I am constantly amazed by the native Australian flora and fauna. Delicate feather likes leaves and the arrayed tendrils of the flowers combine to make Grevillea one of my favourite plants.
Lilly Pilly Flowers
When we moved into the house around 1.5 years ago the Australian native Lilly Pilly hedge was in a sorry state, suffering from a severe case of scale.
A couple of feeds with fertiliser pellets and white oil treatment has encouraged a few flowers to appear this year.
Resolute Spirit of the Tree
Green moss adorned onlooker of the World,
Home to insects, animals, birds and snakes,
Lashed by rain, lightening scarred, while the sun bakes;
Stalwart sentinel, twisting branches, knurled,
Reaching to clouds on high with leaves unfurled,
Seasons run their course; sudden peace breaks
As man cuts down life for the wood he takes
Screeching saw, “Timber!” strip, chop, trim and hurled.
Fearsome visage masks gentle inner force,
Resolute guardian, woodland watcher stands,
Spirit strong among the trees’ earth bound roots;
The forest needs to stand free from man’s hands,
The cycle of life, a natural resource,
Relieve harm to Gaia as man pollutes.
(c) Robert Jones 2013, All Rights Reserved
I was inspired to write this poem when I saw what appeared to be a face, spine and pelvis in the mirrored image of moss growing on a tree trunk in Sydney Park.
Flame for Peace
To me a flame signifies power, remembrance, passion, energy and creativity;
We give power to the metaphysical flame from the light within us,
Without our intent the power of the flame diminishes,
Peace is possible by combining individual calls into a united voice,
Join me in sharing your inner flame for peace.
(c) Robert Jones 2013, All Rights Reserved
Kindness
It’s a self fulfilling state of being,
not to be switched on and off to be kind,
it needs patience, caring, presence of mind,
active listening, compassion and seeing;
sharing from my heart enriches I find,
the soul, while relieving the daily grind,
and empathy holds the gift of freeing.
Tender caress of a warm, gentle breeze
carries a message from the divine,
“use feather light fingertips of kindly hands,
bring forth light from within to share, to shine”,
I drift away on barely rocking seas,
reflecting on deeds; my learning expands.
(c) Robert Jones 2013, All Rights Reserved
It is a few decades since I have written a poem. To my knowledge I’ve never attempted a sonnet. Writing “Kindness” has been a fulfilling experience both in articulating what kindness means for me and in having the opportunity to learn a new skill. I took the photograph in 2012, knowing that one day I would have the opportunity to share the image of the kindest fingertips I know.
Your feedback would be appreciated.
http://everydaygurus.com/2012/12/30/monthly-peace-challenge-acts-of-kindness/
Aunt Maud
In the mid ’90s I was living on the outskirts of Worcester, UK. While out for a stroll I came across some farm buildings that were being converted into a restaurant. Being England, a pleasant sunny afternoon quickly turned dark as rain clouds rolled in from the Malvern Hills. I decided to head home; on turning the corner of the farm I noticed a number of framed portraits on the side of the road leaning against the side of a red brick barn. The pictures were in various states of decay suffering from water damage and mildew.
By now large rain drops began falling, so I hastily grabbed one the photographs and headed home. I was able to lightly clean the picture and restore the frame.
My female ancestors have a curious assortment of first names from Doris through Hilda to Emmelina. As far as I was aware none were named Maud, so as the the unknown woman in the picture looked like someone I wouldn’t mind having as an ancestor she became my adopted Aunt Maud. Years later while researching relatives in my family tree I found I had a great grand mother called Matilda. Maud is a medieval form of Matilda, spooky………..
Aunt Maud hangs above a stone mantle piece in the kitchen. The fireplace would have housed the range when the house was built around the turn of the 20th century. A fitting place for my great grandmother’s namesake to watch over us.
Seeds
Inspired by the pictures posted on JanasJournal.com, this is the first time I have posted an artwork on my blog.
Using an app to paint is something new for me as my preferred mediums are pencil and watercolours. I created the above Seeds image while doodling with ArtStudio for iPad around a year ago. I find the layers function great for creating depth.
Celebrating the elementals at Yuletide/Litha
Being mid-Summer in Australia we are celebrating Litha, the Summer solstice while the northern hemisphere celebrates Yuletide. Over the last few days the water temperature in the pool has been a comfortable 28-30oC.
Afternoons spent frolicking with the undines of the pool flow perfectly into evenings on the deck surrounded by the gnomes of the Earth while celebrating the salamanders by candlelight and honouring the sylphs of the air with sandalwood incense.
Blessed be to all.
Pockets of Green
I count myself fortunate to be able to enjoy the pockets of green in an urban landscape.
I feel drawn to places like this. While it appears to be the same each time I visit, there is always something I haven’t noticed before that captures my imagination.
Life Through Time
When considering time in terms of months of the year I visualize an ellipse. Like a racetrack with January and December marking the beginning and end of the cycle. For me January to June tends to be a gentler gradient and a slower pace than July to December. By mid December I’m in need of a break.
The years in my life appear as a stack of ellipses joined together in an upward spiral. When I was a child a year seemed to last forever, so using this perception of time the first ellipse located at the bottom would be the widest. The ellipses reduce in size as they coil up forming an elliptical cone.
This is the path of my life through time, I can see where I’ve been and where I am now. I can make a guess at what will be happening in the next few months, beyond this the path is unclear. I wonder if my journey will continue to a peak or will the years appear to pass more slowly as I move into old age. In this scenario the path of my life could end up looking like a lopsided hourglass.
What does the shape of your life through time look like?
theINFP 