Poetry Of Spirit And Light

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

A Heaven In The Spines

Hazy sunlight penetrates milky skies and emboldens gusty westerlies to spawn whirlwinds of dried leaves and dust. Cooper and I cut short our prairie escapades and settle in for a day in the comforts of home. As he drifts off into dreamland, subdued barks, snorts, and leg twitches recall lively chases on the open prairie. Fittingly, my musings hark back to yesterday’s exploits in the wilds.

After a three-dog night clear blue skies, dazzling sunshine, and nippy prairie airs greet Cooper’s and my advance into the realm of cactus spines and yucca bayonets. Frost-bound pockets of short-grass prairie vegetation persist. Our choice of trail is on the rough side. The copper glow of Caléndula Fétida lanterns and lemon yellow Prairie Berries affirm past glories and bode well for magnificent light shows in the spines.

Deep, rolling trumpets and rattling bird calls draw my attention to the skies. Fifty or more Sandhill Cranes unravel classic flight patterns for several minutes. They stay bunched and drift off to the west--commanding elegance comes to mind.

We advance cautiously. Free-spirited splays of yucca daggers, chest-high sprawls of cholla, and dog crippling spears of prickly pear cactus beg prudence and frequent changes in the line of march. The rewards are intimate vistas of prairie rough necks subdued by splashes of sublime light--a heaven in the spines.

Triple Play (Texas Prickly Pear)

Prairie Berries (Silver Leaf Nightshade fruit)

Been Chewed

Prairie Watchtower (opuntia engelmannia)

Caléndula Fétido

Sunshine In The Spines

Due South

Rough Trail

Wrinkled Mischief

Cactus Sun Dial

Free Spirit (yucca campestris)

Plains Pocket Gopher Smorgasbord

Intimate Diorama (Fetid Marigolds)

Trekking Hurdle (Cane Cholla)

Dog Crippler (Plains Prickly Pear)

Friday, January 13, 2012

Resplandor De Invierno

Overnight temperatures in the teens consort with morning mists, frost-covered roofs, and columns of smoke from chimneys. Feeble rays of the early morning sun do little to encourage outdoor activity. Cooper and I delay our daily prairie jaunt until midday.

Can cabin fever develop in the span of one winter morning? By noon the temperatures moderate. Partly cloudy skies and sunshine signal a mid-winter reprieve and heighten Cooper’s and my desire to roam. The aftereffects of forty miles per hour winds and frigid temperatures await. We slip into the Llano Estacado wilds with high expectations of an exhilarating adventure.

We find sublime chaos and endless galleries of sun catchers. The Llano Estacado showboats her winter splendor well. The winter glow, el resplandor de invierno, is breathtaking. Soft amber innards of husky yucca shells, bone dry copper hues of Fetid Marigolds, and bristly seed heads of Annual Sunflowers are particularly impressive. Windblown grasses and freeze-dried Broom Snakeweed complete the tapestry of indomitable life forces and ageless beauty.

A brisk walk is out of the question. I meander, sip the elixir of tranquility, and immerse my spirit in the divine artistry of prairie and light. Cooper stalks every scent and rustle in the straw. He defies cactus spikes and shoulder high seas of grass, until he coaxes a playmate out of cover. Let the games begin. Poetry in motion--he and a Jack Rabbit disappear in the wind-ruffled, tawny garb of the winter prairie.

Defiance
(Cooper)

Winter Glow
(helianthus annuus, aka Common Sunflower)

Resplandor De Invierno
(Fetid Marigolds)

Sublime Chaos
(helianthus annuus)

Life Force

Mid-Winter Reprieve
(Broom Snakeweed)

Sun Catcher
(helianthus annuus)

Cold Leftovers

Winter Garb
(Arizona Cottontop)

Yucca Seed Cash

Renewal
(yuicca campestris aka Plains Yucca)

New Mexico State Flower In Winter
(yucca campestris)

Stalking The Yucca Beast
(Cooper)

Lámparas Apagadas
("extinguished lamps" Plains Yucca)

Wind-Ruffled Straw

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

My Cup Runneth Over

Once again the Thunderbird and White Owl Woman expend their wrath upon the people and borderlands of the Northern Llano Estacado. Not by unleashing arctic blizzards or blustery thunderstorms, but by withholding their life-giving furies. The winter prairie longs for short-lived blankets of the frozen, white stuff to light up her dusty countenance and then revive her zest for life with rivulets of snow melt. And, regardless of the season thunderstorms are always welcome.

Hazy morning sunlight greets Cooper and me as the winter storms continue to rage to the east and south. Gray mists on the northern horizon seethe with reminders of the White Owl Woman’s passing. They ooze frigid temperatures and inspire winds to tease color into my cheeks. My beard provides a measure of comfort. We look for a brief respite from the biting cold. As we near a stand of Siberian Elm, a boisterous parliament of crows flutters playfully among the bare tree tops. Their raspy cacophony encourages a new perspective--life goes on, stop dwelling on misery, and have fun.

I forge into the prairie wilds with a song in my heart and smile on my lips. Cooper blazes a new trail. I follow eagerly. The prairie speaks of the unalterable circle of life--out with the old, in with the new. Dried grasses and forb skeletons hint of past glories and whisper of splendor to come.

By afternoon sun and azure skies dominate the day. Cooper and I venture into town. I find St James Church a delightful oasis of serenity and visual beauty. Upon return to our home, Cooper and I settle in for a few moments of relaxation. The western skies are ablaze. Turn on the night lights. It’s been a day of awesome wonder. My cup runneth over.

Out With The Old - In With The New

Life Goes On

Radiant Demise

Glory Days

Trail Blazer (Cooper)

Star Cluster

My Cup Runneth Over

Have Fun

Yucca Neighborhood (Cooper)

Death Becomes Her

Time To Relax (Cooper)

Winter Sun

House Of God

Bell And Viga Tails

St James Church, Clovis NM

Night Light

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Freeze-Dried Magnificence

Daylight ushers in blue skies and sunshine. Those who subscribe to the Julian calendar mark today as the third day of the year 2012. Chilly westerly winds deliver an invitation to roam the Llano Estacado. Cooper and I answer the call of the wild. We rove cattle and game trails. In short order I am spellbound by the magnificence of the freeze-dried prairie forbs, grasses, and cacti. Old Man Winter deals bitter lots with blasts of wind, snow, and ice. Yet, the thrashing and chaos beget undeniable beauty.

Underfoot the red dirt accepts my measured stride with a soft surface cushion of soil fluffed up by moisture in reaction to freeze-thaw cycles. I leave inch-deep impressions and find numerous game tracks. Besides the obvious boon to hunters, I surmise several benefits of the crumb cake soil structure. The aerated top layer helps insulate the ground from subsequent hard freezes. And, the craggy surface facilitates seed penetration into the earth’s womb to await summer rains.

From the general direction of the rising sun several echelons of Canada Geese announce their passage with harmonious inflight chatter. They forego their familiar wedge flight arrays in favor of undulating strings of feathered aerial processions. Minutes later the rush of wings fades into the western horizon.

My eyes and focus return to the prairie. The last movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor drifts into my consciousness. A childhood memory, the German poet and playwright Schiller’s Ode to Joy, “Freude, schöner Götterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium…” flows from my lips. A year of great beauty and joy surely lies ahead.