January Almanac

Ice sculptures form in the creek – Photo © 2017 by V. Nesdoly

Frosted black pavement
Slush hillocks turned ice, packed snow
Slippery when wet

Streetlights spot diamonds
Every street a booby-trap
of black ice

East outflow winds
Harsh, strong, glittering, long
freeze-drying Winter

Puffy Capsize coat
Icebreaker socks, Northside boots
my new best friends

© 2017 by Violet Nesdoly (All rights reserved)

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Winter has caught my attention. This year we’ve had particularly long cold spells with snow off and on since mid-December. Then mid-day the temperature warms to just above freezing and for a few hours the snow melts till the temps dip again. The pair of sturdy, warm hiking boots I bought way back in October is getting lots of use. No falls on the ice so far!

This post is linked to Poetry Friday, hosted this week by Keri at Keri Recommends.

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Vancouver Island

Today (July 1st) is Canada Day! A Happy 149th Birthday to Canada, the country I love. As you can imagine, the birthday celebrations this year will be eclipsed by celebrations next year when Canada turns 150. (Our poetry society is planning to publish a book of poetry to commemorate the event. Our members are busy writing about Canada. That bit of writing is also on my to-do list.)

Today, a poem about one of my favorite places in Canada to visit. Though it’s just a 90-minute ferry ride away, Vancouver Island is a special place full of memories of the wonderful times we’ve spent there. The accompanying slide show lets you see just a few of its features. Of course the best part of any place we visit is the friends we have there.

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Ninety-minute crossing meanders between Gulf Islands
from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay
slows us down to island speed

Drive roadways lined with rocky outcrops and arbutus trees
that shed their trunks in curling rusty flakes

Shiver in bone-cold Port Hardy fog
Breathe air that feels thick as a milkshake.

Watch whales breach, sea lions sunbathe
on a brilliant Telegraph Cove morning

Spend a day wandering Chemainus
camera in hand gathering murals

Gawk at Buddha statues and goats
on the roof of the Coombs market

Stroll past Victoria’s Parliament Buildings outlined in lights
to the skirl of the bagpipes of buskers

Talk with my friend till late
Wood fire embers snap a sleepy goodnight
as I head to the guest room

© 2016 by Violet Nesdoly (All rights reserved)

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This post is linked to Poetry Friday, hosted today by Tabatha Yeatts at The Opposite of Indifference.

 

Elgin Park

In my post yesterday I wrote about DELIGHT. Today a poem about one of the places I love which gives me great delight—Elgin Park in South Surrey. Over the years we’ve walked the paths dozens of times and in every season. I always find something wonderful here!

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The forest path lures me
into a wood lush as a Rousseau painting
with wild Bleeding Heart
pink heads drooping like jilted lovers
and Salmonberry blossoms
petal-lamps of rose-stained glass
lighting the way
through tangled shrubs

In this wood I have seen
cityscapes of mushrooms
built on bluffs of log stumps
sturdy Dame’s Rocket, chaste Trillium
levitating Cranesbill and flowers so dainty
they could scarcely bear a name.
Today ferns everywhere
are growing nests of fiddles.

In the open I pass the gravel patch
where once Killdeers
in natty turtlenecks
played a game of flirt and fetch-me.
This day Lupins hold umbrella leaves
against an April sprinkle
biding the day their purple spires
spike the flat contour of meadow.

The stand of adolescent Poplars
are still in conversation
their slim, lithe trunks retain
the lilt of teenage limbs
graceful and self-conscious.

At the tide-temperamental Nicomekl
Heron stands his lonely guard
over exposed bottom of craggy oysters.
He hates for me to watch him
takes indolently to the air
croaking complaint.
A Loon has jumped my dollar coin
is diving near the boathouse by the pier.
Further along the Greenwinged Teals
play front-end loader
in the mud.

© 2008 by Violet Nesdoly (All rights reserved)

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This post is linked to Poetry Friday, hosted today by Donna at Mainely Write.

 

Aviation Mystery

View of B.C. mountains from the air – Photo © 2015 by V. Nesdoly

This is a poem of everyday freight
of Flight 66 that was bound for Prince George
a steep wooded hillside, a wreck found by night.

Southeast of Crown Mountain strewn over a gorge
the cockpit and crew were found the next day
of Flight 66 that was bound for Prince George.

Plane dropped from the sky in a curious way
near engine nacelle space a small fire burned
the cockpit and crew were found the next day.

He combs through the wreck to see what can be learned
bits of cockpit and fuselage in amongst trees
near engine nacelle space a small fire burned.

Between snowy cedars in snow to his knees
activated transmitter whose signal is mute
bits of cockpit and fuselage in amongst trees.

No witness to tell of that day, on that route.
This is a poem of everyday freight
activated transmitter whose signal is mute
a steep wooded hillside, a wreck found by night.

© 2015 by Violet Nesdoly (All rights reserved)

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It’s been happening a lot lately—planes mysteriously disappearing from radar with the wreckage found later, mute and mystifying. One of those events (a cargo plane crash in the B.C. mountains on April 15, 2015) is the subject of this poem that I wrote during this April’s poem-a-day challenge. This Transportation Safety Board entry provided some of the poem’s details. The terzanelle form with its repeating lines seemed right to tell the story of this tragic mystery.

Since the original story, there’s been another development. Two weeks ago the autopsy of the pilot revealed that he had high levels of alcohol in his body. So sad…

This post is linked to Poetry Friday, hosted today by Sylvia Vardell at Poetry For Children.

 

St. Patrick’s Prayer

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Butchart Garden, Victoria, B.C. (Photo © 2015 by V. Nesdoly)

The Prayer of St. Patrick

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven;
Light of the sun,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of the wind,
Depth of the sea,
Stability of the earth,
Firmness of the rock.

I arise today
Through God’s strength to pilot me;
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me,
God’s shield to protect me,
God’s hosts to save me
Afar and near,
Alone or in a multitude.

Christ shield me today
Against wounding
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through the mighty strength
Of the Lord of creation.

~ Author Anonymous

(This prayer, found on Belief Net,  is in the public domain)

 

Dawson Trail Tanka (2)

As I mentioned in part 1, Dawson Trail, in Dawson Creek, B.C. is lined with granite boulders that have tanka engraved on them. These poems celebrate the seasons, flowers, birds, and critters of the area. If you missed part 1, it’s HERE.

One of the Dawson Trail tanka in its natural setting

 

Here are four more poems you’ll find on the Dawson Trail. If they leave you shivering, just know that winter is long in these northern parts. It’s no wonder the cold gets an extra poem or two.

Fawn, seen on one of our drives in the Dawson Creek area. (Mother and Fawn #1 were too quick for my camera.)

 

 

Dawson Trail in winter

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As I mentioned in the last tanka post, I don’t know who wrote these poems. Will give credit if/when I discover their author.

Poetry authored by Donna Kane, Marilyn Belak, Megan Kane, and Rebekah Rempel.  A big thanks to reader Donna Smith who unearthed this document with the information about the poetry stones and their authors (p. 17).

This post is linked to Poetry Friday, hosted this week by MsMac at Check It Out.

 

 

 

 

Dawson Trail Tanka (1)

Dawson Creek – Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway

We got back from our vacation in Dawson Creek, B.C. at the end of July. Dawson Creek is a town in northeast B.C. Near Alberta’s western boundary, it is Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway. Our daughter’s family moved there some months ago, and this was our second visit (the first was this winter/spring).

One of the things hubby and I like to do every day at home or on holiday is walk. Though I explored part of the Dawson Trail earlier in the snow, my broken hip brought an end to that. Now that I’m walking again and it’s summer, I was able to explore the full length of this trail that follows Dawson Creek’s meander through town.

Part of the trail is lined with granite boulders onto which poems have been engraved. I found eight of these. All the poems are tanka, celebrating the seasons, flowers, birds and critters of the area.

I’m posting four of these today and will do the next four in another post soon. I hope you enjoy this taste of the four seasons of northeast B.C.

Tanka stone on the Dawson Trail

 

 

 

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I wish I knew who wrote these delightful poems. If I find out, I will certainly give credit.

Poetry authored by Donna Kane, Marilyn Belak, Megan Kane, and Rebekah Rempel.  A big thanks to reader Donna Smith who unearthed this document  (p. 17) with the information about the poetry stones and their authors.

This post is linked to Poetry Friday, hosted today by Robyn Hood Black at Life on the Deckle Edge.

Oops, change of plans. Robyn is injured and so that Poetry Friday doesn’t have to go missing, Irene Latham at Live Your Poem has taken up the slack. Thank you, Irene!