soozphotoz

branches

a bough stretches
toward the shadow tree--
they nuzzle

peering beyond

peering beyond
diminishing parched petals
into a heart of dew

Clopper Lake haiku

cell phone photo, Clopper Lake

fledgling oak
takes root in the crook
of the elm tree

*****

so many wayside seeds
that never achieve their potential
--am I one?

*****

grandmother's quilt
on a bed of moss--
soporific lake breezes

*****

solitude psalm
accompanied by wrens
and dappled sunlight

Countdown

two days more
to train and Excel
then freedom!

You know it's bad when you start posting photos of pencils and the back of your head...I need a break from Spreadsheets and test training...I need TIME (like you, Becca) to roam with my camera and journal. Just after the baking (yum..check 'em out) and cleaning and wrapping and decorating (scroll to 2507 Fairview Drive...um, no, this isn't my house :-)...I'll trade in my whining for wine, my spreadsheets for landscapes, and my pencils for...well, I 'll keep a pencil or two for my journal :-)

l'artiste

Artist in Pl. de Tertre, Paris

she hides in drab disguise

behind her vivid peintures

bright eyes belie her

 

couleurs comme ces commencent

de l'âme même de l'artiste*

 

 

*colors as these originate (begin)

from the artist's very soul

This artist's style could almost be described as childlike in its simplicity, yet her vivid colors and almost "cut out" style reminded me of Matisse, one of my favorite artists. Unlike most of the bold artists in Place de Tertre (near Sacre Coeur), she practically hid behind her paintings. As I leafed through her portfolio of paintings, I commented on much I loved her bright colors and her eyes illuminated.

After purchasing a lovely painting of red poppies, I asked if I could please photograph her with her paintings and she shyly agreed. Shortly after our visit to this artists' square, we stopped at a small cafe tucked away from the crowds. Long after we left the cafe, I noticed that my small thin bag which held the painting had slipped away from the others somehow unnoticed. Although I regret having lost the painting, I am grateful for the brief encounter with this humble artist.

for more about Place de Tertre, visit my other website, Just Paris, HERE.

 

Poli Sci-ku

bye Rumsey
welcome Nancy! Sincerely, We
the people

One Deep Breath - Coffee & Tea

afterwork wakeup
caffeine & sugar cocktail
just my cuppa vice

One Deep Breath - The Scenic Route

for lewis and clark
forging muddy waters--
a route to Scenic

When visiting my parents in the St. Louis area just a few weeks ago, we took many Scenic Routes as is customary for my father. I appreciate the effort much more now than I did as a child, even if my mother, who is prone to car sickness, does not.

In our jaunts, we passed more "Lewis & Clark Trail" signs than we did speed limit signs, or signs of any other nature for that matter. Several times my dad and I commented on the commintment and effort it took for that expedition (he just lives to talk about this kind of stuff and I love him for it).  As we stood on the banks of the Missouri (above, where Lewis & Clark began their expedition, heading upstream)  I thought to myself, "I sure wouldn't want to have to step foot in that nasty muddy water."  And yet, many of our family vacations were West of the Mississippi and knowing the the beauty that lies beyond a little mud, I must say I would swim across the yucky mire to experience the treasures ahead.(Admittedly, only if I had to.)

Lewis and Clark did not know exactly what they would encounter as they headed West on the Missouri River. While we may never come close to facing the perils that these men endured in order to survive, we too never really know what lies ahead. Lewis and Clark named their expedition The Corp of Discovery and perhaps The Scenic Route is just that -- it's not so much a matter of what we look at, but the discovery of how we see it. (Sorry to be so "philosophical" but understand, it's my legacy :-)

row ever upstream
observe scenes surrounding you--
route of Discov'ry

koi

i'm not being koi
stop following me -- right now!
i just don't like you!

One Deep Breath - Garden

a rose for Abbas
and three dozen more children--
Qana Lebanon

suffocated by
"political frameworks" and
faux democracy

Abbas, age 1
Hawra, age 12
Zahra, age 2
Ali, age 10
Yahya, age 9
Assem, age 7
Mehdi, age 7
Husseim, age 12
Ali, age unknown - none of the family survived

and 28 other children, names and ages unpublished