Feeling a bit scaly
and my usual fleet-footed
I followed a lizard
into an evaporating wash --
somehow, all living critters
eventually enter the wash -- the
lizard looking for insects, and the
coyote looking for lizards
and to drink from a puddle
of water -- more like
a thimble full, the sun reclaims
quickly when 120 -- dwellers learn
to conserve, survive on less
in the desert; did not see
one environmentalist though;
probably in a comfy college
dorm, or staff lounge, sipping ice-tea,
writing his or her next hit piece, main
focus on how he or she suffers along with
a greatly abused planet. Gulp, gulp!
Honestly, I prefer the company of lizards,
coyotes, and an occasional rattler -- always
having found the desert far more hospitable
than Arid intellect.
From deep within, we feel bliss rapture rise,
too fleet footed to be tracked by our mind,
so leaving imagined knowing behind,
we feel each breath as first rays of sunrise.
Poised in peace in the cave behind our eyes,
entwined with vibrant heart, loving and kind,
God’s grace releasing us from desire’s bind,
whence soul’s light shines and wayward ego dies.
Recognition of Self, sets our soul free,
requiring but our eye to be single,
that beholding ourselves as living light,
we dance breath by breath, joyous and carefree,
cajoled by bliss pheromones that tingle,
bestowing upon us, gift of clear sight.
A singular beast is the moose
And said to be quite a recluse.
Fleet-footed, it seems
It's only in dreams
You'll capture a moose on the loose!
05.01.23
In an open meadow, on a path carved just for me between the wildflowers,
I stand breathing in the scent of pine needles, crushed by fleet-footed deer,
as the birds sing a melody uninterrupted by the world.
I am lost momentarily in the softness of the moss beneath my fingers,
while the
waterfall
rushes
to kiss
the earth
finally pooling at the bottom,
like the peace that comes to rest in my soul.
A deer in my cabin roadway
regards me curious
like a painter at his easel
As twilight flickering, catches its coat,
dappled patches of brown.
"Are you okay?" It nods, a neck swoop down, in flourishes.
"Do you want more apples?" It bobs again
before fleet footed to the woods away.
My cabin mate would have gaped in wonder
but he's not here.
He fell in love with barley whiskey.
Kidney failure
Cirrhosis
That took his apple grin away.
But not before his body screamed
a spinning form in spasms
to miss the fleeting hooves of deer.
Poem composed: October 2020
We are its prey
It comes for us all
Stalking us silently
Coming when we least expect it
Many forms
Relentless in its pursuit
As its quarry
We do our best daily to evade
Some of us seldom see it
Some live with it lurking daily
Breaks some of us
Callouses others
Takes some of us
Fleet footed
lethargic
fit
doesn't matter
It will catch you eventually
Curse of the mortal human
Fiona, fair beauty, fleet footed and fancy free,
Flits over the field,
Full of life and fun, a joy to see.
She’s my Bonnie canine, sweet and good,
Loving and loyal, a regal golden,
Her tail held high, 'til coursing the woods.
Wild is my Heather as her namesake flower on the hill,
Pursuing bunnies, squirrels and birds,
Though only for the chase’s thrill.
Nairne, in Gaelic means “dweller by the narrow river glen,”
Which is she, when resting from her adventures now and then.
Oh, Fi, my darling girl,
How you’ve blessed my life and set it in a whirl!
MRT/4-27-10
203
Could I ever
Chance the power
To let you win
Race on back
To begin
This fleet footed fly
Repeat
I will stand
And be the blessed
Among the damned
Peregrine falcons are built to terrorize the sky,
Fleet-footed cheetahs meant to run down prey,
Insulated penguins with the harshest winter vie,
Through the deep sleek orcas race without delay.
Hummingbirds steal nectar, suspended in flight,
Meerkats stand sentry on sturdy hind legs,
Silverbacks reign with awesome shows of might,
Camouflaged chameleons with the local flora mix.
At a purpose each animal is designed to excel,
And man with an outsize brain equipped to think,
Yet from the state of the world one hardly can tell,
Ours is the race chosen to do any such thing.
Angels And Their Friends
All along the forest winds desire
Angels fly from side to side beguiled
At attention to the young running child
Allowed to frolic free between the trees awhile
Born to breathe below branch and leaf
Chronicled are beginnings and child’s ends
Charmed, fleet-footed with playful friends
Charging past the forest to the open glen
Boundless energy, into the arms of parents with relief
Created on 8/27/14 for The Lady Of Shalott Poetry contest
Evening of life when struggles are over
Living without luxuries on a small monthly pension
Never needing the ferry back from Calais to Dover.
Fleet-footed days driven from season to season;
No clutter but the essentials with access to Internet,
A telephone landline, and a flat-screen television.
One spare room to accommodate the sure guest
Family or friend, who'll be pleased to drift in,
Claiming their turn for a holiday and rest.
Neighbours invited for a tonic with gin
Discover the shops where the price could be lower
But cart away the empties to the recycling bin.
Some may believe that our lives are in clover
Depends whether you like it less fast, or much slower.