Ground Squirrels

 Ground squirrels aim for salvation

beneath earth's permissive crust

My friend Karen and I walk around the football field at the school most mornings.

This is the time of year little ground squirrels like to burrow down for the winter.

Quite a few entrances can be seen at the edge of the field now.  One day we spied

a little guy kicking out dirt and popping up now and then.  We couldn't get a photo.
 I know they are rodents,

and cause many problems for people, but I couldn't help

but smile when  I saw him.

Just one of God's creatures.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Wing Dust

A small yellow moth

leaves wing dust

on my hand

like a bit of

powdered sunshine.

(Nature is amazing!)

Pink Hydrangeas in New England

After fading away

their color still lingers in the air

Sea Gulls

  Moss upholstered stones

a place of peace for some

After the Rain

Sage leaves dance in the light

and breathes color

into the shimmering air.

---

Yvonne

Italian city stroll

Feeling clothed

by ancient walls

---

Yvonne

Vehicle of Poets...

The horse...

vehicle of poets

and cowboys

...unknown

---

Yvonne

Butterflies

Butterflies...

self propelled flowers

...unknown

---

Yvonne

Ancient Cathedral doors

About to enter

where names

echo forever

---

Yvonne



Fairies

I could almost see fairies

from the corners of my eyes.

Yvonne

Evening

Evening seeps behind the horizon.

Stones in summer

a clean white sheet

holds tight

waving in the scrub brush wind

***

young, green plants

nudge the under earth

awakening

***

drought cracks open wider

yearning for moisture

***

red tailed hawk

flashes across the sky

over dry, stubbled pasture

***

after harvest

dust devil whirls

dance

***

tangles of white fuzzy vines

cover the fence rows

looking like

grandpa's whiskers

***

old green metal chair

springs me

up and back

up and back

***

Savor the day!

Yvonne

Dog days of summer Stones

fast flying,

acrobatic

doves head for

water source

***

stressed landscape

receding

bone dry banks

***

blistering, stifling, arid days

push off the Mexican desert

enduring

***

coastal breezes

keeping scorcher days

bearable

***

More small stones

Light against dark

tree trunks are

black silhouettes

***

whimsical, folkloric

value, mood

late day trees

***

knots, burls, texture

mesquite bark in

morning light

***

fabric

women's connection

to the earth

***

watching great birds in flight

stops my breath

for a few moments

***

brush stroke

a powerful thing

***

moonlight

a different lens

to the world

***

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Many stones

Sense of wonder as

tot discovers first tadpole

***

Birds everywhere

putting binoculars to good use

***

Picnic over,

reluctantly leaving

***

 Blackbird cawing overhead,

ominous yet peaceful

***

Mustang grape vines blanket

canopies of river side trees

***

Pelicans, dry earth, and shadows

Hungry pelicans

scout with vigilance

***

Dry earth,
cracks, breaks, splits

***

Far reaching
end of day shadows
fade

***




 

Expecting rain

Leaves turn over

expecting rain today

Defiant

Ancient sago

defying lack of rain

Two Stones

Inhale earths

early morning gift

***


Coins in a fountain
Dreams never forgotten

Ceniza

Ceniza's purple scent

renewed by rain

Dragonfly Stone

Agile dragonfly

manifests

 power and poise

(photo by Yvonne)

Earthstar

Earthstar unfolding,

releasing its pixie dust treasure

Photos, words, memories

Here are some photos and small stones from a beach trip.
The small stones are written in italics.
Stones are written when
one moment is paid attention to.
Photos can capture a moment as well.
As I walked along the beach I thought of words,
the history of this beach, and all the life
that is there, seen and unseen.
Look at the photos and read the stones separately,
and you realize it is the small things
that make life enjoyable.
***

(great blue heron)

***

Beds of oyster shells,

monuments to island Tancahuas.

***

(Seagulls at Port Aransas, Tx.)

***

Ghosts of

pirate adventurers

whispering

***

(sand dollar shell on the beach)

***

Medley of long thin legs

stand motionless

waiting for that

careless fish

***

(beautiful dunes and bright blue sky)

***

Sea gulls

snatching food

from each others beaks

***

(Port Isabel lighthouse)

***

Wherever you go,

I hope you savor the day,

and capture those moments

in photos,

in words,

or in memories.

Yvonne

Windy Day

The wind stirs up tree leaves

increasing bird chatter

Secret weapon

Secret weapons of sharp thorns

arm the profusion of

pink bougainvillea

Sea Gulls

Raucous cries of gulls

carry across the water

while soothing murmur of waves

continue on shore.

Like a Statue

 a bird stands motionless

for endless time

like a pillar of patience

knowing its reward

 

Salt water smells

Air fills with

exhillarating

salt water smells

Horse of a different color

Heaven's wind

amidst wild horses

with plenty of rope

Horse of a Different Color

watercolor by Yvonne

A River of Stones Book is Out!

I just received my hard cover copy

of the River of Stones January project book.

It is called

Pay Attention: A River of Stones

edited by Fiona Robyn and Kaspalita.

I was so happy to see

 one of my small stones

 on page 13.

This is a Lulu.com book.

For more info you can visit

http://ariverofstones.blogspot.com/

or

http://www.writingourwayhome.com/

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Protected

Feather lined sanctuary

amidst thorns

(This is a cactus wren's nest)

Sidestepping

Sidestepping flower petals

that color the sidewalk.

(the photo is my ink pouring with negative watercolor on top)

Possibilities

 Pot sits

empty,

full of

possibilities.

I am a collector...

 Senses tickled...

texture, color, taste, smell...

life.

(What you see in the fish planter

is date palm tree inflorescence,

and the tall woody things leaning against the wall

is like a giant seed pod

from the date palm)

Austere Beauty

Crosses

memories

lives lived

spare and

 desolate 

a kind of

austere beauty

shedding its warmth

The kindly sun

 sheds its warmth

across my face

as I step into

the day.

--watercolor by Yvonne--

He Carved....

He carved his angel

and as each sliver

fell to the ground

like feathers of

soft down

he felt

at peace

That place...

Evermore

I am in that place

gooseflesh skin

bewildered

yet

calm

Memories

The icy somber tempest

on squares of window glass

create memories

of savoring Bordeaux.

Different colors

Can't bring to mind

all the different colors

that

sustain you in my soul.

Small Stones 25-30

Puddle ducks by the hundreds

web footed and in mass

sing their dawns chorus

in the freshwater shallows

of winter

 _______________________________

The feathered tall blue hunter

wades with movements imperceptible

patience...patience

in his vigilant pursuit

                                            ____________________________                                              

 Sharp repeated taps

like Morse code

awaken me

my eyes open

and focus toward the sound

at my window

finding the little sparrow

who had scattered my dreams

...and I smile

____________________________________

Clouds float in a rose madder wash

and as the sun is setting

a hawk dives

and plays its part in the

amazing orchestra of nature

_______________________________

Large, round

awe-inspiring leaves

flat and unsinkable

landing fields for dragonflies

home to many

mud bottom pond dwellers

_____________________________

The dampness chills me

as the wispy tendrils of fog

seep in

Then a welcoming and gentle

Zephyr-like breeze

limits its presence

Small Stones 19-24

A fragile wildflower

grows from a split

in the silver-gray stone

its roots thriving happily

__________________________________

Ground soaking rain of late

set the silver gray ceniza abloom

with diminutive rose-purple flowers

saying thank you

_________________________________

The queen palm spreads its fronds

creating a lacy and delicate shade

bestowing the harsh landscape below

with a bit of enchantment.

__________________

Morning light and shadows

becoming whimsically elongated

then leisurely withdraws

the enchantment of reflection

as the day progresses

___________________________________________

Jackrabbits hurrying along

following the illuminated

veined roadmaps of their ears

 to a warm location

before the sable darkness

comes and

erases the course

_______________________________

Sepia toned

discolored

blemished

subjects sitting properly

some standing unbent

dubious faces of the past

looking back at me

evocative

Small Stones 14-18

 Sun streaming into my window

introducing shadows of leaf shapes

opaque silhouettes that resemble

Japanese calligraphy

_______________________________________

Soft fuzzy heads

of purple fountain grass

dance in the gentle winds

swaying back and forth

bewitching

the full wolf moon

and me

Soaring from broken woodlands

to summits of oak trees

scanning the world below

the Cooper's Hawk

finds it's ultimate perch and

adorns the top of the telephone pole

that leans into lost voices

Taking pleasure in the sunshine

the banana tree unfurls

stretches its large leaves

out into the world

looking at the birds

and the rose colored clouds

that sail above it at dawn

dark obsidian sky

broken only by

a handful of

constellations

dotted with twinkle

Small Stones 10-13

Tiny chapel

shelters gravesite and

candlelit altar

which holds

handwritten testaments

of faith

and gratitude.

Worn splints

and crutches,

pain and sorrow

stay behind...

now just castaways.

 _________________________________________________________

Savoring the slightly sweet liquid...

rich, with a slight taste of

mulberry, spice

and smooth vanilla,

watching the beads

roll transparent

down my glass.

Like some leafy creature,

exotic and large,

the philodendron's arms

safeguard a small

and timid creature

underneath its 

green and

somber veil.

Fog rolls serenely in,

and the misty lunar light

becomes radiant

while the quietude and stillness

seem to unearth my soul.

Small Stones 5-9

Noble live oak,

winter green and full,

acorns have fallen

to its base,

adorning the shadow quilt

of speckled light,

on saplings

wee and delicate.

Fox tail ferns
living a carefree life
in a front porch pot
with fronds extending
to welcome me home

Small mesquite residents,

sing their melodious birdsongs

teakettle teakettle teakettle

and

cheery cheery cheery

good morning reminders

Rain and thunder

interrupt my repose.

I gaze through my window

smiling at the

wet round drops

 collected in square holes

of the window screen.

Palm trees stand upright

 where the earth and sky meet

and create silhouettes

against a Prussian blue

almost night