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Joseph E Bird

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One of my favorite artists, Sharon Lyn Stackpole, just posted this image on her site. It reminded me of a girl on a swing I saw a few months ago as I drove by a little roadside park. She was maybe 15 or 16 and was giving it all she had, oblivious to everything around her. She was in her own world, and you could tell.

It made me want to go home and do the same thing.

There’s something about a swing. You can take it nice and easy, or you can go scary high. Maybe it’s the weightless feeling you get at the apex. Maybe it’s the centrifugal force that gives you a rush. Either way, it just seems to make all the troubles of the day float away.

Image copyright, 2016, Sharon Lyn Stackpole, republished with permission.

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freedom

Josh Garrels

 

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sunday prayer

The door is not finished.

it needs a sweep,

a strip of rubber.

Protests and hatred and intolerance

of the ignorant heartland

where I live.

The car is 15 years old,

though it’s still good

by most measures.

Eight years ago

all were proud,

but now ashamed.

I check my work,

review the numbers

hoping my mistakes will be innocuous.

Children see the

courage and cowardice

and will be our future.

I’ve saved,

my time is near.

Is it enough?

Unrest and upheaval,

climate and virus,

are living in the shadows.

Have I been reasonable?

Have I been kind?

Have my sins been forgiven?

Dusk is upon us,

but the darkness

will yield to the soft morning light.

copyright 2016, joseph e bird

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Robert Zimmerman

sometimes I hear a guitar player like Tommy Emmanuel or Stevie Ray and I think, what’s the use?

i came across this article about Robert Zimmerman’s songwriting. you know, the guy who just won the Nobel Prize for Literature. and i’ve come to the conclusion that i’m no more than a monkey at a keyboard.

cool stuff in the article, if you’re into great writing and poetry, anyway.

Bob Dylan

 

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ephemeral

sunset darkened 11-2-15 for web

i could write

or watch a ballgame

or work on a project

but it’s October

and every evening

my backyard is lit

in brilliant yellows

and reds

and colors that defy description

another sunset

and another tomorrow

except that’s not true

stop

take it in

because it’s a gift

and it’s ephemeral

copyright 2016, joseph e bird

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Sunday Morning

church-for-web

church-sign-for-web

copyright 2016, joseph e bird

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the great white north

cranberry-glades-for-web

Actually, no, it’s not Canada. This is the Cranberry Glades in West Virginia. They say that eons ago a glacier created a geographic and climactic anomaly in the high mountains of Pocahontas County. As a result, plant and animal species are found farther south than conventional wisdom would suggest. There are, in fact, cranberries growing in the bog, but if you’re expecting those two guys in hip waders surrounded by thousands of red berries, you’re going to be disappointed. Still, the scenery in this area is spectacular.

And watch out for bears.

copyright 2016, joseph e bird

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Our Exotic World

Many of you who stop by here for a word or two are from this area (West Virginia) or near enough to be familiar with the locale. Some of you visit from lands far away. This occurred to my friend, fellow writer, and neighbor a few doors down, Larry Ellis, and he has written a nice little essay about our neck of the woods. You might enjoy getting to know this area through his words and photos.  If so, click here and jump on over to his site.

 

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rest

rain-for-web

the road glistens from last night’s rain
trees still dripping
the deck boards soft and brown

she looks out across the fields
let’s go to town
might as well, he says
it’s too wet to plow
.
steady patters in the gutter
birds talk across the yards
leaves lie resting, brown and shiny

he slides the eggs on the plate
today we should rest
she sips her tea and nods
the work can wait
.
the rain light and steady
as the pan in the corner catches
the occasional drop through the roof

he nibbles on flatbread and drinks warm water
a crow stands at the open door
he tosses a crumb
the bird plucks it from the ground
and flies away

copyright 2016, joseph e bird

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