The Wilderness Within (Book) - 5/23/2004 6:07:18 AM
LOVELY WORK
There is something for everyone in The Wilderness Within. Writer/Poet Spring says ‘they just keep coming, these poems. Places, friends, family, animals, birds, fish, flowers, stones, lakes, rivers, and the unseen world enter these poems in unexpected ways.’ Poet Spring’s love of nature flows to the reader as these poems and essays are enjoyed. Accomplished, piercing, words to enrapture, and thrill are offered as poet Spring draws upon adventures of life to give rise to an opus of lovely work. Family life, life lessons, enlightenment communicate to the heart of the reader in agreeable and measurable manner. Readers will be sure to be transformed in a very tangible way while reading the words offered by this perceptive, straightforward woman whose observable zeal is to share her life with others.
FULL REVIEW THIS SITE: http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewarticle.asp?id=14102
The Wilderness Within (Book) - 7/6/2003 9:26:41 AM
As a child I loved poetry. As an adult, one of my favorite possessions is a 1921 edition of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. I also possess several other collector copies of 19th century poets. It is said that the earliest forms of poetic expression induced the very unfolding of communication and language itself.
When I started reading The Wilderness Within written by Barbara Spring, I was not expecting to fall in love with this little gem of a book and savor it poem by poem. Ms. Spring considers the mystery of the world in her poems sharing impulses of curiosity along with the complexity of nature, life and death. Her poems are in privileged alignment with the living and breathing spirit. She possesses the poetic eye for passing flecks of details while bearing witness to her vast travels and experiences. Several stories and pictures flank some of the poems.
The stories offer trip details to the Copper Canyon and the Galapogos Islands while the pictures add additional stimulation for the mind. I read this book three times before writing this review trying to find my favorite poem. I simply couldn’t decide on one favorite. Each poem has its own unique spiritual and intellectual wandering to it. Poems such as “Bedtime Story”, “Bloodroot Bearings”, “The Green Man’s Secret” and “The Entryway” all bear witness to the author’s yearnings and passions about life.
This book offers up a number of delicious poems. It is a true fascinating delight, elegant in style and profound in feeling. “The Wilderness Within” is a tempting glimpse of the moves of a first rate talent and I look forward to reading more from Ms. Spring.
Sherry Russell
The Wilderness Within (Book) - 7/6/2003 9:20:25 AM
You don’t have to read too far into Barbara Spring’s poetry collection, “The Wilderness Within”, to see the common theme that threads through her poetic vision. Nature has always been a powerful inspiration to poets and there is an exceptional understanding and love of the natural world expressed in these poems and essays.
I have always believed that one of the best ways to identify a formidable poet is their use of strong words, powerful words. No fear of such words here: battering and beat, both words of considerable power appear in the first poem, Bear Woman. Strong words bring strong images and it becomes possible to see into Barbara’s vision of nature that is loving without being sugar coated. She sees the reality, the threats that face this world she loves so much. Don’t mistake me, these are not protest poems, there is no didacticism here, but works of appreciation and understanding that repay careful reading.
Visual images are also strong in Barbara’s work and there are poems here that come alive because of the addition of form to words – Ruby Throat is a fine example in the early pages of the book.
There are occasional departures from the natural world, The Library at Alexandria carries echoes of Robert Bly and is dedicated to him. It is an exceptional poem even among this collection of consistently fine work.
Spring is a poet worth getting to know. She sees a world we all know and expresses it eloquently: “I am Earth, red sun and yellow flower” from Meditation and yet there is also mystery here, she inhabits the spirit of the natural world:
From Bonesounds
Of my jointed finger bones
string wind chimes
so breezes may click them
outside your bedroom window.
This is a consistent collection, though, of course, there are variations within a volume of this length. Nevertheless, those I would have excluded are few and none jar the senses by being downright bad.
Overall, this is an impressive work. The poet lays her visions bare and we come away the richer for that.
Feral Child (Short Story) - 5/21/2021 7:47:47 PM
Wow! Awesome story! Thank you for sharing! Sincerely, Corrine Ardoin
Feral Child (Short Story) - 9/26/2017 7:47:06 AM
many learn much more from nature than those who only attend classes in provincial schools. well done
Feral Child (Short Story) - 9/20/2017 6:14:05 AM
This reminds me of Romulus and Remus! I'm glad you're alive to tell us about this and that you are a guide for sure!!
Love ya!
Jane
Fairy Tale (Short Story) - 7/11/2016 10:11:42 AM
With this story you have amplified the magic that is in the Wisconsin Northwoods. I spent my elementary years in Wausau (not Warsaw!), and found that some poet from the land of Rhine where comes my wine, invented the legend of the Hodag. Just as the magical animal is pieced together by many animals' skins, so too does the poet piece together many consonants and vowels, even other words to write poetry and improve the language.
Ron
Fairy Tale (Short Story) - 7/10/2016 11:59:08 PM
A descriptive tale by which you reveal the poet's secret of observation buoyed by an imagination which transcends reality.
To the Candy Shop (Short Story) - 9/30/2014 5:45:31 AM
Wonderful memories of the World War II era. I'd certainly forgotten some of those confections.
Unfortunately, my memories of World War II are rather hazy, but after we moved to the city, a little delicatessen was only a block away. My mother was always baking cookies, cakes, and desserts, so my twin brother and I never bought candy like the other kids in the neighborhood who would sometimes share with us. Whatever money we made we put in our savings account that my mother established when we were born with birth money. Our first major purchase with our savings, was two use bicycles.
My memories were of the 50s, when kids had a lot of spending money and many things were plentiful… We even got a television set for there was television in our area.
Ron
Warthog at the Boma (Short Story) - 2/21/2004 10:37:48 AM
you need to make the picture smaller; otherwise, you have covered up a good chunk of this article!
(((HUGS))) and much love, your friend in tx., karen lynn. :)
would have loved to read this story, but the picture covers up at least half of it!
Face Book Friends (Article) - 11/11/2017 1:07:18 PM
Yes, it's great fun and seriously genuine!
Love ya!
Jane
Face Book Friends (Article) - 11/9/2017 6:47:50 AM
Like you, I'm a communicator and have always called, visited, and sent letters to friends over the years. Perhaps because I never had children and married only briefly, so I didn't have the added time consuming needs of the family. When the Internet came along, I found that creating a website and using email, I could reach friends and family easier.
I think the primary appeal of Facebook is that it's a simple way to create a personal website. And, by a selection process, one can determine who gets to view your page every time you change it. Along with other smart devices like cell phones, computers make this all possible. For some, Facebook and email is the only use they make of a computer. Facebook is the popular meeting place for the populace. Acquaintances become friends. All is good until it isn't and you are either hacked, trolled or stalked online.
Facebook is for most, but it is fast becoming a monopoly, so I will not join in for now unless I have to.
Ron
Living Waters (Article) - 11/23/2016 11:24:46 AM
Thanks for the memories of my youth in northern Wisconsin and my few times that I ventured to that giant lake that provided fresh drinking water from its surface and all those wonderful fauna and flora that you describe so beautifully. God's country… May it remain unmolested.
Ron
Living Waters (Article) - 11/22/2016 1:00:59 PM
Great imagery from down here on the south shore of Lake Erie. I love that area up there! I feel like I took a tour through your words.
Love ya!
Jane
Tikal Guatemala (Article) - 8/5/2016 4:35:20 AM
You have described Tikal beautifully and thoroughly. I was there in 1977 on a day trip from Guatemala City. One of the most memorable parts of my trip was the flight in a DC-6 with large windows that afforded us a beautiful view of the Pyramids rising out of the jungle as we circled them for landing on a dust flying dirt runway that reminded me of something out of Indiana Jones, a throwback to the 1930s.
I didn't stay in the Jungle Lodge but it certainly looked inviting with its rustic atmosphere. Our tour guide was a young guy from Georgia who really did remind me of Indiana Jones. Without any way to grip the cable and being unsteady on those sharp rock, steep steps, I was unable to climb the Temple of Jaguar like so many did.
I would encourage everyone who would get the chance to visit to this beautiful place with such interesting history. Thank you, Barbara, for describing Tikal far better than I could.
Ron
Inanna's Descent (Article) - 4/20/2016 9:03:10 AM
Easily led… That's why I preferred to go with people from a country to their country rather than take a tour. I like your little quips along the observation. Learned a little bit about some places I haven't been.
Ron
Think Globally: Act Locally (Article) - 3/1/2015 9:41:19 AM
We all have to do our part. I recall that I could take a glass of Lake Superior water from my canoe and drink it, back when there were no coho salmon and few lake trout there because of lamprey eels. And then, one windy day in 1970 the whole eastern end of of Lake Superior turned a dark brown from tailings from Reserve Mining operations.
About that time, I returned to my parents' home, and, at the bridge by the little stream a couple hundred yards from their house, I saw tires carelessly thrown in the stream. I wrote a letter to the local paper. Today, that stream is pristine and junk free.
Like the saying goes, "every litter bit helps."
Ron
In Touch with the World through the WWW (Article) - 11/20/2004 2:42:12 PM
It seems you have found a writing niche that will keep you busy from now on. I am a convert to not only the Great Lakes, but also the ecosystems around them, including the smaller lakes. I have some postings on AD in this regard. My poem, "Oh, Canada" and my articles on "Heaven In An Alder Swamp" speak to that enchanting world.
All the best as you continue your great works for the Great Lakes.
Best regards,
Leland
Playing Around the Great Lakes (Article) - 5/3/2004 4:16:42 PM
the great lakes: a delightful place to be, for sure! i remember going to cedar point numerous times as a child, then a teen, and then an adult, and i also remember going to cleveland and also to detroit on numerous occasions! thanks for jogging my memory; i miss ohio, and i miss the great lakes!
(((HUGS))) and much love, your friend in tx., karen lynn. :(
wonderful write!
A Sea Full of Surprises (Article) - 9/24/2003 1:56:17 PM
Excellent article. Still remember when I saw my first whale. Well done.
How Many April Greens (Article) - 4/28/2003 11:14:43 AM
Excellent! Residing in Michigan myself, I too know just how delightful Spring is upon her arrival. I use to live in Grand Haven about 9 years ago. What a lovely place it is! Thanks for sharing!
I am part of the whole (Poetry) - 1/25/2020 2:56:45 PM
The lifeblood flows through all of us and the battle with the bear was only won by the superior intelligence of man. But oh what battles ensued…
Ron
I am part of the whole (Poetry) - 1/20/2020 6:37:54 PM
Fantastic! Your words make sense! Everything is a molecule of the whole............I really enjoy this write! Write on!
Love ya!
Jane
Does the House Remember Me? (Poetry) - 5/30/2019 6:53:53 PM
The house will always remain the part of child that was loved the most.xo
Does the House Remember Me? (Poetry) - 3/2/2019 7:52:03 PM
I love other people's memories. I seldom bring up my childhood memories, because quite frankly they were not good years. Your memories make me think of the White Picket fence-in yards of the 1950's and that, Barbara is a good thing.
Does the House Remember Me? (Poetry) - 2/17/2019 11:53:26 AM
VERY NICE!!!!!!!!!!!! I LIKE IT!!!!!! Liana Margiva
Does the House Remember Me? (Poetry) - 2/8/2019 10:39:59 AM
Probably not, but you certainly remember in this poem shares it. Reminds me of my mother returning to the vacant farmhouse of her childhood and finding some little things there that she remembered among her time there, like her goat, Billy and her dog, Blackie.
Ron
Honor Mother Earth (Poetry) - 2/7/2019 10:33:11 AM
A beautiful ode to our only abode. May it continue to provide us with nourishment and wonder.
Ron
Honor Mother Earth (Poetry) - 2/7/2019 8:10:45 AM
We only have one earth, and honor we should.
Puget Sound (Poetry) - 1/18/2019 10:23:26 AM
Sailed across once on a ferry to Victoria. Wish I could live there and have that view you describe so beautifully.
Ron
Puget Sound (Poetry) - 1/17/2019 9:05:41 PM
Well done Barbara! I lived in Washington State for over 4 years. Breathtaking one day, dreary as a wet noodle the next. South Florida is my kind of weather.
Puget Sound (Poetry) - 1/17/2019 2:20:24 PM
Sounds like a wonderful idyllic day.
Sophia's Sound (Poetry) - 12/13/2018 10:33:45 AM
Summing up creation in a nutshell poem… Nice.
Ron
Sophia's Sound (Poetry) - 12/10/2018 8:14:00 AM
OOOOOoooooooo!! Your imagery resonates an echoing in my mind. So beautifully written.
Love ya!
Jane
Sophia's Sound (Poetry) - 12/10/2018 3:31:36 AM
A very thought-provoking poetic piece.
It makes one wonder if it was a musical voice?
Whatever it sounded like I sure it was very pleasant.
Nice! JMD
A Lunar Event (Poetry) - 5/30/2018 4:22:28 PM
Love the beautiful dream.
Sandie
A Lunar Event (Poetry) - 5/30/2018 9:53:35 AM
Much better to do it in reality. Love the imagery in this poem.
Ron
A Lunar Event (Poetry) - 5/30/2018 7:28:38 AM
As I am reading this I am enjoying the bouquet of lilacs into the house. I am most certainly a "lunatic"! I enjoyed this poem so so much!!
Love ya!
Jane
Blue Bird (Poetry) - 5/28/2018 3:03:22 PM
I DON'T THINK IT WOULD HAVE MEANT AS MUCH TO YOUR LOVE AND YOU HAD IT BEEN JUST ONE BLUE BIRD, BUT THE FACT THAT THERE WERE TWO...ONE SINGING TO THE OTHER...ENHANCED THE SCENE AND MADE IT PERSONAL AND RELATABLE. FINE WORK, THANKS FOR SHARING. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...JOYCE * HIS INSPIRATIONS
Blue Bird (Poetry) - 5/25/2018 9:34:45 PM
This just trickles along. Light and airy feeling about this and so beautiful!
Love ya!
Jane
Blue Bird (Poetry) - 5/25/2018 12:09:44 PM
Short. Simple. Wonderful.
Blue Bird (Poetry) - 5/25/2018 9:43:46 AM
I hope in my lifetime to have seen a bluebird. That would be truly the bluebird of happiness for me.
Ron
Blue Bird (Poetry) - 5/25/2018 8:34:29 AM
That must've been the blue bird of happiness. Enjoyed.
A Finger of Wind (Poetry) - 5/21/2018 8:24:44 PM
Perhaps this is prophetic. I'm saving it! It's giving me chills!
Love ya!
Jane
A Finger of Wind (Poetry) - 5/10/2018 9:04:01 AM
I'm not sure what it means either, but the words are so beautifully chosen that they elevate our thinking in ways we never thought before.
Ron
A Finger of Wind (Poetry) - 5/10/2018 6:53:35 AM
Striking imagery that creates an atmosphere of mystery. Seems your muse is using you to convey a message that only certain individuals can assign meaning to. How cool is that? Enjoyed this. r
Windy May Day (Poetry) - 5/6/2018 8:26:20 AM
It seems almost always to be windy by the seashore. Your poem brings back memories of those times at the beach when the wind was as dominant as the breakers.
Ron
Windy May Day (Poetry) - 5/4/2018 7:04:51 PM
What an artist you are to bring such action and life with your words!'Enjoyed!
Love ya!
Jane
Windy May Day (Poetry) - 5/4/2018 12:20:48 PM
I can see a picture through your words. Nicely-done!
Sandie
Windy May Day (Poetry) - 5/4/2018 8:15:03 AM
You painted a lovely picture with your words.
Missouri Childhood (Poetry) - 4/14/2018 1:44:40 PM
Our memories are so precious dear poet. You describe them well here, The older we get the more we remember with fondness the places we visited and lived in. Thank you for sharing your talent dear Barbara.
Missouri Childhood (Poetry) - 4/2/2018 5:55:36 AM
really liked it, keep on writing these
Missouri Childhood (Poetry) - 4/1/2018 5:58:35 AM
I'm sure glad you got out of misery… Oops, I meant having to ask everybody, "Show me."
Totally enjoyable memories that I share from Wisconsin where our sultry summer lasted about two weeks. I especially like the metaphor of the babbling brook changing course toward the north and Michigan.
Ron
Missouri Childhood (Poetry) - 3/31/2018 1:05:34 PM
I found myself daydreaming that I was lying in that grassy lawn while reading this lovely write! Write on!
Love ya!
Jane
Snow Day (Poetry) - 1/6/2018 10:26:54 AM
'Sounds like the perfect snow day to me!
Love ya!
Jane
Snow Day (Poetry) - 1/4/2018 9:34:43 AM
Up nort, like we used to say, the day after a blanket of snow, by early morning, all of the streets and parking lots are neatly plowed and all the sidewalks clear to concrete so that everyone can get immediately back to work. In the South, we are still struggling with the inconvenience of the day before unable to do anything to clear our roads and walkways. Spending most of our time just trying to get daily things done and no time to relax, paint, or write poetry. ;-)
Ron
Canoe Trip (Poetry) - 10/11/2017 8:35:29 PM
Nice description of a trip with you in a canoe. Thanks for the journey!
Canoe Trip (Poetry) - 10/10/2017 5:49:24 AM
Row row row your canoe, gently down the stream.
Canoe Trip (Poetry) - 10/10/2017 2:10:23 AM
a fine float down the stream of your mind
Canoe Trip (Poetry) - 10/9/2017 4:06:55 PM
I love canoeing and I love the way you took us on your journey! Good for you!! I just know you had a ball!!
Love ya!
Jane
I Did Not Cry (Poetry) - 9/11/2017 12:15:07 PM
Sometimes no matter how bad we feel the tears don't come, that is oka too xo
I Did Not Cry (Poetry) - 9/9/2017 7:19:44 PM
Understandably melancholy write.
Love ya!
Jane
I Did Not Cry (Poetry) - 9/9/2017 7:25:45 AM
What a GREAT play on words within the lines of this exceptional write.
Vetch (Poetry) - 9/8/2017 8:24:38 AM
I know the name and I'm sure I've run across vetch many times… Especially on the seashore, but a picture to go along with the colorful poem would certainly help me visualize.
Ron
Vetch (Poetry) - 9/6/2017 12:47:43 PM
Did I like this? You vetch ya!
Vetch (Poetry) - 9/6/2017 7:05:51 AM
Gotta love those "tangled shoots."
Vetch (Poetry) - 9/6/2017 6:57:02 AM
I love this analogy!!! Vetch has staying power!!
Love ya!
Jane
Divine Child (Poetry) - 8/18/2017 8:31:10 AM
The new occupant of this "house built on sand," seems to be quite ominous.
Ron
Divine Child (Poetry) - 8/17/2017 6:42:09 AM
A welcoming poetic write for a new born. Excellent ❤️👍🏻
Divine Child (Poetry) - 8/16/2017 12:14:37 PM
Ahh . . . Jane said prettrymuch what I was going to say. Cool. fascinating write.
Divine Child (Poetry) - 8/16/2017 11:31:09 AM
Thought provoking write indeed!! I love it!!
Love ya!
Jane
Trout Stream (Poetry) - 6/20/2017 5:29:38 AM
Mayflies drift softly to surface tension. A bookie breaks water with a mighty gulp. Breathing in mayfly to silent water running deep.
Makes me want to go trout fishing again. Really hard to catch those fast little devils.
Ron
Trout Stream (Poetry) - 6/19/2017 11:07:12 AM
'Love the imagery!!!
Love ya!
Jane
Haiku (Poetry) - 5/31/2017 10:29:52 PM
PERFECT HAIKU AND ENJOYED. THANKS FOR SHARING. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...JOYCE * HIS INSPIRATIONS
Haiku (Poetry) - 5/24/2017 2:46:53 PM
Cute poem about frog love, and I love it. Peace!!!
Messenger (Poetry) - 5/24/2017 2:42:02 PM
Birds sing love songs that take birth in our hearts, where our love ones reside! Thank you, Barbara Peace!!!
Haiku (Poetry) - 5/20/2017 12:24:25 PM
Either that, or they're signaling their contentment. What else would one need, but a nice stretch of calm water and moonlight under summer skies. Nice small piece. Very enjoyable. Bob
Haiku (Poetry) - 5/20/2017 9:03:51 AM
It certainly is amazing, the cacophony that comes out of a swampy area from frogs and toads all trying to make love at the same time. Insects may be part of it, as well. Looks to be like something that would warrant a good scientific study sorting out all of the sources of this marvelous chorus.
I grew up to believe that the jungle was filled with the sound of wild animals. To my surprise, upon listening to the jungle come alive, I realized that most of the sounds that I heard were birds, some of them probably imitating wild animals. ;-)
Ron
Haiku (Poetry) - 5/20/2017 7:58:51 AM
I love it!!! I live between a marsh and a bayou............love the songs at night. Beautiful!!!
Love ya!
Jane
At Ox-Bow (Poetry) - 5/20/2017 2:10:15 AM
Your words are so vivid they vivify my senses as I read your poetry today, thank you dear poet xo
At Ox-Bow (Poetry) - 5/19/2017 12:15:18 PM
Nature comes alive!!! How wonderful! Enjoyed much!
Love ya!
Jane
At Ox-Bow (Poetry) - 5/19/2017 9:02:09 AM
I want to be there and take it all in.
Ron
At Ox-Bow (Poetry) - 5/19/2017 5:18:52 AM
Sounds perfect to me.
Vive la Difference (Poetry) - 5/7/2017 7:41:55 AM
It sounds like you have found a good balance, well done, Barbara, thanks for sharing xo
Vive la Difference (Poetry) - 5/5/2017 6:44:37 AM
It sounds like you're a perfect pair of opposites, so there's nothing to do but enjoy each other.
Vive la Difference (Poetry) - 5/5/2017 5:39:20 AM
Thank you for sharing such intimate details. From what I read you are both very fulfilled in what you do and your marriage is a mesh of cooperation and compromise. I read, active.
I would only caution you to one thing. And that is that some basic things regarding living in the house should be understood and shared by both parties. When one member of a fantastic couple like yours suddenly dies, the partner that is still alive may become lost not understanding certain things like how the family money is managed.
My brother has lived alone during a spell between marriages. When he lost his wife suddenly two years ago in an accident, he was easily able to deal with her wishes that she had written down in detail. He wrote me yesterday about golfing with local officials and going out with friends. He has made the transition remarkably well, although he complained that it took him six months to get all the financial aspects worked out.
Ron
Vive la Difference (Poetry) - 5/4/2017 8:37:27 AM
Opposites attract?
Always,
Deborah
Ross Street Columbia MO. (Poetry) - 4/22/2017 7:28:55 AM
What a lovely romp through childhood glory. Loved every word of it.
Ron
Ross Street Columbia MO. (Poetry) - 4/21/2017 6:09:05 PM
Oh, the fun we had!!! 'Enjoyed!!
Love ya!
Jane
Ross Street Columbia MO. (Poetry) - 4/21/2017 5:48:04 AM
Yep, they are over and no amount of wishing they would return will bring them back. I spent many years writing poems of my "younger days" secretly in my thoughts hoping I could return to them, but of course I couldn't.
Espanola (Poetry) - 4/12/2017 8:07:30 AM
Thank you for the beautiful visual!! I was picturing this all in my mind and could smell the salt air.
Love ya!
Jane
Espanola (Poetry) - 4/11/2017 4:44:20 AM
Very descriptive images of Galapagos's very unique fauna and flora. One has to be there to grasp the scope of its wonderful wildlife.
Ron
Espanola (Poetry) - 4/10/2017 4:56:01 PM
Thank you Barbara
For this wonderful nature write
Trully enjoyablebreading
Peace be with you
William
Mother Earth (Poetry) - 4/8/2017 10:31:20 PM
I love the way you have captured the frailty of this beautiful planet...
And the nurturing of our Mother...Earth...
Diana...
Mother Earth (Poetry) - 3/27/2017 6:55:30 AM
And what a wonderful nest her lap is. I believe it's about time that we quit soiling it in the name of material gain.
Ron
Mother Earth (Poetry) - 3/27/2017 6:03:14 AM
And we are of this earth, and so we shall return to her in the end.
Mother Earth (Poetry) - 3/27/2017 4:51:48 AM
Imagery that beats all! Wonderful.
Love ya!
Jane
Mother Earth (Poetry) - 3/27/2017 4:45:35 AM
Fantastic bit of wordplay, Barbara.
Vetch (Poetry) - 3/18/2017 8:44:43 AM
I love to go fetch some vetch for my inland garden. But those mosquitoes, bomber sized, won't let me beg their pardon.
Ron
Vetch (Poetry) - 3/18/2017 6:02:26 AM
The best ground cover and oh, so beautiful!!! Sweet write!
Love ya!
Jane
Messenger (Poetry) - 3/16/2017 7:47:07 AM
In a lifetime, I believe I've only seen a scarlet tanager once, and it was enlightening. As for its song, it is really amazing that I can go here on the Internet and hear a tanager singing by a mere Google search.
That bird and its song certainly inspired you to think of all your loved ones. Wonderful. CRon
Messenger (Poetry) - 3/15/2017 4:35:53 PM
I was singing right along with your words. Thank you for the fun ride!!
Love ya!
Jane
Bloodroot Bearings (Poetry) - 3/13/2017 7:26:06 AM
A beautiful description of part of nature that only poets like you take the time to examine and wonder at the beauty and complexity that involves rebirth at spring.
Ron
Bloodroot Bearings (Poetry) - 3/13/2017 6:50:55 AM
The imagery is fantastic and puts me there with you. Fine work!!
Love ya!
Jane
Earth's Song (Poetry) - 3/7/2017 2:40:38 PM
Beautifully written. Sad for those who quit listening.
Love ya!
Jane
Earth's Song (Poetry) - 3/6/2017 10:23:19 AM
Certainly getting in touch with the astronautical and natural cycles of life. Gets one thinking…
Ron
Earth's Song (Poetry) - 3/6/2017 7:36:57 AM
There is always another song it seems. Cool write.
Earth's Song (Poetry) - 3/6/2017 6:51:41 AM
Not all of us have fallen asleep. Good write.
In Peach Time (Poetry) - 3/5/2017 12:52:05 PM
Now we know what makes you tick. Peach juice runs through your veins as you power up to write.
Ron
In Peach Time (Poetry) - 3/4/2017 5:42:36 PM
I bet you never eat a ticking peach again!! LOL!!
Love ya!
Jane
Days of Snow Angels (Poetry) - 3/3/2017 4:51:29 PM
You have taken me back along with you!! Thanks for the memories.
Love ya!
Jane
Where Has It Gone? (Poetry) - 3/3/2017 4:50:07 PM
Now you qualify for "bragging rights". You have the evidence. Now you are able to share the thrills you experienced with those who never had the chance to do them. All is not lost. Enjoyed!
Love ya!
Jane
Where Has It Gone? (Poetry) - 3/2/2017 3:00:03 PM
Heard you very loud and very clear. I used to have a hideout, and the neighbors daughter used to sneak in there with. Oh! God the memories.
Limerick (Poetry) - 2/28/2017 5:16:30 AM
You made a fine statement here!
Love ya!
Jane
Losses Gains (Poetry) - 2/23/2017 4:30:40 PM
My sentiments exactly!
Love ya!
Jane
Cadmium Sun (Poetry) - 2/23/2017 4:00:46 PM
I was "blinded by the light"! 'Enjoyed!!
Love ya!
Jane
Cadmium Sun (Poetry) - 2/23/2017 12:24:30 PM
Was there 50 shades of gray? Sorry, I couldn't resist.
Cadmium Sun (Poetry) - 2/23/2017 10:01:31 AM
Came to a slamming realization at the end… Wow.
You could paint that classic of the modernist school… Gray on Gray. That would be cool.
Ron
Losses Gains (Poetry) - 2/23/2017 6:43:48 AM
My grandmother always said she had 5 men on a string. She got up with Will Power. Spent the morning with Rhuma Tisim. Spent the afternoon with Bruce Itis. The evening was spent with Arthur Itis, and she went to bed with Ben Gay.
My Truth (Poetry) - 2/20/2017 1:30:53 PM
You animal, you!
Ron
My Truth (Poetry) - 2/20/2017 1:26:40 PM
All good stuff to be! Congratulations!
Love ya!
Jane
My Truth (Poetry) - 2/20/2017 7:19:33 AM
Very funny!
Keep it up, Barbara!
My Truth (Poetry) - 2/20/2017 7:08:17 AM
I hear you! And dat's da truff!
Locomotions (Poetry) - 2/17/2017 10:46:18 AM
Peregrines swoop at incredible speeds. Scallops eat poop and I find them a delicacy. At least we know that you are firmly planted.
Ron
Locomotions (Poetry) - 2/15/2017 10:38:01 AM
The imagery has me right there enjoying these sights. Thank you!
Love ya!
Jane
Locomotions (Poetry) - 2/15/2017 8:26:00 AM
Eh . . . You write. They cannot do that. They are who and what they are. You are who and what you are.
Paiute Shaman (Poetry) - 2/14/2017 6:39:46 PM
"Walking the Red path" are you? Although this sounds like a guy I knew. The guy was solid. So are your words!
Love ya!
Jane
Paiute Shaman (Poetry) - 2/14/2017 12:26:16 PM
Mystically Native American with a prophecy as a bonus. Cool.
Ron
Childhood (Poetry) - 2/13/2017 7:20:27 AM
This is ultra cool!! There for a moment, you took me back in time. Thank you!
Love ya!
Jane
Childhood (Poetry) - 2/13/2017 6:58:32 AM
Great memories here, especially the iodine part. My mom would take the iodine and draw a funny face on my boo boo's, and make it all better.
Ancient Lyres (Poetry) - 2/12/2017 1:41:35 PM
I would venture to say that you most certainly "heard those ancient lyres"!! Imagery so clear like a picture!! Amazing.
Love ya!
Jane
Ancient Lyres (Poetry) - 2/12/2017 10:27:00 AM
A haunting remembrance that sometimes can be heard in the woods at night.
Ron
Ancient Lyres (Poetry) - 2/12/2017 9:49:52 AM
Excellent wordplay within the lines of this cozy as hell poetry you have given us. It caused a warmth within as I read it . . . twice.
Celestial Mirror (Poetry) - 2/12/2017 7:51:10 AM
Other worlds are certainly in the poet's imagination. For me, water beautifully reflects the wonder that is natural and normal around me.
Ron
Celestial Mirror (Poetry) - 2/11/2017 5:40:36 PM
I really enjoyed this ~ full of beauty and grace!
Blessings, Christine
Celestial Mirror (Poetry) - 2/10/2017 2:24:25 PM
Ethereally written, I enjoyed your poem this evening x
Celestial Mirror (Poetry) - 2/10/2017 1:30:20 PM
Yes, I believe you do. Your use of imagery is deep and mysterious. Oh, did I mention that this piece of work is topping the charts in my mind.
Love ya!
Jane
The New Born (Poetry) - 2/5/2017 8:01:27 AM
That would be a good hope for everyone throughout their lives. Unfortunately, adulthood often results in some very mean-spirited behavior that is diametrically opposed to the beautiful blank slate of innocent infant we first see in front of us before we start conditioning them to our beliefs and practices.
Ron
The New Born (Poetry) - 2/4/2017 2:26:15 PM
Your words give me butterflies as I am expecting my first great grandchild at any time right now. Babies are blessings. Sweet wishes to you and the baby!
Love ya!
Jane
The New Born (Poetry) - 2/4/2017 12:49:15 PM
Beautiful thoughts and words for this wonder, a newborn wonder. May she receive in life what you have asked for, "joyful, peaceful and filled with love."
Humpback Whales (Poetry) - 1/31/2017 8:05:53 AM
You seem to be akin with the whales in this symbiotic poetic gesture. While I marvel at the size and beauty of the Great Blues, I find that Humpbacks seem to have overly large mouths and eyes, huge stretch marks on their blubberous bodies, and worst of all, all those barnacles all over their faces as though they never had a good scrubbing bath even though they were in the ocean all the time. ;-)
Ron
Humpback Whales (Poetry) - 1/31/2017 4:23:09 AM
I got a visual so fantastic from reading this beautiful poem so full of imagery. Thank you!
Love ya!
Jane
Dark Memories (Poetry) - 1/17/2017 5:06:15 PM
You poem is so vivid it is a feast for my senses. Thank you for sharing it, it sounds like a great place x
Dark Memories (Poetry) - 1/17/2017 1:57:11 PM
Cherish each moment we have these precious flora and fauna no matter how small for we are realizing too late that what so many knew was coming due to greed. Great poem!!
Love ya!
Jane
Dark Memories (Poetry) - 1/17/2017 8:58:19 AM
A memory filled with richness of wild summers down through time. I really love the imagery in this. Unfortunately, factory monoculture farming and herbicides, pesticides and genetically modified plants and animals are reducing the rich variety of life that flourished on the Great Plains. Will we notice when they are all gone?
Ron
Singing Sands (Poetry) - 1/16/2017 12:14:52 PM
Being from that neck of the woods, the sands of time have certainly been around a while and the song of the wilderness resonates within both the land and your poem.
Ron
Singing Sands (Poetry) - 1/16/2017 7:57:36 AM
Nice work here, and by reading the lines one can surely tell they came from the heart.
Singing Sands (Poetry) - 1/16/2017 7:27:55 AM
I love this poem!!!! Yes, the sands do sing secrets of what they conceal. There's nothing like lying on the sand at the beach and listening to their duo!! Beautifully written indeed!!!
Love ya!
Jane
Red Dragon (Poetry) - 1/12/2017 7:55:15 AM
A fairytale of superhuman imagination.
Ron
Red Dragon (Poetry) - 1/11/2017 2:43:43 PM
Your imagery took me on a fairie tale ride......sad thing, it had to end. 'Loved it!!!
Love ya!
Jane
Red Dragon (Poetry) - 1/11/2017 10:26:42 AM
Oh boy! Whadda trip you have spun here . . . The last three lines . . . Yessss!
Another Year Begun: 2017 (Poetry) - 1/2/2017 12:30:50 PM
Isn't it grand? You swirl it into beauty!
Love ya!
Jane
Lake Efffect Snow (Poetry) - 12/29/2016 12:10:42 PM
There needs to be only two seasons . . . Spring and fall . . .
Lake Efffect Snow (Poetry) - 12/29/2016 8:23:55 AM
I can imagine what it must feel like to have all that snow to deal with each winter. But it does make for a very white and picturesque landscape.
Makes one thinking about your namesake, Spring.
Ron
Lake Efffect Snow (Poetry) - 12/29/2016 6:27:07 AM
Oh, yeah!! That's the way it is here along the lake in Mentor Headlands, Ohio!! I really enjoyed this!!
Love ya!
Jane
Bog (Poetry) - 11/21/2016 6:33:01 AM
What a wonderful depiction of the Tamarac swamp. My dad spent a lot of time in those places during his service in the CCC. You know how to make nature come alive.
Ron
Bog (Poetry) - 11/20/2016 12:31:15 PM
There's a bog close to where I live. Years ago a family friend lowered a weight on 100 ft. of rope and never touched bottom. You captured the essence without sinking or getting bogged down. {pardon my pun.}
Bog (Poetry) - 11/20/2016 11:13:09 AM
Down here in this Louisiana swamp, we also know about the bog. It is treacherous, slimy, ugly and . . . er . . . did I say treacherous!?
Bog (Poetry) - 11/20/2016 10:42:02 AM
The bog, ahhhh!!! In the bog of the Marsh around here, we must carry a strong, long walking stick. I believe you know why. I enjoyed your write. Thank you.
Love ya!
Jane
for Pam (Poetry) - 11/9/2016 9:17:50 AM
After reading this, I read it again and had to get up and dance!! Write on!!
Love ya!
Jane
for Pam (Poetry) - 11/9/2016 7:13:46 AM
A wonderfully free and inspiring view of dancing. I've always loved dancing. But when I was a teenager and a member of the youth group in a church of God, dancing was prohibited. I guess because it was considered lewd in the eyes of God. I really liked the lewd part for freedom it inspired and still do.
Ron
November (Poetry) - 11/8/2016 7:34:43 PM
You have captured "November Days" in a unique way. My hat off to you. John
November (Poetry) - 11/8/2016 7:49:56 AM
I really liked that last little stanza about how your shadow behaves over the remains of summer. Cool.
Ron
November (Poetry) - 11/7/2016 7:37:47 AM
You shaped the clay wisely and came out with a beautiful form! 'Enjoyed!!
Love ya!1
Jane
November (Poetry) - 11/6/2016 4:54:41 PM
Really loved your wordplay here, Barbara. Kinda tickled the tongue when reciting it aloud.
Messenger (Poetry) - 10/24/2016 1:36:04 PM
I really enjoyed this and I'm glad I'm not the only one who believes in the messages brought to us by nature. Touching!
Love ya!
Jane
Messenger (Poetry) - 10/24/2016 12:55:18 PM
The bird is the word, sing on.
A Kantele Day (Poetry) - 10/20/2016 11:56:30 AM
Mysterious, haunting...and somewhat eerie...
I get very strong visual and sound imagery with your words...
It must be my Scandanavian roots coming through...
I loved this....
Diana....
A Kantele Day (Poetry) - 10/6/2016 7:48:20 AM
I can't picture what a kantele sounds like, but I can picture a Native American flute being played to match the emotion and aura of the seaside image in the poem. Sadly haunting, yet eerily comforting.
Ron
A Kantele Day (Poetry) - 10/6/2016 6:48:32 AM
Loved this wonderful play on words, and the sound of the kantele, though I've never heard one, i had something going on inside my head.
A Kantele Day (Poetry) - 10/6/2016 5:36:39 AM
You have brought back wonderful memories. My mother played the kantele. Both of my parents were from Finland. I can still hear the kantele's music dancing across a lake after sauna. So beautiful!!! Norway rocks!!
Love ya!
Jane
Harvest (Poetry) - 9/29/2016 8:28:36 AM
You have written about what I miss so much. And so well. Harvest is, indeed, the best time of the year. I will go to a farm market on Saturday where I will see some of the plenty, but a far cry from what you describe.
Ron
Harvest (Poetry) - 9/28/2016 9:03:16 PM
The sights, sounds, and scents of autumn. Nice work. John
Harvest (Poetry) - 9/28/2016 11:26:35 AM
You are describing my area! I can smell everything you wrote about.
Great writing~~~~~
Love ya!
Jane
Harvest (Poetry) - 9/28/2016 10:18:51 AM
let the feasts begin.
Michael D.
Harvest (Poetry) - 9/28/2016 10:04:53 AM
Loved the take on all the subjects within the lines of your poem. You gave your readers a first hand look at nature at its best.
September Day (Poetry) - 9/18/2016 8:42:00 AM
I think that's why I enjoy the quiet lakes inland in Wisconsin better. Living on a huge lakeshore reminiscent of the sea can have its grey days. I find them depressing like the incessant calls of gulls and the ever present wind. Inland, there is much color, even on dreary days.
Ron
September Day (Poetry) - 9/16/2016 3:26:32 PM
Fantastic imagery! Lake Michigan...I grew up traveling around that Great Lake. You have penned a lovely picture!!
Love ya!
Jane
September Day (Poetry) - 9/16/2016 12:13:18 PM
Sounds like a good day.
Michael D.
The Monarch's Wedding (Poetry) - 9/12/2016 5:39:26 AM
Oh, how I love butterflies!! We have a lot of milkweed here by Lake Erie and the Mentor Marsh. The "wooly bears" feed on the milkweed and in turn we get to marvel at scenes you have so beautifully expressed!!!
Love ya!
Jane
The Monarch's Wedding (Poetry) - 9/8/2016 7:22:39 AM
While most of us just enjoy (or hate) insects like Monarch butterflies, it is fascinating when information is revealed like your poem describing their mating dance. And, only recently, finding their wintering hideaway in Mexico. And, now that we know that they are in serious decline as a species, we have to ensure that they will delight many generations in the future rather than just be videos, pictures and poems of an extinct species.
Ron
The Monarch's Wedding (Poetry) - 9/8/2016 5:43:05 AM
Just like the Monarchs, this was a beautiful write, and I have observed this in the past. Unfortunately, Monarchs are endangered, and I haven't seen one here in Ohio where I live in several years.
Michael D.
The Monarch's Wedding (Poetry) - 9/7/2016 8:44:36 AM
Hey! This is neat. I'm still seeing that "nuptial flight" inside my thoughts, and I dare say I will see it off and on all day.
Philosophy (Poetry) - 9/4/2016 6:47:35 AM
We also skin our knees from time to time. We must not worry about that and continue walking until we can't anymore. Otherwise, what's a life for?
Ron
PS. I can read it.
Philosophy (Poetry) - 9/3/2016 1:31:40 PM
Cannot read it. What's wrong with using black for the words?
Still the Same (Poetry) - 8/24/2016 5:29:34 AM
You have expressed a malady that affects all of us who are healthy and continue living on into advancing age. And so very well, I might add!
My uncle Don, whose wife died of multiple ailments in her 60s reached the ripe old age of 101 a few years ago when he finally was confined to a nursing hospital. My cousin, his son, told me that his favorite expression was, "Hey, nurse! Can you get me a bucket? I want to kick it." He kept his humor right up to the very end. The last conversation we had in person with his hearing aid turned all the way up was very cordial when he was 99. He even came out to see me start up my high-tech van, since he had a lifetime love for technology and gadgets. His son is carrying on that tradition at 75, recently learning how to fly and bought an airplane.
Ron
Still the Same (Poetry) - 8/22/2016 6:57:35 AM
We were sort of on the same page with our poems today. Yes, I too am still the same, but I say, "Hey! Gimmie wine."
Liked this poem it was about getting old, but not giving into it.
Butterfly Lovely (Poetry) - 8/20/2016 12:22:30 PM
As a kid I swatted them in abundance while walking through fields of wild. Now, I wait for them for hours to appear small numbers, much diminished from my childhood memory.
Yesterday, I thought I saw a monarch on my lantana. It could've been one of those crafty imitators but it was a sight for sore eyes. And then, accompanying this welcome stranger was a beautiful yellow butterfly that I could not name. Aside from the giant swallowtails of last year and once this year, they bring joy to my heart.
Ron
Air Earth Fire Water (Poetry) - 7/26/2016 3:28:04 PM
Never been to Puget Sound, but this descriptive write brings it closer to me. Good work, I enjoyed it.
Air Earth Fire Water (Poetry) - 7/20/2016 5:55:27 AM
In this amazing poem you have shown our connection, both with our native surroundings and to nature, itself. There is a blending symbiosis in your words that resonates with me. Simply lovely.
Ron
Air Earth Fire Water (Poetry) - 7/20/2016 12:41:15 AM
Thank you for conveying the beauty of the earth's elements in the simple, yet grandiose encounters of nature.
Air Earth Fire Water (Poetry) - 7/19/2016 1:36:59 PM
There is so very much to see, touch, and appreciate on this wonderful earth where we live. There is magic out there, and you brought much of it to us within the lines of this superb poem.
Affinity for the Sea (Poetry) - 7/13/2016 6:33:37 AM
This served to bring back fond memories.
Making me miss my sailboat.
Well done.
Walt
Out in the Country (Poetry) - 6/13/2016 2:30:43 PM
Loved this...you captured such atmosphere here...
I could smell those gorgeous flowers!
Diana...
Out in the Country (Poetry) - 6/6/2016 11:58:10 AM
You took me there and I love it! Thank you :)
Out in the Country (Poetry) - 6/5/2016 7:12:28 AM
A very nice tribute to spring or summer!
Out in the Country (Poetry) - 6/5/2016 7:03:26 AM
Springtime in the country! Nothing like it. You captured the essence very well.
Ron
Out in the Country (Poetry) - 6/4/2016 3:23:22 PM
Ahhh . . . Like this format much, much better than the other one, Barbara. You put me into a vivid, descriptive world and I loved it.
Eat Worms (Poetry) - 5/6/2016 12:07:10 PM
IT'S SAD, BARBARA...BUT SOME PEOPLE ARE MISERABLE, MOST OF THE TIME AND THEY WANT EVERYBODY ELSE TO BE MISERABLE TOO. GREAT WORK, THANKS FOR SHARING. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...JOYCE * HIS INSPIRATIONS
Eat Worms (Poetry) - 5/6/2016 4:24:55 AM
In search of the wild robin?
Ron
Bog (Poetry) - 4/21/2016 8:45:01 AM
I certainly got informed and not bogged down in this poem. Thanks for all the information that I would have to learn by getting my boots wet and stuck in the mud.
Ron
I Will Stay Right Here (Poetry) - 11/9/2015 8:02:43 AM
Your poem resonates with my years in the North. Time to stock up and bundle up for the winter ahead. Spring won't come soon enough. For over 20 years my parents migrated like the birds. But my father ended his days in a cold northern hospital and my mother now stays and bundles up for a long winter, waiting for spring.
Ron
Sand Pipers (Poetry) - 2/19/2015 7:39:21 AM
I don't like sushi… So when I have fish, even one small fry, i have a fry, fry. (I'm sorry, but I couldn't resist the joke!)
Sandpipers are certainly amazing to watch as they ply their trade along the beach.
Ron
Sand Pipers (Poetry) - 2/19/2015 1:37:09 AM
Good observational poem. Lovely birds.
Sand Pipers (Poetry) - 2/18/2015 10:02:27 AM
Supply and demand is the name of that tune.
Monarchs (Poetry) - 10/6/2014 1:53:32 PM
THE PROSE AND IMAGERY IN THIS SHARING IS JUST BREATHTAKING...I CAN SEE IT, THOUGH I'VE NEVER SEEN. ENJOYED IMMENSELY...THANKS FOR SHARING, IM GONNA KEEP THIS ONE. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...JOYCE * HIS INSPIRATIONS
Monarchs (Poetry) - 10/6/2014 7:06:08 AM
A strong symbol of American insects. If the milkweed is destroyed, so will be the monarch. We do everything we can to keep the migration going for as long as it can.
Ron
Monarchs (Poetry) - 10/6/2014 5:07:49 AM
Beautiful. Monarchs are facing extinction, so I hope they all survive.
Michael D.
Monarchs (Poetry) - 10/6/2014 3:10:34 AM
a beautiful sightto behold
Monarchs (Poetry) - 10/5/2014 8:14:05 PM
From chilly Michigan
To sunny Mexico
They go—they go.
Wonderful miracles are all around us. Thank you Barbara for reminding us about one more miracle from the Lord above. Amen
Monarchs (Poetry) - 10/5/2014 11:35:12 AM
I've never be where I could experience the Monarch's trek southward, but I know it has to be a beautiful sight.
Frogs are magical. (Poetry) - 10/2/2014 8:08:54 PM
I awakened to a thousand frogs in my bedroom. I grabbed a broom and turned on the lights. The little critters all disappeared. They are magical!
Frogs are magical. (Poetry) - 10/2/2014 6:03:38 PM
You gave us the lowdown of the frog world.
Frogs are magical. (Poetry) - 10/1/2014 3:00:49 PM
Wonderful poem about our hippy, hop-pity, friends. Yes, freeze a frog and it comes back to life again. WE can learn a lot from frogs...
Frogs are magical. (Poetry) - 10/1/2014 7:22:55 AM
Wonderful. Frogs are such misunderstood creatures. What you are describing is that they develop from the embryo in a fluid, like humans, and then emerge from the water to breathe the air and hop on the land. Their anatomy is so much like humans that they have been used for torture in biology classes in high schools for eons.
The most wonderful thing about some frogs is that they can be frozen solid, and then, in spring of back to life magically… Hence their magical powers you describe in your poem.
Ron
Frogs are magical. (Poetry) - 10/1/2014 6:06:51 AM
One of the most pleasing sounds is that of the spring peepers. A ribbiting poem.
Michael D.
Snow Bunny (Poetry) - 2/2/2014 7:04:00 AM
The rabbit is safe from the Coopers hawk that visits our yard and also from someone who wants to shoot it because it is eating our shrubbery.
