Hazy mist bathes trees; dim gray light precedes the dawn – the scent of campfires.
Glowing red embers, marshmallows toasting on sticks – campers’ nirvana!
Calm lake, mirrored sky - ripples stirred by gentle wind rip the clouds awry.
Cranes with missing legs stand among mimicking reeds: legs with missing cranes.
Dappled forest shade – swirling shadows flecked with sun flood the silent glade.
Tiny buzzing wings, humming drones beneath those tunes the chanting bird sings
The preying mantis waits until her prey comes near - a flash of lightning!
A single green leaf, tickled by a breeze, shivers among still sisters.
In the growing wind the tree leaves flip upside down - hiding from the storm?
Graceful twining vine, shiny trefoils, berries white - lovely danger sign!
Locust tree’s secret: fragile leaves are delicate, but those thorns are not!
Stag leaves his bower, brushing a tree with his rack - pine-needle shower.
Hark! A babbling brook - water sings its warbling song, tumbling over stones.
Sunrise on a sea of shimmering golden wheat – not a tree in sight.
Relentless sun sears drought-parched fields; those water drops? only farmers’ tears.
Silently spinning, oaken paddles slice through air like drunken sailors.
Mouse pauses, then runs, as the clouds part for moonlight - the flapping of wings
No moon lights the fox creeping into the barnyard - the flapping of wings
The perfume of trees fills a summer afternoon – magic scent of love
Rose petals scattered on the stream float gently by - a romance shattered?
Warming sun breaks through hazy sky and cloak of fog, burning morning dew.
Spider web at dawn – each captive dewdrop glistens with captured sunshine.
Dewy spider webs – like shiny sequined gowns for fairy princesses.
Walking between trees, spider’s strands invisible – not intangible.
Squirrel on wood pile holds aloft his curly tail - furry parasol.
Impatient ivy - climbing trees to get its share of summer sunlight
Trees line city streets, relieving searing sunlight with cool pools of shade.
Dappled sun on lawn, checkerboard for deadly game - birds and butterflies.
Summer afternoon – trees are frozen in the sun like a photograph.
Weeping willows wait, branches poised like thousands of preying mantises.
Deep purple flowers – like open portals to strange new universes.
The fluffy seeds float slowly through the summer air – sprites with silver hair.
Plump red tomatoes plucked from vines planted last spring – foresight rewarded!
Hose spraying ahead and afternoon sun behind – personal rainbow!
A squirrel’s carcass swarms with hordes of buzzing flies – death supporting life.
Blue to gray to green – that lowering sky could mean hail will soon be seen.
Summer storms depart – the fallen leaves and branches become roof gardens.
Storm-dropped sticks on lawns predict tomorrow's future – legs and backs will ache!
Turquoise sky, full moon, no clouds above, no sun, no stars – summer day wiped clean.
The smell of cedar sharpens the moist summer air – but where are the trees?
Just after sundown — the sky like a negative, blue dark, clouds darker
Fireflies’ twilight flight - echoed in darkened sky by stars that light the night
The night springs to life with raucous cacophony; cicadas return.
Silently spinning, oaken paddles slice through air like drunken sailors.
A sweltering night – then cool morning air rushes through open windows.
Sandy soil, pine trees, family on vacation - soon, the salty breeze
Trail of prints, wet sand - waves erase all human trace, and yet, here we stand.
The rising sun paints the sky, the sea, and the sand, using the same brush.
Written 1997 by David L Brungart - © Copyright