Misty River (Pictures)

[Karen]

Dew highlights every strand
Of the spider's intricately woven web
Giving more substance to the trap
Making it sparkle like strings of jewels
In the early morning light

The silhouettes of seedpods and stems
Like cast iron work from an Art Nouveau era
Appear more substantial, in death
And more permanent and strong
Stalwart against this mist
Like the bones of a long burned out ruin

Hold your breath
Do not disturb
The worshipful silence of
A misty grey morning
And the cathedral hush of
Undisturbed air

Fix it in your mind's eye
Engrave upon your memory
This moment in time
And back quietly away

[Alysser]

These are beautiful, yet somewhat eerie....love them.

[Karen]

Islands float on still water
Reflection almost as real as the land
Distant shores are lost in the mist
And one can see quite clearly
How legends of islands floating in the sky
Above distant lands, in hidden valleys
Came to be told
And of the naiads and water nymphs
Pixies and spirits that seem to float
Just out of the mind's eye
In the space between reality and the fog
Intangible but if you are quiet
You'll hear them whisper of treasures to be found
Beneath this still surface

[Kirsten]

Beautiful poems, Karen, it's like entering a fairytale world. Thank you for that!

[Randi]

Absolutely beautiful!

[Karen]

Last summer's blossoms, frozen and still
Covered with dew that catches the spring light
And gives them one last touch of beauty
As winter relinquishes its hold on the land

Stems starkly silhouetted against
The mist-covered clouded air
Seem more substantial
Than the frail husks of seasons past
They have appeared all winter,
Mournfully fragile against the bitter ice and snow

The stark sun, sharp enough
To shine through mist and rain
Lights every dead seed husk,
Every fragile corpse of leaf,
Every blade of grasses past
Into sparking gems for one last, brief
Glorious moment

Look, traveler, and marvel at the fleeting beauty
Of winter's death in the northern climes

[Karen]

Beware, walkers unaware, take heed
Beyond this grass, this near remnant
Of long-dead grass and bare crooked limbs
Broken branches black against the dim air
Lie demons, and ghosts of past regrets
Lurking beyond the edge of civilization
Just out of grasp but close enough
To hear them whisper if you are still
Sorrow keens in the mist
And the low hum of murmured lost potential
Call your darkest self, and every doubt looms large
Do not linger
Do not listen
Do not breathe in too deeply
This melancholy air and fog-shadows
Turn back
Lest you be forever lost
Beyond the edges of time
Forever chasing ghosts
You truly do not want to meet

*****
Lest I leave you all glum:

Nothing warms the heart like
A hot cup of tea and memories of old stories
Laughingly shared around a warm kitchen table
The smiles and grins eclipsing any fog outside
Pull up a chair, I'll get you a mug.