Just Nature

WEST OF KINTYRE # 1

On the Mull of Kintyre
I stood atop the steep cliffs
Looking out across the sea
To the distant misty shores
Of Antrim far away

THE SWIFT

The familiar forked tail
And crescent wing
Of the agile Swift in sky
Performing aerobatics
Above the fields of gold
So pleasing to the eye

WISPS OF WHITE

Wisps of White
Decorate the azure blue
Like absent minded stokes
Of an artist’s brush
While the sun bathes the land
With its benevolence

BUTTERFLIES FLUTTER BY # 1

Butterflies flutter by
In Magnolia melancholy
On gossamer wings

IN SPRINGTIME

In springtime
I walk in dappled shade
Down along
A woodland brook
Where Narcissi grow
And bow their heads
In deference
To the singing stream

WEST OF KINTYRE # 2

On the Mull of Kintyre
I stood atop the steep cliffs
On a day so crisp and clear
And looked out towards the west
Where it was possible to see
Rathlin Island clear as day
And Ballycastle just beyond

LONG TAILED LINNET

Long tailed Linnet
Sweet flying Finch
Trill and twitter
Your pleasant song
All Summer long

THE AIR WAS SULTRY AND STALE

The air was sultry and stale
The heat oppressive
I sought the sanctity of the shade
Embracing its coolness
I walked beneath the leafy canopy
Where the silence welcomed
Contented I walked
In the leafy summer forest
Until within a glade
I came upon a woodland pool
its still dark waters
Looking glass flat.
I peered through my own reflection
Into the charismatic depths
And felt unnervingly as if
I were staring into the depths
Of my own soul
And for the first time
On that sultry summers afternoon
My skin felt cold

IN THE SUMMER FOREST

In the summer forest
I stared into the silent waters
Of the mirrored pool
It was a place spoken oft in lore
An eerie haunted place
The stillest place I’d known
To stand too long
Appreciating its tranquillity
Could cost you your soul
There were no fish
To break the surface
No insect ventured near
Bird song fell silent at its edge
And no creature quenched its thirst
No one knew if its waters were deep
Or merely murky shallows
It was not an inviting place
But if you stared too long
Into its mesmeric shadows
You would not tell the tale

THE PURPLE DEPTHS

The purple depths
Of heather on the hill
Looked down at their reflections
In the watery shadows
Of the timeless loch

BECALMED

We sat becalmed on the cold ocean
I wished to see the waters move
But they remained mirror flat
Still as a silent thought
Lost in the absent echo
As we remained motionless
Beneath a relentless sun

WEST OF KINTYRE # 3

On the Mull of Kintyre
I stood atop the steep cliffs
On a day so crisp and clear
And looked out towards the west
Where it was possible to make out
Malin Head in Donegal

KINGFISHER, KINGFISHER

Kingfisher, Kingfisher
A glint of silver
Catches your eye
And like an arrow
You dart with purpose
Beneath the water
With barely a splash
Disappearing for a moment
Before returning
With the silver prize

LEAVING WINTERS SHADOW

When we come out
Of winters shadow
And it’s finally spring
There is fire in my heart.
And a lightness in my step
And the world seems full
Of infinite possibilities

THE RICH FED GROUSE THRIVE ON THE MOOR

The rich fed grouse thrive on the moor
The golden hare lives on the valley floor
In the meadow you’ll find rabbits there
While the fox sits patiently in his lair

A BUMBLE BEE BUSIES

A bumble bee busies
A Butterfly rises and dips
And there amid velvet petals
A single hummingbird sips

THE PIERCING OF THE WIND

The piercing of the wind
Iced like the mountain peaks
Brought water to my eyes
And a stinging to my cheeks
It left hands too cold to grip
And lips to numb to speak
It cut through my cloak
And made the outlook bleak

THE STORM RAGED

The storm raged
Thunder roared
And lightning flashed
As rain fell unrestrained
From leaden skies
Like liquid knives
Dropping into the sodden land
Night came early
Beneath the slate grey
Until a tear in the fabric
Of the unremitting deluge
A perfect patch of blue
Showing through the heavy sky
Brought tranquillity
With a glimpse of heaven
Through the darkness
A beam of heavens light
Shone down upon the land
A beacon from above
To let us know
We are not forsaken

THE CHILL WIND

The chill wind
Bitter and biting
Buffeted the house
Rattling the windows
And whistling at the door
Exploiting every weakness
Exposing every crack
To chill us to our bones

THE SPRING MELT

The heavily laden
Mountain slopes
Slowly shed their winter coat
Beginning the slow spring melt
The snow and ice
Releasing the water
Imprisoned within it
Metamorphosing as it seeps
Into every crevice
Rivulets gently trickling
Into dormant streams
Gaining volume and momentum
As it tumbles downward
Swelling and growing
Feeding cascading waterfalls
And white water rapids
As it races to the valleys below

EAST OF KINTYRE

On the Mull of Kintyre
I stood atop the steep cliffs
On a day so crisp and clear
And looked out towards the east
And it was possible to see
The mystical Ailsa Craig
And the Ayrshire coast beyond

THE CHERRY BLOSSOM

The cherry blossom
Filled the tree
A brief spectacle
Of perfect beauty
Until the petals fell
Like pink snowflakes
And in the breeze
Danced like confetti
Outside the church
On our wedding day

WHITE AS LUNAR LIGHT

White as Lunar light
Moonshine birds fly lonely skies
Where echoes can’t be heard

SNOWDROPS IN WINTER

Snowdrops in winter
Mother natures heralds
Of the coming spring
BUTTERFLIES FLUTTER BY # 2

Butterflies flutter by
On pale Cabbage white wings,
Heralds of beauty

JOYOUS SENSUALITY

Joyous sensuality
In summers scented garden
Under temperate sky

SPRING RAIN IS POURING

Spring rain is pouring
Battered blossoms falling
Pink snow is lying