Sunday, January 1, 2023

WALKING TO A NEW YEAR

This will be the last post for this project. This project has done its job in making me begin to walk away from my computer chair--I promise to continue this healthy habit in the coming years. For now, I shall also harness this blog's raw material into a new poetry collection, tentatively entitled

WALKING WINE COUNTRY

This book walked itself into being. I hope to share news of its publication in the future. 


Thanks for reading,

Eileen who is proud of having created a hole in here walking shoes.



Thursday, December 29, 2022

WALK #133

Roadkill kills over a million animals per day in the U.S. and can be dangerous for species with small populations, e.g. killing 50% of Florida’s panthers, being the leading killer of England’s badgers, and helping make endangered species out of Australia’s wolf, koala and eastern quoll. Roadkill incidents rose as automobile speed ramped up in the early 20th century. Humans—such a dangerous species. And as I walked the edge of the highway to avoid vineyard paths that have been muddied by this week’s rain, I noticed the scent caused by each passing car because the skunk emitted anew every time its corpse was run over. I inhaled it all to apologize for my species and—because I too can be ruthless—for a future poem’s raw material.



[untitled]

Roadkill--
a poetics
of human encroachment


Wednesday, December 28, 2022

WALK #132

Trees have as many seasons as a year. And they reveal seasonal natures. Here's a winter tree:


Dear Tree,


Was it birds

who taught

you


how to claw

the sky

looking


for ribbons of

ripped blue

light?



Tuesday, December 27, 2022

WALK #131

Over a dozen white doves were malingering on the driveway this morning after the rain stopped, allowing me to go on a walk. Twas an unusual presence (a first for me anyway). Of what are these birdies a sign? Perhaps that I'm the one malingering... since I notice my walks are getting shorter. Must work on that!




Wish


Bless white doves

for never 

malingering


If doves are

present, peace

awaits



Monday, December 26, 2022

WALK #130

Yellow intervenes to liven up winter’s palette. The intervention is soft but definitely clear—such is the power of flowers.




[untitled]


Interventions soften when

they add

Beauty



Sunday, December 25, 2022

WALK #129

During my walks, when I meet other walkers or joggers, we often greet with a "Hi" or "Good morning" as a matter of courtesy. This morning, I met a couple of joggers and boy were we all cheery with each other as we greeted each other with a MERRY CHRISTMAS! And California was gorgeous this morning. Good morning, ye merry Christmas!




Holiday

A friendly greeting

makes Christmas

merry!



Saturday, December 24, 2022

WALK #127 & 128

Holiday rush and all that--I did do my daily walks but only had time to post once, so this covers two days of walking. Which is to say, these trees at full bloom present gorgeous framings of entrances. Who'd have thought that, stripped of leaves and blossoms, they also present beauty, though in a different way. Trees are shape-shifters--I knew that, but didn't really know _that_ until I saw these images below. Bare-boned, trees shape entrances into, not a home which, by virtue of being a home, is known. Bare-boned, their shapes become strange and evocative such that they effect entries into different worlds with the mind's turbulence joining the physical reality in imagining what lies at the end of a passage.




[untitled]

Imagination soars when

reality is

unknown


WALKING TO A NEW YEAR

This will be the last post for this project. This project has done its job in making me begin to walk away from my computer chair--I promise...