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[gardengirl]

Peregrine Falcons

The fearless hunters of the day they circle in the sky
And faster than a swallow tis said that they can fly
They can kill birds far larger than themselves in flight they make the kill
They nest in holes in the sandstone cliffs on the face of the brown hill,
The fearless hunters of the clouds with terror in their cry
The fastest birds of prey on Planet Earth few that fact would deny
Than the Peregrine falcons in their cloaks of dark to grey
You will not find a greater or more fearless bird of prey
They now nest on tall City buildings and though not seen everywhere
They are making a comeback ten years ago they were rare
They travel at breath-taking speeds when when they are in full flight
And to see them wheel above the cliffs is an amazing sight
The fastest birds on Planet Earth though some may not agree
They often cry out in full flight an amazing thing to hear and see.

-----Francis Duggan

[gardengirl]

Fierce Winter Storm



The storm raged in over night
Yes, nature had a plan
It brought terrible conditions
For plant, or beast, or man

It came in so very quickly
The wind was hard and fierce
And when I stepped outside
My lungs and face it pierced

Locked in winter's embrace
The world was cold and hard
Frail dry grass was transformed
As I looked out into my yard

The fences were laced with ice cycles
Rock solid they were from the cold
It was so astounding to watch
The winter ice storm unfold

Not a thing was able to move
If the wind blew we'd never tell
It's the perfect scene to capture
Photographers and artists as well

It's amazing what nature can do
And tomorrow it could be quite warm
But for now I'll take out my camera
And capture this fierce winter storm!


 
----Marilyn Lott

[RubyRed246]

Love this, it is what I have been doing since Christmas


Fierce Winter Storm



The storm raged in over night
Yes, nature had a plan
It brought terrible conditions
For plant, or beast, or man

It came in so very quickly
The wind was hard and fierce
And when I stepped outside
My lungs and face it pierced

Locked in winter's embrace
The world was cold and hard
Frail dry grass was transformed
As I looked out into my yard

The fences were laced with ice cycles
Rock solid they were from the cold
It was so astounding to watch
The winter ice storm unfold

Not a thing was able to move
If the wind blew we?d never tell
It?s the perfect scene to capture
Photographers and artists as well

It?s amazing what nature can do
And tomorrow it could be quite warm
But for now I?ll take out my camera
And capture this fierce winter storm!


 
----Marilyn Lott

[gardengirl]

Good to see you , Ruby!  Do you enjoy a good blizzard? I certainly do, and we have one headed our way. Yippee!!  Stay safe and warm, one and all!!

[gardengirl]

                                                                                        Woods in Winter

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow


When winter winds are piercing chill,
And through the hawthorn blows the gale,
With solemn feet I tread the hill
That overbrows the lonely vale.

O're the bare upland, and away
Through the long reach of desert woods,
The embracing sunbeams chastely play,
And gladden these deep solitudes.

Where, twisted round the barren oak,
The summer vine in beauty clung,
And summer winds the stillness broke,
The crystal icicle is hung.

Where from their frozen urns, mute springs
Pour out the river's gradual tide,
Shrilly the skaters iron rings
And voices fill the woodland side.

Alas! how changed from the fair scene,
When birds sang out their mellow lay,
And the winds were soft, and woods were green,
And the song ceased not with the day.

But still wild music is abroad,
Pale, desert woods! within your crowd;
And gathering winds, in hoarse accord,
Amid the vocal reeds pipe loud.

Chill airs and wintry winds! my ear
Has grown familiar with your song;
I hear it in the opening year,--
I listen, and it cheers me long.

[RubyRed246]

Yes, gg, I sure do enjoy a good blizzard. I love being warm and cozy in my home, in front of our fireplace. Hope all is well with you and yours. Counting the days until chat starts. See you there.

[walton]

I found this poem today and loved it. Thought I would share it here:

I Opened a Book
Julia Donaldson (2014)

I opened a book and in I strode
Now nobody can find me.
I've left my chair, my house, my road,
My town and my world behind me.

I'm wearing the cloak, I've slipped on the ring,
I've swallowed the magic potion.
I've fought with a dragon, dined with a king
And dived in a bottomless ocean.

I opened a book and made some friends.
I shared their tears and laughter
And followed their road with its bumps and bends
To the happily ever after.

I've finished my book and out I came.
The cloak can no longer hide me.
My chair and my house are just the same,
But I have a book inside me.

[gardengirl]

Oh, walton, being an avid reader, I GET this poem.  Thank you so much.

[gardengirl]

The Evening Star

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1807 - 1882


Lo! in the painted oriel of the West,
Whose panes the sunken sun incarnadines,
Like a fair lady at her casement, shines
The evening star, the star of love and rest!
And then anon she doth herself divest
Of all her radiant garments, and reclines
Behind the sombre screen of yonder pines,
With slumber and soft dreams of love oppressed.
O my beloved, my sweet Hesperus!
My morning and my evening star of love!
My best and gentlest lady! even thus,
As that fair planet in the sky above,
Dost thou retire unto thy rest at night,
And from thy darkened window fades the light.

[walton]

The Evening Star

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1807 - 1882


Lo! in the painted oriel of the West,
Whose panes the sunken sun incarnadines,
Like a fair lady at her casement, shines
The evening star, the star of love and rest!
And then anon she doth herself divest
Of all her radiant garments, and reclines
Behind the sombre screen of yonder pines,
With slumber and soft dreams of love oppressed.
O my beloved, my sweet Hesperus!
My morning and my evening star of love!
My best and gentlest lady! even thus,
As that fair planet in the sky above,
Dost thou retire unto thy rest at night,
And from thy darkened window fades the light.

Love it! And the evening star is brightest now in winter when it's cold. So beautiful!

[gardengirl]

The Eagle


by Edwin Curran

The dome of heaven is thy house
Bird of the mighty wing,
The silver stars are as thy boughs
Around thee circling.
Thy perch is on the eaves of heaven
Thy white throne all the skies
Thou art like lightning driven
Flashing over paradise!






The Dalliance of Eagles

by Walt Whitman

Skirting the river road, (my forenoon walk, my rest,)
Skyward in air a sudden muffled sound, the dalliance of the eagles,
The rushing amorous contact high in space together,
The clinching interlocking claws, a living, fierce, gyrating wheel,
Four beating wings, two beaks, a swirling mass tight grappling,
In tumbling turning clustering loops, straight downward falling,
Till o?er the river pois?d, the twain yet one, a moment?s lull,
A motionless still balance in the air, then parting, talons loosing,
Upward again on slow-firm pinions slanting, their separate diverse flight,
She hers, he his, pursuing.

[walton]

Thank you! The Walt Whitman has always been one of my favorites!

[gardengirl]

Here is my favorite Walt Whitman poem.

When I heard the learn'd astronomer.

When I heard the learn'd astronomer.
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me.
When I was shown the charts and diagrams to add, divide and measure them.
When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the lecture room.
How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick,
Till rising and gliding out I wander'd off by myself
In the mystical moist night air, and from time to time.
Look'd up in perfect silence at the stars.

Walt Whitman

[gardengirl]

Sometimes in the world today the only solace to be found is in the peace of wild things.

Another classic:



THE PEACE OF WILD THINGS

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Written by Wendell Berry

[walton]

Wendell Berry knew what he was talking about.