Passages

Sunday, October 27, 2024

River Of No Return

Yes, life is a river of no return

That yearns for calm folds of eternity,

Where cascades come to be gentle nocturne

And ragged souls gain peace and harmony.

River Of No Return

Haw River Natural Area near Bynum NC

Thursday, October 24, 2024

Heaven's Gate

Autumn songs and colors abound of late,

They gird hearts for a peek through heaven’s gate,

Fresh reverie reigns twenty-four seven—

Like walking on air, in seventh heaven.

In Seventh Heaven

Seaforth Peninsula on Jordan Lake NC

Sunday, October 20, 2024

Life Force

Shadows prompt fanfare,

When sunbursts unleash forces

That slow their demise

Life Force

Self-portrait of Shadow Man cast across lakeshore sand ripples

Tuesday, October 8, 2024

Mindful communion between heart, mind and soul finds creative outlet in catching sight of and then perpetuating the artistry of light, shadow and ripples of time. Said visual poetry of spirit and light—meant to appeal to both senses and mind, as well as provide solace—engages passions and even heals physical and mental ailments spawned by traumas of life.

Burdens Shrugged (photo impressionism)

(Sand waves on Jordan Lake beach left in wake of shoreline flooding)

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

Autumn Rains

Dark skies weigh on heart,

Autumn rains refresh the soul

Wind whispers, amen.

Autumn Rains

Haw River at Old Highway 15 bridge in Bynum NC

Tuesday, October 1, 2024

Autumn-In-Waiting

Autumn meanders into hill and dale

Without fanfare, although with bated breath;

She readies heartstrings, waiting to exhale—

With gaiety paints summer’s dance of death.

Dreams of harmony mid blossoms of spring

And summer’s dazzling skies her heart compel,

To dance ‘cross Earth realms, rejoice in last fling,

With one eye on life come winter’s hushed spell.

She holds dear the season’s waning sunshine,

Gladly bathes in warm hues of morning light,

Lets her soul spill joy unto swamped shoreline

And speak of hope in times of wretched plight.

Autumn’s eye-catching drama—hit-or-miss—

Fills human heart and soul with divine bliss.

Havoc wrought by hurricane Helene continues to plague lands and people here in the Carolinas. Washed out highways and byways slow recovery efforts. The brunt of the tropical storm spared our neighborhoods; although the effects of copious rains, blustery winds and scattered tornados mark her passage northward. As waters in rain-swollen lakes and streams recede, tranquil ephemeral pools in shoreline woodlands whisper encouragement and speak of hope…this too shall pass.

Early Autumn Daybreak

Seaforth Peninsula at Jordan Lake NC

Monday, July 22, 2024

Liquid Rendezvous

Mid-afternoon at Jordan Lake NC sizzles in muggy, 97-degree temperatures. A northeasterly breeze ripples lake waters and eases the oppressive heat with lively dances through shoreline woodlands. As drought conditions across our state deepen, stray summer thunder showers take the edge off anguish over parched farmlands and city neighborhoods

The sequestered confluence of the New Hope River and Haw River lies at the southernmost reaches of an idyllic sixteen-mile expanse of lake waters. A flood control dam near this watersmeet tamed the rivers, captured their torrents and eventually shaped Jordan Lake. With an average depth of 14 feet it’s a shallow reservoir, yet it’s quarter-million, acre-feet of water augment numerous municipal waterworks.

Irresistible Enchantment

Vistas from ranger station overlook at Jordan Lake Dam near confluence of Haw and New Hope River

Friday, May 24, 2024

Eternity Laid Bare

Mind simple pleasures of road less traveled

And glimpses of heaven on hushed lakeshores,

Then life’s troubles won’t leave you unraveled

And peace of mind gained a frayed soul restores.

Eternity Laid Bare

Cooper's Cove on Jordan Lake NC

Monday, May 20, 2024

Timeworn Legacy

Yeoman, sharecroppers and tenant farmers were once the backbone of North Carolina's booming tobacco economy. In the 1950s half a million tobacco barns dotted the landscape. Once landmarks in the five tobacco belts across the Piedmont and eastern reaches of our state, these days fewer than ten percent still stand—many re-purposed, yet weathered reminders of heydays for a shrinking industry.

Timeworn Legacy

Along Rock Spring Church Road near Pittsboro NC

Saturday, May 18, 2024

Day's End Reverie

Light wanes pleasingly,

Hush invites nightfall refrains—

Heartstring lullabies.

Day's End Reverie

Sundown on Haw River near Bynum NC (c. 2016)

Thursday, May 16, 2024

Elixir Of Life

When famed river of life makes waves,

Enjoy the ride, but don’t forgo

Rocking the boat, now and again.

Give free rein to bold adventures.

Create your own rhythms of life—

Your ebb and flow of existence.

Should your best laid plans go awry,

Freely bear the brunt of life’s tides.

Never say die, domineer them!

Elixir Of Life

Haw River near Bynum NC

Saturday, May 11, 2024

Circle Of Life

It’s late September near the banks of the Running Water Draw north of Clovis, New Mexico. Sacred beasts reverently referred to as tasiwóo in Comanche tribal lore graze peacefully as in days of yore. Rambunctious reddish brown calves prance playfully through shoulder-high vegetation, chasing grasshoppers and butterflies. The only sounds are tender grunts of their mothers confirming their safety and whereabouts. In their heyday numberless herds roamed vast seas of Great Plains grasslands.

A resurgence of wildflowers adds summer moods to the autumnal tranquility of the vast Llano Estacado plateau. Passing clouds briefly shade the sun-drenched prairie and amplify the spiritual aura of these imposing icons of the American West—they are bison bison aka American bison or American buffalo.

Circle Of Life

Two By Two

Thursday, May 9, 2024

Stroke Of Serendipity

My soul soars as sight

Of snowy peak buoys glum heart—

Hushed lake paves the way.

Trillium Lake

Mt Hood National Forest OR

Tuesday, May 7, 2024

Roots

'Cause life plays for keeps,

Fear not, storm-tossed roots run deep—

Keep the faith, baby!

Ebenezer Church Shores on Jordan Lake NC

Saturday, May 4, 2024

Hope Against Hope

Stay bound and determined to fulfill goals.

They’re seminal milestones in strands of time,

Even when ventures run aground in shoals

And hope against hope is the paradigm.

Hope Against Hope

Ebenezer Church Point shoreline on Jordan Lake NC

Thursday, May 2, 2024

Despair Foiled

Human heart despairs,

When tides of time test patience—

Let soul point the way.

Jordan Lake lies in a Triassic era rift basin and its shoreline shows distinct features of Hyco Formation bedrock. It's of volcanic and sedimentary origins.

Some 600-million years ago much of Central North Carolina, parts of Georgia and a small part of Virginia were an arc of volcanic islands. Now known as the Carolinia Terrane, this island arc was near to or a part of ancestral South America and African Gondwana continents before drifting into the North America tectonic plate. This collision, some 300-million years ago, pushed up and formed the Appalachian Mountains to our west.

Timeworn Serenity

Ebenezer Church Point on Jordan Lake NC

Sunday, April 28, 2024

Me And My Shadows

When dogged by dark times,

Adapt, bring to knees all gloom—

You know who you are.

Me And My Shadows

(Ilija on day of 2024 solar eclipse; photo by Melanie Lukić)

Friday, April 19, 2024

Life's Gateways

Weary souls mark time,

Till hearts open new doorways—

Mind cedes means and time.

Thirty days after the spring equinox, summer-like temperatures and azure skies invite exploration of a few miles along the tortuous 180-mile Jordan Lake shoreline. I affectionately call the ecosystem spanning riparian woodlands, sandy westward beaches and rugged eastern sandstone banks my stomping ground.

Every venture into said wilds, while afoot or later in mind’s eye, takes me through physical as well as perceived and ponderable gateways into the natural world and life itself. With rare exception even brief immersions deliver on promises of adventure, but also gains in knowledge and spiritual enlightenment for this agreeable mortal.