A to Z poetry challenge 2021 - Z

 

only once

in my lifetime

have I made a friend

who has stuck

through all the years

from my twenties

til now in my late fifties

she has been there

through my marriage

my sickness

my childlessness

my healing

my child-fulness

my parenting

our travels

to different homes

across the world

our friendship

has waxed and waned

with contact

and less contact

but always 

we right ourselves

and get back on track

something calls us

to each other

currently it is on Zoom

we connect

once a month or so

telling tidbits of life

laughing a lot

encouraging

sharing our sense of humour

our memories

fizzing across the ether

to each other

a miracle

17/11/21

A to Z poetry challenge 2021 - Y

 

daily I do

downward dog

from my palace

in the skies

glimpsing enlightenment

while upside down

feeling my spirit soar

sharing a lifeline

with my yoga buddy

across the sea

16\11\21

A to Z poetry challenge 2021 - X

 

every day

give or take a few

I pour out my day

to my friend

in email

and every day

minus one or two

she shares hers

right back to me

what a delight

to give and receive

this steadfast intimacy

these tiny X-rays

of love

10/11/21 

A to Z poetry challenge 2021 - W

 

feeling the peace

of the morning

I snuggle here

on my deck

rainy streets below

cars swishing by

aware of the oscillation 

of life

give and take

the breathing, if you will

as we all exchange gases

and molecules vibrate

their way around

and through us

as the mist suddenly

floats past 

I feel pleasure

at the non black and whiteness

the flow

the relaxation of hard goals

and dead lines

of wiggle room

sitting here on my balcony

wobbly at the centre

4/11/21

A to Z poetry challenge 2021 - V

 

glancing down

from my balcony

in the sky

I notice the local swans

on our lake

with their tiny babies

floating, softly

like dots on the water

perilous place

between land and sky

and I sense the delicacy

and wonderment of life

and how vulnerable 

we all are who are living

every breath

a gift

30/10/21

A to Z poetry challenge 2021 - U

the more I live

the more I feel

somehow I was given 

the wrong instructions

or I’m holding the map

the wrong way up

but maybe that’s the joy

to view the world

topsy turvy

as a child

upside down

looking through their legs

grinning at the daisies

24/20/21

A to Z poetry challenge 2021 - T

 

like a pressure

to my back

I push myself faster

but time seems shorter

and I seem clumsier

pausing 

to take a breath

I discover

everything gets done 

that needs to be done

and time seems to expand

to fit

21/10/21

A to Z poetry challenge 2021 - S

 

pleasing others

has become a habit

a lifetime’s work

of which I am proud

I like those around me

to be happy

but I do notice

I have neglected

to get to know myself

and tend to deny

my own desires

at the end

all the rest fades away

and I will be alone

with self

maybe it’s time

to meet me

19/10/21

A to Z poetry challenge 2021 - R

 

no one else gets to be me

this is my unique space

I can lean into that

to rest in it

to let go the trying

and just be me

breathing

and sitting here 

and smiling at you

15/10/21

A to Z poetry challenge - Q

quiet is

lying in my garden

sleeping in the shade

of a drowsy tree

seeing the clouds

putter across the sky

on their morning’s commute

birds tiptoeing 

through branches

and whirring off

watching the grass

grow greener

and longer

smiling back 

at all the daisies 

smiling at me

11/10/21

A to Z poetry challenge 2021 - P

 

wandering through this world

there is a tendency in me

to shy away from people

for whatever reason

insecurity, introversion

overload

and reinforced by pandemic

I avoid those disease carriers (!)

but I have come to see

that I am a people

and we are pretty wonderful

in our ability to touch

and smile

to breathe each other’s sorrow

without that

we are numb

and void of grace

6/10/21

A to Z poetry challenge 2021 - O

 

this evening

I am sitting on my deck

watching the graceful

(from a distance)

cockatoos glide home

they play a hide and seek dance

looking for their perch 

while my husband

makes yet another feast

for the family

in our small but efficient

modern apartment kitchen

I am wondering 

if the birds are saying

as they find their nightly roost

what I said

six weeks after I met him

and every day since

for 34 years

“This is the one”

3/10/21

A to Z poetry challenge 2021 - N

 

every morning

I slip out of bed

onto my balcony

before anyone else is up

pulling across my tablecloth-made roof

partially blocking the sun

decorating my view

with block printed patterns

I see a slice of the world

through the gap

a few kayaks on the lake

clouds whizzing past

on my deck I commune

with my latest plants

peas, tomatoes, and lettuce

while watching the fountain

sputter awake with the sun

cosy in my makeshift tent

feeling so snug under

my furry rug

amongst my books

and creations

grateful for a baby day

rising up

new

2/10/21

A to Z poetry challenge 2021 - M

 

imagine

being balanced

around a mid point

being poised on a string

neither too little

nor too much

inhabiting that space

that exists

inside the chaos

that peace

being a hum

on a centred string

in tune

just imagine

29/9/21

A to Z poetry challenge 2021 - L

the wonder of life

it strikes swift as lightning

like the flick of a bird's wing

or a flash of iridescence

the spark of joy

of a turning leaf

signalling autumn

or that first opening bud

suddenly green

amongst the cold

it's a smile flashing

across the face

of the world

25/9/21

A to Z poetry challenge 2021 - K

the key

simplicity

breath in

breath out

feel the ground

beneath your feet

open your senses

allow life around 

to flow through you

be one with this moment

simple as that

22/9/21

A to Z poetry challenge 2021 - J

 

the joyous jumps 

of kids at the skatepark

gliding across the concrete

juxtapose beautifully

with birds swimming skilfully

in the water ponds

dragging “v”s behind them

creating laughter and beauty

in their wake

19/9/21

A to Z poetry challenge 2021 - I

 

I feel a failure tonight

as I sit here in the park

bathing my stinging senses

with fountain splashes

and green scents

the reason is

I had to pull out

of a lake walk

with a special family friend

because I couldn't cope

with walking in a group

all my nerve endings

rose up and jangled

and I needed to remove myself

I hope I didn't

let the side down

sometimes doing

what feels right

also feels wrong

but if I can look after myself

this way

maybe I'm not a failure

after all.

17/9/21

A to Z poetry challenge 2021 - H

 

home

the calm of refuge

a place within the storm

the snuggly warm

a quiet

refreshing

belonging

wonder filled space

bursting with love

15/9/21

A to Z poetry challenge 2021 - G

 

exquisite moments

so often fleeting

like bird flight

and sparkle

music

and scent

a good meal

and hugs

—-

and giggles

12/9/21

A to Z poetry challenge 2021 - F

 

there's a feeling of joy

in the air

glitter

and glee

fairytales

and butterflies

a dreamlike romance abounds

as we all say

thank God it's Friday!

10/9/21

A to Z poetry challenge 2021 - E

 

ephemera

I’ve always loved that word

a sense of transience

of impermanence

almost fragility

like it will fly into dust

if not cared for

sometimes

this is how I feel

9/9/21

A to Z poetry challenge 2021 - D

Drs are like light bulbs

in a dark hallway

leading the way with hope

shining light on the scary

dark parts of life

helping you see them

from another angle

my Dr is a trusted friend

who has walked beside us

year by year

gently

8/9/21

A to Z poetry challenge 2021 - C

caressing the edge

of a coffee cup

or a baby’s cheek

within your hand

fitting so perfectly

the sublime sweep

of a mountain road

or the shape of a bay

all the subtle secrets

within a shell

curves are so seductive

7/9/21

A to Z poetry challenge 2021 - B

Breath

it echoes beside my bed

as I sleep

pants just behind

my running feet

is medicine

as I sit on the mat

exchanging air

with trees

works hard as bellows

powering my voice

giving me grace

to sing

and finally

as I come to the end

my last breath

is carried on the wind

6/9/21

A to Z poetry challenge 2021- A

Greetings all. 

As a way of encouraging me to write I started a new A to Z of poetry. Here is “A”. One down, 25 to go!

Floating

High above the road

Small, compact

But also grand

Stunning view

Across the land

Cosy space

Our apartment

5/9/21

BeautyScope 457: City dance

 

sitting in my treehouse bedroom

watching the traffic dance

as it swishes

and sways

around corners

seeing the skatepark ballet

of courage

and near misses

gazing for hours

at the tiny construction ants

as they pull a building

from the ground

I feel privileged

beyond measure

to have this life

28/6/21

Green eyes

Recently I discovered my dark brown eyes

Are partly green

How has this happened?

Have they faded with age

Or have I become more aware?

Once I went to an eye appointment

Where he photographed my eye

And exclaimed in amazement

At it’s beauty

So maybe my eyes hold surprises

As a consequence

I find myself being drawn 

To wearing more green

Which was never a favourite

I was a blue girl

But now my blue is skewing to teal

And turquoise

Moving through bottle green

And landing in olive

I have been dealing lately 

With a lot of thoughts about death

And life

And I find this green obsession

Fits nicely

Draping myself more and more

With the colour of life

As I prepare myself

To become more intimate

With nature

With the earth.

19/6/21

And here I am with my dark green eyes, wearing olive green in my new haircut!

Til next time,

Keep on creating!

Lots of love,

Jazzy Jack

A Foraging Life

Greetings friends!

I return to regale you with some of my foraging experiences.

Recently I’ve been reading a fascinating book from the library called ‘The Foraged Home’.

Where people regularly forage the natural world for items to decorate their homes.

Even down to foraging for seaweed and making beautiful artworks. (Seems like a cold job!)

It’s made me realise how much this is a natural style for me. Others might laugh at my lack of knowledge of myself. As a I look back on all my experimenting with dye and my collecting of leaves and feathers.

Here are some photos of my experiments and my collecting.

In our current house we have a wall behind the kitchen which I’ve decorated with random leaves and feathers collected on walks.

I made a little hanging artwork out of feathers which was going to be the first of many and I was going to place them in the trees in the park during Winter to delight passers by. I only ever made one and I liked it too much to let it go. So it now hangs on my buffet door.

On another buffet door hangs my Christmas wreath made from feathers, wire and beads.

Keeping company with our old cat’s collar. We hear the bell jingle as we open the door to remind us of him. Aww!

 We miss you Smart-Blue.

At the front door I have showcased a bamboo frond I cut off our plant.

And here are some links to previous blog posts where I display my eco dyeing and some of the ways I used it.

 http://naturalmedley.blogspot.com/2016/01/natural-dyeing.html

http://naturalmedley.blogspot.com/2016/04/ecodyeing-uses.html

Okay that’s all for now.

Isn’t the natural world wonderful?

Do you forage too?

Til next time, 

Keep on creating!

Lots of love,

Jazzy Jack