Au fond d'un vaste lac turquoise
Entre deux rocs et la tanière d'un vieux mérou
Git, sur un fonc couleur ardoise
Une pierre d'un vert oeil de loup.
Le fond des eaux éclairé par un soleil d'émeraude
Devent paisible, le sable dessinant
Des silhouettes en dansant.
Les algues, au plus profond
Ondulent paisiblement au gré du courant,
Maternant les alevins en les protégeant
Ah ! Il tarde à ces frais nouveaux nés
De partir explorer, vagabonder
Et découvrir sans plus tarder
Les eaux pûres, paisibles
D'un lac turquoise, vert au fond
Sous l'égide d'un gardien e son abnégation.
Sous l’eau, dans les ténèbres et dans le froid
Approchent par une dans gracieuse
Des comètes de verre, des fils de soie
Par une dans merveilleuse viennent les danseuses
Dans un silence d’abysse, des demoiselles arrivent
D’un coup les ombres reculent, la couleur renait
D’albâtre, de sang, d’herbe ou dorée
Scintillent les étoiles à la dérive
La merveille garde les yeux éveillés
Tandis que leur bal vous envoute
Et leur vague vous font partager leur route
Les lumières au loin s’éteignent, l’âme saigne
Et de manière funeste un ballet s’achève
Très loin sous l’océan, la baleine est rassasiée.
I gaze upon them, so peaceful,
The life they lead, so blissful.
Their whiskers bend on the carpet,
Grouped in pairs, like a bartlett.
The songs they sing, ever loving,
Grazing my heart, so touching.
Patters of their feet instill amusement,
As they run to me in contentment.
The fur that drapes them, the softest,
Brushing my skin, I almost lost it.
The moments we share, always profound,
The love we exchange, safe and sound.
Within these arms they know,
That their soul I take with me in tow.
If ever we find ourselves apart,
One thing always remains: our heart.
*
Agents of mammal murder ranches
amuse the crowd./
Sometimes they tear in half
an innocent baby calf
saiom shriver
Footnote:
Spectrum Cable, Rupder Murdoch's Fox Sports, & KHOU Houston profiteer from the brutal calf roping, steer wrestling, horse abuse which are part of the bloody industrySof raising mammals for murder
My cat likes
to lay in front
of the TV.
and the dog keeps
trying to hump
the cat.
The cat, like a tease,
stays positioned
in places
the dog can get to.
It gets to be
a little irritating.
I don't especially cotton
to being subjected
to other folk's sex lives
including the sex lives
of my own pets.
What they do,
as consenting adults
is their own business
as far as
I am concerned.
I've never been known
to impose my morals
onto others.
I just wish
they would take it
into another room
and not block
my view
of the TV.
Voyeurism
has never been
my cup of tea.
the off-grid life.
untied from the shackles of strife,
2017, the modern existence,
getting on the property ladder, how does anyone have a chance?
20, 25 or 30, forced to work to pay every bill,
going to work all hours, struggling to find a way, a life against our will,
needing the money from any form of work, mostly unprogressive, unhappy
life passing by, frustrating, anger, decreasing self-worth, causing individuals to be snappy
unfulfilled, potentials are not met, working a job all day, unable to progress,
money is the key factor, for bills to be met, let me digress.
often they still aren't causing pain and suffering, stress and depression,
homelessness is rife through the country, a feeling of regression,
a feeling of being stuck, how to retrain and improve your careers?
speak to friends or family and the same conversation, doubts, and fears
if only another option was available,
one that was accepted and not just for the vulnerable,
the homeless, the people with nothing,
but how is this existence different? it is truly crushing,
once you can see that your life is consumed with working for money,
the soul has passed, your energy too, it can get so hard it's not even funny,
but who understands? in the face of consumerism, higher purchase, loans, and debt,
who is living a life, truly satisfied, and their dreams are met?
Not all people living off-grid are rich in cash!
but they aim for other needs; security in food & energy, it's worth a bash,
a growing transition for many people too,
it's not just for the hippies, the spiritual, it's for people like me and you,
think about it for a moment or two...
who would you be without your car, house and your possessions?
is that person you portray the real you? or do you blend in so people don't ask questions?
are you honest with your family and friends?
or do you sit behind a desk wishing it would end?
there is a wealth of knowledge of old traditions,
from a time when they lived without these conditions,
the conditions of social media, advertising, marketing ads or vlogs
when screen time didn't consume every waking hour, and children were fascinated with tadpoles transforming into frogs.
hours spent outside, climbing trees, playing at the park,
not allowed home unless it was tea time or had gotten dark.
a shift is happening, ecotherapy, wild schooling, bushcraft, and hikes,
forest schooling, homeschooling, people walking and out on their bikes,
scientists are noticing the effects on children's behaviors, reduced health issues,
ADHD, also a boost in self-awareness, positivity, confidence and mental health issues
is it easier to sit a child down to hours in front of the tv, or ipad?
than it is to spend a few hours playing down the park with dad?
or baking a cake with mum, the importance of these skills are being misplaced,
in this consumerism world, with employees a number, in a life so fast-paced.
Off-grid living, the communities hidden away,
all they want is a parcel of land to look after their needs, but hey,
that's not possible, 'cause where will the local council get their tax,
with the community, living off the land, growing food and chopping wood with an axe,
the need and usage of government-owned services would become minute,
living simply and within your skills of the land, renewables used, an abundance of fruit,
food preserved in many forms, jams and chutneys, frozen meat,
enough food to last year-round to survive through winter, or in the heat,
the food produced off the land, tending the garden, and grown for nutrition,
the most important for life and health also said to aid in remission.
off grid homesteaders, don't need to take the flack,
with health as the focus, working outdoors to provide, lowering the need for prozac,
comments from shallow minded people need not be said,
the power of community, working together, I want to spread,
to include children in the transition, of conserving nature and our wildlife,
the tranquil setting amongst the seasons, watching the stars, that's my type of nightlife.
There was no wind, only the sound of the last of the leaves falling from the long dead trees onto the barren ground. The blood-red light of dusk clung onto the edge of the frame, as if trying to escape the dark clouds that were racing to cover the land. At the mountain’s foot, stood a shadow with antlers, desperately trying to catch the last few droplets of water with its mouth, as they fell in slow agony from the rocks, those that once made up a stream that came from the mountains and into the now dry lake bed. You could tell from the creature’s bleeding ankles that he was exhausted and had been on the move for days. With a sigh, after wrapping up the last drop with his tongue, the deer fell on his stomach and closed his eyes. Little was he aware of the pair of yellow eyes perched on him.
A twig cracked, and just as the deer managed to open an eye, a shadow lunged out of nowhere towards him. With a jolt, the deer scrambled to its feet, but as he reached the perimeter of the forest, his antlers got caught on the branches of a fallen tree. With a bent neck and kicking desperately, it wrestled to break free.
- Keep still or you’ll make it worse– muttered the two yellow eyes just as two fangs and a wolf’s snout came into what little light was left.
- Please don’t eat me.
- I’ll help you.
- How will I know…
It had been too much for the tired creature. As he fainted, his antlers freed themselves and the wolf put him on his back. He took him to the cave in which he had been staying since the Day. When the deer woke up, he had leaves around his ankles and a bowl of
fresh water in front of him.
- You didn’t eat me.
- No, I want you to stay with me.
- Why would I do that?
- You blind? Have you seen anyone else since the Day? We are the only creatures alive, we’ll have to stick together if we want to survive.
Although the deer did not trust him, he was very injured to continue alone, so he stayed. They became friends and once the deer got cured, he became very strong while the wolf got more tired everyday, as there was nowhere for him to find food. Eventually, water also became very hard to come across. The wolf fell very ill one day, and the deer tried to do anything he could to help him, just as the wolf had once done for him. The deer went on big searches for supplies, but there was nothing left. One night, both fell desperately hungry, but kept it to themselves as they did not want to alarm the other. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, an acute pain in the deer’s leg woke him up only to see the wolf chewing on it.
- You betrayed me!
- Never! You chose to trust me even though you knew the inevitable.
The deer wanted to fight, but it was too late. A cry filled the cave as the wolf reached for his throat.
Moral: A leopard cannot change its spots.
Rusty was an old man who’s favorite thing in the world was to hunt. He had a long beard and he was usually wearing a cap. He spent most nights at a bar named The Tavern drinking beer with his three lifelong friends Barry, Larry and Harry. Barry was a fat man with no hair left in his head or face except for a thick white moustache, Larry was a skinny bartender who worked at The Tavern and Harry was a superstitious redhead. One night they were all hanging out at the bar after Larry’s shift ended. Rusty started telling his friends that he was leaving early on the morning to go hunting. “I don’t even know why you go; you rarely hunt anything. It’s been what? Three years?” Asked Barry. “At least be sure to wear the same underwear, it’s good luck for hunters.” Said Harry. “Hunting is about patience, my friends. I’ll hunt something this time, you’ll see. I’m prepared to shoot whatever crosses my path” Rusty replied. “Any animal that crosses your path? “Asked Larry. “You must have compassion for at least one kind of animal.” Rusty laughed. “Oh Larry, I don’t think there is one. I would hunt anything, and if I don’t it’s because not all animals can be hunted. I mean, we are not allowed to hunt them all”. “Well, just watch out for white deer, it’s bad luck to hunt them.” Said Harry. Everyone rolled their eyes at him.
The next morning Rusty went to the woods, installed his camping tent and went walking with his rifle in his hand. After a long day of looking out for any animal he could find he decided to go back to his tent, light a fire and open a beer. It was a very quiet night; you could almost hear the silence. He was struggling to keep his eyes opened and suddenly he fell asleep. The next time he opened his eyes, there was a bear sitting at the other side of the fire. Rusty could feel his heart beating rapidly. He didn’t move, he just sat there looking at the bear. The bear just sat there calmly and seemed to be enjoying the fire. Then the bear stood up and started to smell everywhere, as if it was searching for something. All that Rusty could think about was that at least he was going to die doing what he loved. But suddenly, the bear did the unexpected. He grabbed two beers, left one near Rusty and returned to where he was sitting. Rusty couldn’t believe what was happening, but decided to go along. He opened the beer and they both started to drink by the fire. After a long time sitting there, Rusty decided to talk. “It’s a lovely night, isn’t it?” and the bear answered with a grunt.
After that, Rusty woke up. “Of course it was just a dream, I thought I was losing my mind” Rusty thought to himself and laughed out loud. He got up, had some breakfast, took his rifle and went hunting again. After a few hours of looking, there it was. He spotted a big brown bear not too far. He pointed his rifle at it, took a few breaths, put down the rifle and said out loud “Not you my friend, not you” and walked away.
Algae lined port holes
Noah peeked out
a rooster yelled
the elephants were
getting uneasy
stomachs queasy
nerves shot
all vomited
rough seas
Noah prayed
and nobody
strayed
keep the animals
in line
aquaducts
and algae slime
barnacles and
sea urchins
dogs with
beards on chins
Noah saw a dove
it was God's love
dry land
and warm sand
a heart beat away
"All the creatures
praise the Lord"
(Psalm 150:6)