Liqueur Chartreuse

Formulated in 1605 and distilled by Carthusian monks since 1737 in their Chartreuse Mountains monastery near Grenoble, France, the liqueur comes in yellow and green versions. In spring Mother Nature pays homage to the monks and impressionist painter Claude Monet by painting vast stretches of Carolina meadows with splashes of exhilarating chartreuse.

© Ilija Lukić 2019

Liqueur Chartreuse

Wellspring Of Lore

Near Siler City North Carolina, where the eastern edges of the Piedmont Plateau slide into the Atlantic Coastal Plain, stands a testament to rugged individualism. It stirs American frontier lore from timeless slumber. Old homesteads are a wellspring of insight into days of yore. One such cabin with well fires my imagination. Camera in hand I spirit away this moment in time.

© Ilija Lukić 2019

Bygone Days

Vernal Heydays

Spring makes melody in harmony with time eternal.

It’s nature’s way to reveal God in earthbound realm.

How better to acknowledge said divine instrumental

Than poetry of spring as vernal heydays overwhelm.

© Ilija Lukić 2019

Divine Resurrection
(Spring in the countryside east of Siler City, North Carolina USA)

Poetry Of Spring

Vernal Heydays
(Livestock on farm along old Highway 64 bypass west of Pittsboro NC USA)

Benevolent Adversity

Behold sunlight dance with untamed watercourse;

In company with shadows lift mood of tawny surge.

Banks awash forewarn floods which in due course

Encourage mindset of resilience to emerge.

© Ilija Lukić 2019

Benevolent Adversity
(Haw River at Bynum, North Carolina USA)

Elephant Butte Sunset

A week ago arctic breath keeps denizens of the Piedmont Plateau here in North Carolina huddled near hearth fires. Today a fifty degree temperature hike seems to vindicate Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction of an early spring. The balmy early-February weather reaches into mind’s eye and looses memories of a sunset at Elephant Butte in the Navajo Valley of the Rocks, more commonly known as Monument Valley.

© Ilija Lukić 2019

Elephant Butte Sunset (Photo-Impressionism)

Serendipitous Perfection

Chaos is the lifeblood of creativity.
Do not fear its assault on senses.
Appreciate its kaleidoscope of disarray
For it lays bare the essence of the universe.

Embrace chaos as a tool of spirituality.
Uncover harmony veiled in its aftermath.
In temporal things felt, seen or perceived,
Let upheaval heighten clarity of purpose.

Befriend chaos it inspires contemplation,
Which brings to light keen readings of reality.
Then, with weighty prose or artful imagery
Harness its power in moments of perfection.

© Ilija Lukić 2019

Felicitous Kiss
A well-chosen spot for an affectionate expression of love. The kiss briefly suspends ravages of time and weather on the Old Highway 15 concrete span across the Haw River near Bynum NC 

Sissipawhaw River Serpent
Oral traditions of people once indigenous to North Carolina woodlands cherish legends of Uktena, a dragon-like horned serpent.

Auspicious Moonrise
Ripped from its mundane, albeit functional existence during the tumult of floodwaters wrought by Hurricane Florence, this culvert is an artful reminder of triumph over chaos.

Lunar Eclipse

At midnight on January 21, 2019, the awaited lunar eclipse adds an aura of mystery and awesome wonder to starlit skies over Pittsboro NC. Roughly fifty minutes after Earth's shadow veils the Moon's brilliant countenance a peripheral crescent of light signals rebirth of the heavenly body. Night air in the mid-twenties cuts short enjoyment of primeval moods. Later tonight arctic airs in the teens will slide chill factors into single digits.

© Ilija Lukić 2019

Lunar Eclipse 2019

(Over Powell Place in Pittsboro, North Carolina USA)

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)