by compound complex 20 Replies latest jw friends
THE SEVEN REDWOODS
Seated in a lounge of cushioned steel, I lean
back and follow my wandering eyes up seven
towering trunks till their limbs and needles mass
as one, hiding rigid shafts that pierce the sky.
Removed from native soil and coastal fogs, I
marvel that dry and hot have harmed us not.
I, too, was born in mist but truly grew though
warmth was scarce and a steely cool prevailed.
Thrive I do amidst a scorching heat, the parching
wind; like these trees, I, somehow, shall survive.
You have a gift CoCo ,correction you have two gifts one with words and obviously one with your paintings .
I`m in my later years and have yet to find a "gift" that I have ,LOL
I have a mild fascination with trees forests brooks streams waterfalls and nature in general how can anyone not be moved emotionally by viewing such beauty.?
I am also especially fascinated with tall dead Gum trees with no leaves on them ,i just wish I could show you what I mean but it`s beyond my PC skills.
Sometimes here in Lakes Entrance VIC.Aust we get sea mists that cover the town it`s always a delight to experience it.
We are right on the ocean (90 mile beach) and lakes as well as the forests and snow fields just 2 hours away
some might say paradise at our doorstep .
What I love about this site is the diversity of subjects and threads that are posted and in some ways they all relate to our JW experience whether it`s a false expectation or just the realities of life.
Very well expressed, smiddy, and thanks again for your request. Yes, about the diversity of subjects. Sometimes when I say no more poetry for me on JWD, you and others pop up and encourage me! It's not everyone's cup of tea.
You call it gum, I call it eucalyptus -- my favorite tree! When I went to the Gold Coast some 20 years ago, you can imagine my delight in walking through entire forests. They are here in California in abundance. When I see one, I hug it. I love the peeling bark and the pungent smell. They are used here as windbreaks and raised for firewood.
THANKS, smiddy!
From my tale, "It is Getting Dark."
It is getting dark.
A stiff wind is coming in off the bay and the eucalyptus trees are swaying. The two-story house next door does not block my view of the sea; it is set back a bit. What I can see is partially obscured by a stand of trees. The gentle back-and-forth motion of those graceful eucalyptus causes the light pouring through my window to cut in and out.
Hypnotic. Comfortable. Warm.
CoCo my wife and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary a few years ago by going to the USA and I remember going past a park in LA on a sight seeing bus that had Eucalyptus trees their it was a WOW moment for us.
A little bit of trivia :.Some years ago we were living in an outer northern suburb of Brisbane Aust. which bordered on a National park where koalas live and because of the encroachment of developers into their habitat koalas are now going into the suburbs. (sad)
We were renting a house at the time with gum trees in our yard and frequently a koala would reside in our tree ,it was a 2 storey house we had and often we would eye-ball the koala.
My son is married to a Japanese lady and we put her parents up in our house when they got married they couldn`t speak English but were over the moon to witness a Koala walking in our yard and scrambling up a gum tree.
I`m sure a sight they will never forget.
Wallabies are often sighted just a few K`s north of their also. Again residential development`s are encroaching on the wildlife.
In some parts of Australia kangaroos/wallabies are so prolific they are considered a menace and they want them culled.
I hope they find answers to these problems without causing extinctions to these species.
smiddy:
While it was impossible to see everything in the 20 days I was on the coast -- Noosaville, the Great Barrier Reef, Lady Musgrave Island, etc. -- you have helped me understand it from a native's viewpoint. Sad about the indigenous beasties being threatened by the interloper man.
Yes, let's find some answers. I don't think it's gonna be Jehovah's Kingdom!
Thanks again, Mate!
From my backyard . . .
I love the photo of the tree...it's incredible! Did you take it CoCo? I'd buy a print of that!
The words are so evocative!
Did you ever see Orcha??
Edit they are all beautiful but I especially like the first one.
Wouldn't it be amazing if we could imprint our experiences into the minds of others...I would love to have seen the things your eyes have seen. You poems are the nearest we can get.
A sea mist rolling in giving you that eerie feeling of the moors of England or Transylvania where Frankenstein ,Dracula or the Wolfman were going to emerge from. I loved those movies when I was a kid.
Thinking back to my childhood in the 40`s and 50`s watching these B grade movies that never seem to leave you.
My wife worked at Hamilton Island for 3 months at one time and we spent a holiday their I gather you enjoyed your stay in that vicinity ?
Do or did you have family or friends their ?
That black and white photo of the "Tree" is so majestic and haunting I think it captivates a time of awe and mystery of what could or does unfold around it.
Greetings, Diogenesister and smiddy:
I certainly appreciate your comments and that you like what you read and saw. It would be pretty cool to sort of get inside the hearts and minds of others, but I guess the best we can do is through their individual manners of expression.
I took that picture that is "from my backyard." Not literally, but at the lake in my small community. I took it after the rains and the fog had set in. But now, we're back to an extended dry period. I'll pm you, Diogenesister, regarding the image. By Orccha do you mean the Indian city with huge buildings?
Yes, smiddy, the same movies I loved as a kid back in the '50s. Monsters from the mist!!! My first scary movie was The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, about an awakened dinosaur. I was about 6 years old and my aunt, with whom I was staying, called Mom and Dad to get permission for me to go with my older cousin.
About Australia, my traveling companion had American friends who settled there and now have dual citizenship. I met them and they sounded just like Americans, but I struggled to understand their kids!
Thanks again for answering my post!
