31 December 2021

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

18 December 2021

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

14 December 2021

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

10 December 2021

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


7 December 2021

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

26 November 2021

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

22 November 2021

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

18 November 2021

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

11 November 2021

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


4 November 2021

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


19 October 2021

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

10 October 2021

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

6 October 2021

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

2 October 2021

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

29 September 2021

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

25 September 2021

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

18 September 2021

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

17 September 2021

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

15 September 2021

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

13 September 2021

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


12 September 2021

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


11 September 2021

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

10 September 2021

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

30 June 2021

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

18 June 2021

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



3 June 2021

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