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Phyllis Moorman

~ Author and Artist

Tag Archives: Nature

Learning Compassion

05 Sunday Jul 2015

Posted by P Moorman in Animals and Insects, Children, Family, Inspiration, Life, Love, Nature

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

animals, children, compassion, dogs, family, heart, inspiration, life, loss, memories, Nature, poems, Poetry, sadness

I thought I knew compassion,
but when I looked into his eyes,
I knew I’d never felt that way.

The tenderness he offered a lost dog,
the inner need he had to help,
to makes things better for her
brought warmth to my heart.

Then I watched his seven-year-old eyes swell with tears
as they walked the streets and found her owner.
The dog of his dreams was gone,
returned to her scared and punitive owner,
and his heart was breaking.

As I watched this young boy walk away,
head hanging, brown eyes saddened by the struggle,
I knew he was learning doing the right thing
can feel wrong sometimes,
but I could also see that he can’t help but be who he is,
and that he’d do it again.

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The Class Structure of Plants

11 Thursday Jun 2015

Posted by P Moorman in Humor, Nature

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

biology, botany, humor, Nature, plants, poems, Poetry

Bindweed blooming

If weeds were cultured,
would we believe them beautiful?
Would bindweed be trellised,
encouraged to grow?

Would Southern kudzu finally
find its place on the dinner table?
Could milkweed gain a purpose,
cure a catastrophic disease?

Would human intervention or
chemical alterations render weeds
susceptible to outside forces?
Could they continue to claim the
title, “Survival of the Fittest?”

Would changing these undesirable
buxomness of green to desirable members
of the biological plant chain
wreak havoc with scientific classifications
and create a social hierarchy among plants?

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Power of a Raindrop book

06 Saturday Jun 2015

Posted by P Moorman in Animals and Insects, Art, Children, Family, Health, Humor, Inspiration, Life, Love, Mountains, Nature, Philosophy, Seasonal, Weather, Writing

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

art, arthritis, children, family, flowers, health, heart, humor, inspiration, iris, life, love, mountains, Nature, philosophy, seasonal, weather, writing

Power of a Raindrop cover

I’m excited to share that I now have a book of poetry, Power of a Raindrop, published and available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and through the publisher. If you order from the publisher, the first 10 to order will receive 15% off the retail price. http://shop.ravenbooks.net.

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Ode to the Iris

06 Saturday Jun 2015

Posted by P Moorman in Nature

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

beauty, flowers, iris, Nature, Poetry, spring

Purple iris

 

Oh, tall, stalked beauty of purple plush,

like a Mexican señorita swirling and
dancing at her quinceañera,
celebrating her maturity,

your blossom sways with the breeze,
a skirt of petals flowing with beauty beneath
a blouson bodice of scented frills.

Please, do tell…
Is this your quinceañera?

from Power of a Raindrop, now available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and from the publisher, http://shop.ravenbooks.net.

 

 

 

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Aardvark

01 Wednesday Apr 2015

Posted by P Moorman in Animals and Insects, Humor, Nature

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

animals, humor, Nature, poem, Poetry

You may think me a blended breed

of pig, kangaroo, and bear;

but I’m really quite unique,

the last of the species breed.

 

I’m not that small of stature,

but my strength is in my toes;

I’ll dig and burrow deep

in search of my favorite prey.

 

I knock their houses down

but unlike the famous wolf,

I don’t announce I’m coming

and I don’t huff and puff.

 

I don’t hunt for food in daytime,

the light hurts my tiny eyes;

besides, they’d see my coming

and scatter different ways

 

My palate is quite selective,

and presentation is key—

I like my termites sub-style,

affixed to my foot-long tongue.

 

I’m not usually this social

nor verbose as I am tonight,

so I’ll quit ere I get tongue-tied,

for that would ruin my life!

 

4/1/15

 

I read a poetry challenge to write on a subject starting with letter ‘A’ and write in negation.   Being April Fool’s Day, I couldn’t resist having a little fun with it.

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Found, Landscape Poetry Challenge

25 Wednesday Feb 2015

Posted by P Moorman in Nature, Poetic Challenges

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Designs, landscapes, Nature, poems, Poetry, writing 201

park with bridge

Landscape Trends for 21st Century

Landscape design trends: developing, changing,
being improved, reconstituted, restructured;

Be it bigger parks in cities or
pocket parks in neighborhoods;

beautification within communities co-exist
with healthy exercising venues in golden ways.

Smaller garden designs minimize space, like
rooftop, container, and vertical gardening.

Even exclusive cycling routes circle cities–
no carbon dioxide or congestion here.

From functional to artistic,
solar panels to sculptures, it’s all available.

But older is sometimes better, like preserving
national parks and significant private estates.

These, and other sustainable goals–
dreams of 21st Century landscape architects.

2/25/15

Today’s poetry challenge was a found poem (using small bites of information from an article or perhaps many sources). The topic was landscapes using enumeratio (a sort of listing) as the poetic device. Credit for the topic goes to Landscape Architects Network and their article, “7 Top Landscape Architecture Trends of the 21st Century,” found on http://landarchs.com. I employed alliteration (repetition of the same sounds or the same kinds of sounds at the beginning of words) to carry the point within stanzas.

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Elegy on Fog Poetry Challenge

19 Thursday Feb 2015

Posted by P Moorman in Health, Humor, Life, Nature, Poetic Challenges

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

brain, fog, health, humor, life, Nature, poems, Poetry, poetry challenhe, writing 201

Quick-thinking brain of my long lost youth
left me without a goodbye, how uncouth!

Jeopardy champions in our own way;
you had the answers while I had the say.

Shadows inhabit my brain now at times
shifting from fog to a cold, icy rime.

When it is clear, we are back, you and me;
winning the game for the whole world to see.

This challenge definitely had me lamenting my thinking cap of yesteryear! Trying to portray lament, praise, and solace in dactyl was a nice stretch of the brain.

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Concrete Animal Poetry Challenge

19 Thursday Feb 2015

Posted by P Moorman in Animals and Insects, Humor, Nature, Poetic Challenges

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Tags

animals, humor, Nature, poems, poetic challenges, Poetry, Snakes, writing 201

Snake:  I’m Impressed (Sorta)

concrete poem february 2015

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Limerick Challenge

17 Tuesday Feb 2015

Posted by P Moorman in Humor, Nature, Poetic Challenges

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

humor, journey, limericks, Nature, poems, Poetry, travel, writing 201

There once was a widow from here
Who wanted to wander to there
But, oh the gas price
Rose not twice, ’twas trice!
So she settled for crackers and beer.

*********

There once was a plump, purplish plum
Who spent languorous days in the sun,
He shriveled and dried
Then rose up with pride,
And said, “Now I’m a prune, I must run.”

********

Ah, the limerick challenge. Always such fun. With journey as a topic and alliteration as a device, I traveled in a couple of different ways.

2/16/15

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Water Haikus

16 Monday Feb 2015

Posted by P Moorman in Humor, Nature, Poetic Challenges, Writing

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

haiku, humor, Nature, poems, Poetry, water, writing, writing 201

Flowing summer streams,
aquatic conversations,
visually sound.

*****

Spring’s frozen waters
melt like Frosty the Snowman
to create new streams.

*****

Summer sprinklers spurt
iridescent teardrops for
children to play in.

*****

Sixty percent water,
yet still I thirst; hydrate me
so I’ll wrinkle less.

*****

Natural orbits–
rivers, rain, return to earth–
water recycling.

*****

Drop by drop, dribbling,
gushing forth. Water quenches
all sizes of thirst.

*****

Mesmerizing plane,
a body of lake water,
aqueous gold of life.

2/15/15

Presented with a challenge to write a water haiku, I overflowed; I couldn’t stop with one. These are not designed to flow from one to another but to be enjoyed individually.

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Shadowy Figures of Peace

03 Tuesday Feb 2015

Posted by P Moorman in Inspiration, Life, Nature

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

inspiration, life, Nature, Peace, poems, Poetry


olive tree shadow

Scorching beneath the bright sunlight of day,
opaque olive branches seem to vanish,
replaced by dark, elongated stick-like limbs
projecting ever forward, reaching out,
seeking enlightening paths of their own.

Stripped of three-dimensional prejudices,
these two-dimensional silhouettes
criss-cross traditional barriers,
offering friendship and peace along their way.

Occasionally, progress seems to rescind as
clouds drape across the sun,
causing an unsettling interlude;
but hope is afloat as another act begins,
alit with shadowy figures of peace.

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For the Love of the Moon

18 Sunday Jan 2015

Posted by P Moorman in Family, Life, Love, Nature

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

family, life, love, marriage, moon, Nature

2015/01/img_0253.jpg
I fell in love to the vivid skies of sunset
as we walked along the shoreline,
yet it’s the moon that holds our love steadfast,

guiding, illuminating our path through darkness,
reflecting the sun’s radiant beams of happiness,
and glowing with romantic overtures of love.

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A Lesson in Alcohol Ink

23 Sunday Nov 2014

Posted by P Moorman in Art, Inspiration, Life, Nature

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Tags

acceptance, alcohol ink, art, change, inspiration, life, Nature, poems, Poetry

“If I mention blue,” the artist asked,
“what word or phrase comes to mind.
How about orange? And green?
Now hold these thoughts as you
work with the inks on your paper.
You’ll be amazed at what happens.”

Focusing, a word and color at a time,
I drizzled and swirled, watching
ink flow together as if self-directed.

Each color changed the painting, and soon
green and orange were blending, creating
evergreen and earth-toned mountains while
orange refracted into an arched sunset
against the now azure sky.

Calmness and warmth filled me, and
I settled into a meditative peace as I laid my painting to dry.

A slight miscalculation by my neighbor, however,
and his dropper full of purple ink hit my paper.
I found myself trying to “fix” my painting,
forgetting that I cannot change anyone’s thoughts or colors
but my own.

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I Drink to Autumn

07 Friday Nov 2014

Posted by P Moorman in Nature, Weather

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Autumn, fall, Nature, poems, Poetry, season, weather

I thirst for cooler days where
nature breezes through treetops
changing colors and textures,
releasing them to pour down where
I can drink in the flavors of autumn.

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Fall’s Golden Haiku

04 Tuesday Nov 2014

Posted by P Moorman in Nature, Weather

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Tags

Autumn, fall, Nature, poems, Poetry, seasons, trees, weather

Deciduous trees
release summer memories
aloft with golden wings.

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My Golden Autumn

26 Sunday Oct 2014

Posted by P Moorman in Family, Health, Inspiration, Life, Love, Nature, Philosophy

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Autumn, family, health, inspiration, life, love, Nature, philosophy, seasons

I love the season of autumn
where the colors softly change
from greens to autumn hues.

Blessed with warmer days,
refreshed by cooler nights,
these changes are inevitable,
and they’ll happen to me and you

as we softly enter our autumn,
the last season of our life,
may we see golden treasures
both old and new alike.

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Jewels of Fall

14 Tuesday Oct 2014

Posted by P Moorman in Life, Nature, Seasonal, Weather

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Tags

Autumn, color, colors, fall, leaves, Nature, season

Last summer, thickly clustered emerald leaves,
deflected the scorching sun from my face, yet
they have thinned until only a few dangle freely
throughout the open weave of twigs and branches,
sparkling like earrings of ruby and gold
as the cooler autumn sun filters through.

 

 

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Fall’s a Mystery

12 Sunday Oct 2014

Posted by P Moorman in Humor, Life, Nature, Seasonal, Weather

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

fall, humor, life, Nature, seasons, weather, Winter

Fall’s a Mystery
(Or I’ve Been Watching
Too Much Crime TV)

Weathervane night
Blustery winds bring seasonal mysteries, like
why once supple flowers turn crispy and still,
why leaves lose color and fall dead away,
why summer’s loud bugs turn eerily quiet,
and why some people fade when the sun disappears.

If I were a detective, I’d capture the flowers
and confine them indoors for, say, 90 days,
after which, if warm, they’d be returned outdoors.

I’d turn the leaves over to the homicide folks
and hope an autopsy could reveal why
once green and pliant, they’re now crunchy and brown;

I’d send my partner on a seasonal stakeout
along with a sensitized listening device
to determine if crickets have Winter sounds;

And for the people, if they’d consider a change,
I’d see them moved to a sunnier place,
and as their sponsor, of course I’d move, too.

Happy Fall!

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Changing of the Seasons

05 Sunday Oct 2014

Posted by P Moorman in Humor, Nature, Seasonal, Weather

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

humor, Nature, rearrange, seasonal, weather, women

Seasons change,
it’s nature’s way,
of helping things
to rearrange.

And that is why,
(And I’m sure it’s true)
that women control
the house and skies;

For who else
have you ever known
to rearrange things
that often. I’ll confess,

I’m a woman,
been rearranging rooms
like clockwork,
but that shouldn’t

shock you, as my mother,
and hers before her,
moved furniture
this way and ‘tother.

And I’m sure
if they’d had their way,
seasonal changes would be
ten times a year.

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Rain in Perspective

01 Wednesday Oct 2014

Posted by P Moorman in Children, Family, Life, Nature, Weather

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Autumn, Nature, rain, seasons, sky, weather

Crying clouds crowd the dreary gray skies
of October, releasing rivulets of tears
into already mucky, rain-soaked ground.

Hiding under wide-open umbrellas,
adults quickly stride from cars to buildings,
their briefcases safely tucked under,
protecting themselves and their papers
from the non-ending stream from above.

Donned in raincoat and boots,
backpacks bulging, zippers askew,
children splash from puddle to puddle,
giggling and smilng as they frolic to class,
damp, mud-splattered homework in tow.

Children splashing in mud

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Au Naturel

16 Wednesday Jul 2014

Posted by P Moorman in Animals and Insects, Life, Nature

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

desert, Mother Nature, Nature, plants, poems, Poetry, reptiles

I daily watered a piece of my desert,
hoping for greener pastures.
When compared to the scrub oak,
blooming cacti and darting lizards, however,
my grassy knoll just didn’t compare
to the wonders from Mother Nature,
so my yard is now au naturel.

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A Bone to Pick

25 Wednesday Jun 2014

Posted by P Moorman in Animals and Insects, Family, Humor, Life, Nature

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

dogs, family, humor, life, Nature, poems, Poetry

Mama sat outside and watched,
not saying a word, as
her dogs fought over a toy bone.

She saw Rover snarl and
Tiny retreat, then watched
Rover and bone disappear.

Mama patiently waited
for Rover to come back,
then threw him a ball to chase.

As if King of the mountain,
he ran for the ball,
unaware of the closing door.​

After a while, he became
bored with himself and
turned to find his old “friend.”

But as you might surmise,
Tiny wasn’t outside, but
within the comfortable house.

Through the patio door,
Rover could clearly see a
real bone in Tiny’s mouth.

Now, it seems clear to me that
   a bone to pick should be
   chosen most carefully.

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Looking Through Her Eyes

17 Tuesday Jun 2014

Posted by P Moorman in Animals and Insects, Children, Inspiration, Life, Nature

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

birds, butterflies, children, eyes, happiness, inspiration, joy, life, Nature, poems, Poetry

If I could see what she actually
sees as snippets of life
come her way for the very first time,
everything so fresh and new, yet
words unavailable to her,

I would have lots of colors and
movement in everything, with
laughter and excitement everywhere.

I would float with the butterflies,
swirling colors to brighten the world.

I would sing with nightingales,
trilling tones of comfort and cheer, and

I would dance like a fairy princess,
bestowing happiness with my wand.

There would be pure wonder and joy
as I looked at life through her eyes,
the eyes of a child.

 

Child smiling

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My Great Ant

11 Wednesday Jun 2014

Posted by P Moorman in Animals and Insects, Inspiration, Life, Nature

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

ants, insects, inspiration, life, Nature, perseverance, poems, Poetry, strength

I watch in amazement as the ant seems to
scurry around, ferrying her quintuple load as if
it were light as a feather instead of
the weight of an elephant.

Even as the burden attempts to take her down,
she is unfazed by the enormity of the task.
Aware that I’m watching doesn’t change her, either;
She neither prances nor flounders on my account
but chooses to travel merrily along her path.

I, too, shall live like the ant,
neither whiny about my shortcomings
nor boastful of my strengths,
as I enjoy traveling my own path.

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Gemstones of Nature

09 Monday Jun 2014

Posted by P Moorman in Nature, Weather

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Nature, poems, Poetry, rain, weather

20140609-091951-33591989.jpg

Grass glows in the morning sunlight
as droplets of last night’s rain lay atop the blades,
sparkling crystals of water
reflecting like multifaceted diamonds
set among a bed of emerald.

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