Last Sunset of July

Through the trees, a band of fire sets the horizon alight. The Sun is singing its radiant farewell, leaving the marshmallow sky to ready itself for another night.

"There is no enlightenment outside of daily life." - Thich Nhat Hanh

Seeing the light

Illuminated leaves, petals painted with light. A shaft of sunshine visits the darkest corner of my garden.

"The greatest discoveries are those that shed light unto ourselves." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

I Saw a Butterfly

I saw the feeble white flutter of wings, stifled. Wrapped in a skein of spiders silk, its beauty captured. I reached out my hand and broke its chains, freeing it from its single thread shackle. It fell to the green leaf safety net below, and I knelt and pulled away the sticky rope that had it bound. White wings flickered open and closed, as if to be sure it was finally free. I smiled as it took to the air, circling up into the deep blue of the afternoon sky.

"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does." - William James

Feeding Felines

Cats running, tails raised, after the moving plate of food.

"Say yes to what belongs to you, and let all else go." - Alan Cohen

Every Shade of Grey

I sense the stillness, the silence, as this greyscale evening seeps into my psyche - permeating my aura. The sky's grey mantle, a lid upon the world. It adds a weight that I can feel right down to my bones.

"The quieter you become, the more you can hear." - Ram Dass

In The Middle Of The Night

I awaken, heart pounding, terrified. The nightmare still has me in its power, so I reach out to stir my partner. "Are you okay?" he mumbles as he surfaces from sleep, then continues with a disappointed tone to his voice. "I was dreaming I was baking cakes, and now I won't be there when they come out of the oven." I feel the giggle bubbling up through my fear.

"Someone to tell it to is one of the fundamental needs of human beings." - Miles Franklin

The Strange Beauty Of Walls

Drystone wall, lichen covered and beautiful. Orange and pale green tell stories of time passing.

"Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid." - Frederick Buechner

Overheard

Old man taps his cane, I feel the floor vibrate under my feet. Hushed conversation overheard. "Do you like yoghurt". He yawns and looks away.

"The control center of your life is your attitude." - Norman Cousins

Giving Voice

The wind makes my garden speak. It runs through the greenery, whispering and telling tales.

"Music in the soul can be heard by the universe." - Lao Tzu

Up, Up and Away

A swirl of butterflies ascend skyward, weaving their white magic against the endless blue.

"Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day." - Henri Nouwen

Eight Thirty This Evening

The sinking sun paints the soft white clouds yellow. Crows shout their goodbyes to yet another day.

"Join me in the pure atmosphere of gratitude for life." - Hafiz of Persia

From a Hospital Waiting Room

Waiting room, silence broken by hushed whispers. Outside, the sky hangs heavy and grey over the red brick buildings. His big hand is warm, he curls his fingers around mine and squeezes. A small gesture that speaks volumes. She comes with clipboard and calls his name. He gets to his feet and quickly leaves the room. Silence resumes.

"Don't say this is good and that is bad. Drop all discrimination. Accept everything as it is." - Osho

At the end of the day

Yellow light dazzles and daubs. I am smeared in sunshine.

"Follow the river and you will find the sea." - French Proverb

Earth Drinking

Rain darkens the tree trunks, the skies, the bench in my garden. Splashing and dripping in translucent drops, it falls to the grateful and thirsty land.

Put seeds and cover them. Blades will sprout where you do your work. – Rumi

Bina Observed

She sits on the windowsill, tail wrapped around her delicate paws. The light catching her profile and highlighting the cream coloured patch on her nose. She turns and sees me watching and begins to purr.

"People that don't like cats haven't met the right one yet." - Deborah A. Edwards

Sounds from the kitchen

I hear the soft rumble of the kettle as it comes to the boil, then the chink of spoon against cups. I smile, knowing that he is making us both a cup of coffee.

"This is my beloved and this is my friend." - Song of Solomon

With my hands in the earth

Dark earth, hard crust gives as I plunge in my trowel. Careful transplanting of self set seedlings complete. I clear space for the courgette plant that has been waiting to put down roots.

"Where ever you are, be there totally." - Eckhart Tolle

seeing not hearing

The tiny bird and his shadow sit on my fence top. He has his back to me, but I can see his little body moving. And though I can't hear it through my double glazed windows, I can tell that he is singing. . .

"For lack of attention a thousand forms of loveliness elude us every day." - Evelyn Underhill

Sky Watching

The trees are backlit with a shimmering honey aura, their foliage all aglow. Changing light weaves a special magic that only those who watch the skies will ever know.

"Just remain in the center, watching. And then forget that you are there." - Lao Tzu

A Passing Moment

The melancholy landed on my shoulders. I felt it settle, like soft familiar hands. It seeped into my skin and slowly permeated my being, like luke warm warm liquid poured into my bones.

“There is always a sheet of paper. There is always a pen. There is always a way out.” - H.L. Mencken

The Beauty of Light

Soft pink morning light casts its shadows, like nets, upon my gardens green ocean. Natures intricate etchings, inking the canvas of my fence. With the ever shifting dance of light and shade, everything looks twice as beautiful in my garden today. . .

"Show me your garden and I shall tell you what you are."- Alfred Austin

Waiting in Traffic

Slow moving cars crawl to a stop. Beneath the bridge the motorway traffic hurtles onward. There between the exhaust fumes and sunlight, a tiny white butterfly flutters like a floating flower.

"There is always something left to love. And if you ain't learned that, you ain't learned nothing."
- Lorraine Hansberry

Running from the Wind

Clouds like curling waves, ride the roughshod sky. Moving at such a pace, I can only guess that the wind is chasing them across the heavens today.

"The dream was always running ahead of me. To catch up, to live for a moment in unison with it, that was the miracle." - Anais Nin

Torrential Downpour

Rain bounces from the shiny wet pavement. Dynamic water droplets leaping back up into the waiting air. Branches bend and glossy leaves act as funnels - channelling the water down into kinetic puddles, where the frenetic water continues to dance.

"Arriving at one point is the starting point to another." - John Dewey

Everything Moves

The sun fell so quickly tonight. Streaking the watercolour sky with skeins of the softest yellow. Silhouettes appear in the big old tree. The jackdaws are coming home to roost.

"The world is always in movement." - V. S. Naipaul

Where I Am

Clock ticking, marking time as night shadows darken. In the mirror of my uncovered window, I see the reflection of my lamp lit room. On the other side of the glass, a tiny moth flutters. . .

"Be where you are; otherwise you will miss your life." - Buddha

Before Twilight

In the grey green moment before twilight, a solitary dove lands. Rain drips from the silent bird table and falls to the waiting earth.

"Peace in ourselves, peace in the world." - Thich Nhat Hanh

Driving As The Sun Goes Down

Speeding by the sunset - a blur of yellow streaks the coming night with gold.

"You are the energy, and the energy is you." - Berri Clove

Parachutists

From a slow moving plane they emerge. Brightly coloured canopies whirling in the still afternoon air. Like man seeds falling from the sky.

"Who can tell the dancer from the dance?" - William Butler Yeats

Reflection

I held the mirror upside down today but it didn't change what I saw. Still me, still there, still the right way up.

"You’re thinking too much. Just let it flow." - E. Paluszak

Industrial Estate

Growing among the rusted metal and stark utility of factory units. The tiny yellow flowers bloom.

"There are always flowers for those who want to see them." - Henri Matisse