For: SEASONS NOW AND AFTER Poetry Contest Sponsor: Nette Onclaud Date: August 6, 2025
*****
Somewhere between the summer and the rain
you left and left me lonesome once again.
The tiger-lily and the bumblebee
are pleased to keep their simple company.
The young black-tailed deer and her spotted fawn
take morning leisure on the fresh mown lawn
Two-by-two life moves through each season's flow,
How each day follows day I do not know.
Snapdragons bloom amongst the marigold,
the sun and rain still color rainbows bold.
But I am paused within Autumn's shadow;
Loneliness becomes my cold bedfellow.
Redwoods over 240 million years old
our coastal redwood over 2,200 million years that we know
cleaning carbon from the woods as they grow
giving life to Marbled Murrelet leaving the redwoods
at dawn and return at dusk through the fog from the sea
gathering fish to return to the redwoods and their nests
pumas nearby hunting then lying near the redwoods to rest
while banana slugs the second largest slugs in the world
crawl under the redwoods eating mushrooms and leaves
sand hills creek side woods pines and evergreens
coyotes, bobcats, black tailed deer giant redwood trees
ancient groves the Sayanta tribe redwood lumber mills
then taken over by the parks to protect redwoods and hills
.
in the strong heart society there is one known as the buffalo eye. do the sweat lodge ceremony to speak with the stone turtle. you will see the Lakota sun dance at first light with the canupa. All my relatives... walk the red road, listen to the black road. call to grandfather spotted eagle among the natural people, and red eagle will allow elk trail to use the fire of no end
A paradise is what enters my mind
When I reflect upon my dear estate
A soft bed and breakfast it imitates
Warm, cozy, and filled with precious antiques
Named for the turquoise dragonflies we love
But they are not the only residents
There are chipmunks that live in the woodpile
Douglas squirrels bark for their daily snack
The wise old Bared owls ever on the watch
The black tailed deer graze quietly at dawn
Bald eagles ever soaring overhead
Bigfoot occasionally visiting
Your lush green lawns and colorful flowers
Towering furs wall your perimeter
A warm fireplace in the winter for heat
A cool pergola in the summer months
Listening to birds and the wind through the trees
The wind chimes and the lone coyote howl
Barbecue slow cooking country styled ribs
Sipping a cool martini and dreaming
God has blessed me and my dear lovely wife
With a cottage and a wonderful life
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