Serenity Unchained

Hearts covet serenity
River bestows venerable counsel
Heron wades carefree

© Ilija Lukić 2016

Calliope's Chair
(Haw River east of Bynum North Carolina near Pokeberry Creek)

River Drifter

Ivy League Education

Serenity Unchained

Shadow Dancers

January Reverie

First snows of the season leave a dusting across Haw River environs. Winter slumber tightens its grip on the rocky river channel and sandy banks which a month ago suffered the onslaught of flood water.

© Ilija Lukić 2016

First Snow

Light Passages

Winter Soliloquy

Winter Reverie

First Love

She comes to me in silence.

Her caress comforts and excites.

Fantasy and reality become one

And first love wraps two hearts

Deep into tender hues of affection.

©  Ilija Lukić 2016

First Love
(photo-impressionism)

Spirit World

Our unusually mild winter persists. Late in the day calls of the wild prove irresistible. I strike out in search of sensory and spiritual learning. Afternoon temperatures hover in the fifties. A brief burst of sunshine on an otherwise cloudy day lights up leaf and moss-covered woodland slopes along my trail. Bare Mockernut Hickory canopies and clusters of Long-leaf Pine capture whispers of wind and spirits of yesteryear.

Trees are conduits between the temporal and spirit world. They link cast away threads of time through mystical forces of nature to present-day human experience. This is why we humans have held trees in high regard since memories began. It's only recently these ancient memories of their power have faded. I take a breathing spell, listen to their wisdom and allow my heart to ponder their poetry of spirit.

© Ilija Lukić 2016

Spirit World

Silent Vigil

Mockernut Cache

Winter Lights

Poésie De La Lumière - Poetry Of Light

Wasserwelt (Water World)

Seemingly endless days of rain give way to sunshine. Overnight lows in the twenties and daytime highs in the forties help dry out soggy lands. Controlled releases of Lake Jordan into the Cape Fear River Basin lower water levels five feet and open a few lake access roads. Late afternoon I venture to several favorite scenic locations and find the lake still extends significantly into shoreline woodlands. Waning daylight adds magical touches to the water-logged forest.

Daylight wanes on shimmering lake waters,

Liquid solace spills into flood-ravaged lands,

Cathedrals of pine dance in fluid reflections,

God’s in the pines, peace reigns in the world.

© Ilija Lukić 2016

Wasserwelt
(Water world east of Pittsboro, North Carolina USA)

Affairs Of The Heart

While sunset gives affectionate caresses

And adorns her body with silvery blush,

She lures her beloved with dulcet passion

And whispers of eternity in silken embrace.

Spellbound my captive heart spills poetry,

Sets words of love adrift on winter breeze,

Invites her essence to quench my desires,

Alas, affairs of the heart are hard to resist.

© Ilija Lukić 2016

Silvery Blush
(Haw River north of Pittsboro, North Carolina USA)

Honeyed Passion

Winter Breeze

Affair Of The Heart

Elegy In St Bartholomew's Churchyard

Solemn stillness fills shadowed airs at God’s acre,

Where mortal toil rests in timeless blessedness,

Where each gravestone declares devoted surrender

Of divine soul to God's eternal grace and caress. 

© Ilija Lukić 2016

Elegy In St Bartholomew's Churchyard
(Pittsboro, North Carolina USA)

St Bartholomew's
(Episcopalian church in Pittsboro, North Carolina USA, built circa 1832)