Category Archives: ocean

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group

For the Daily Prompt: popular.

I was on Herron Island for two nights. We were the second responders to a house fire and called 911.

Are the gulls grouped for social reasons? For survival too. If there is a predator, those sleeping will be awakened by the others.

The hurricanes and the house fire: I am thinking about emergencies and emergency response and emergency preparedness. How are you prepared? The fire trucks had to come to the island by ferry and it took twenty minutes.

I am donating to Shelterbox, that sends disaster boxes all over the world, shelter, water filters, cooking equipment and food supplies. And crayons and a coloring book for the children. I hope they are arriving in all the places, wars, hurricanes and other disasters.

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flight

previous

For the Daily Prompt: coincidence. I had my camera ready and caught this. Coincidence or skill? Some of each, and trying to catch birds in flight is very much like trying to catch synchronized swimmers out of the water. I photographed synchro for seven years.

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release

For the Photo Challenge: layered. And today’s poem.

 

release

I can’t do it, Beloved

or no
I don’t know how, Beloved

release old grief, I am told

I am to have the intention daily
to release old grief

it sits in my throat
aching lump, knot, old
I don’t know how old
is it from before birth
I haven’t looked up whether antibodies
to tuberculosis
cross the placenta
attacking

Kell kills
that is one of the antibodies
that can kill a fetus

I have the grief
a tiger by the tail

at first I was afraid
that releasing it would lose
some core part of myself
that the me I have built
is the nacre, a pearl
wrapped around a core of grief

but Beloved
I try to listen
I try so hard to listen
to have faith
why pay for help
without attempting to follow
the ideas
unless they are so clearly wrong

conversation
with myself
the past the woman the girl the child the fetus
let the grief go
gently

Beloved
maybe I am not gentle enough
full speed ahead
maybe I need to cradle the grief more
rock it, comfort it, thank it
grief, you protected me so much
from the patterns in the family

Beloved
maybe I need to thank the grief
before I let it go