Whether a trip to a sister's funeral in Chicago;
Or another trip to Los Angeles for my aunt's funeral;
Or a slow ride to a family reunion in Chicago;
Or a 'Bucket-list' trip to an NFL game in Kansas City;
Yes. It seemed that most rails I took led to Chicago.
It's true. Several times we never left on a jet plane.
There were some great train rides, long and slow.
There were five time-consuming and memorable rides,
Sharing a dinner table with a mother and child;
Or a conversation with two unforgettable strangers.
The Great Salt Lake and breath-taking sceneries,
Including dark rides through narrow tunnels;
Roadside stops in small American towns; Great
Views of the Colorado River, and lots of friendly
Waves from a passenger train called The California Zephyr.
The California Zephyr is a well-chosen and defined name for
a train that served us well. Indeed, it was like a gentle wind
blowing from west to east. There were 58 treasured hours
spent alone with my lovely spouse as we ate enough almonds
for a lifetime and some very expensive snacks.
moving slow and fast
flows through beautiful landscapes
~reaches destiny~
nature's masterpiece
envolves views beyond the sun
~beauty embraces peace~
red, blue or golden
~the long snake slithering down
along the unknown~
Travelling along the time-carved corridor of life
I filled the brimming bucket with buds of wishes,
some withered, didn’t descry the dawn of the day,
some bloomed, pleased me with beguiling flowers.
One such fulfilled wishes was the journey I made
to the Grand Canyon, incised deep in ancient rocks,
exposing the geological record of two billion years,
I was keen to see for so many years as a geologist.
Looking down the hanging skywalk at the Eagle Point
I saw the calm Colorado river meander in gentle course,
belying its strong erosive power of incision of the past
that made the channel chisel the canyon in the valley.
As the sun began to set beyond the barren plateau,
its last rays draped the curved contours with crimson hue.
The grand spectacle of surreal grandeur unveiled to me
layer by layer the imprint of eons on the petrified history.
December 4, 2020
Contest : What Have You Kicked Off On Your Bucket List
Sponsor : Chantelle Anne Cooke
President Trump,
a master at the deceptive art of lying;
says he is going to build a wall
along the Colorado River; that's true.
But it's a cruel endgame
that will be devastating for immigrants
seeking asylum;
risking their lives for freedom;
scared, alone, and confused.
It is such a heartbreak to see
the sadness of a child
reflected in the eyes of its mother;
as they try to escape persecution,
crossing the river anyway they can.
What gets my ire going is
there's little genuine compassion
in this so-called Christian Nation.
And though I remain hopeful,
I fear there never will be;
it feels like a good day to cry.
1.) An amoeba on the cellular level
2.) A flashlight on the sun
3.) The Colorado River at 2:15 am
4.) Thursdays on the moon
5.) Oxygen....Strike that....We need that
6.) Blank checks when full checks are needed
7.) Cucumbers that begin with Q
8.) Copper
9.) The numbers 25 and 43
10.) The capital of Argentina
11.) Virginity and all her cousins
12.) Empty bottles of fluids including whiskey
13.) The number thirteen
14.) The number fourteen but less frequently and less numerically
15.) The capital "I" in Indonesia
16.) Yellow marbles, (the square ones are fine.)
17.) Root canals and guns, (the kind with bullets)
18.) A shorter list of things not needed
19.) Islands in the Pacific surrounded by salt water
20.) Size 12 army boots
21.) Purple colored foods and oranges of a different color
22.) People with a list of things less needed
23.) People with strings attached
Authors note: The author apologies in advance if anyone did not make the list. He is particularly apologetic to the people of Buenos Aires Argentina, especially those who speak Spanish and visit nearby Montevideo Uruguay on weekends. Though they are less needed they are still greatly appreciated.
Climb the terrain slowly, the nature's wonder is unfolding
Look afar, the Rocky Mountain peaks are beholding
Marvel the scenic wonder of rising bluish hues
Catch the rainbow hiding behind snow covered views.
Roam the glowing clouds with a dessert in the dining car
Glance at the meadows of fiery red near and afar
Cross through the Moffat Tunnel the Continental Divide
Pass the Canyons by the Colorado River on a noisy ride.
Wake up to the elevation of brilliant gold Aspen trees
Lift up, the Sierra Nevada glows in snow dusted peaks
Fly with the blue birds in the granite mountain breeze
Meander among the chorus of falling golden leaves.
August 12, 2017
Placed 2nd: Your choice (8) contest by Brian Strand
Placed 6th: Mountains--by Julie Rodeheaver
Scribbling with amber-colored crayons,
time scrawls sepia on ancient rocks.
And ocher and orange canyon walls
rise above bushes wearing dust frocks.
Flora and fauna are left behind
serpentine rapids swallow the ground.
And white-water murmurs ricochet
off cliffs that echo the slightest sound.
Sentinels, sculpted by wind and rain,
create a maze full of twists and turns.
And embedded crystals of pure quartz
make monoliths sparkle; as day burns.
Red tints the Colorado River
shades of scarlet, where rusty rocks bleed.
And crimson waters rush to the sea,
grinding gorges at a breakneck speed.
A star-studded sky of twinkling lights
forms a backdrop for a pocked-faced moon.
And ebony spills into the chasm,
encasing all in a black cocoon.
(Quatrain)
2/23/2017
© 2011 (Jim Sularz)
(Dedicated to my Brother-in-Law: William L. Browne III (1959-2011)
who drowned in the Colorado River when visting family and friends
on a fishing trip. Bill was found 4 months later.)
Let it be known, in memoriam, that he is loved.
And any earthly bonds that shaped his soul,
is now a wide river flowing,
to a distant Heaven bestowed.
He could have walked a much longer path,
and would have paused again, with a hearty laugh.
But, when the river flowed, when the river flowed,
– it marked this hour, for him to go.
Don’t cry for him, with welling tears upset,
but celebrate his fulfilled years, instead.
When the river flowed, when the river flowed,
- it moved his gift of life ahead.
For loving sons, family, friends and beloved wife,
he leaves cherished memories, a faithful man’s insight.
And when the river flowed, when the river flowed,
- it moved him gently, to Everlasting Life!
Wherever our Colorado River ends,
life recedes with its water,
it no longer has a delta.
There are only miles of cracked earth.
Far in the distance deep fissures spread.
Crags, low mountains, stretch across horizon,
separating empty sun baked clay from high desert clouds.
Dark clouds, with their life giving rain, appear to float,
migrate over low mountains.
Darkness covers this portion of earth: shadow of cloud,
depth of retreated water,
vast emptiness expanding from neglect.
Some light penetrates openings in clouds.
Pink and purple illuminates their edges.
Sunlight reveals mountain sides.
Atmosphere lends interest to an otherwise barren plane.
It is unusual to see a landscape with limitless potential and no life.
Potential has not been drained from this place yet.
In time countless people will have bled all water from the river,
leaving a truly empty place.
Light reflects from hardening clay.
Sun’s halo reveals lifeless matter,
like Saturn’s frozen rings,
but no ice crystals here.
Only baked earth where water ran,
Colorado River’s temporary end.
Silently, pensively, I watch the crystal waters from above.
The air is crisp, and the sun is warm as the birds sing their tender, sweet songs of love.
I can feel the mist dancing up from the waves.
Surrounding me fully, their symphony I crave.
The rocks are shining beneath a surface of green.
Such breathtaking beauty very few have seen.
The grasses sway gently to and fro,
And I feel the magic continue to grow.
Some say that Heaven lies far from here,
But to stand by the water, one would swear it was near.
The people who come here, so euphoric they quiver,
When they behold the sites of the Colorado River.
Journey centuries passed
walk its trailblazers' path
old memories photographed
are sacred keys to Moab's past
Red sandstone canyons surround
an old western town
its sacred fertile ground
and white sunlight grew sunflowers
near burningwood powered
homes nestled in verdant canyon meadows
where oxen roamed and travelers settled
cooled by cloud color blend and snow capped Rocky Mountains
gracing blue twilight skies growing dark
over Canyonland Park
bordering Colorado River
beneath summer star glittered nights
and china pearl moonlight
Morning summer dream
day brings gentle air and amber tangerine skilight gleam
Nature's presents...eternal Earth's essence