Against Winter

Posted by Maverick ~ on January 12, 2015
Posted in: Photography, Poetry. Tagged: , .

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Against Winter
by Charles Simic

The truth is dark under your eyelids.
What are you going to do about it?
The birds are silent; there’s no one to ask.
All day long you’ll squint at the gray sky.
When the wind blows you’ll shiver like straw.

A meek little lamb you grew your wool
Till they came after you with huge shears.
Flies hovered over open mouth,
Then they, too, flew off like the leaves,
The bare branches reached after them in vain.

Winter coming. Like the last heroic soldier
Of a defeated army, you’ll stay at your post,
Head bared to the first snow flake.
Till a neighbor comes to yell at you,
You’re crazier than the weather, Charlie.

Imaginary Field Mice

Posted by Maverick ~ on January 11, 2015
Posted in: Photography, Poetry. Tagged: , .

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Imaginary Field Mice
by Marina Gipps

Their tails coil in a field where there is no wind,
no sound, no breath. We call this nature,
long after it has died, risen as fields full of wheat
sown for no one. I could walk forever without you
so I will, but today you follow me,
serenade a secret tale in my long lost ear.
I have heard it before, have told this song
to go away and for you to never play it again.
Yet again you play, so I must listen,
you give me no choice so I deliriously obey.
Such is life, I am told how creatures multiply
in a field of my imagining. Their shrieks bathed in moonlight
again and again and again. For this, all this,
I do not sleep. Have been told to count
what I do not see. I am counting intangibles
for you here, and I there.

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Slowly we unfurl ~

Posted by Maverick ~ on January 9, 2015
Posted in: Flowers, Inspiration, Photography. Tagged: , , , .

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Lotus Flower

“The lotus is the most beautiful flower, whose petals open one by one. But it will only grow in the mud. In order to grow and gain wisdom, first you must have the mud — the obstacles of life and its suffering. … The mud speaks of the common ground that humans share, no matter what our stations in life. … Whether we have it all or we have nothing, we are all faced with the same obstacles: sadness, loss, illness, dying and death. If we are to strive as human beings to gain more wisdom, more kindness and more compassion, we must have the intention to grow as a lotus and open each petal one by one.”  ― Goldie Hawn
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”To suddenly bump into a flower that’s hot — “

Last Year’s Breath ~

Posted by Maverick ~ on January 6, 2015
Posted in: Monochrome Madness, Photography. Tagged: , .

Last Year's Breath
“Two of the most frustrated trades are dentists and photographers- dentists because they want to be doctors, and photographers because they want to be painters.”   —  Pablo Picasso

Monchrome Madness returns!  If you would like to participate in the coming weeks, email  your image to leanne@leannecole.com.au and include a link to your blog or website if you have one.  It doesn’t have to be WordPress blogger, it can be a Facebook page, a Flickr page, etc.   Include your name or your blog name.  The image size should be low res, so the largest size should be 1000 pixels or less.  The deadline for submission is before 6 p.m. on or before Tuesday Melbourne time.  The earlier the better for Leanne.  If you miss the deadline your posting will be the following week.  Complete instructions are on Leanne’s blog should you have any questions or need help.

❈

Monochrome Madness –  2015

Translucent ~

Posted by Maverick ~ on January 5, 2015
Posted in: Flowers, Photography, Poetry. Tagged: , , .

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Translucent
By: Adam M. Snow

Can’t you see me,
a ghost I am to be?
A translucent figure without a purpose,
fading away like a blood drop to the sea?
Can’t you see me?
Hear my plea?
My words, my reason to live;
can’t you hear me?
Hear my voice, a plea of sorrow,
tearful apologies,
and a truthful memory.
Can’t you hear me?
See me crying;
the reflection you deny to see?
Can’t you see me,
through the mirror looking back,
a ghost I am to be?
Can’t you see me?
I am you.

Green Groweth the Holly

Posted by Maverick ~ on January 4, 2015
Posted in: Photography, Poetry. Tagged: , , .

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Green groweth the holly,
So doth the ivy.
Though winter blasts blow never so high,
Green groweth the holly.
As the holly groweth green
And never changeth hue,
So I am, ever hath been,
Unto my lady true.

As the holly groweth green
With ivy all alone
When flowers cannot be seen
And greenwood leaves be gone,

Now unto my lady
Promise to her I make,
From all other only
To her I me betake.

Adieu, mine own lady,
Adieu, my special
Who hath my heart truly
Be sure, and ever shall.

by King Henry VIII

WPC: New

Posted by Maverick ~ on January 3, 2015
Posted in: Photography, Weekly Photo Challenge. Tagged: , , , .

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“Curiosity is the single most important attribute with which humans are born. More than a simple desire to discover or know things, curiosity is a powerful tool, like a scalpel or a searchlight. Curiosity changes us. It is also a way to effect change, perhaps even on a global level.”
Loren Rhoads

If you’re curious, the photo above is of a lovely card I received today from fellow blogger Loren Rhoads.  The newest book on my reading list is “Wish You Were Here” written by Loren.  I’ve only just begun the book but I’ve already absorbed lushly written new information about cementaries that I had no knowledge of before.  Loren’s a prolific writer and she also took the book cover photograph which is from Hollywood Forever.  ‘She likes long walks in the moonlight and old graveyards.’

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Weekly Photo Challenge:  New