Tag Archives: nature

showing. off.

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An AI-generated, photorealistic image showing a stunning panoramic view of Arthur's Point, with a winding river valley and majestic mountains in the background, contrasting with the central theme of the poem about patchy internet access.
before we can spec the ground floor studio
the verdict’s been posted by the tween

the view from arthur's point
ain’t worth a million bucks
if you can't catch wifi
for a single insta
in the vale

brutalist realty
for century 21

kakaruai

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A close-up, eye-level photograph of a small, curious South Island robin, also known by its Māori name 'kakaruai,' standing on rocky ground. The bird's bold black and white plumage contrasts with the gray and brown stones of the Routeburn track, visually representing the friendly encounter described in the poem.
on routeburn
we meet two nice guys 
one before one after 
bridal veil falls

brian's been bonding with the universe
telling him to ditch construction
pick up a different brush 
represent mount hikurangi 
in water and acryllic
he heeds what quiet birds tell
don't ford the river 
rain can build 
to a point of no return

south island robin puffs up his breast of beige
hopping to greet us as the skies clear
like all his breed 
a curious and friendly tom
putting no distance
between us and song
we heed what his lyric signs
while rain lets
retrace our way in double time

imagine the disquiet
when this peace is rent
by guttural shouts
urgent like death rattles
rushing to help
only to find
they were made by
three giggling louts




Tuscan Irrelevancies I: roadside encounter

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A close-up, low-angle photograph of a small snail with a distinctively striped shell, moving slowly across a gravel road in Tuscany. The image, with its shallow depth of field, draws attention to the subtle beauty of the snail, contrasting with the poem's theme of a trip to iconic Italian landmarks.

It’s a trip marked fully by the fully marked
Portents abounding from Rome to Florence to Cortona
Every step to the Brunelleschi cupola worn by forebears
Every snap in the Ufizi stale before the iPhone is aimed
 
Sunday afternoon taking out the trash to eco appropriate bins
(Even this task not mundane but meaningfully marked  
so glass does not mingle irrelevantly irreverently with gross)
one finally has a roadside encounter shared only with the divine

Sunday Perch: Defying Gravity

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A vertical, close-up photograph of a green praying mantis perched on a slender blade of grass. The insect's delicate and unique posture, which appears to be 'defying gravity,' is the subject of the post's title.

Sunday Perch: Bellhop

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A macro photograph of a unique, White-plumed Moth (Pterophorus pentadactyla) perched on a plant. The insect's posture and appearance resemble a 'bellhop,' which is the clever wordplay in the post's title.

Tide Pool #3: Yellow Menace?

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A top-down, close-up photograph of a bright yellow marine growth, with frond-like formations, in a low tide pool on the Mornington Peninsula, Australia. The organism's alien-like appearance is highlighted in the post's title, 'Yellow Menace?', which humorously explores the theme of xenophobia and prejudice.

Tide Pool #2: Life on Mars?

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A top-down, macro photograph of a rocky tide pool on the Mornington Peninsula, Australia, focusing on a weathered, iron-rich sandstone rock with a rugged, reddish-brown surface. The image's color and texture, which evoke the landscape of Mars, directly reflect the post's title, 'Life on Mars?', continuing the theme of alien-like discoveries on the coastline.

Tide Pool #1

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while watching for weedy sea dragons
where reefy sea grass ought to flow
instead this one peeks
in proof of alien life?
A macro photograph of algae fronds almost like a living crab-like organism, resting on a wet, rocky surface in a tide pool on the Mornington Peninsula, Australia

Botswana Beauties: Light Fantastic

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black-winged stilts i’ve read 
are known to be
collaborative home-makers
and gregarious waders 
at the borehole we see them
daddy and mummy long legs
skipping skating skitters 
tilted silted trippers
A high-contrast photograph of silhouetted black-winged stilts in flight and wading through light-speckled water in Botswana.

Botswana Beauties: Dynamic Duos

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A vertical photograph of two vervet monkeys, one climbing on top of the other, on a tree trunk.

A close-up photograph of two Red-billed Hornbills perched side-by-side on a bare tree branch against a pale blue sky.

A striking, silhouetted photograph of two Yellow-billed Hornbills perched side-by-side on a dead tree branch against a dusky, cloudy sky. T

A photograph of two Wattled Cranes, a large, elegant bird species native to the wetlands of Botswana. The two cranes are walking side-by-side in a vast, open field of dry grass,