Two kitty cats, strode up an autumnal. red-leaved covered hill.
The day being cast in loveliness, they went to visit the old mill.
By then it was noon, so they fried delicious fish on a picnic grill.
Then, sauntered home, to snore like royalty, upon a heavenly, comfy, velvetty-covered, window sill!
9/18/2025
Hospital waiting room in the afternoon
Tired flowers looking after the patients
Saplings emerging from the interaction
Oranges in the hands of the sun as it sets
________________________
11 September 2025
AUTUMN AFTERNOON
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
spice cake on the table
aroma wafts through the air
coziness, tranquility
cup of hot cocoa
warms hands
sipping comforts soul
world slows
gone is hurried pace
time takes reprise
sun hangs low
rays cascade down
golden orb sighs
trees stand tall
leaves ablaze
hues of crimson, amber, and brown
air is crisp
hint of chill
warmth in our embrace
meander along winding path
footfalls crunch fallen leaves
autumn’s scent fills the breeze
world goes by
colors change under the sky
autumn charms
revel in this scene
cherish autumn’s fleeting days
winter is on its way
I wait for you
where the road splits in two,
I'm forced to remain
uncertain which path is mine,
yet certain you will come.
I will open my abyss for you,
not as a prison,
but as a place to rest:
for an afternoon so perfect
it could outlast time.
I know, as every moth must know,
that the flame is its destiny:
even though the light was never made
for moths.
bright yellow throats
trumpeting a sunlit joy -
daffodils
drowsy afternoon -
day dreams scented
with white magnolia
plum tree -
silhouetted in sound
by buzzing bees
sunday afternoon
fresh basket of wildflowers ~
a knock on Nan's door
AP: 2nd place 2025
As I sit and look out,
I hear the soft cadence
of dripping eaves as
afternoon fades from the sky.
I’m completely mesmerized by the gentle sound,
and the slow, methodical raindrops sliding down
the splattered windowpane…
...as twilight comes with more gentle rain...
In the gathering gloom
of a winter's afternoon
as the light leaches
from the room
I'm more prone or inclined
as comforts tug
to recline supine
beside the hearth
here on the rug
with a good book
than step outdoors
as if you would take a look
outside the window
should you care
it's more than slightly
chilly out there
with snowflakes
blowing in the air
better on the floor I think
with a hot drink near the fire
until my tired eyes start to close
in repose and so go upstairs where I retire
a good book and my cat
cushions and a faux fur throw
a nook by the window
with a view onto the city park
where birds have returned to nest
following the harsh winter
everyone's come out of hibernation
and the cycle begins
of rejuvenation life and love
in my sight's a glimpse
of a young student
her life just beginning
under a hopeful sun
how i envy her serenity
i rejoice in the moment
the beauty of it all
i smile and feel peace
time stands still
the slate is cleared
and all is right again
with the world
AP: 2nd place 2025
a generous bouquet
of sumptuous peonies
if you please
gracing the parlour
in all its splendour
it’s tea time
we’ve brought out
the lace cloths
the best china
and warm scones
for our dear friends
AP: Honorable Mention 2025
I do desire we may be better strangers.
— As You Like It, Act 3 Scene 2, Line 254; Orlando to Jacques
She called it venting;
I called it theater.
On a loop, it was non-stop tragedy
with no intermission.
When I spoke of my dreams,
she'd flinch, as if I had farted
during her soliloquy.
So, I paid the bill.
She kept the punchline.
Now we’re strangers again—
better cast this time.
Some people shine like the sun
They glow straight into your heart
They are like afternoon as I thought
They are warm, golden and full of love
They make you inspire and perspire
They make you a goal oriented person
An achiever close to your dreams
You really can strike a metal while its hot.
Looking at the clouds turning to pale
In this late afternoon film
My mind wander like a lonely kite
Floating soaring to the wind
I sit here in a big stone a lonely prince
Observing the sleepy sun to set
Life is temporal, yet you have to strive
Keeping yourself intact for tomorrow's fate
Though life is tough and adventuresome
I still see and I pass people smiling
This affect me more inside like sparkling light
Always hopeful and optimistic that one day
Good things comes my way at the right time.
Miramichi Afternoon
The sloping shoulders of the river
tumble down rock on rock toward
the wind-riffled, slow flowing water.
Alder and grass creep down the slope
but will be ripped out once again by
the ice out floods of early spring.
The stones and haphazard boulders
are sun baked into featureless gray,
their bright minerals shrouded from view.
Land living things are more sparce here
and those present are paused by the heat.
Out on the water a dimple of a ring rise,
perhaps a salmon, more likely a trout.
A noiseless punctuation of somnolence.
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