In my garden,
God spoke
through leaves.
Rosemary whispered,
“Remember
what the world made you forget.”
Aloe rose beside me,
its bitter breath saying,
“I was born
to close your wounds.”
I prayed for health,
but heaven answered
with soil.
With fragrance.
With quiet medicine
hidden in plain sight.
“You die,”
He said,
“not from disease,
but from forgetting
the gifts I placed
at your feet.”
Ignorance—
the oldest poison.
Herbs—
the forgotten cure.
“Ask,”
He murmured,
“and the garden
will heal you.”
And the wind moved
as if bowing,
revealing
that God
has always spoken
in green.
Five Flashes of Crimson
In Agricola, where the late sun lies,
And October's gold is fading from the skies,
A fence post holds a simple, wooden line,
And hosts a sight both crimson and divine.
Not one, not two, but five bright feathered vests,
Have paused their chatter and settled on the crests.
The Northern Cardinals, with coats of fire,
Are drawn by hunger to a sweet desire.
They dip and peck at berries dark and round,
A quiet feasting, without any sound.
The male's sharp scarlet, a defiant gleam,
The female's blush, like an ember in a dream.
They come in kinship, a brief, familiar flock,
To gather fuel before the sudden clock
Of dusk arrives and chills the Mississippi air,
A vivid portrait, painted right there.
A messenger of hope, that flash of red,
A loving soul, the stories have been said.
But in that moment, nothing quite so grand,
Just five bright lives, eating from the land.
This is what created us. This light,
dappling the columned forests with petaled gold,
these nourishing and nourished streams, these bright
sun-laughing lakes, ruffling under an old
and infant wind, this intercourse of pine,
air, beam, mulch, bough, loam, moisture, say we fit
into the mothering niche of this design.
This does not belong to us: we belong to it.
If there can be a god, that god must be
what we are made to live for and within;
so in this pure cathedral we may see
our earth-determined being, and begin
to learn that we are water, light, and air:
our breath is homage, and our heartbeat prayer.
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Ditching high-tech toys,
I connect and commune with
Earth’s natural scenes.
Be confident in here, to be confident out there.
Be at peace in here, to be at peace out there.
Be wise in here, to be wise out there.
Be strong in here, to be strong out there.
Be patient in here, to be patient out there.
Be courageous in here, to be courageous out there.
Be bold in here, to be bold out there.
Be resilient in here, to be resilient out there.
(Know yourself in here, to know yourself out there.)
Breathing Grasses
A Haiku
Tall grass breathes peaceful
prayer sings in the clouded sky-
dusk falls in silence
Swinging back and forth-
daisies and weeds between toes,
belonging; lives here
Lemonade tastes sweet
upon her tongue and sizzles
down her throat, she sings
Looking up the sky
told a secret in her ear
a rainbow will come
With gazing eyes, love
dawn became more clear today
gentleness lies here-
ultra-white heaven
trees pop beneath winter weight ~
quiet falls heavy
(December Full Moon – Oglala)
Would it be open for fluid intake?
I pushed on the door and yes, it yielded.
What would we order for our thirst to slake?
The welcome was friendly, our hopes were exceeded.
Across from the bar with beer in our hands
relieved to be seated we soon felt restored.
With a mile to go we no longer had pangs
as we gathered ourselves and set out toward
the car. Outward we'd clambered four miles
It was an extra mile returning, though
it took at least an hour less and the trials
were less risky – just damn midges as foe.
a tear collided
plummeting from the clouds calls
harvested sounds falls
tears falls from heaven
eroding exploding so
thunder loudly roars
winters tear drops snow
emmetting from the heavens
once tears rain now snow
11/30/25
Written words by James Edward Lee Sr 2025
I'm very good at it
-- running that is:
Most my adult life
seems to have been
a treadmill of sorts:
Morning Gush. Got to love
those subway jousts! All us
elbow warriors fencing for
optimum position, wanting
fast entrance and propelled
retreat.
Elevating to the running-board of
city sidewalks and streets...step to the flow
or be bowled over, trampled upon. Tires, Florsheim, Nike, high heels~
They all mark deeply!
(Evening rush escape no less a trek)
Joggers make me laugh
heartily! Roadside exhibitionists,
inhaling deeply everyone’s
filth. I swear, that If there are
schedules and timetables in heaven,
God inadvertently has given
the Devil but another tempting card
to play.
Math of life
Math for life
Life you make
Life you bake
Bake and decorate
Bake and percolate
Percolate to breathe
Percolate to wreathe
Wreathe what pleases
Wreathe not teases
Teases that brands
Teases of strands
Strands in slumbers
Strands in numbers
Numbers you count
Numbers not discount
Discount what beguiles
Discount what defiles
Defiles of adding
Defiles of subtracting
Subtracting what multiplies
Subtracting what amplifies
Amplifies what cares
Amplifies what shares
Shares of joy
Shares of toy
Toy that inspires
Toy never expires
Expires like remission
Expires like division
Division of labor
Division of glamour
Glamour of you
Glamour in you
You are beautiful
You are honest
Honest in naughtiness
Honest to goodness
Goodness in Math
Goodness in path
Path to Wonderland
Path in Neverland
Neverland of magic
Neverland so hypnotic
Hypnotic in loving
Hypnotic and caring
Caring with less
Caring and penniless
Math of penniless
More or less
Breed
not blood
not color
that you carry
all over your skin
that projects inner self
energize your whole being
from head to toe that you all know
since childhood that made your character
an ally or foe of the modern world
ME, NATURE, AND WARMING LOVE
Outside temperature is low;
Seems like it’s freezing out there:-
I can hear cool air blowing,
But only can feel warm breath:-
Inside, I’m in love’s blanket;
Wrapped and warm with ecstasy:-
Cold outside, but warm inside;
Thus, the nature of it all:-
This Atmosphere — of Tempest —
Reveals the Souls that stay —
When others — like the withered Leaves —
Are frightened — blown away —
Conviction is a Lantern —
Held trembling — in the Gale —
Yet still — it keeps its Yellow —
Though every Light may fail —
The Quiet ones — will startle —
Their Courage — like a Drum —
Beating in the silent Streets —
Announcing — “We have come —”
And History — a stern Witness —
Will note — in careful Ink —
Who rose — against the Thunder —
And who — refused — to Think.
it's awesome today
yesterday was 35°.
day's temperature
rose 73°
yesterday no insects yet
today yet this warm
a cold then warm fall,
day today butterflies float
frolic , fly and play
11/16/25
Written words by James Edward Lee Sr
Specific Types of Environment Poems
Definition | What is Environment in Poetry?
Poems Related to Environment
status, climate, habitat, surroundings, setting, situation, entourage, domain, neighborhood, locale, terrain, scene, milieu, hood, zoo, territory, conditions, aura, scenery, medium, ambiance, background, circumstances, element, jungle, context, turf, backdrop, neck of the woods, encompassment, purlieus, stomping ground, ecosystem, atmosphere, environs, biosphere, gaia, ecosphere,