Vibrant chroma dots the mountains and valleys;
we hike the Red River gorge, taking in it’s
majestic pigmentation; leaves of October
crunch beneath booted feet.
We take our journey with care, as the cliffs
can be deadly in an instant; still, the crisp
Kentucky mountain air is rejuvenating to
lungs, too long in the city’s smog.
I stop at the edge of a cliff, checking my sure-footedness and spot a doe leaping in the lower valley; taking out my camera, I snapped a shot
of this bold being.
I’ve taken lots of wonderful photos on this hike and as the sun sets, My friend whispers, shh...I look to see a Copperhead less than six feet from us; we are fortunate that he is not coming towards us; knowing its bite can kill, we stand perfectly silent and still, so as not to startle it until he gets far enough away.
I shove my camera into my backpack and we resume our slow trek down, the cliff where we’ll head back to our car.
October in Kentucky is full of amazing fauna;
still one must beware the dangers,
for the bliss of the resplendent autumn experience.
2-7-2022
A STRAND (1068) Poetry Contest
Brian Strand
Categories:
footedness, appreciation, beauty, earth, nature,
Form: Free verse
When she stepped into the traffic
did she see the oncoming,
judge the distance;
the fleet footedness
of her thoughts calculating
the crossing,
or did she read the red end of her life
the way a deer might
caught in a blind light,
paralyzed by decisions?
I watched,
perhaps other eyes were on her
too far away from the moment
to save or rescue her time.
When planes break apart
the passengers fall out of it
thinking, calculating,
& dying before the end.
Possums lay in the road
gambling on deadness
to fend off an 18 wheelers.
Did a ghost of a thought
push her back,
keep her swaying
like a cartoon road-runner
on the curb edge,
or did she plunge into the truck
gambling that she would
always be
a moment away?
Was she already lost
as she unraveled a tangle
at the other side of town.
This we cannot say,
for most of us reflexively
looked away.
Categories:
footedness, poetry,
Form: Free verse
Dragon skull master came hobbling toward her
SheGirl knew it meant evil for someone, maybe even her people
The wind was howling, and she was lost, so she took a ride
Holding her doll, the only piece of humanity left in her world
Dragon skull master showed power as he walked her to a new destination
She could see nothing except black fog that rivaled his mane
She could tell by his sure-footedness that he intended to collect her all along
It made her feel comforted but did nothing for the doll who was shivering
They faced the storm together, SheGirl and Dragon Skull Master
Two pawns in a game played by the forces of wind and evil.
Wind tried to blow her off his back, but she held on tightly.
Ready for anything and everything, safe on Dragon Skull Master’s back.
Categories:
footedness, dark, fantasy,
Form: Prose Poetry