by Jim Ross
(untitled)
The alders on my riverbank
are like Tu Fu’s;
like him I am drawn
by their eloquent calligraphy.
Like him I feel restless, sad –
seeing nature’s beauty
alone, far from friends. Sunset gilds
their lime stipple as they lean slowly
in April’s breeze. The stillness is blessing –
though none can promise
any part of the future, the Now
is enough for now.
Later, my oil paints dabbed
on an azure undercoat – jade,
viridian, smoke gray – are buttery
and shimmer in their own light.
This swirl and glide becomes prayer;
the river trees become icon,
light transmuting to motion
and back to light,
not capturing but touching, briefly,
the ever-happening miracle.
US writer Catherine McGuire’s art and writing are filled with a deep concern for our planet’s future. She has five decades of published poetry, five poetry chapbooks, a full-length poetry book, Elegy for the 21st Century, a SF novel, Lifeline and book of short stories, The Dream Hunt and Other Tales. She was interviewed about her poetry for a podcast of Revue Revolution. Find her at www.cathymcguire.com.
Jim Ross jumped into creative pursuits in 2015 after a rewarding research career. With a graduate degree from Howard University, in seven years he’s published nonfiction, fiction, poetry, photography, hybrid, and plays in over 175 journals on five continents. Photo publications include Barren, Burningword, Camas, DASH, Kestrel, Litro, Feral, Stonecoast, Sweet, and Typehouse. Jim and his family split time between city and mountains.