Sunlight and Shadows

Finding poetry in star dust, sunbeams, and passing clouds

Category: Tales

  • Buttercup

    Sunshine gold feathers fanning delicately

    Cloud-like poofs of great pillowy down

    Vibrant eyes reflecting the green world

    Rosy comb pinnacled in a crystalized crown

    Sun breaking, hens stir on the 2×4 roosts

    Eagerly tumble out when the door starts to rise

    Chirrup over bits of corn, calling unseen chicks

    Fuss over egg laying like each was a prize

    Afternoons spent exploring the green thatchy lawn

    Dust baths in the barn dirt, bugs in the garden

    Snuggling and purring in my lap being petted

    Sneaking into the mudroom when the door is left open

    First on the roost at dusk, evening call

    Cluck and squawk and settle together for nightfall

    That was Buttercup, my dear golden hen

    ,

  • Shoreline

    Cobwebs and petals suspended in time

    Caught in the rocks where the water can’t reach

    Waiting for something – someone to pass by

    New footprints in old, once more on the beach

    Footsteps of people traversing through time

    Following memories out on the pier

    A past child wading to sail wooden boats

    Feel that child’s hopefulness, helplessness, fear

    The past’s chilling winds blow strong off the bay

    Hold on, let it pass, do not be knocked down

    The clouds blow away, the sunshine breaks through

    Face toward the warmth and let healing be found

    The lighthouse stands strong, so timeless and sure

    Changeless no matter the darkness or rain

    Guiding the travelers to present from past

    Look up now to find the direction again

    ,

  • Whimsical Weather

    Raindrops splash in purple puddles

    Wind in pointed pinwheels rattles

    Thunder speaks in rumbling riddles

    Sky is cracked where lightning whittles

    Frosty dirt and dry leaves crackle

    Windblown cattails’ seedpods tickle

    Woodpeckers on bare trees chuckle

    Burrowed critters wait the sequel

    Snowflakes craft a crystal cover

    Icicles on tree limbs shiver

    Drifts of snow pile up and over

    Blinding white goes on forever

    Butterflies on flowers flutter

    Squirrels crack nuts with a clatter

    Wings of bees and insects glitter

    Birds trill out their tunes by letter

    Every season, every day

    What a bountiful bouquet

    ,

  • Countryside Autumn

    Vivid crimson, golden fall leaves

    Crisp and wrinkled, large and small leaves

    Fields of corn turn sun-dried saffron

    Last truck filled with harvest’s haul leaves

    Critters dig in winter burrows

    Each geese flock with farewell call leaves

    Hay in bales and grain in silos

    Sinking sun in shadows tall leaves

    Cold wind carries winter’s first snow

    Bare trees wait return of all leaves

    ,

  • Waiting for a Train

    Anticipation

    the Belief in Catching a Dream Elsewhere

    Flurry

    of Going Hurriedly In a Jostling Kaleidoscope

    Looking

    for Many, New, Other Places Quickly

    Rendezvous

    a Space and Time, Unique or Variable

    Window

    of eXcitement, Youth, and Zest

    ,

  • Silence

    Rain pours down with silent splash

    Lightning strikes from cloud to ground

    But never does the thunder crash

    When silence is the only sound

    Traffic speeds by, buses stop

    Trains and semis shake the ground

    Without a rumble, honk or pop

    When silence is the only sound

    Children call but none is heard

    In the backyard, store, playground

    People look – can’t speak a word

    When silence is the only sound

    Woods and jungles running free

    Birds and animals all around

    Without the great cacophony

    When silence is the only sound

    ,