)

 

497. the last snow

only this—

seven or eight deer prancing

on snow

 

(Clearly, the snow was melting away. This may be the last snow this winter, I thought to myself on yesterday's walk in the woods, let me take a pretty picture to remember. So I began to walk slowly and mindfully, stopping from time to time to look around. One time off in the distance, I glimpsed a deer darting away, and then another….and then maybe seven or eight more deer prancing across the snow. 

We never know if this, whatever the “this” may be, will be the last time. Every moment is a gift. I’m grateful that I remembered to slow down and look around, and now had a lovely memory to bring home and share.)

496. the long road ahead

midnight sky

the road curves on and on

heading north

 

(Drive My Car, is a bold movie that is quiet and stirring. It takes you on a three-hour journey, slowly giving a visual language to who we are as a people. Nominated this year for Best Film, Best Director, Best Foreign Film Oscars, it may well be the best film I’ve ever seen.)

495. transformation

late winter

in the shadow of an oak

fallen feathers

(Oak feathers.  Nature is always transforming itself or allowing itself to be transformed. The work of Miriam Carpenter is currently on exhibit at the Michener Museum in Doylestown. Her work is remarkable. To see more, google: miriam carpenter woodturner)

494. captain jack

dogs love to run

romp & roll around in the snow

so does jack the cat

(I used to think that only dogs loved to play in the snow. On my neighborhood walk yesterday, Captain Jack showed me another way. Just goes to show you, don’t believe everything you think!)

493. zoom! ✈️

high in the sky

stillness and the speed of sound—

sky bowl

(Beyond today’s Super Bowl another Bowl will be going on, somewhere. If you’re lucky you may get to see it. Jet airlines fly an average of 600 mph; others can go faster, even 2000 mph….zoom!) 

492. the long road to peace

a carpet of leaves

each one unique, one and the same

peace is every step

(Every leaf matters….every step matters….we’re all in this life together.) 

491. purr and be happy

pink cat

eyes so blue

purrring  

(Pinky’s eyes were blue, so blue.  She lived a long, long time and taught me how to be happy. This was her mantra: Remembering to purrrr, I become happy.)

 

490. blue

tea flowers

are they falling or rising

inside the clouds…

 

(This is an origami picture that I made years ago. It’s blue loveliness makes me feel both happy and sad together.)

489. marking time

yesterday’s memories

scattered across the field

marking time

(This isn’t a very picturesque picture, yet pleasant nonetheless….just some memories of what used to be in the community gardens at the arboretum:  pole beans & squash, tomatoes & corn, watermelons, cucumbers, eggplants, onions, peppers and, yes, golden marigolds, tall yellow sunflowers, and blue-purple morning glories….and I wonder what else. The land lies fallow now….quiet, peaceful, at rest, waiting out the winter season.) 

 

488. near and far

i miss

the blue bird who sings

in the morning—

i’ll save this picture for summer

when i’ll be missing the snow

(Every season has its beauty.)

 

487. a puppy is a poem

a puppy a day

keeps the blues at bay

so does a poem

*

inside 

every old dog dwells a

puppy at heart

*

a puppy

is a puppy….is

a puppy

 (I smile to myself for being such an old dog.)

486. cats & buddhas

like i was saying

just give me cats & buddhas

anytime

(Maneki Neko, “beckoning cat” with raised paw is a symbol of good fortune. Various forms of these figurines are commonly found in Japanese, Chinese, and Vietnamese restaurants and shops. Superstition has it that left paw raised brings customers while right paw raised brings money. Looks to me like these happy cats all have both paws 🐾 up, ready for lots of good fortune of every kind!)

 

485. the sky

after the fog

comes the rain, and the clouds

all sigh….

*

here comes the sun

rising  up….in the sky

in the sky

 

(Every day is a new day. After the storm comes the calm. The sun always rises.)

484. reminiscing

10,000 heartbeats

enhancing love energy

aerobic workout

 

(Once, many years ago, I entered a poetry contest with this senryu, which is a genre of Japanese verse.  I won a tee shirt! It looked something like this one….wish I still had it.

Senryu are written in abbreviated style similar to haiku. In times past, people would gather together to compose and share senryu, which highlighted the human condition, human nature in its many faces. These poems often were humorous, amusing, even sexually suggestive.) 

483. stillness

in the mist

a hawk cries out—

stillness

(Stillness speaks….listen.)

 

482. a short, short story

the goose & gander

in their own little world—

together forever

(Geese mate for life. That’s comforting.)

 

481. sweet

tossed about

in blustery ice and snow—

a red & white bow

 

(It was a blustery walk in the neighborhood. Snow, wind, close-to-zero degrees. I like being out in all kinds of weather; a heightened sense of aliveness kicks in. I was doing my best to plod along and keep from sliding when something caught my eye. I stopped and looked up and there it was—a red and white bow tied to the fence. Hmm. I remember thinking: sweet….who did this?….why?….what does it mean?)