What A Difference A Day Makes

Pinking skies augur change

White down indulges nature’s whim

Mortal coil quests balance

© Ilija Lukić 2018

Calm Before The Storm
(Cobble Ridge in Pittsboro, North Carolina USA)

Snow Day

November Cantata

Mind yearns for patience

Heart discovers nature’s music

Life’s dance begins anew

© Ilija Lukić 2018

Autumn Braggadocio
(Haw River near Bynum, North Carolina USA)

November Cantata

Woodland Watcher

It's a crisp late-autumn afternoon. I make time for a stroll in Haw River woodlands near Bynum, North Carolina. Summer bird chatter is a distant memory. Except for my footfalls across thick carpets of fallen leaves, the mood is an eerie silence. I pause to adjust my camera neck strap. Within seconds the silence reaches into the primordial pool of my essence and raises an alarm born of ancient memories. Fine hairs on the back of my neck bristle. I sense a presence. Is it animal or woodland spirit? I ready my camera and turn slowly. Sunlight filtering through bare tree canopies distorts perceptions of reality. My heart races as I fix my gaze on what appear to be two eyes in a mass of pine straw deposited by recent wind storms on low hanging tree branches. I snap a photo.

© Ilija Lukić 2018

Woodland Watcher

(Photo impressionism)

Primordial Purity

Sunlight gives essence born of primordial mud

A way to leave earthly attachments and desires

Cloaked as fleeting shadows on bright lotus bud.

Thusly mind, body and soul transcend life’s mires.

© Ilija Lukić 2018

Primordial Purity
(Graffiti on old Highway 15 bridge at Bynum, North Carolina USA)

Abiding Remembrance

Late-November mists and rain dampen thoughts of outdoor activities and gently silence last songs of autumn. Sheltered from the chilled ambience which envelops city neighborhoods and woodlands, heart and soul reach out to mind’s eye. The conversation turns to remembrance of family values, artistic exploits, cultural diversity and spiritual journeys.

© Ilija Lukić 2018

Abiding Remembrance

Thanksgiving In The Air

At dusk our town kicks off the 2018 holiday season with music, dance, food and lighting of the community Christmas tree at the historic Chatham County Court House. To the delight of children Santa stops by on his way to the North Pole. When Santa puts light to the tree, collective shouts of delight fill the crisp breath of night. Merchants along the main thoroughfare to the court house follow suit with illuminations of trees and store fronts. Stores, boutiques, art galleries and purveyors of antiques keep late hours, as shoppers peruse wares with gift-giving to special people in mind.

Temperature is in the fifties. Artificial snow machines help set a wintry mood. People mingle on street and courthouse grounds in festive frame of mind, while Christmas carols tug at heart strings and lift spirits. Four days hence families will gather once more for a uniquely American celebration, when young and old allow their hearts to dwell on kindness and thanksgiving for the good in their lives.

© Ilija Lukić 2018 

Community Spirit

(Pittsboro, North Carolina USA)

Making A List

(New Horizons Trading Company in Pittsboro, North Carolina USA)

Let There Be Light

Last weekend Cooper and I cannot resist the lure of autumn woodlands. I quest late afternoon poetry of light kaleidoscopes of foliage time and again conceive in mind's eye. Aesthetics aside and truth be told, Cooper just wants to ensure his wildlife playmates still thrive in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence flooding two months ago. Jordan Lake State Park is our destination. Where not long ago knee-deep lagoons inundate shoreline tree stands, we find leaf and pine needle-carpeted forest floors none the worse for ravages wrought by nature.

Since Saturday nearly four inches of additional rain threaten repeat flooding. As the forest readies once again to live through the darkness of the deep, "let there be light" echoes throughout our sun-dappled woodland cathedral.

© Ilija Lukić 2018

Let There Be Light

(Cooper scouts riparian woodland at Jordan Lake, North Carolina USA) 

Sun-dappled Perfection

Divine Symphonies

Woodland withers regally

Dog days become leaf symphonies

Divine breath scribes music

© Ilija Lukić 2018

Divine Symphony
(Mary Holmes Park near Pittsboro North Carolina USA)

Autumn Lullabies

Autumn croons lullabies

Frosty nights embolden wintertide

Bliss fills Nature’s heart

© Ilija Lukić 2018

Nature's Heart
(Woodlands near Pittsboro, North Carolina USA)

Mind's Eye

In truth, mist-filled autumn airs wake mind’s eye,

Recapture moments from sublime mosaic of life,

Bespeak horseback exploits under endless sky

And marvel at Meteor Crater with newlywed wife.

Memories near to heart on untold strands of time

Celebrate anew daughters’ birth with plum brandy,

Recall saga of dragon and knight errant in rhyme

And quench thirst in Blue Corn Cafe quite rowdily

Why journey again down Will Rogers Highway,

Breakfast with truckers in family-owned diner,

Admire folk art, trek lofty Machu Picchu byway

Then evoke wisdom spoken by Cheyenne elder.

When hearts cherish memories of life’s voyage,

Each waypoint keepsake pays tangible homage.

© Ilija Lukić 2018

Autumn Mists
(Late afternoon moods in Mary Holmes Park, Pittsboro NC USA)

Memory Lane
(Memorabilia at home in Pittsboro NC USA)

Autumn Finery

Without much ado or need for slight of hand,

Mother Nature abandons outback greenery,

Summer bids farewell in sunlit woodland,

While stillness presides over autumn finery.

© Ilija Lukić 2018

Loblolly Pine Allée
(Lake Jordan State Park woodland passage)

Bewitched

Look-see how flaxen hair spills sunlight

In content dance on velvet bosom realm,

While eyes bewitch akin to moonlit night

And rouse mind’s eye heart to overwhelm.

© Ilija Lukić 2018

Dragon Mischief

Take time to appreciate whimsical mind

Born of star dust before time was time,

Where dragons still roam within humankind

And linger in guise as mischievous rhyme.

Ponder said mischief ascribed to dragons,

Weigh lifelong worriment with playful heart,

Let shenanigans in verse become paragons

Of lightsome oratory—spoken works of art.

© Ilija Lukić 2018

Dragon Mischief
(Multimedia art combining digital photography and Adobe Sketch)

Dragon Rhapsody

Dragon breath sheds light 

Bold blaze bespeaks primordial truth

Moments shape eternity

© Ilija Lukić 2018

Dragon Rhapsody
(Graffiti on bridge at Bynum, North Carolina USA) 

Primordial Light

Hope ushers dances of primordial Light
Into those darkened arenas of despair,
Which plague notions about inner peace
And becloud discovery of one’s true self.

© Ilija Lukić 2018

Primordial Light

(Day Lilies - Photo Impressionism)

Sublime Quietude

(Remembrance of an outing to Trillium Lake near Mt Hood in Oregon USA, 2007)

Ethereal vapors over glacial slopes

Help waning daylight to write poetry

Across lightly silvered countenance

Of lake untroubled by rain or shine. 

For one breath unending time lies still.

Serenity takes hold of wooded shore,

Sublime quietude lifts harried heart

And gives wing to age-old yearnings.

To know one’s purpose in earthly realm;

To follow one’s heart in joy and sorrow;

To believe true peace of mind is elusive

Without its shepherd named breath of life.

© Ilija Lukić 2018

Sublime Quietude
(Trillium Lake with Mt Hood backdrop in Oregon USA)

Muddled Spirit

When downcast heart longs for serenity
And muddled spirit invokes God's grace
Made clear in celestial music of eternity, Till bliss and muddy river of life embrace.

© Ilija Lukić 2018

Muddled Spirit

(Spring flows on Haw River near Bynum, North Carolina USA)

Shadows Of Life

Poetry makes light the shadows of life.

© Ilija Lukić 2018

Shadows Of Life
(Self-portrait)

Gateway To Eternity

Hearts deprived of daydreams

Awash in pensive affection,

Sentimental reminiscence

And understanding of yesteryear

Make souls vulnerable

To less principled journeys

Into Eternity.

© Ilija Lukić 2018

The Ferguson House c.1915
(The Wade Hampton Farms homestead along US Highway 64 west of Pittsboro NC)

Urban Artistry

My early afternoon outing to the community of Siler City, North Carolina finds preparations for the "Person 2 Person Fest" in full swing. It is award winning local artist Roger Person's 80th birthday and the town celebrates. Person has a habit of dabbling paint on his shoes in whimsical extension of his art. Last night town folk honored his life and quirky habit by painting hundreds of shoes with creative arrays of color. Today the shoe artistry adorns shops, trash cans, phone booths, outside eating areas at restaurants, traffic signs and such.

Albeit transitory, the shoes are an enjoyable introduction to the folk and fine art treasures of the artist community in this urban setting. I find numerous galleries in league with the NC Arts Incubator offer studio space and venues for artists. On the street large murals add an air of creativity to aging, brick building facades. Chatham Rabbit is prominent. In the early 1900s Chatham rabbits are a prized source of meat hunted exclusively in the wild. Relegated to lore the lagomorph's allure enjoys revival at the hands and imagination of artists.

© Ilija Lukić 2018

Chatham Rabbit

(Ten-foot mural in Siler City, North Carolina USA)

Bubbles N' Brick

(Sculpture of cut PVC pipe on brick facade in Siler City, North Caroline USA)

Person2Person

(Courtyard Cafe in Siler City, North Carolina USA)

Spring Serenade

An 80º F spring day settles into eventide across Haw River environs. Vernal renewal stirs spring fever. Young and old take time to enjoy the gentle rush of river waters and remember bygone days in the village of Bynum, when a covered bridge graced the river crossing. Only remnants of the once majestic structure remain. Delicate sunset hues delay shadows of nightfall as water fowl conduct last forays for an evening meal. Serenity reigns in heart and mind.

© Ilija Lukić 2018

Bygone Majesty

(Remnants of covered bridge which spanned Haw River and cotton mill race at Bynum, North Carolina USA)

Spring Serenade
(One of the Haw River side channels near Bynum, North Carolina USA)

Spring Fever

Spring cajoles cool winds

Breeze wakes primordial life force

Patience quickens triumph

© Ilija Lukić 2018

Spring Fever
(Tobacco shed next to Old Rock Springs Church Road, Pittsboro North Carolina USA)

Seasons Of Existence

While my timeworn spirit beleaguers youthful fantasies,

Weathered countenance makes known age-old poetry,

Written in essence gathered among sweeping galaxies

Which rest on nameless peaks in far-away high country.

Crow’s feet bespeak my soul, its quest of pure existence,

Its journey to the beginning down untold strands of time,

Its journey on paths of temptation and fateful resistance

To its divine nature marked by shifts in moral paradigm.

Much as deepest furrows on said face betray heartbreak,

Pain disguised by stoic mien and misconceived reason

About love lost, fathomless grief or anguish of mistake, 

They speak of strength, ‘cause every woe has its season.

© Ilija Lukić 2018

El Llanero Viejo
(Self-Portrait)

Spring Paean

Hope eases into vernal wood

Bold flush of color invites reverie

Blues linger on wintry breath

© Ilija Lukić 2018

Spring Paean
(Riparian woodlands at Jordan Lake, North Carolina USA)

Mists Of Time - Transcendence

Hope without end is a towering lighthouse,
A comforting guidepost in mists of eternity.
Both meek and lionhearted mortals espouse
Hope’s power amid tangles of uncertainty.

Faith is that sacred leap into seas of doubt,
That spiritual light within the purview of soul.
Ere long said faith cultivates a lead-off sprout
Within the rich harvest of trust believers extol.

Love prevails in amaranthine mists of time,
Endures all hardship besides uncalled strife,
Softens time apart with memories of sublime
Sips from chalices brimming with elixir of life.

Hope, faith and love transcend mists of time
And often bear fruit when unfolded into poetry.

© Ilija Lukić 2018

Mists Of Time

(Woodlands near Pittsboro, North Carolina USA)

Moments Of Eternity

Cherish fleeting washes of sunlight

On eager chorus of spring flowers,

Below pinking skies of early bright

Refreshed by kiss of vernal showers.

Behold sunrise mists along glassy lake.

Hear herons squawk and clapper lustily

And gulls on wing cry above boat wake. 

Said moments define beauty musingly.

Breath of life begs more than hasty looks,

More than rare encounters with eternity.

Where beauty wells from age-old brooks

Lay bare your soul, transcend mortality.

© Ilija Lukić 2018

Moment Of Eternity

Tinge Of Hope

Cold hush bodes despair

Hardship meanders down river realm

Sunset hues raise hope

© Ilija Lukić 2018

Tinge Of Hope
(Winter sunset on the HawRiver near Bynum, North Carolina USA)

Winter Manse

As crystal flurries settle into woodland cathedral,

A refuge for deer and songbird of crimson wing,

Exquisite silence drapes ridge and holler primeval

While winter’s frosty breath in grove reigns king.

Grassy knoll and autumn tillage long for wintertide.

They commit to endurance under coverlet of snow

And frost on flaxen straw in dreamland countryside,

Where folks bide time till buds grace pussy willow. 

Long winter nights have need of warm hearth fires,

Where dance of flames gives heart and soul wing,

Makes way for tales of peril, hope, playful desires

And encourages musing about life in wait for spring.

So cast aside reason, hear lively wind in solitary pine,

Know play of sunset hues on icebound lake expanse,

Chase moonrise above glen and wooded ridge line

And find childlike comfort in Mother Nature’s manse. 

Spellbound I press against frosted window panes,

My heart captivated by abundance of ethereal down,

As icicle splendor, hoarfrost and snowy country lanes

Grow into reverie ‘bout winter days in our small town.

© Ilija Lukić 2018

Star Dust
(Abandoned farm on Farrington Road east of Pittsboro NC)