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The Poems of Bernard Gieske, US in the September / October 31,
2011 Sketchbook
Free Verse
A
Ray of Beauty*
“Flowers are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty
out values all the utilities of the world.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Into a lovely garden I venture
With a camera to take a picture
Not expecting some sudden adventure
A paradise of creeping creatures
Like that multi-legged caterpillar
It’s feet clamped around a tall slender stem
With the intent of being a raider
That is something I cannot comprehend
Just how I can think him an intruder
One might say he’s even a perfect match
In this paradise of a garden patch
Eyeing that bloom for a delicious lunch
What is it he has in his greedy sight
His many spear-like hairs gleaming with light
I hope I do not hear a fatal crunch
A flower has nothing more than beauty
Which is worth more than man’s utility
*Inspired
by April Pilley’s photograph, “Caterpillar” appearing in
Nature Photographer Magazine, Summer 2009. See April
Pilley:
The Art League of West Texas
The
Homestead
After
viewing a paining by Sonya Terpening*
Time and
again I find the days
when my mind keeps drifting back
to some of those early spring days
when newly-grown tufts of grass
were scattered around clay-brown ground
and bleating hungry newborn lambs
could be seen drinking their mother’s milk
merrily wagging their tails - still long.
My memory often slips away
meandering through the open fields,
following a path down to the lazy pond
where turtles dozed soaking up the sun
and dragonflies flitted from flower to flower.
My heart still yearns to travel that road back,
turn past the mailbox onto the gravel drive
of the homestead which still lays claim to my youth,
where with all the animals and open fields
we felt like one home-grown family.
That’s where we woke to the rooster crowing.
That’s where we knew the clucking hens.
That’s where we watched the windmill turning.
That’s where we welcomed the breezes on hot summer days,
drank the cooling water from a deep-dug well,
and our bare feet kissed the cool slate stones of the
kitchen floor.
Our chores were simple and early done
leaving the day empty for fun.
We picked some blackberries catching a snack
and found the grapes to our liking.
Climbing apple trees was our delight.
Fishing the pond, sighting a rabbit
were our pleasures to enjoy and so many more.
Our hearts will always be yearning to go home again.
Author's Note:
May 18, 2010. To view the painting, go to;
http://www.sonyaterpening.com/Archives-Oil.htm: then
scroll down:
Sonya Terpening’s art is about sharing the great and
fascinating world around her:
“When
something moves me, be it a story or a scene, I want to
express it in color and light so that the viewer can
share the feeling. There is nothing more beautiful than
this great land and the people living in it. I am drawn
not only to the American west as it exists today but
also to its history. There is something about the past
that we all share that makes us better for remembering
it. I think art touches the soul and teaches in ways
words cannot.”
To read more
about Sonya, go to:
http://www.sonyaterpening.com/Biography.htm
Bernard
Gieske, US and Sadie J. Valeri, US—Ekphrastic Rhymed Couplets: Bottle Collection
Bernard
Gieske, US—Free Verse: Lady With Hope
Bernard
Gieske, US and Connie Bransilver, US—Ekphrastic
Free Verse: Jane's Menagerie
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