Poetic Shutterbug

The Camellia a Poem Stunning fanciful garb in a garden so fair. Delicious petals so soft and fragile protect hidden gems. Dewdrop  kissed by rains refreshed. A showstopper parading pink hues at nature's red carpet event.

reflection of grace a water pond masterpiece as she glides, with ease blue and green ripples mirror aquatic light shows disco water dance barren wintry limbs surf the azure blue lakeside endless water dance water symmetry pirouettes a reflection narcissistic hues the sand dollar rests upon the shore seaside sands of time Fog Horns setting sun bids farewell beyond the horizon daylight fades as dusk lurks below sea level my thoughts drowned by fog horns. As I walk through the mist and fog gazing upon dew  drenched leaves I see floral creation  masterpieces. Flowers created by the universe etched in floral bouquets with vibrant hues coloring fog imbued landscape. A museum of art treasures unlike any other venue as displayed by the...

and the leaves sway upon earthly delights Swan Lake

Poetry by Taylor Graham and Photo by Joanne Olivieri (Poetic Shutterbug) I really did not have a photo that fit the poem but for some reason I liked the above pic with the verse. Enjoy! HOME IMPROVEMENT We’re blackbirds in search of a nest here, among the aisles that taste of new-milled lumber and sawdust in fluorescent sparkles, leading to the Paint Center with its color-chips that ring like china in a farmhouse cupboard. I run my finger over cool adobe tile and carpet samples that smell of tabby fur, a hearth cat who lives at peace with blackbirds. No, a blackbird barely survives here, out of the rain that artilleries the roof; he lives on bolts and wing- nuts, disappears into high-gloss Ebony. You’ve got your cart loaded with rolls of stockwire fence and studded T-posts we’ll haul home to drive into bed- rock-mortar, throwing a line around old Miwok kitchens that were open-air to ridge and canyon before this range was subdivided. Miwoks gone out of mind like birds in th...

Photo taken by me at the San Francisco Botanical Gardens JACK AND THE REDWOOD Imagine ascending on ropes, not quite to heaven – to the Canopy Kingdom where toppled crowns turn to dust, to soil nourishing lichens and featherleaf ferns, huckleberry thickets rooted in rot. Gird yourself in harness, Jack, and not for lumber. Climb the beanstalk that sprouted when Caesar was a child, its roots vast as underworlds unseen. All you know is what you see, and feel with hand and sole: the trunk, more than 20 feet thick at the base, rising buttressed to look out over a forest in coastal cloud. Pull yourself up as in fairy-tale to meet – not slay – this giant tree. Climb above his deep green shadow till daylight filters through the highest branches, 350 feet above forest floor. Now, flop down in the palm of his hand. Pop a huckleberry in your mouth. Give your host – this giant – a seedy grin. He holds you by your roots.

Photos taken by me @ The San Francisco Botanical Gardens This is a guest post by Taylor Graham. Taylor, I so much appreciate your loyalty and friendship. Thank you so much for your poetry. HOPING FOR SPRING Gray sky lowering with just a horizon-line of light that moves beyond you. The apple tree’s white petals promise fruit. Tonight, storm. Will weather strip each bud? Wild geese whispering – they’ll fly before morning: March sounds its call of Leaving. On the hilltop, one bare oak. Remember, leafless trees still can blossom with wings.

Photo taken by me @ Ocean Beach in San Francisco. Ethereal Beach Walk He walks among saltwater sea tears skimming forgotten footprints eroding the shore. Translucent silver jewels reflect the sun forming crystalline memories. Child's play echoes off turquoise depths and thunderous wavelengths cleansing high tide. He hears, sees and feels clinging as a barnacle to shore buried as a sand dollar beyond footprints.

Photographs taken by me at the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. Sea Cultures Indigo gemstones Coalesce into iridescent Prisms of reflection Creating cavernous worlds Anchored below Concrete technology. An ancient kaleidoscope Unspoiled, untouched Naturally evolved Anticipates The modes of discovery Beneath the surface.

Both photos taken at the Botanical Gardens in San Francisco My high school creative writing instructor said three little words that have stayed with me throughout my writing life. He said "become the leaf." To put it in perspective, if when walking down the street or in a park you see a leaf, in order to adequately describe the leaf you must become the leaf. Simply describing its' color, where it resides or what it represents, is not enough. You have to embody the object you see to express poetic verse. It is much easier to simply describe an object however when you allow yourself to become the object whether a person, place or thing, your writing takes on a whole new life and rises to a higher level. It is also much fun to take on another role when writing poetry. My teacher at the time, Dennis Parlato , taught me the basics and allowed us to write freely and openly. He later became an actor and now regularly appears on Broadway. I remember years ago having ...