Open Poetry #12 |
Canyon Spring |
Wilfred Yeats Member Elite
since 2000-08-04
Posts 2704Wilmington, Delaware |
The sun takes a mite longer Reaching down to the river's edge In late winter But this terrain Shows vernal beauty Earlier too The promise spills Down the rocky crags Over ledges Finds its way Below escarpments Deep into gorges Where the icy river Continues its relentless flow Churns over rocks Intimidating in its awesome power At the rim on the south Plants eagerly begin To soak up the sun As it spills over them Like a flash flood Yesterday's sleep Today, splashes of color Vivid with desert beauty This environment is harsh Roots struggle through shale To yield soft petals Not fertile loam No sounds of traffic No horns No squealing brakes Greet these dawns Just spring water's music And the lilt of bird songs Dewdrop diamonds Sparkle like Tiffany necklaces Fresh emerald moss makes Velvet carpet Vines of jade creep And border streams As morning light Spreads itself An unfurled blanket Across the canyon walls Revealing frescoes Of geologic beauty Seen nowhere else In ways of wonder The pale spring light Dances into crevices And corners As lightly as Astaire With a grace beyond compare Awakening the blossoms' Tenuous hold Until they trumpet Forth their blooms Inviting bees and butterflies Intrepid we in gorges deep We find a Judas tree in flower And bright red wooly paintbrush Growing midst sagebrush Tipped in lavender Brittlebush paints slopes above Yet in cool grottos' waterfalls Tis Columbine and Watercress These places wear as dress I think there is no spot on earth That wears God's colors in such varied hues Ochre, reds and yellows too Browns and black, no color lacks Shades of gray from lava's stay Shales stained with iron's rust You must see this you must But come in spring for greatest show When floras dress for Easter You'll find the scene so beautiful You'll fall down on your kiester! Great souls have wills; feeble ones have only wishes. ~ Chinese Proverb ~ |
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© Copyright 2001 Wilfred Yeats - All Rights Reserved | |||
suthern
since 1999-07-29
Posts 20723Louisiana |
The entire poem is lovely... but the switch from serious to humor on the last verse caught me unaware and giggling. LOL. Great job! |
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Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354Listening to every heart |
I have to agree....you pulled the rug out...I was ready to say I adored the Astaire line....the colors, the imagery, then whoosh, I'm sitting on my behind and with my luck, probably on a red-ant hill! Wonderful! |
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Sunnyone Member Ascendant
since 2000-07-06
Posts 5334Staffordshire, England |
oh yes!! You caught three of us off-guard in a row, and I'm still laughing at the ending!! Had me drawn into all these really beautiful images, and no one but you could pull that off so well...... Live...Love...Be grateful for both!! |
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Wilfred Yeats Member Elite
since 2000-08-04
Posts 2704Wilmington, Delaware |
suthern, sunshine & sunnyone- ~giggling here~ - If I could show you beauty and mke you laugh - I'm happy - thank you |
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Martie
Moderator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-09-21
Posts 28049California |
Bill...You painted the most lovely place...I wish to be there right now...and I am with your words...but help me up, will ya? |
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Mark Bohannan Member Rara Avis
since 2000-06-21
Posts 7269In the winds of Cherokee song |
Dusting my backside off and applauding you on a master's touch of beauty in this one topped off with a little humor. Well done sir.......btw......where is the Micca?? As for seeing this myself......I think you just allowed me that treat in your words. |
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