Picture caption: Photography submitted to Dan Antion’s TDWC26 by Yvette Prior.
I spy with my little eye …
something …
but what is it?
“A hartebeest,” says TC
“I disagree. It’s a common tsessebe.”
“A tess… a … what?“
“A tsessebe.”
“There’s no such creature!
Check on your phone.“
“Hmmm! AI says … it’s an elk.”
“What! You don’t get elk in South Africa.“
“I know that. Let me try a different picture.
“Now AI says its a mammal.”
“What kind of mammal?“
“AI doesn’t go into details. It’s just a mammal.”
“Useless AI. It’s having illusions.“
“Not really. A tsessebe is a mammal.”
The two sets of photographs below are of first a hartebeest and second a tsessebe. You can see how similar they look.
Bird of the Week
I took this photograph on Friday at Pilanesberg Game Reserve. TC and I were there for two days to celebrate his birthday which is tomorrow. It’s not the best of my photographs (TC was hogging my camera) but it was such a striking blue that I’m using it for this poem. It’s nice not having to work on a Friday in my new job. If I do have to work on a Friday, I get another day off at a later date so that is very nice for me.
My poem for W3 (which is two days late) was inspired by two photographs from Dan’s TDWC26 as follows:
Picture caption: This building appears to me to have many doors which my mind interpreted as many relationships in life. The photograph was contributed by Dan Antion.
Alone (freestyle poem)
We walk alone
navigating our way
up hills, over obstacles, down slopes
Sometimes, we walk with another
a lover, friend, family member,
even a group
These periods of companionship
often bring great happiness
But, every life phase has an ending
Someone’s life must be shattered
Someone must suffer pain
Someone must be left behind
It’s best to acknowledge that ultimately
we walk our paths alone
Picture caption: My mind interpreted this single door standing alone as a solitary person – the one left behind to go on alone. This photograph was contributed by Lois.
Tiny flowers growing in a crack between the rocksLate autumn bougainvillea against yellow autumn leavesThe aloe tree is full of flowers this yearA single red rose
After six weeks of sabbatical, I am starting a new job on Monday. I’m glad I was able to see Paris over Easter and nurse my mother and Michael through the new Flu B. It is a reduced hours job so I’ll see how that goes. Wish me luck.
d’Verse, TDWC26, Sunday Stills, and The Flower Hour
Terri’s Sunday Stills challenge is pastels. My Primrose antique doll and the flowers in the background are pastels. The flowers are for Terri’s The Flower Hour challenge too.
Picture caption: Yellow, blue, and white house photograph contributed by Restless Jo
Primrose looked at her freshly painted home with satisfaction. Arthur had recently finished reading a first edition of Tom Sawyer. He’d been so inspired he’d volunteered to give her dolls house home a fresh look. It looked terrific. Its yellow, blue, and white walls sparkled under the bright display lights of the antique children’s books and toys room.
She glanced at the tapestry on the opposite wall. The dark yellow room was exquisitely sew with careful, even stitches. She liked the wall hanging and it helped to keep the room warm and snug. Museums were drafty. She was glad she had her delightful dolls house to live in and her home wasn’t merely a 2D dream.
rainbow dreams elude
bricks and mortar evidence
my reality
Picture caption: Art inspiration provided by Punam
Click on the bar to view Primrose, an antique doll form Faversham in England, with a background of roses I received for Mothers Day last Sunday. A little past their prime but they are still pretty … and pastel. You will also see Arthur, a vintage doll from Graaf Reinet in South Africa.
Thursday Doors
These are a few more random photographs form my short trip to Paris over Easter.
The two images above are of the moving walkway in the Paris Airport (Charles de Gaulle). It was very long and there wasn’t another soul in sight. For me, it was a little creepy as it was my first time in this airport. I was glad to see the door at the end of the walkway coming into sight.
Picture caption: The Dark Horse Waits in Boulder book tour banner
Introduction
Today I’m delighted to welcome poet and author Lindsey Martin-Bowen to Roberta Writes. Lindsey is showcasing her latest book, The Dark Horse Waits in Boulder, a romantic comedy.
The Giveaway
We’re giving away three digital copies of The Dark Horse Waits in Boulder in a random giveaway.
Leave a comment to enter.
Opportunity for an entry at every stop.
Tour Schedule
Mon. 5/11 – “Inspirational backgrounds for The Dark Horse Waits in Boulder”
Post – Poetry by Mich: Hotel by Masticadores: Masticadores Phillipines:
Tues. 5/12 – “Phase Two – Sunny-Side Up” Reading – Roberta Writes:
Wed. 5/13 – “Charli’s Character” Post – Carla Loves to Read:
Thurs. 5/14 – “Phase Fourteen – Let Me Know the Way” Reading – Patty’s Worlds:
Fri. 5/15 – “About the Dark Horse (the black stallion with blue eyes)” Post – Writing to be Read
About The Dark Horse Waits in Boulder
Recently divorced Charli Erickson arrives in Boulder, Colorado during the 1970s—a wild time for that city—where she hopes to develop her “rock poet” talent and find the perfect mate. Instead, she links up with the imperfect Ched Lyons, a Boulder native who leads her in a multitude of adventures, including scaling a mountain and a 1,200-mile motorcycle ride to southeastern Utah. While she intermittently envisions a black stallion with blue eyes, who puzzles and enchants her, she also strives to make sense of its appearance.
Through Charli’s snarky humor recounting her tales, readers will enjoy this Rom-Com doubling as a woman’s adventure story and may relate to scenes from the wild, zany era that followed the serious, revolutionary 1960s.
Picture caption: Author photograph of Lindsey Martin-Bowen
On Halloween 2023, redbat books released Lindsey Martin-Bowen’s 7th poetry collection, CASHING CHECKS with Jim Morrison. Her 4 th collection, Where Water Meets the Rock, was nominated for a Pulitzer; her 3rd, CROSSING KANSAS with Jim Morrison was a finalist in the QuillsEdge Press 2015-2016 Contest. In 2017, it won the Kansas Writers Assn award, “Looks Like a Million.” Writer’s Digest gave her “Vegetable Linguistics” an Honorable Mention in its 85th Annual (2017) Contest. Her Inside Virgil’s Garage (Chatter House Press 2013) was a runner-up in the 2015 Nelson Poetry Book Award. McClatchy Newspapers named her Standing on the Edge of the World (Woodley Press/Washburn University) was one of the Ten Top Poetry Books of 2008. It was nominated for a Pen Award.
Last Sunday, TC and I went for a 5 kilometre walk at the Johannesburg Country Club in Woodmead. The trees were all dressed in their autumn best and there were plenty of birds out and about enjoying the warm day. We came across a strange scene where a cat and a peahen were living together in a little domed shelter. There were water and food dishes so they are obviously fed by the residence of the surrounding houses.
I was immediately reminded of the nonsense poem by Edward Lear, ‘The Owl and the Pussy-Cat’. It was first published in 1870 in the American magazine Our Young Folks and again the following year in Lear’s own book Nonsense Songs, Stories, Botany and Alphabets.
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