Burning scarlet rays of the morning sun pulse through layers of chiffon fog revealing crystal rainbow prisms. Dewdrops cling to leaf tips, until they slowly evaporate.
Feathery tender ferns unfurl under the warmth of ole sol, magically awakening dozens of Eastern Tiger Swallowtail cocoons suddenly hatching.
In a gentle swirl, an upward funnel bursting with virgin butterflies releases into the sky, reaching the tallest tree tops only to disappear, guided by instinct to seek the nectar of life.
Feeling the heat Of a blazing orb Warming my soul, Shadows begin to emerge Across the lawn before me.
A lone cardinal rests in a warm sunbeam motionless, beak facing East. Dozens of cheery goldfinch Alight and take off, highlighting the air surrounding me.
Fox tumble and play, Napping on a moss covered Abandoned stonewall, doorstep to their Hillside den where mother Awaits the next feeding.
Phoebe’s announce their presence As though megaphones, Competing with echoes From the riverside Of two pairs of Pileated woodpeckers.
A velvety muscular buck and his brown eyed doe lead their frisky but timid spotty twins through an established path leading from the river up to neighbor’s gardens, just beginning to sprout.
Mourning doves coo And innocently peck At seeds dropped Around the base Of the birdfeeder pole.
Suddenly a sharp-shinned hawk strategically swoops in to clutch away their innocence, returning to her nest with a lifeless body in her lanceolate talons.
Fat frisky grey squirrels get A running start to jump Halfway up the now greased pole Hoping for enough traction To leap onto one of four Seed-filled feeders.
Rusty striped chipmunks, Cheeks filled fat with seeds, Race back and forth From feeder to sub-porch nest Shared with dozens Of garden snakes.
Shadows become shorter now, The day warms and brightens As the little pond across the drive Comes alive with peepers, Providing background music For today’s sunrise event.
Late moon bursting forth with lunar brilliance highlights a nearly black shiny-as-raven-feathers Midnight Sky.
Sophisticated and elegant, the artist captures colors with loaded brush strokes to offer his translation in Starry Night, a painting we discover, waiting to be shared.
Inside local museums….
Throngs of visitors linger before the work collectively sighing, pointing, remarking displaying the Master’s work with the pinnacle of respect.
Solo humans stand silently, fascinated in the dark of night, filled with wonder, appreciation gazing upon this beauty, a reflection of life on earth.
A precious midnight gift for those who seek nature’s beauty where others rarely slow their pace, professing the beauty “too dark and lonely,” preferring to sleep soundly under snug, warm comforters.
Something odd, something different and curious finally made her brave enough after 3 intense years, to lift the fragile veil of Lilith’s friendship, smiling back at her from that familiar face.
Listening to Lilith’s sweet songs, sharing, believing, allowing them into her heart, lulling her own tongue into singing its most precious tunes, sharing her deepest secrets.
Hearing the devastating news she could not digest it, could not fathom why Lilith would betray her with those untrue, unkind words.
Lilith was not that kind of person! It simply could not be true. True friends do not go behind each other’s backs with knives. It’s an unspoken LAW!
Breaths became labored, her heart rate elevated, unprepared for the abrupt revelation, completely depleted of precious oxygen, the wind knocked out of her sails.
A smidge of skepticism, a moment of hesitation, a wall of doubt might have prepared her for the shock of it all.
Betrayal revealed the ugly, ravenous beast who had waited patiently behind her friendly mask, now freely expelling her jagged, putrefied breaths.
Lilith had waited, calculating, ready to consume the fresh, vulnerable, trusting friend. Only after the feast began did the victim feel excruciating pain, the intensity of the damage.
The chunks bitten from her soul soon festered, refused to heal. What remained was the shell of her former self, disoriented, doubting everyone and everything, shaken to her core.
Diminished, broken, a mere shell of her former self, vision blurred, everything precious seemingly now lost, everyone she held dear evaporated. Only enough strength for a simple cynical thought left inside her aching skull.
She asked her miserable acquaintance, …..“and will you have fries with that?”