Poems of Nature and the Environment

8/13/2019 Poems of Nature and the Environment

1/10

Poems of Nature and the Environment

by Jim Michie

2005


2/10

Poems of Nature and the Environment 2005 by Jim Michie

2

Introduction

The poems in this group are primarily from the 1960s, but some were createdfairly recently. Most were written for and printed in the newsletter of The CoastalCanoeists, a canoe club originally based in Newport News but now based inRichmond, Virginia. I have made some minor changes and corrections, butgenerally I have left the poems as they were originally created.

You will note that some poems have titles and some do not. I have made thetitles bold so they would not be confused with the poem itself, and I have

provided a break-line between poems consisting of five tildes or utilized the pagebreak for the same purpose.


3/10


3

SuddenlyBut not unexpectedlyAccompanied by confusion at LloydsIt happenedLike the Great ChefCracking a mammoth eggBlack albumin drooling outSpreadingChokingCreeping-upTo become the familiarIridescence of the coastline

~~~~~

Penultimate

. . . and in closing, ladies and gentlemenI would like to reiteratethat this is indeed the penultimate of our hopes

Since the early years of Henry Ford

from one-lanesto two-lanesto four-lanesto turnpikesto interstatesto elevated internationals

And finally, with the fitting of this cornerstonethe coast-to-coastarctic-to-isthmusomni-directional

solid concreteNorth American Ceiling Freeway


4/10


4

The Mighty Faucet

Take two measures (molecular) of hydrogenCombine them stabily with one of oxygenAnd you have rainWhich tends to drainInto a mainRiver

A foamed delightIn roaring flightThrough flumes of curlsTo spumes and whorlsInto a reservoir

The water from these placid poolsGoes to serve the flaccid foolsWho pump it into swimming poolsCar washesLawn sprinklersScented baths

And my grandchildren will think

Water runs only from faucets

~~~~~

Joys of Nature

Cry joyousThe magnificent multi-faceted beauty

of a dew-jeweled pop-topThe scintillating radiance

of a crush-textured ball of foil

The glowing opalescenceof a bottle brindled pool

God Bless the American Dream


5/10


5

Two On the RiverThe beauty of each rhythmic stroke

sun on paddles gleaming,Slicing fast through snow-white foam

down the rapids seemingNot to fear the mighty river

with her awesome power.

Hesitating not a moment,free from indecision,

Tempo, allegro, flashing blades,with metronome precision,Shooting into pitched confusion,

whirling spray to shower.

Eddies pushing now left, now right,cross-rip currents dragging,

Through haystacks, whirlpools, standing waves,aching muscles flagging;

Still jagged rocks and thundering falls,lesser men would cower.

With burning lungs and racing heartfrom turbid into calm,

Frustrations gone and tensions eased,fatigue a pleasant balm;

Relaxed repose with spirits soaringglowing egos tower.

~~~~~

Wild Ducks

On fogs crystal hushWild ducks in the whistling bendFold around again


6/10


6

Bullpasture Gorge

Down across the river of pied beautiesSinging through her spelunked hillsGirdled in her narrow waistSpending her ergs on boulders and menTaunting with her Sirens roar

A foam-flecked odysseyFor those who would live

~~~~~

Silent RiverSilent sounds of rivers fallingSliding soft around its stonesPooling brightly feeling flowTo sleep a night aloneWhisper smoothSublimatingLike ripples in a shadow

~~~~~

Marsh King

From the mud in color meldingWith the day on cloudless dropA languid haste in feathered motionRiding whims around the bend

~~~~~

Campfire

In shadowed days of rising whispsThe blended self in silhouetteFlees the nights coronal heartIn leaping joy of freedoms flightTo wash upon the face of men


7/10


7

Salvation for Rivers

gowild riverchanneled down gulliesscarring across bottom landrelentlessly seekingNirvanain the sea

~~~~~

Alone

glimmering iridescenceshimmering stillnessalonefish like finned silver cigarsin helicopter movementyou look at meIll look at youmutely

a crow gives a freon-blasta cicada whirls his noise makera frog makes his nimbus call

a pair of ducks explode from cattailsan acorn cap clatters through oak branchesall a harmony of silence

a color potpourribut green has a photosynthetic dominanceand the spectrum grows wingshold itclick

pleasant fatigue discharges capacitor nerves

While soreness is dulled in monotony

the self climbs back into its symbiotic womb

you become the glimmering iridescenceyou are the shimmering stillnessalone


8/10


8

Fall

the mountains are camouflaged shipsafloat on a brown wind-rippled seathe tide ever risinguntil their armor is strippedby a withering blast from the northleaving skeletal framesand bare superstructuresas the fleet waits for helpfrom the south

trick-or-treatwith half-empty staresof orange and black shopping bagsproffered by midget Frankensteinsand spat-less Mickey Mouses

from the uniform larva of summerto brief-lived prism-refracted adultdormantwaiting for the Karma of metamorphosis

~~~~~

Snowground styrofoamSpore-like driftingSome sublimatingSome meltingSlush

~~~~~

Iridescent

Like a morning dew dropRefracting blossom brillianceOut of the deep of nightInto the now of daySparkling


9/10


9

Sea poems

From the seas roarWaves pad upTo lap kittenishAnd purr softlyInto the sand

White-riderOf warmth pitched draftsWheels relieved on azure dropIn search of yielding lifeTo impaling plunge

Weaving in the sprayA slickered manPlays the recurrent themeOf guided hissAgainst the fugueOf the sea

All the strutting giantsFall to foamIn the wakeOf Stentorian death

~~~~~

Skylord

Riding steep on glory puffsSun-gilt coined in fame

Falling free in folded lawOf Machiavellian grace


10/10


10

Hungary Death

With fires of hunger alightin the paling October sky

The osprey soars with eyes that seethrough gold flecked diffraction

The swimming helix chainthat binds each nodeand finds in death

The life to flyAgain

andAgain

~~~~~

River Morning

Pausing here on pebbled shoreMy heart records in sunshine greenThe death of care in birth unseenOpening in on arms of loveTo hold the whiskered frost

Documents

Poems of Nature and the Environment