Apr
30
plague of exhaustion
extinguishes aptitude
prevents cleverness
numbs the brain, erases thoughts
drains motivation
ignores creativity
denies enchantment
clogs down ingenuity
drowns artistry’s joy
blocks the imagination
cloaks understanding
buries the Muse’s vision
beneath the void of chaos
Apr
30
gangly and awkward
all legs and joints and angles
first steps so wobbly
with mother’s milk and sunshine
foal is ready to explore
Apr
30
in the woodland shade
snow patches transform
white carpet remains
trillium brings spring
waking the robins
Apr
30
curiously climbing
arboreal otter
hides above the water
among the leaves
Apr
30
elephant siblings
wrestling and playing,
learning, exploring,
forming memories,
living traditions
Apr
19
siren’s scream echoes
halos flashing blue and white
angels of mercy
descending through the chaos
first responders arriving
Apr
18
kids
and
bears
playful
bubbles
laughter
face to face
through the glass
friendships form
hands pressed to paw
empathy shared
respect is born
imagination
lights the children’s eyes
wonder emerges
our hope for the future
grows with understanding
strengthened with compassion
Apr
17
Playful polar bear at the Toledo Zoo. He carried the ball up to the top of the waterfall and then threw it down. He went splashing down after it and leaped into the pool to catch it again. I must have spent an hour watching him. Many more photos of him at the flickr site.
Apr
16
Today’s abhanga is brought to you by the letter F.
fetching Fauna’s favor
fosters fertility
frees from fragility
foals filling fields
Foaling season at the farm begins the first of May.
This photo is from last year’s foaling season:
Apr
15
Sharing some videos of Mary Oliver and her work for National Poetry Month:
Apr
15
music uniting
speaking a primal language
breaking barriers
bridging the differences
touching emotions
healing the divides with riffs
shaping melodies
fostering the harmony
resonating notes
creating global friendships
connecting people
weaving the world together
blending the chorus
building chords into layers
composing a symphony
Apr
14
Halfway through NaPoWriMo and I’m still catching up from March. Many thanks to Cloaked Monk for organizing the March Challenge!
I do enjoy the range of poetic forms and tried a few new ones this month. Surprisingly, I found the little blips of information offered with the prompts almost restricting compared to the single word prompts of the Haiku Challenge. However, the biggest hurdle I faced came from road trips! Can you tell that I left home on the 11th and again on the 27th? Silly me, I thought I’d get lots of writing done while I was away, but it never actually seems to work out that way.
I’ve been scrambling to keep up with NaPoWriMo since coming home, but so far succeeding. Completion of NaPoWriMo will have seen me attempt to write a poem every day for three months straight.
Apr
14
At the end of March, DrQuuxum and I headed out on our annual road trip. This year, we set out for Chicago with their plethora of zoos. There are FOUR AZA zoos in Chicago: Lincoln Park, Brookfield, Shedd Aquarium, and Cosley. And there’s the Field Museum with Sue. Sadly, a bout with food poisoning limited us to just Brookfield and Shedd. On the way home, we stopped at the Toledo Zoo; so we did at least make three zoos on this trip. And we were left with an excuse to return to Chicago at some point.
Brookfield Zoo’s African Painted Dogs gave birth to 10 puppies last November. They, with Mom and Dad and Uncle, are out on exhibit. I probably spent an hour there, taking pictures.
Continued…
Apr
12
My other writing assignment for today was to create a background for my Dungeons & Dragons character, Breora Duskwalker.
Breora Duskwalker
Half-elf druid
Author: BlossomVydrina
PC in: Durior
Game System: d20
Physical description:
- very dark green hair, long and full enough to almost hide the points of her ears
- bright green eyes
- 5’6″, 120 lb
Alignment: Neutral Good
Deity: Shamvaia
Saint: Saint Caethel
Companion: Talby the Barn Owl
Apr
12
in honor of the anniversary
of fifty years since Gargarin’s first flight
musicians celebrate the history
with dulcet notes that float throughout the night
their joyful duet, memories abound
the flutes remember heroes Buzz and Neil
whose first few steps, so brave and so profound,
inspired generations with their zeal
aboard the international station
plays Cady Coleman, mission specialist
with Ian Anderson’s proclamation
our heroes: astronauts and scientists
they offer their music, the song “Bourree”
for honoring the explorers esprit
Apr
11
Another mathematical poetic form, the pi-ku:
first line: 3 syllables
second line: 1 syllable
third line: 4 syllables
gliding high
hawks
graceful spirals
