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.
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.
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?
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
Yellow intervenes to liven up winter’s palette. The intervention is soft but definitely clear—such is the power of flowers.
Interventions soften when
they add
Beauty
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!
A friendly greeting
makes Christmas
merry!
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.
Imagination soars when
reality is
unknown
