Coniferous greenery holds up the hill and my eyes.
Snakes wind around the roots, and my boots, if I’m not careful.
Replaced junipers with a weeping willow and stone wall.
Junipers symbolized rest and refuge in ancient times.
Elijah, Job, and Jeremiah were drawn to these special trees.
During their worst times, resting beneath them, they pondered life and death.
Big tall evergreen trees are monoecious
But others are only dioecious
Two sexes are mono
While only one dio
Both prickly to handle coniferous
A sun encounters a probing of it,
course a bargain at a remote lea.
Jilt Thistles yields to breeze that never quit,
brush forces the stately Yellow Daisies
dressed, and clips wispy tall grass they'd cornered.
Giving Geraniums, lil' fuss yet mild,
errant gust o'er feral terrain, murmured
along roads of spooled vines, draped plain Pines filed.
Jumping Junipers Jurassic epoch,
weighs low Violets in check of their guides.
Mute untamed bouquet dells, wouldst edged dear Puck,
herald of joys, Baby Breaths, never chides.
Parts spring inseparable their lil' games,
divided droplets formed handheld mirth tames.
I left the village and trudged towards the small wood,
Junipers, covered with berries that looked so good.
It was an inviting place many knew about
It was luck I found it, few cared I have no doubt.
In the middle, a pond cherished by lots of fish,
Around willow Norway Spruce which was my true wish.
And on the face of the water, large leaves floated,
With white, yellow and purple lotus promoted.
I sat on a rock, watching some birds as they flew,
Elated as the solitude around me grew.
On the other side, a small bridge led to my place.
I had to admire her neat walk, her lovely face.
She quietly sat down beside me, full of bliss.
I leaned slowly towards her and gave her a kiss.
In that inviting place who could ignore delight
I was ready to give her my all heart outright
In that silence, she lay on my shoulder, her head.
In blissful solitude, never a word we said.
1 March 2023
Place 1
Writing Challenge - I Words - Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Constance La France
Angels in furs so white
Brave voices as cool as sprite
Cheeks so red or pink
Delights your day without a wink
Endless care reserved for you
Flocking in troupe over you
Giggling over rainbows of you
Halos in head that cover you
In miles and miles they travel far
Junipers like trees watching your jar
Kept in jar, your fallen stars
Love in heart without scars
Moments in life they praise so loud
Novels of time you read aloud
Out of the blue angels come to life
Paints of you in real life
Quetzalcoatl may scare you
Remember angels are there for you
Serenading the depths of you
Telling stories of me and you
Under your pillow is a dream come true
Velvets and sashes that wrap in you
White you wear is your skin deep
Xisti of true colors you keep
Your white angels of time on grip
Zooming with God you trip
Upon birth, Juniper loved her name; no one else had it.
But then others heard it.
Now there are sixteen Junipers in the same class - her class.
The teacher wants to number them.
Juniper one, Juniper two, Juniper three.
The parents sign a petition they do not want their children numbered.
They should have thought of that before they stole Juniper’s middle name too.
an awesome
benevolent blowy breeze
cleverly concealed, contrived
dastardly deeds of destruction
expressing excitement and enthusiasm
for faithful forever forest firs
giving giant gusts gorgeous guesses
however hardy hemlock heralded heavy happiness
independently indulged, indigenous illuminations illustrated
juxtaposed joyous jumping jiggly junipers
kibitzing killer kleptomaniacal kittens
lounging luxuriously as lemon laughing laborers lollygagged
making monstrously melodic memory music
nebulously needing neverland’s notorious Neptune
Ostentatiously ogling oleander’s offending odors
Promoting promenading, prick preening pines
Quashing quarrelsome Quixotic quails quickly
Reaching Red Oaks’ rhyming rhythm
Securing sassy sexy, sensual sequoia’s secrets
Tantalizing teasing talk toward trees’ temperatures
Understanding unspoken underlying Unitarian underlays
Vexing various variegated veins
Washing wonderful walnuts’ wanderlust
‘xacting ‘xasperating ‘xcitement
young, youthful, yipping
zephyr!
Night falls upon the
wooded lake shore,
I hear Minerva’s child calling;
echoes through the trees
tell me that the
nightlife is awake.
Through my tent flap,
the glimmering dance
of fireflies,
fills the night wood.
Blue whispering waters
are singing to the moon;
I shiver from the frosty
tweak upon my skin;
gazing up at the starlight
that filters through
the junipers and evergreens.
I look over the ensure that the
fire is completely out,
fresh trout is always a delight
and my stomach is happy tonight.
I snuggle down into my sleeping bag,
my dog, Hillbilly-Blue, at my side;
there’s nothing quite as refreshing
and sweet as a Springtime camping trip.
When will pretty?
leaves of green,
bud with everlasting
love, skies
splash intense cerulean?
and rivulets of ivy
cascade, junipers
show off their Spring?
outfits, roses
purse their lips
of pink and red
wink at him, shower?
her with adoration
petals. in the blink
of an eye, changes
will arrive, cold
tucked in heaven’s chest.
1/21/2020
Gray wolves howl, horned owls summon their young
Echoes tend the starlit night
Junipers nest in crevices of metamorphic rocks
Clover and strife are bedded by the light dew settling
In the west the stage retains its natural beauty
Unlike civilization of distant places undergoing restoration
High terrains are provisional to its harbor side valleys
Eagles soaring in the ultimate skies, falcons scouting for conspicuous prey
The Grand Mesa, home to the pioneers and to those who make the pilgrimage
I fly through the trees, my eyes fixed on a cup
of water
That drifts
between Heaven & Hell, since
smiling drugstores sell ice
cream for
cancer, until midnight captures
stars reflecting
The Carny's bark of deliverance, while
mice sleep for
centuries, as
Wagons circle around junipers, parched jasmine
lays
forgotten until
reports of muskets shake power, absent 'till gold
surrenders to floating
Shards of glass, speaking mystical tongues from
mouths of
Mustangs trampling
religion that heralds Cathedrals of Angels-
voices, my Grandfather promised
tomorrow
voices,
my Grandfather
promised
tomorrow
I was born pure and free
Every passing birthday celebrates my perfect genes
It's not certain when things changed
I feel the growing pain
my lungs are filled with sooty particles
and brain lives in a death mansion
Drowning in studies
is the killing of my intelligence
If somehow I were reborn in outer space
I'd create Martian laws, forget the earth's
The world is craving for endless wealth
Only I miss the trees
Memories of the thriving junipers in the far woods
Are they still alive today?
In dreams i manufactured magical roses
I used them to clean the carbon prints behind humans
It's a comfort to my soul
to relieve the fear of seeing a garden without leaves
I labored hard for my wish to come true
Just for a green future can still be seen
without wearing green glasses
Away dashes the last frigid brush of winter
Beauty cannot wait to rise and greet the sun
Crocuses are first to break through barren soil
Daffodils display their lacy, yellow petals next
Even the iris is beckoned by warmth
Fragile blooms pray another frost will not come
Gardenias bestow their sweet aroma
Hibernating forsythias wake to grace the garden with gold
In these early weeks of spring
Junipers need time to develop fruit
Kindling and firewood are laid aside
Lovers saunter through gardens
Magical kisses are shared beneath the draping willows
Nests appear high in tall trees
Oaks are filled with robins and blue jays
Peace is found in a hike through the woodlands
Quickly, a red fox darts across the trail
Rabbits are his prey
Squirrels shake their fluffy, furry tails
Total bliss is found in nature’s rebound
Upon the trellis vines are sprouting
Violet morning glories wake to greet sunrise
Winter must remain dormant for nine long months
Xylem carries nutrients to thirsty leaves
Yearlings with dotted hides emerge from forests to graze
Zigzagging among bushes, hummingbirds joyfully welcome spring
*Written February 21, 2015
Resting Under My Favorite Old Tree
Lucky bird sings a jolly little tune
of ravishing sunshine in late June
Graced by soft breeze to give a thrill
among the junipers on lakeside hill
I stop my journey into Nature's treat
to breathe in this melody so sweet
Well trodden path leads me on down
into a wilderness far, far from town
Birds fly and scared rabbits race away
as if I did not also come just to play
Hawk flying low gives me a great view
offering acrobatic stunts right on cue
Fish flopping in clear flowing stream
day so wonderful, feels like a dream
As the large blue lake comes into view
afternoon sun tells me time really flew
Now to rest under my favorite old tree
a bit of good food and a nap is key
Then back up the path to my sweet home
God, it is so great to thru Nature roam!
Robert J. Lindley
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