Category Archives: Nature

Crows 2015-80

Posted in Nature, Poems by

In the country we have crows, hawks, and buzzards living together with those of nature, but in the city, crows rule in the sky, or so it seems, along with other creatures of wildlife, of course. It was, well, somewhat unique to observe the crows when we lived in the urban jungle of the city, but again, somewhat common place here in the country……

Crows     2015-80

A “caw” then another “caw”

from above somewhere, not placed.

Peering above, I look for the source,

of the sound known from childhood.

Remembered now on a regular basis

 

A fleeting shadow on the ground,

signals the presence of the crow

flapping wings so laboriously

towards the tree in back of house.

 

The glance above in pin oak splendor

shows a sight not seen before.

A “crows nest” high in boughs

built different than the squirrels;

home for more of the black winged

ones, to continue its species.

 

A mate’s call further away, high in

sky, flying, dipping, trying to get

away from wrens attacking with swoops,

protecting their own kind.

 

The nature of things in an urban setting

so different than a cornfield far away,

A name, Charley, the crow for him and

perhaps Celeste for her,  why not, maybe so.

“C and C” easy to remember, but not tell apart.

 

Den Betts

Worms 2015-78

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How many worms have I fed to the fish in the pond nearby? Too many, I say! We take these “creatures” for granted, but they are out there, and not menaces like some things that fly and take blood at night. My daughter used to harvest them for her garden, I think, and had bunches of them in a tray of some sorts. Not something my wife would like to know or appreciate. Perhaps there should be more things like worms instead of other things that we have around us………

Worms  2015-78

A slimy, oozy thing of nature,

Found most anywhere

It stretches and recoils

Moving in the creature’s lair.

 

From minute small to a

Brazilian rope of mass

It struggles for survival

Amidst a world of mud and grass.

 

Used as bait to catch a fish

And even eaten by some; I hear

Seen after a rain on a walk

Trying to breath the air.

 

Eating dirt in its journey

To go from here to there

Shunning light, coming at night

Making it seldom seen, so rare.

 

A benefit to man, not known by all

It helps the soil in every way

But, looked by some with distaste

As a slim, slimy thing, each day.

 

Its not bad and doesn’t bite,

Will not hurt a soul I daresay

As per this, perhaps we should—

Declare a National Worm Day.

 

Den Betts

Two Robins 2015-53

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Hope springs eternal as Alexander Pope said in an “Essay on Man”, in 1732!!! I DO hope Spring itself, will be here soon and the advent of birds will show that the hope is not a foolish thought. The geese that are looking for open water are finding it scarce; just frozen tundra as their welcoming mat.  This WILL change and life will go on as it is decreed by nature. Or at least one hopes………………     

                   Two Robins  2015-53

Hooray, hooray, two robins

Sighted this very day ( lost??)

The first time this year

In the March blowing cold

 

A sign of Spring, so sure,

So sure; the beginning

Restart, of growth once again

About time I say, I say

 

Using past experiences in a

Remembrance of thought

No more grey skies and white

blanketed ground, instead

 

Blue skies and green

Carpeted lawn; Ah Spring

May it last forever, and may

Robins arrive each and every dawn

Den Betts

Natures Beauty 2015-52

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Thoughts of nature in minor ways, but giving an idea of what is out there to consider, appreciate and wonder about as we exist in this land of nature. It is so easy to ignore what goes on around us every day and not appreciate those things that abound.  What do we miss by not looking, not seeing, and letting our everyday lives just meander by without knowing the beauty of God’s glory.

Natures Beauty    2015-52     

The wings of an eagle

flying so high, soaring so

majestic on the currents

in the sky

 

The eyes of a she wolf

staring cross the plain

A sheen on her coat

glistening from the rain

 

A twelve point stag

king of a herd

sniffing in the air before moving,

giving the word

 

Denizens of nature

regal and proud

all and more so of

beauty of the wild

 

Den Betts

 

Cauldron 2015-47

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This poem is sort of different!  In rhyme for each line, but really not typical of all the poems I write.   Sort of tells a story of how a storm would suddenly appear.  Maybe I was lazy the day that I wrote it and made short sentences for that reason, don’t know.

Cauldron    2015-47

Darkness flies

Light goes by

Pinpricks lost in sky

 

Clouds in mass

Dewdrops on grass

Water turns to gas

 

Lightning hits the ground

Thunder makes sound

A veil drops down

 

A witch’s brew

As the mixture grew

The weather flew

 

Den Betts

Sun 2015-22

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We take the sun for granted at times! It comes up in the East and sets in the West; quite normal. It gives off light and heat, which it is supposed to do on a regular basis. We can, at times, see ourselves on the ground, as a shadow of ourselves. Our Earth revolves around it yearly giving us the seasons of life. Take the sun away and we become – – – – . 

                                      Sun      2015-22

The Sun, the giver of life

Sending out its rays to Earth

This orb, that crawls across the   sky,

Throws off it light, with all its might

Shafts filter through the spreading tree boughs

Making diamonds that sparkle in the lakes and ponds

Heat   waves shimmer off  black asphalt roads

Causing distant far mirages to appear

Many colors stab through   the clouds

Bathing us in a rainbow of hope

The Sun, so high up above

Long may it shine…..

Den Betts

The Moon 2015-15

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The Moon           2015-15

The moon, hanging quietly in the darkened sky,

Eerie and scary as it looks down at all.

Peeking in and out of gray wispy clouds,

Sending its faint cool light to those that see.

Shadows, causing strange shapes to appear,

Making them look like things that are not there.

Mighty forces, causing rising tides up and then down,

Changing the depth of the shore line, once more.

Silhouettes of animals howling in the wind,

Telling the world of their existence; stand clear.

Lovers holding hands, cheek to cheek,

Thinking of ways the future will bring.

The moon, majestic, big and so bold,

Affecting us all with its power to behold.

Den Betts

Blast of Cold 2015-07

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BRRRRrrrrrr!  To read this poem makes me shiver and wish I lived in Florida! Not a long poem, but one that lets you know what weather is like in winter. “Icy breath” and “blue blasts” makes one feel the coldness of winter and wants the season of Spring to hurry up and get here. There is MUCH to look forward to winter, but the storms, the heavy snowfalls and raging winds are the downside to the pretty and all so charming aspects of the season…….. I posted this on the coldest day of 2015, so far.

Blast of Cold      2015-07

A winter wind whispering in my ear,

Forewarning of days with icy breath.

Hark, hark, the autumn’s done

This one, never to return.

Promise of Spring so far away,

Distant as swirls fly about,

Bundle up against the cold,

The blue blasts of blowing wind,

Another season has arrived,

To take its turn with life.

Den Betts

Wind Chime 2015-03

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Too many words, at times, does NOT make for a good poem, whereas, simplicity is sometimes the key to a better one. I wrote this poem after sitting outside at the farm where we lived at the time, listening to the wind chimes and hearing the “ting, ting, ting” that they made. When the wind blew the sound carried across from the pine trees, where they were hung, further across the meadow, then the pasture, and finally up to our bedroom window at night.

Wind Chime  2015-03

The wind chime sings its music,

Sending its notes in a circle of sound.

Soft whispers of tingling cascades,

With echoes like falling glass.

Den Betts

Recycled Life Blood 2015-02

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It was relaxing, sitting on the porch, at the farm house, watching nature happen in the form of a soft summer rain. How enjoyable it was to see the clouds wander by, going someplace and knowing that the rain was nourishing the ground below.

Recycled Life Blood   2015-02

The sun burns off the fog

as the Earth bakes dry

in the morning

Lakes rise into the sky

becoming an entity with

a silver lining

Heaven weeps to those below

as the recycling of life’s

blood continues and goes

Den Betts