Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Upon Watching Hummingbirds Play


Onto the white Petunias they soar and sip.
Siblings learning from hum and mum.
Juvenile wings twirling in a soft varum.
Adult wings with a much deeper varoom.
It’s getting closer to heading South.

Onto the yellow Ragweed they swoop and hover.
Siblings chasing each other far and wide.
Juvenile hearts beating at 300 RPM.
Adult hearts showing a similar pace.
Youth learning to fly South before the Fall.

Onto the purple Geraniums they wait their turn.
Siblings swooping up and down and about.
Juveniles readying their beaks for horns of plenty.
Adult beaks nudging ‘em to continue trying.
It’s even closer to their first flight South.

Onto the lilies they glisten and glide.
Siblings siphoning nectar one after another.
Juveniles flying up and down in swirls and flutters.
Adults flying to nearby branches observing this clutter.
Fall is nearing and the southern breezes are beckoning.

Onto the phlox they chose the best.
Siblings a rush to learn how to dart and soar.
Juveniles discerning good nectar sources.
Adults winging in and out of pathways well taught.
Soon they’re off to their genetic destination.

Well, off they go in early September breezes.
Soaring at high altitude that parents freely show.
To a North Carolina spot that instinct well chose.
To return to a yard with flowers galore.
The southern trip again successfully fulfilled.

To return to Treetops in Spring as before.
Juveniles to adults a new generation becomes.
From mid-flight love a next generation springs.
All sipping the nectar that loving flowers bring.
And, we get to watch hummingbirds play once again.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Gorgeous Natural Displays

Today, I saw nature displayed on outcroppings beyond Treetops.
There were mosses, ferns, lichens and mushrooms galore.

The mosses were varied green mats ... tempting me to recline as natives once did.
Some mosses arrayed spore cases ... preparing new generations to come.

The ferns had fiddle-heads and fronds aplenty ... precious enough to be porch  decor.
These ferns arrayed spore cases ... also, preparing new generations to come.

The lichens were nearly colorless splotches ... rounded symbionts adorning the  rocks.
Some lichens were pale green and others were gray ... drying and flaking away new generations to come. 

The mushrooms were shaped like tams, coolie hats and buttons ... often white, but some brightly colored.
These mushrooms showed spore-laden gills ... preparing new generations to come.

Aren’t nature’s displays gorgeous?







Loucks Lake Love

I rode the fast boat to Loucks Lake.
It was a wondrous trip through sun-drenched palisades.

I landed at the dock on the north edge of Loucks Lake.
It was wooden slats on a float-held frame.

I walked up the stairs from Loucks Lake.
It was a wondrous climb through shade-draped plantings.

I turned and stared out to the ripple-free waters of Loucks Lake.
It was a mirrored reflection of a green-hued forest.

I held onto the love of my life at Loucks Lake.
She was the aura of Treetops on the high-hilled summit.

I will come and go from this paradise of Loucks Lake.
An ever-repeated trip for my love-filled heart.