All Gather

All gather
to bear witness
to the last light
of day,
a ceremonious
sky-ignition
in heavily-saturated
hues ablaze,

spectacular finale
to celebrate

nothing more
than the beauty
of such a gift–
this life,
this moment,
this planet.

In the time
it takes
for the sun
to bid farewell,
we focus
only on this
blinding
glory
and forget
everything
else.

We are one
in this instant,
all creatures
stunned into
reverence
by the power
of another
sunset.

Perhaps we will be gifted
another tomorrow.
If so, let us come together
and celebrate again
beneath the solar light show.

May we learn like this
to raise up in praise
the best,
and into the surf,
continuously release
the woes and regrets.

Poem and image ©LauraDenise

Sunset Petals

Sometimes I like the blurry pictures,
the ones not quite so defined,
especially when they mix like watercolors
into the distant sunset sky,
for like my mind,
all that about me
relaxes now with unposed ease,
and it seems even the flowers
give way to the gentle breeze,
and as I sip sangria
beneath the blooms and trees,
I allow my dreams
off the canvas
for just a bit
to bleed…

Poem and image ©LauraDenise

These Dreams

Let’s head to the coast

where the road ends,

where sand leads to sea

and the dreams we once had;

let’s set afloat

the last of our hesitations

and jump into the waves

to rebirth

the heart’s dormant

wishes.

This is our life,

a new beginning:

hand-in-hand,

let’s fully

live it!

The dreams left

we once had,

the dreams new:

let’s fulfill them!

Come, my love,

run with me

into the colors

of the horizon;

we’ll never

leave!

Poem and images ©LauraDenise

The Sea Seeps into Me

White sand,

like freshly fallen snow

but silky and warm

between my toes,

with the tracks

of footprints

of those with wings

and treasure-like,

mermaid-like,

secret offerings

crossing paths,

the prints,

the seabirds

on the shore

in the panoply of colors

of the setting sun

and with them,

my imagination soars.

I am filled with wonder,

with romance,

with tranquility.

With humbleness,

I shrink

and bask in the awe

of God’s majesty.

All images unedited and taken yesterday

I Will Never Tire

I will never tire of

morning birdsong,

the daily rising of the sun,

the ways the rays

beam between trees,

the clouds that form

in such artistry,

the freedom flaunted in wildflowers,

all the colors of twilight hours,

the breezes that rouse my desires,

the stars that kindle my dreams afire,

for as long as I am alive,

I will never tire

of these natural delights,

never tire

even when the seasons fade away,

for a spirit saturated in the natural

never decays.

img_9954-1

FullSizeRender-1

Poem and images ©LauraDenise

To Witness the Heavens

The winds arrive

and excite the waves,

even the green

line up about the bay,

my car detours

the same way,

all of us drawn to bid farewell

in reverence

to the last light of day,

casting down

in glorious display,

the awe

once ingrained

can never be

washed away,

to witness

the heavens

on an otherwise ordinary

Saturday.

The grasses seem to try to grasp

the sacred flame as it descends,

as if before bed to hug and kiss it,

or beg for themselves to be orange-painted.

The clouds huddle

and combine their potential

to honor in color

and escort the sun out

as if it were royal,

but royal is of the flesh and blood,

created, too, from the Ultimate Artist’s brush.

All images taken 2/1/20 @LauraDenise

This Is

Sunrise kisses brushed upon eyelids,

Quenching drops nourishing, renewing, the spirit,

Velvet petals caressing the flesh, erasing false perfections,

inner seeds in ecstasy sacrificially spilling,

Breezes always joyfully willing

to carefully carry the heart’s deepest wishes,

Lonely floating feathered silhouettes receiving comforting sunset ripples,

Faithful mutually blooming companion, a bud always returning,

Upon a pure canvas, watercolors mixing,

slowly, beautifully messily dripping,

fluid, never fully setting,

in the swirling abstract showing

what each individual soul has mourned, is yearning…

This is poetry.

And art. And music.

And, I suppose,

love.

All words and images ©LauraDenise

Just Another Spectacle

In a grandiose spectacle,

the horizon is ablaze,

celebrating the finale

of another gifted day.

I hope you didn’t take

for granted today.

I hope you didn’t miss

this backyard show.

I hope you don’t forever postpone

your dreams

in those just-as-gifted

tomorrows…

Tree of White

My personality is a thousand bright, vibrant colors,

yet I am drawn to the white,

such petal purity quiets me,

embodies the beauty of life,

of souls,

condensed into a power source so soft,

it entrances me so that I may hear

the universe’s secrets and angel song,

and when the sun so celestially infuses it,

all doubt-shadows disperse, leaving me with

only the goodness, the best of all of this,

especially the mysteries and yet-to-comes,

and at the core of it,

pure love.

Spare me the colorful cut flowers; 
take me to a tree of white 
and let me stay for hours...

Le Soleil and the Bay

The sun sinks

and lifts,

stills,

my spirit.

Twilight settles soothingly

upon the horizon

in soft hues

given as a unique gift

never

to be offered exactly the same way

again.

The waters simmer down

to ripples

lulling, calling

my soul

to rest

for a few moments.

The lines of the manmade

pier

somehow complement

the natural beyond.

All is quiet

and calm.

The sun sinks,

and lifts, stills,

my spirit.

And in the morning,

I can count on him

to again ignite

it.