Pacific Golden Way

Locked and closed in night,
full throttle in sunlight,
blanketing the rise and fall
of rolling hills, turning them
to carpets of pirate-booty.
Greedily they gobble
the land from mountain to shore.
Fog-horns outside the bay, trumpet
the glory of California's
untamed, golden, prodigal poppy.
             ~~Judi Van Gorder

This morning I looked outside to see my field covered with California poppies. These wildflowers turn my empty, horse-pasture into a land of gold.  Their vibrant color appears in mass in a meadow or on a hillside.   I've had this photo,  taken by Philip Robertson, for some time wondering who I would share it with.  This is so California.  Our state flower and state bird.  Quail coo and dart through the tall grass.  I see California outside my window every day of Spring into Summer.  I love driving over the hill and down to the coast this time of year because, the poppies cascade right down to the cliffs above the ocean. 

 

I missed a couple of Thursdays Blogs but looking outside, the color just begged to be shared.    Nature in its variety is a perfect catalyst to awaken a poem.   Emily Dickinson wrote about another spring wildflower known as the Mayflower Trailing Arbutus, which is now a protected species in many states because it has become very rare.  One of the things that first drew me to Robert Frost was his connection to nature, so many of his poems paint natural images, I include one of his shorter pieces. I also share a poem by Angela Morgan, an American poet I had never heard of before. I thought her perspective in this poem interesting.  And the ultimate naturalist Henry David Thoreau had to be represented.

There are millions of nature poems out there to enjoy. If you feel inspired to go out and connect, write one of your own and share it here.

Happy writing, ~~Judi