Squirrels and ducks are out
Stealthy peregrines darting
Dinner on the lake
'Big Blue' hanging high
Cumulus clouds floating by
Peregrines diving
20 Year-Old Poems NUMBER 3 Passover Tree Swallows
Easter came a week into spring!
And diving like jets in ongoing wars
But reminding me of Jesus rising
My Easter encounter with tree swallows
Recalling too, “bats” at the Ponte Vecchio
Passing over me – assuredly – Tachycineta bicolor
Imitating sonar-powered dive bombing
Like peregrines toward me – O now averting
Collision at right angles, a loop, parabola?
Face to face with the whites of their bellies
Eye to eye with those iridescent male backs
So many today, they might be gnats, sweat bugs
Delighting my heart in this promised land
My exodus offers two options at my Lake
Hug the water to Cash Trail
Or wander among old Maryland trees!
Or meander with Laurel Trail lazily …
On this quiet, gray afternoon
In the finest spray of drizzling rain
I stop and give homage to all THIS
(c)Deo, shalom, shalom Friends. amen and amein
~The Prodigious Peregrine~
The wide winged Peregrines
soar over the ocean.
Flapping their wings
in steady motion.
Grazing the waves
as they head for the caves
shadowing the finned
on their way there.
The prey they ensnare
makes their trip through the air
proof they are quite disciplined.
When it's time to resume
they will fly by the moon
back to their grassy bedding.
There they will rest
feeling well fed
under the sunshine
basking.
When their bellies cry out
they'll go back into flight
for now, they lay
quietly resting.
Stephanus Marcus Book I
Canto 2
Verses 8 and 9
Now tidings bringing grave alarm to Saint
doth make that noble seek advice from James.
Duke Morley's knights have taken control with taint
of Broughton Place; Charles gave Liege cursing names.
Lord Saint is tired of peregrines and games.
Prince James thought time was right to make Liege fight
for Broughton Place and suffer deadly shames.
A broken sword would lessen Morley's might
unfit for Richard use when he must face his plight.
Sir Sinefred, knight of Bleadershame, would lead
Lord Saint's contingent brave and bold to fight.
With heavy impact Morley's lines would bleed
for Sinefred always reels the foe to flight.
Lord Morley's knights in sway will feel Duke's might.
Then Broughton Place shall be once more set free
and Morley's great unfair thing be set right.
All Morley's knights will honor Saint's decree.
For he'll not tolerate a knight to disagree.
Stephanus Marcus Book I
Canto2
Verses 4 and 5
The hunting parties ride in teams of three.
Each force has falcon trained in cage for prey.
Groups make a wager paying needed fee,
pot goes to winner by the close of day.
Sir Cedric rides a mare a handsome bay,
this knight was baron tenured late of date.
King Richard gave him title Easter day,
but he joined James' cabal and waited fate.
Black knight willed more, his avaricious mind to sate.
Another threesome hunting prey till night
was Marquis Daenon, noble great of Thale.
Duke Lighten, grave of Hallow Castle's might,
and Sire Ben Brooster never known to fail.
All fine men ranged the fields for hare and quail,
ducks, rabbits, pheasants using peregrines.
Duke Saint Charles made them feel at ease on trail,
now often showing antler deers and hinds.
To nobles fine his lackeys gave assorted wines.
With the grandeur of prairies and canyon
With Georgian welcomes from Springer Mountain
With cooler welcomes of Katahdin
America rises with five million feet
To exult among more mosses, mammals, trees
Than have survived in spaces smaller than countries
A president named Teddy signed off on it
America rises with these five million feet
With delirious descent of peregrines
With the swooping swish of eagles with fish
With raising and saving whooping cranes
America still rises across millions of feet
Grace as in the disappearing Chestnut
Timelessness and wonder in the redwood
Gifts of Euphorbia, Aster, Camelia
America rises in chlorophyll and feet
With red and green blood that will unify
With Hibiscus threatened by goats in Hawaii
America rises and falls from view
America for all, always preserved by the few
(c) First published with gratitude in 2005; God Bless America - and the rest of humanity. Shalom, shalom!
an Arabian sonnet
Raising up a falcon brood – bucolic,
one becomes extremely melancholic.
Yesterday a clamor vitriolic
told of eyas’ danger diabolic.
Trying panacea called a mixer
feeding drops of magic juice elixir,
desultory effort served to fix her.
Little did I know there was a trickster.
Still forbearance caused my heart to tremble.
Gathered on the roof, my birds resemble
teenage bullies looking to dissemble.
Such assemblage often does beleaguer.
Lissome sibs had pushed off little leaguer -
fellow eyas not yet fledged but eager.
*eyas (eye’ yuz) is a nestling falcon
taken from the nest for training, plural is eyasses
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