The river is fine highway for a duck,
where driftwood makes good spot it may stand still.
There's shores to dabble gently in the muck
with lamellae in elongated bills.

A Shoveler will migrate at its will,
whenever primal instinct moods have struck.
To aid its innate navigation skill,
the river is fine highway for a duck.

So here a pair stood, that I had the luck
of spotting, where desire I could fulfill
of need to photograph it while it's stuck
where driftwood makes good spot it may stand still.

The Mississippi River bottoms fill
with lots of tiny protein laden guck,
for Northern Shovelers content is a thrill.
There's shores to dabble gently in the muck.

Their spatulated beaks they sway to pluck
and sift invertebrates akin to krill.
Through water grass they dabble, skim, and shuck
with lamellae in elongated bills.

I blessed the day I spotted ducks from hill.
I found them when I heard the female cluck.
Imagine thoughts that sight just might instill
while walking where the chance is nip and tuck.
The river is fine highway.

Author Notes

Lamellae - are comb-like structures used to sift in beaks of some birds. Dabble - to dip. Many duck species, such as Shovellers, Mallards, and Teals, are known as dabblers. Guck - a thick messy substance Spatulated - shaped like a spatula It - the "it" referred in stanza 3 is to a pair of ducks. The pair is it. I spotted this pair of Northern Shoveler Ducks in the Mississippi River backwaters below Lock and Dam #4, above Hastings Minnesota. You only spot them during their migration. These likely came up from wintering in Mexico and are likely heading up to Canada. Many summer in Hudson's Bay, but these are probably headed to Lake Winnipeg, which is directly above Minnesota. The Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata), is a common and widespread duck. It breeds in northern areas of Europe and Asia and across North America, wintering in southern Europe, Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and Central, and northern South America. It is a rare vagrant to Australia. In North America, it breeds along the southern edge of Hudson Bay and west of this body of water. They feed by dabbling for plant food, often by swinging its bill from side to side and using the bill to strain food from the water. They use their highly specialized bill (from which their name is derived) to forage for aquatic invertebrates. Their wide-flat bill is equipped with well-developed lamellae (small, comb-like structures on the edge of the bill) that act like sieves, allowing the birds to skim crustaceans and plankton from the water's surface. Despite their stout appearance, Shovelers are nimble fliers.This is a fairly quiet species. The male has a clunking call, whereas the female has a Mallard-like quack. Sourced: Wikipedia. This poem is a Rondeau Redouble. I was reminded of this lovely format by a poem I reviewed this morning by tfawkis, Define Yourself. A Rondeau Redouble is written on only two rhymes, but in five stanzas of four lines each and one of five lines. Each of the first four lines in Stanza 1 get individually repeated in turn once, by becoming successively the respective fourth lines of stanzas 2, 3, 4, & 5; and the first part of the first line is repeated as a short fifth line to conclude the sixth stanza. This can be represented as: A1,B1,A2,B2 - b,a,b,A1 - a,b,a,B1 - b,a,b,A2 - a,b,a,B2 - b,a,b,a,(A1). So the difficulty with this form, is to gather enough strong rhymes to allow it to flow, as there are 10 unique A rhymes, and 10 unique B rhymes, required. In addition the repeated lines need to transition throughout the poem smoothly. This photograph was taken by the author himself on April 14, 2016.

Distinctive profile, see its head,
the Ring-necked Duck.
This wet-land bird is waterbred.
A glimpse I snuck,
as it was gliding on a pond,
in search of finding wild-rice frond,
or hunting leeches in the muck,
the Ring-necked Duck.

In lakes or ponds, it keeps well fed,
as it will pluck
some snails or mollusks from their bed.
One may be struck
by its stark plumage, black and white,
brown neck ring that seems recondite.
I spotted with a little luck,
the Ring-necked Duck.

Author Notes

Recondite - hard to understand, obscure While at the Wildlife Preserve in Anoka, Minnesota, I spotted this Ring-necked Duck. The Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) is a diving duck from North America commonly found in freshwater ponds and lakes. The scientific name is derived from Greek aithuia an unidentified seabird mentioned by authors including Hesychius and Aristotle, and Latin collaris, "of the neck" from collum, "neck". That neck collar, that it is named for, is a bit difficult to see, as it is dark brown, which blends with the black that surrounds it. So you can't see the ring unless you are close up. At distance, look for this species' distinctive peaked head to help you identify it. It has two white rings surrounding its gray bill, a shiny black angular head, black back, white line on the wings, a white breast and yellow eyes. Pairs stay together only one season for reproduction. Until then, they separate. These birds are omnivores and feed mainly by diving or dabbling at the surface. Ducklings are dependent on animal matter such as insects, earth worms, leeches, midges and snails. Adults also eat mollusks (swallowing them whole and crushing the shells in their gizzard) as well as snails. During fall migration, Ring-necked Ducks can form immense flocks. Several hundred thousand congregate each fall on certain lakes in Minnesota to feed on wild rice, their favorite plant food. Ring-necked Ducks breed in freshwater marshes and bogs across the boreal forest of northern North America. Ring-necked Ducks feed by diving underwater, rather than by tipping up as "dabbling" ducks do. When diving, they leap forward in an arc to plunge underwater, and they swim using only their feet for propulsion. They can remain underwater for several minutes, and travel a surprising distance. This poem is an Octogram. The Octogram style of poetry is a repeating form that was invented by fanstorian Sally Yocom (S.Yocom). It consists of two stanzas of eight lines each. The rhyme scheme for the first stanza is; a B a b c c b B The rhyme scheme for the second stanza is; a b a b d d b B (Capital "B" letters denote the only lines that are repeated). Line two of the first stanza is repeated as line eight in that stanza, and as line eight of the second stanza. - No other lines should be repeated The syllable counts by line are; 8-4-8-4-8-8-8-4, and 8-4-8-4-8-8-8-4. This photograph was taken by the author himself on May 2, 2016.

Chapter 243
Blue Encounter

By Treischel

My time about, was overdue,
but then I spotted a Great Blue,
so staid, it stood a silent statuette,
on stilted legs, knee deep in marsh,
bright yellow eyes, aware and harsh.
So close it seemed, the closest ever yet.

It looked about, then stabbed a fish,
tossed it high, with juggler's flourish,
then let it slide down long contorted throat.
Amazed by its agility,
and laser-speed ability,
I stood transfixed. It preened its feathered coat.

Then all at once, it took to air,
which nearly caught me unaware.
My trusty cam'ra captured everything!
You can't imagine how I felt,
with such great luck that I was dealt,
to witness prowess when it spread its wings.

Oh, such a sight I watched just then!
This bird in flight, it soars again,
to skim the water with such primal grace.
It took me back to days of yore,
when Pterodactyl dinosaurs
had yet encountered any human race.

Author Notes

This is a true story about my encounter with a Great Blue Heron. The poem is written in Sestets. The rhyme scheme for all four is: AABCCB - DDEFFE - GGHIIH - JJKLLK. The syllable count in all stanzas is: 8-8-10-8-8-10, mixed meter. These photographs were taken by the author himself in July of 2012.

Chapter 244
Wild Wood Ducks

By Treischel

You'll find them in the lakes and ponds,
adrift among the reeds and fronds,
where woods and water make fine habitat,
to glide, or even perch in trees.
No more distinctive ducks than these!
Males wear a British Adm'ral's bicorn hat.

They're real impressive little guys,
with white-lined contours, bright red eyes,
and painted beak, that makes them so unique.
The lady's brown eyes, lined in white,
and crested head, are quite a sight.
In contrast, they create their own mystique.

Wood Ducks will stay in nesting box,
or holes in trees, away from fox,
and crocs, or hawks, or other predators.
They have a claw on their webbed feet.
So they can perch or swim to eat
their seeds and insects. They are omnivores.

They are the most majestic fowl,
that nest in trees, just like an owl.
I find them an aristocratic bird,
when drifting on a northern lake,
the modest damsel, formal drake --
so wild and free, their spirits undeterred.

Author Notes

These are Wood Ducks that I have come across in my travels. The Wood Duck or Carolina Duck (Aix sponsa) is a species of perching duck found in North America. It is one of the most colorful North American waterfowl. It shares its genus with the Asian Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata). The adult male has distinctive multicolored iridescent plumage and red eyes,with a distinctive white flare down the neck. The female, less colorful, has a white eye-ring and a whitish throat. Both adults have crested heads. Most ducks nest on the ground, but these nest in cavities in trees close to water, although they will take advantage of nesting boxes in wetland locations if available. Unlike most other ducks, the Wood Duck has sharp claws for perching in trees, where you may see them sitting and snapping at the air whie they harvest flying insects. After hatching, the ducklings jump down from the nest and make their way to water. The mother calls them to her, but does not help them in any way. They prefer nesting over water so the young have a soft landing. The day after they hatch, the young climb to the nest entrance and jump to the ground. The ducklings can swim and find their own food by this time. These birds feed by dabbling or walking on land. They mainly eat berries, acorns, and seeds, but also insects, making them omnivores. Source: Wikipedia. This poem is made up of Sestets. Sestets are poems with six lines. For this poem, I chose a syllable count of: 8-8-10-8-8-10. The rhyme scheme is the author's choice in Sestets. For this poem I chose: aabccb ddeffe gghiih jjkllk. These photographs were taken by the the author himself at various times.

Chapter 245
Bug Thoughts

By Treischel

What's it like to be a bug, in a world so vast and cruel?
To be so small, where trees are tall, and mighty giants rule?
With many legs they scamper, and their wings may let them fly,
While often underfoot, or wheel, as things go swiftly by,
To be squashed or swatted, and even sprayed with lighter fuel.

What's it like to be a bug? I ask with sincerity,
As by degrees, they've evolved quite complex societies.
Just look at ant-built complexes in teeming colonies
With uniformity and hierarchal qualities,
And, if you please, remember all those beehives in the trees.

What's it like to be a bug, who lives right beneath our feet?
So often, they remain unknown, while living lives complete,
Like: dust mites, spiders, ticks and tiny ants, or even fleas.
They're small, and hide. Some have tried to bite our extremities.
They share our world's resources, there, for which we all compete.

What's it like to be a bug, at the bottom of the chain?
They struggle for survival, in this hostile world's terrain.
Then again, they seem so alien. Not like us at all.
Do they have thoughts and dreams, as they may fly about and crawl?
I wonder at the complexity of an insect's brain.

Yet, here they are, by the millions, for all their insect worth.
Their tiny forms and numbers hold no population dearth!
Be they bees, fleas, or slimy slugs, the planet's full of bugs.
So adaptable to the ways and malaise of human thugs,
That after we've destroyed ourselves, they may inherit earth.

Author Notes

Just some thoughts about these little creatures we share the planet with. I wrote this poem in mixed metered quintets (5 line stanzas) with a basic rhyme scheme of aabba, and in heptameter. This collage is a collection of photographs taken by the author himself.

Chapter 246
Spring Buds

By Treischel

1. The Promise -- A Petrarchan Sonnet

A bud that grows in springtime, tiny sprout,
with promise that adorns those naked thorns,
where yesterday's lost brilliance Winter mourns,
thy latent beauty hides 'til coming out.
Contained within cruel seasonal redoubt,
soon bursts the colors that thy past forewarns.
Content to wait the signals thus reborn,
thy stay shall see such loveliness thou flouts.

For then, thy day will come, when all is right,
as heat and moisture beckon when to grow.
Within a rush, as messages unite,
thy pod erupts, revealing all to show
its coded colors, beautiful and bright --
the sweetest blossoms souls could ever know.


2. The Emergence -- An English Sonnet

The sweetest blossoms souls could ever know,
begin within the stir of Nature's song.
Each petal swirls, unfurls, to Maestro's bow --
said movement meant to bring its force along.

Unwrapping with the grace of dance ballet,
corollas sway to tunes that Chloris sings,
as springtime's balladeers oft' may portray
this goddess as the one who blesses Spring.

For, is a rose in spring not Nature's gift
of colors bright and scents of sweet perfume?
Indeed, its purest beauty shall uplift,
while balm of rose aromas richly loom.

Such attributes of roses soon attest,
when roses bloom in springtime, we are blessed.


3. Full Bloom -- A Spenserian Sonnet

When roses bloom in springtime, we are blessed.
Thou, kissed by sun to flash in morning dew,
hast hues that painters' pallets once possessed,
by masters on Parisian's famous rue,
to bring swirls pink, and yellow, red or blue.
Once Spring releases messages to blush,
thy resins rise in petals, to shine through,
and grace yon gardens with good Nature's brush,
upon thy flowers brandishing their bush.
Let's not forget that first portent of Spring,
when sap formed buds within its fluent rush,
and promised real delights that springtime brings.
          There's no surprise there's happiness to tout -
          a bud that grows in springtime, tiny sprout.
.

Author Notes

I wrote this back in May, but am posting it now.

Chapter 247
Hummingbirds

By Treischel

Such stunning wonders are the Hummingbirds.
They zig and zag 'round things that they move towards,
in frantic flights too wonderful for words.

A Ruby-Throated Hummingbird flew by.
It wings gyrating fast, so that they thrum.
Like tiny helicopter she can fly.
Now, listen closely! Her wings seem to hum.

Their colors are magnificent, when seen,
and this one is a lovely emerald green.
Its belly is displayed in creamy white.
Its tail is tipped in fancy black highlights.
Her pointed beak is very long and lean.

While at my feeder, hovering in style,
this bird gives every flower her regards.
Then quickly dips, and backs out afterwards.
So nimble, yet she really is agile.
I watched. Her antics made me break a smile.
Such stunning wonders are the Hummingbirds!

Author Notes

I captured these images of a humming bird at the feeder on my back deck, sipping nectar in flight. They are beautiful and amazing tiny birds. This one is a female Ruby-Throated Hummingbird. The male has the ruby throat while the female does not. The Ruby-Throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) is a species that generally spends the winter in Central America and migrates to North America for the summer to breed. It is by far the most common hummingbird seen east of the Mississippi River. Both males and females of any age are aggressive toward other hummingbirds. They may defend territories, such as a feeding territory, attacking and chasing other hummingbirds that enter. They have long, blade-like wings that, unlike the wings of other birds, connect to the body only from the shoulder joint. This adaptation allows the wing to rotate almost 180 degrees, enabling the bird to fly not only forward but backward, and to hover in mid-air, flight capabilities that are similar to insects and unique among birds. Hummingbird wings beat up to 80 times per second. Source: Wikipedia. This poem is a Progress Quattro. The Progresso Quattro - created by our very own Fanstorian, Just2Write (Aka: H. R. Jones) - uses 4 progressive stanzas in iambic Pentameter, comprising of a Tercet, Quatrain, Quintain, and a Sestet in that order. 18 lines in length. Rhyme scheme is optional, but at least one of the rhyme sounds from the Tercet must appear in the final Sestet. Each of the stanzas builds on the theme of the Tercet. It is similar to a Italian Heroic Sonnet with 18 lines. The Italian Sonnets do not have ending couplets. The difference between the Progresso Quattro is that the Heroic Italian Sonnet, is broken into 3 or 5 parts, and the Progresso Quattro is broken into 4 parts. For this poem, I modified the Quintain's rhyme scheme to, ddeed,and picked up the "a" rhyme from the Tercet, made the Tercet mono-rhymed, and included it in the Sestet, as: faaffa. I also repeated the first line of the poem as the last line (not a requirement). So, the poem's total rhyme scheme is: Aaa bcbc ddeed faaffA. These images were all taken by the author himself on August 13, 2016.

Chapter 248
A Crossbill

By Treischel

A Crossbill and its bride
were standing side by side.
Displaying what's unique
about his namesake beak
that seems a bit lopside.'

Another source of pride;
red feathers, dignified,
providing look so chic.
A Crossbill.

His mate takes it in stride.
He's prettier outside.
Despite her fine physique,
her colors are more bleak.
It cannot be denied.
A Crossbill.

Author Notes

Yes, I know that word should be lopsided. Thus the '. This pair of birds are Crossbills that landed on my deck railing for some seeds. As you can see, the male is more colorful than the female. The Crossbill from the genus, Loxia, of birds in the finch family (Fringillidae). The genus name is from the Ancient Greek loxos, "crosswise". Crossbills are specialist feeders on conifer cones, and the unusual bill shape is an adaptation which enables them to extract seeds from cones. These birds are typically found in higher northern hemisphere latitudes, where their food sources grow, but are not averse to an easier lunch, like from my feeder. Crossbills and Redpolls share a common ancestror and only diverged during the Tortonian (Late Miocene) era. Source: Wikipedia. This poem is a variant of the Rondeau, inspired by Pantygynt. It is written in iambic Trimeter, rather than more typical Tetrameter or Pentameter. It still follows the usual Quintrain,Quatrain, Sestet formula with the rhyme scheme of: aabba - aabR - aabbaR, where the R represents the first word or a short phrase from the first line of the poem. This picture was taken by the author himself on August 14, 2016.

Chapter 249
Debonair Darren the Heron

By Treischel

Debonair Darren the Heron,
with trendy touch of guile
and his Mohawk hair a flarin',
has vaudevillian style
that is so completely darin',
it's bound to break a smile
on any bloke who's been starin'
at antics aired awhile.

As he gets his toes a tappin',
his motions entertain.
With his wayward wings a flappin',
his dance moves are insane.
He might even break out rappin'
an avian refrain,
when the Heron calls are crackin'
and rockin' round the lane.

He looks so very debonair,
dressed in fluffy feathers,
the ladies love his racy hair
at their get-togethers.
He snares them where his fashion flair
and sassy endeavors
will sway them with his stylish airs,
promisin' whenevers.

Debonair Darren the Heron,
with trendy touch of guile
and his Mohawk hair a flarin',
has vaudevillian style.

Debonair Darren the Heron,
you're such a sight to see
a bonafide bird performin'-
a Bieber wannabe.

Author Notes

I just couldn't resist using this colorful character's picture again. Such personality! Aired - displayed, set out, shown. Avian - bird Bieber - Justin Bieber is the current badboy, teenage heartthrob. A singer and dancer. Bloke - English slang for a male person. Bonafide - legitimate, real, certifiable Debonair - dashing, with it, in fashion Guile - cunning Mohawk - a haircut mimicking a Native American style, where the hair stands up in the middle of the head, but the sides are shaved. Rappin' - rapping, a musical form of speaking a song in rapid verbal flow. Vaudevillian - deriving from Vaudeville. An old-time stage show featuring song and dance, punctuated with off-color jokes. Wannabe - imatator This poem is written to an 8-6 mixed meter in Octaves (8 line stanzas) and Quatrains (4 line stanzas) with an abab rhyme scheme. This photograph was taken by the author himself on July 30, 2016.

Chapter 250
Butterfly Go My Way

By Treischel

Yellow Swallowtail was chased today.
When spotted, bug just flew away.
Zigged & zagged over the yard.
Getting a pose was hard.
Its markings are why,
just had to try.
Butterfly
go my
way.

Author Notes

It finally did. Butterflies are difficult to photograph at times. I chased this one all over my yard. They flit about and alight for only a short time, then off again they go. I wanted to get a shot of this one with its wings open, but never did. This is an Eastern Yellow Tiger Swallowtail. The Yellow Tiger Swallowtail butterfly is classified as Papilio Glaucas. Papilio is Latin for 'butterfly'. The names of Greek heroes are applied to the swallowtails. Glaucus was a Greek prophetic sea-god, born mortal and turned immortal upon eating a magical herb. It is a strong flier with distinctive yellow and black striped markings on its wings and body (some females are brown or black, mimicking the poisonous pipevine swallowtail).This relatively common butterfly has a wingspan of 3.5-6.5 inches (9-16.5 cm). Southern subspecies are larger than the northern ones. These butterflies are called Swallowtails because they have long "tails" on their hindwings which look a bit like the long, pointed tails of the Swallow bird. It flies from spring to fall, during which it produces two to three broods. Adults feed on the nectar of many species of flowers. Source: Wikipedia. This poem is a Nonet. A Nonet is a nine line poem. The first line containing nine syllables, the next line has eight syllables, the next line has seven syllables. That continues until the last line (the ninth line) which has one syllable. Nonets can be written about any subject. Rhyming is optional. There is no limitation to the number of words per line. Only syllables per line. This provides a great deal of flexibility. For this poem I did add rhyming. The rhyme scheme is: aabbcccca. This picture was taken by the author himself on July 22, 2016.

Chapter 251
Feeder Delight

By Treischel

I love it when the birds alight,
to snatch my feeder's seeds.
Especially with colors bright
among the bird clan breeds.

And what, among the bird clan breeds
outshines a Cardinal?
Their plumage, red, always succeeds
to be remarkable.

And yet, to be remarkable,
when critters come along,
requires being versatile,
and this bird sings a song.

And this bird sings a song so sweet,
its tenor can bring tears.
It makes a sunny day complete!
Hope it remains for years.

Author Notes

This is a photograph that my 11 year old grandson, JT, took with my camera of the feeder on my back porch. This female Cardinal and her mate, have been in our yard for about 5 years now. This poem is a simple set of quatrains in an 8-6 meter, where the last 6 syllable line of each stanza is carried to the first line of the next, then 2 more syllables are added to create the 8 meter starting line for that stanza. The rhyme from that carryover line may, or may not be used, at the poet's discretion. This is one of the author's photo collection. It was taken on July 14, 2016.

Chapter 252
Preening

By Treischel

Heron
feathers askew
bends beak to tactile task
to smooth and readjust his trim
Preening

Author Notes

See Contest for format details Author's photo.

Chapter 253
As Dusk Descends

By Treischel

Some lovely people that I met
are featured here, in silhouette.

Delights await at summer park
as dusk descends.
It bends the sky in pastel ark.
Horizon ends
in dazzling Daguerre displays,
with hues and highlights in arrays
of pink and purple twilight trends
as dusk descends.

We gather mutely at the shore
with kids and friends,
and even dogs, in rapt rapport,
at dividends
of waning colors in the sky --
a heavenly last kiss goodbye,
a blessing passing daylight sends,
as dusk descends.

Some lovely people that I met
are featured here, in silhouette.

Author Notes

This was a scene I shot last Saturday Evening at the campground in Lake Carlos State Park located in northwestern Minnesota. There are usually very nice people at the campgrounds and it is fun to meet some. Here are a man and his dog. His daughter was running along the beach, Son was sitting in the sand. A very nice sunset made a lovely background to their silhouettes. Daguerre - Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre (Pronounced Dag-U-air; 18 November 1787 â?? 10 July 1851) was a French artist and photographer, recognized for his invention of the daguerreotype process of photography. He became known as one of the fathers of photography. This poem is an Octogram with a repeated set of rhymed couplets beginning and ending it. The Octogram is a style of poetry invented by Fanstorian Sally Yocom (S.Yocom). It consists of two stanzas of eight lines each, with a very specific syllable count and rhyme scheme. Syllable count is: 84848884, repeat on second stanza. Rhyme scheme: aBabccbB ababddbB, where B repeats same text. No more than 16 lines. Strict iambic meter on all lines. This photograph was taken by the author himself on October 1, 2016.

Chapter 254
Toad Talk

By Treischel

I took a walk on woodland path,
A seasoned swath.
Upon the road
I found a toad.

This tiny creature, wart adorned,
Is often scorned.
When found near us,
We virus fuss.

They're actually harmless to us,
Not contagious.
Those tiny bumps
are merely humps.

Author Notes

An American Toad I spotted on the trail this last weekend. He hopped across the path and tried to hide in the leaves, but I got him. The American toad (Anaxyrus americanus, is a common species of toad found throughout the eastern United States and Canada. Their diet includes crickets, mealworms, earthworms, ants, spiders, slugs, centipedes, moths, mosquitos, flies, and other small invertebrates. The warts are not contagious, rather they are features of the Paratoid glands. The parotoid gland (alternatively, paratoid gland) is an external skin gland on the back, neck, and shoulder of toads and some frogs and salamanders. It secretes a milky alkaloid substance to deter predators. The substance, bufotoxin, acts as a neurotoxin. Paratoid glands are normal, healthy parts of the animals that bear them. The vague similarity in appearance, however, is the reason behind the mistaken belief that touching a toad causes warts. So, the is not virus transmission, but that still should not be handled, and certainly not eaten. A swath is a path along a river or canal often used by horses or mules to drag barges or boats along. In farming it is the path cleared by a scythe. This poem is a Minute Poem. The Minute Poem is a poem that follows the "8,4,4,4" syllable count structure. It usually has 3 stanzas that are exactly the same. So: 8,4,4,4; 8,4,4,4; 8,4,4,4 syllables. A traditional Minute Poem has 12 lines total. It has 60 syllables (thus the Minute). It is written in a strict iambic meter. The rhyme scheme is as follows: aabb, ccdd, eeff. I did use a line of Trochee meter in line 10 here. This photograph was taken by the author himseld on October 2, 2016.

Chapter 255
Water Slides

By Treischel

Don't mean to complain
but we've had a bit of rain
new wave waterpark

Author Notes

It's been raining a lot here lately. This is a local playground turned waterpark. Photo taken by the author himself. August 13, 2016

Chapter 256
Widow Skimmer Dragonfly

By Treischel

A Widow Skimmer expertly alights.
She's perched upon the best advantage point,
with biting flies, mosquitos in her sights.
Her smokey colored wings are set adjoint,
facilitating acrobatic flights
that ambush prey, midair, that she'll pinpoint.
Her glossy body shimmers in the sky,
an emerald green female dragonfly.

Yet, the surroundings of the human race
are benefited by her appetite,
because the insect morsels that she'll chase,
are pests that bring disease, and often bite.
For love, she'll seek an eager male's embrace,
to share a shard of dragonfly delight.
Her mate, has wings that have a different shade,
as he'll desert her, when her eggs are laid.

So, let this Widow Skimmer wander wide,
this huntress with the heart of Artemis,
whose prowess in the woods can't be denied.
For things within her sights, she'll never miss,
when off on slender wings to spurt or glide.
No dragonfly more wonderful than this.
Her value to the world you can't dismiss --
a true disease bug nuisance nemesis.

Author Notes

Adjoint - next to, or very near Artemis - The Greek goddess of the hunt. Nemesis - inevitable cause of one's downfall or defeat. This dragonfly is a female Widow Skimmer. They are one of the group of dragonflies known as king skimmers. The species can be found commonly across much of the United States. Wings of both sexes are marked with prominent black basal bands, often called saddlebags. Adult males develop broad white spots or bands at mid-wing, but the female does not. The diet of the adult Widow Skimmer consists of small flying insects,(mosquitoes, biting flies, midges, aphids) which are hunted from an elevated perch. Come mating season, adults pair off and mate. But unlike the males of other dragonfly species, who guard the females during egg-laying, the Widow Skimmer males leave them alone, as they lay their eggs just below the surface of the water, thereby, "widowing" them. In Greek, "widow" means "to mourn." An adult dragonfly has a compound eye that has nearly 24,000 ommatidia. Dragonflies and their relatives are an ancient group, having been around 300 million years on earth. Dragonflies are powerful and agile fliers, capable of migrating across oceans, moving in any direction, and changing direction suddenly. In flight, the adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions: upward, downward, forward, back, to left and to right. In general, large dragonflies have a maximum speed of 10 - 15 metres per second (22 - 34 mph) with average cruising speed of about 4.5 metres per second (10 mph). Adult dragonflies hunt on the wing using their exceptionally acute eyesight and strong, agile flight. They are almost exclusively carnivorous, eating a wide variety of insects ranging from small midges and mosquitoes to butterflies, moths, damselflies, and smaller dragonflies. Dragonflies provide important values for the ecosystem and for humans. Ecologically, they are key to food chains, and as voracious aquatic predators, and also as terrestrial predators, help to control insect populations. This poem is an Ottava Rima. The Ottava Rima stanza in English consists of eight iambic lines (an Octave), usually done in iambic pentameters. Each stanza consists of three sets of alternate rhymes plus one double rhyme, following the: a-b-a-b-a-b-c-c pattern. For this one I modified the last octave, so the entire rhyme scheme is: abababcc - dededeff - ghghghhh. This photograph was taken by the author himself on June 26, 2016.

Chapter 257
Sunken In Its Slip

By Treischel

A winter mooring gone astray,
when ship is sunken in its slip,
and at the bottom of the bay.
A winter mooring gone astray,
from houseboat to an ice display,
its hull held fast in frozen grip.
A winter mooring gone astray,
when ship is sunken in its slip.

Author Notes

I'm not sure where these boat owners are, probably in Florida or Arizona, but I'm sure they won't be too happy when they come back and see this. This photograph was taken by the author himself on January 14, 2017.

Chapter 258
Come Wander in my Woods

By Treischel

Come and wander in my woods,
those Minnesota neighborhoods,
where nature harkens in the trees,
with leaves that flutter in the breeze,
and the trails are covered with a welcome mat
habitat.
I could walk on forever!

Pathways wander to and fro
along trickling water flow.
And all the while with birds singing,
the autumn colored leaves clinging,
sets the stage, for glor'ous forest symphonies
in the trees.
I could walk on forever!

I'll pick a path to follow
into a quiet hollow,
with wooden bench to rest upon
to watch the woodland's goings-on,
as deer nibble at the foliage that's found here.
Oh, so near!
It could go on forever!

As the day comes to an end,
little time is left to spend
among those creatures living there,
who fill the forest, fill the air.
I soon regret, that I must be heading home,
from my roam.
I could walk on forever!

Author Notes

I captured this picture in a park where I frequently walk, with the fall colors showing nicely and a carpet of red leaves on the ground. I tried to capture its essence here. It inspired me to feel a glow for my home State's beauty and prompted this poem. This is a Sounds of Silence Poem I call it that, because it follows the cadence of Paul Simon's lyrics in the Simon and Garfunkel's hit song, The Sounds of Silence. The rhyme scheme is: aabbccR, in each stanza, where the "R" is a repeated refrain. The syllable count is: 7,7,8,8,11,3,7 This photograph was taken by the author himself on October 11, 2016.

Chapter 259
Upon the Snow

By Treischel

The leaves that lie upon the snow
disturb the purity of white.
Their keepers were a bit too slow
to get the season's timing right.

They settle on the crystal flakes,
and flutter in the winter breeze.
The ghost of season past awakes
to mourn beneath the naked trees.

Now, some may rise in sultry dance,
while others wobble 'cross the drifts,
as if they're in some sort of trance.
Remainders doing minor lifts.

But oh, they're so unusual,
to be atop and not below.
It may have been delusional
to see them lie upon the snow.

Author Notes

When I saw these leaves on top of the snow, I thought, "Shouldn't these be under the snow? They must be late droppers." What attracted my notice was them fluttering in the breeze. Some were even blowing across the snow like small creatures. This poem is simply constructed as four quatrains with abab rhyming, in iambic tetrameter. This picture was taken by the author himself on December 17, 2017.

Chapter 260
Great White Pelican

By Treischel

I've heard, swift waters bring this bird

The American
Great White Pelican,

to fish the river,
sustenance giver,
as Fates deliver.

Massive beak is swung.
Food will feed its young.

An elemental gift conferred.

Author Notes

This is a Great White Pelican. Several of them congregate in the spring along the Mississippi River at the Lock and Dam near Hastings Minnesota. I captured a picture of this one standing on a sunken log. It was a windy day. You can see the feathers on its head were blown. I found some interesting details about this bird. Pelicans have a long history of cultural significance in mythology, and in Christian and heraldic iconography. In medieval Europe, the pelican was thought to be particularly attentive to her young, to the point of providing her own blood by wounding her own breast when no other food was available. As a result, the pelican came to symbolize the Passion of Jesus and the Eucharist. In Saint Thomas Aquinas�¢??, Adoro te devote or Humbly We Adore Thee, within the a final verse, he describes Christ as the loving divine pelican, able to provide nourishment from his breast. Elizabeth I of England adopted the symbol, portraying herself as the mother of the Church of England. Nicholas Hilliard painted the Pelican Portrait of her around 1573. The device of a pelican in her piety or a pelican vulning (to wound) herself was used in heraldry. Both Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and Corpus Christi College, Oxford, feature pelicans on their coats of arms. A possible derivation is the tendency of the bird to rest with its bill on its breast; the Dalmatian Pelican has a blood-red pouch in the early breeding season and this may have contributed to the myth. This poem is a Codary. The Codary is a creation of a fellow Fanstorian, Gregory Cody, which takes it name from a derivation of his last name. It is syllabic and stanzaic in nature. It begins with a single line, then a couplet (two lines), then a Tercet (three lines). Then it declines to a couplet, and finally closes with a single line again. So the line counts become 1-2-3-2-1. It has an unusual syllable count as well: 8, 5-5, 5-5-5, 5-5, 8. The Rhyme scheme is a, b-b, c-c-c, d-d, a This photograph was taken by the author himself on April 29, 2018.

Chapter 261
The Cougar

By Treischel

 
One night my tent was shaken by a scream.
Wondering, if this was just a dream.
It could have been a wailing child,
or yet a cat out stalking in the wild.
 
Then I was struck with the realization,
this was not night’s  imagination.
No child is on my mountain top
where I cling to one narrow stone outcrop.
 
Unzipping from my down-filled sleeping bag,
I presume this trip has hit a snag,
and as the sun began to rise
I looked about the scene with squinting eyes.
 
Well, there she stood in shining silhouette,
an apex predator, deadly threat.
There and then, I began to pray.
She sniffed the air, aloofly walked away.
 

Author Notes

When you are out in nature, you may become part of the food chain. I don't carry a gun, but I do carry a Bowie knife and a stout walking stick. And usually I am not alone. When I lived on Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado (1985 to 1991), in the fall, the deer would migrate lower down the mountain, where homes were. The mountain lions would often follow. Occasionally, a jogger would be attacked. The Cougar (Puma concolor), is also commonly known as the Puma, Mountain Lion, Panther or Catamount, depending on the region it is found in. Its range, from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes of South America, is the widest of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. Cougars are the largest of the small cats. The coat is typically tawny like that of the lion, which is why it was initially called the "mountain lion". Despite its size, it is not typically classified among the "big cats" because it cannot roar, lacking the specialized larynx and hyoid apparatus to facilitate a roar. Instead, it gives out a high pitched scream, although these screams are often misinterpreted to be the calls of other animals or even humans. Cougars sometimes voice low-pitched hisses, growls, and purrs, as well as chirps and whistles, many of which are comparable to those of domestic cats. This poem is a set of Quatrains in 10-9-8-10 meter. This format uses the Quatrain as its primary stanzaic method, but its structure is syllabic, having line lengths 10-9-8-10 syllables long. The meter gives this form an atypical flow, as you can't hold an iambic, which allows the poet to perform unusual poetic gymnastics in the lines. A Hybrid between iambic and ballad meter. The rhyme scheme is coupled aabb rhyming. This photograph was taken by the author himself on October 2017.

Chapter 262
Rose Bouquet

By Treischel

 
Bouquets of roses make a perfect gift,
as mother’s birthday blues may get a lift.
Her lonely spirits, then, are sure to shift
once lovely rose-filled fragrances are sniffed!
Response from grateful moms are often swift,
and reinforce that bonds shall never rift.
Emotions set adrift become repaired,
as roses shared are certain to uplift.
 

Author Notes

Mother/daughter relationships aren't always great, but a bouquet of beautiful and fragrant roses on her birthday never hurt. These were a gift for my wife, Karen from her daughter, Jodette (Jodi), this year. The format of this poem is an Awdl - Hir a Thoddaid An Awdl - Hir a Thoddaid is a Welsh form of poetry. There are twelve Awdl forms. An Awdl is a Welsh ode. This form contains a ten syllable quatrain followed by a Thoddaid. A Hir is a set of four Isosyllabic (10 Syllables, no fixed meter) lines with the same mono-rhymed endline. A Thoddaid is the couplet with the cross rhyme aspect. All lines of each stanza, except for the penultimate one, rhyme together in the conventional way. The penultimate (second to last) line rhymes with them all in an unconventional way - an inline syllable. Furthermore, the word at the end of the penultimate line rhymes with a word somewhere in the middle of the last line. The Hir can have 6 lines, rather than the 4 used here, but all its lines must always mono-rhyme together. Frequently the stanzas are blended together without blank lines between, as I have chosen here, to give it a more Welsh feel. Once Again, A poem of either 6 or 8 lines. Stanzaic: Consisting of a Hir (being either a mono-rhymed quatrain or sestet, and a toddaid which is a couplet with interlaced rhyme. Isosyllabic: 10 syllables Rhyme Scheme: aaaa(ab)(ba), where the letters in parens show how the inline rhyme goes. This photograph was taken by the author himself on September 19, 2018.

Chapter 263
Span the Creek

By Treischel

Obstruction absorbs attention span
when into which all ran.
Any raging creek could ruin a plan,
but a little bridge can
span the creek.

A path sometimes needs an engineer
to bridge the hemisphere.
When allowing folks to persevere
problems will disappear.
Span the creek!

Such improvements do upgrade our parks,
thoughtful civic landmarks,
providing pride of nature hallmarks
whenever manmade arcs
span the creek.

Appreciation comes on feet and wheels
from reduced trek ordeals
on pathways to which long hikes appeal
when wood and structured steel
Span the creek.

Author Notes

Without a bridge our parks would be much harder to traverse. I feel lucky to live in a place where nature is opened up around all lakes and many parks. Coles Rhythm: a new style created by Gungalo, a major force here on Fanstory, who has since departed. She passed away in May of 2014. She was a free spirit who lived in the Virgin Islands. All her poems reflected romance and beautry. She was my mentor for several years, and taught me many formats. This is one she created. Syllable count is: 9-6-9-6-3 for each verse. Rhyme scheme: aaaaR bbbbR ccccR ddddR. The "R" is a 3-syllable refrain and each should rhyme or repeat the other in every verse. You can have as many verses as you want. This image was taken by the author himself on October 16, 2018.

Chapter 264
Wings on a Prayer

By Treischel

 

What am I, but an insect born,
alight upon a shaft of wheat,
alone, adrift, and too -forlorn?


Find that conclusion incomplete!
Nay, you’ll not see a care from me. 
To damselfly life’s very sweet.


I flit about, as you can see.
I flash my turquoise color scheme
to find a mate just right for me.


I take a stance, my colors gleam.
At once I’m ready to take flight
alert, as circumstances  deem.


I’m very fast, both day and night,
in ways to catch mosquito lunch.
I’ll zig and zag, both left and right.


I’m versatile. I have a hunch,
one hundred fifty million years
I have survived, and that’s a bunch.


Polluted waters cause my fears.
I pray you humans keep them clean,
to keep our mutual futures clear.

Author Notes

Damselflies are similar to dragonflies, but smaller and slimmer. They only have two wings that they usually fold behind their backs, while a dragonfly has four that spread out to their side. Both eat small insects like aphids, gnats, and mosquitoes, which they usually catch midair. Their presence indicates a clean healthy water system. People get afraid of them because they believe that they sting, but they don�¢??t. They are no more dangerous than a butterfly. When damselflies mate it is usually face-to-face and head-to-head. The female curls her tail under to meet his and they often fly together. It typically forms a heart shape. This insect has survived since the age of the dinosaurs. Fossils have been found dating back one hundred fifty three million years ago. Source: Wikipedia. This poem is a Terza Rima, which is a form with Tercets (three line stanzas) that interlock their rhyme scheme. It is an Italian format that was first used by the Italian poet Dante Alighieri. The end-word of the second (middle) line in one tercet supplies the rhyme for the first and third lines in the following tercet. The literal translation of terza rima from Italian is "third rhyme". It follows a very specific rhyme scheme that follows the rhyming pattern of ABA BCB CDC DED, and so on, for as many stanzas as desired. Aside from this pattern, there are no other elements that define a terza rima poem. Poets do not need to use a specific metrical pattern, use a certain number of lines, or stanzas. This is my photograph.

Chapter 265
Ice Collared Rocks

By Treischel

 

Ice collared rocks in a cobalt blue stream
Cold colored ripples within the creeks flow
Crystalline fingers in filigreed dream 
Winter’s residuals of chilled falling snow


Waters creating caricatures of dance
Floating white collars waving anew
Winsome and magical at their first glance
Simply dissolving just like morning dew

Author Notes

I took this photo at Minnehaha Creek. The water was freezing but flowing strong. The ice around the stones reminded me of medieval collars the Dutch gentlemen wore. They were called ruffs or ruffled collars. This poem consists of two abab rhymed quatrains in Dactyl meter. Dactyl meter is a trimetered foot with a hard-soft-soft cadence resulting in a waltz-like flow. So the lines are typically 9 syllables , but 11 is acceptable. If you close a line of dactyls with a final hard beat it is known at dactylic pentameter. I left off punctuation purposefully to allow the lines to float on their own.

Chapter 266
Water and Ice

By Treischel

 

When water tumbles over falls,
it drops and flows on to the sea.
And as it cascades over walls,
it roars and rumbles endlessly.


The water’s power is unleashed.
when gravity’s strong grip released
its burden pulled from down below,
creating serious undertow.


But not with Winter’s grasp around.
That power gets quite frozen stiff,
becoming just a frozen cliff.
Providing sight that’s most profound.


Believing’s hard. To be precise
a falls can be both water and ice. 

Author Notes

Minnehaha Falls can be completely frozen during a Minnesota winter, but when you get close, you can still hear water running beneath the ice. I showed both a summer and winter shot of the falls. People actually walk up to the falls when it's frozen. Amazing! What makes this a modern sonnet? Well, because it doesn't follow the classical rules of a sonnet. To start with it isn't in iambic pentameter, but tetrameter instead. Also, I changed the rhyme pattern in each stanza. First was ABAB, then AABB, and then ABBA.

Chapter 267
What Fiend is This?

By Treischel

Pray tell! What Fiend is this,

Who hides in hollow of a tree?

Those empty eyes cannot disguise

That horrid sentiments arise.

Is this a winter den

So deep within that wounded oak?

You’re hidden not. I see your face

That’s lurking there so out of place.

Author Notes

A two stanza poem about an amazing face I saw in a tree. It is almost skeletal, with vacant eyes and open mouth showing some sharp teeth. Do I see a hand coming out as well? This is actually just a burl on a tree, but it really caught my eye, so I snapped a photo. Had I not already published it by the time I wrote this, this poem would be in my Animated Stills book. The rhyme scheme is ABCC. The meter is 6-8-8-8.

Chapter 268
Fine Filaments

By Treischel

 

These tiny weeds are oft’ unnoticed things,

with stems as thin as silk worm’s satin strings.

They’re oh so lovely when you notice them!

Fine filaments become my garden gem.

 

Reminding me of comets in the sky,

they burst above the greenery on high.

And when they sway about on summer breeze,

I wave at them, lay back, and take my ease.

Author Notes

These tiny filaments that I describe here are just some weeds with tiny bulbs at their ends. They often go unnoticed, unless you take the time to observe their unique beauty. My good friend Winnie did notice them, and asked me to photograph them for her. So I made a dark cardboard background for them in order to show them off well. She was pleased, and I wrote this little poem for her to go with it. The poem is simple two aabb rhymed quatrains (also known as coupled rhyme). Hope you enjoy it too.

Chapter 269
Birdhouse

By Treischel

There are 9 different poetic meters, with iambic being the most common. This is a less known one.

 

 

Birdhouse on high, built by a pro,

Placed on a pole no one can reach.

Only the birds, ever shall go

Into these homes, each unto each.

 

Author Notes

This birdhouse was at a friend's house standing alone in a field a couple yards from the house. Needs some paint. I thought it looked like a rundown tenant for birds, so I took this picture. This poem is a single abab rhymed quatrain but written in an unusual meter not often used. It is Choriambic. While an iambic meter has a two syllable foot of a short- long accent, the choriambic is a four syllable foot having a long-short-short-long accent. So, my poem has two choriambic feet per line of eight syllables. For example: Iambic: The bird is in the bush Choriambic: What do I see, birds in the bush.

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