Seeing

Poplar leaf miners
left networks of tunnels here
Small city in green

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Surprise! I can, on occasion, write short poems too.

Bet you never would have guessed.

Sprung

The week was mad, we agreed,
Confusing the brain like a tie-dyed veil.
It wasn't so much plan as release, then,
That led us to the wilderness.

At first we just drove;
Stopping now and then to watch unnamed streams
Hurtle down sheer limestone walls,
Or laugh at trendy tourists herding to Banff.
Our way was less defined --
We wound through man-blasted caverns
And, with some surprise,
At last arrived at the Springs.

We made the pilgrimage at dusk,
Passing giddy families returning to the comforts
Of scorched marshmallows and bug spray.
The evening bite of alpine air
Sent billows off the sulphur pool
As we fumbled in pockets
For the necessary fees.

An industrial change-room;
Swim-clad bodies protested in gooseflesh
As tender feet rushed over rough, cold concrete.
We nearly ran to the water,
Pretending not to know or care about the old-egg smell,
And plunged with relief into the natural warmth.

Steam rose in the half-light,
Obscuring a chiselled mountain face
And the ledge where marmots watch the world.
The street lamps seemed ghostly in the mist:
Unreal beacons from another, cruder plane.
I sat,
My mind following the water
Down crevasses to the planet's soul,
Accepting its fire,
Then bursting forth;
Returning inner heat to frozen hearts.

A light snow fell
As we walked to camp by flashlight;
Chill cousin of the warmth we'd left behind.
We did no talk,
But somewhere in our muffled steps
Or echoed in the silent pines
A quiet thanks was offered
And,
I still believe,
Most happily received.

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Not much to say here. It's an old poem, and I'd write it differently now.

Everyone should have a chance to experience a hot spring in cold weather, though. It does something to the mind, somehow.

And it's... more field sketch book

Yeah.

I still haven't gotten around to doing any new drawing. Or writing. Or anything. I guess I'm just feeling like a great big lump of uncreative these days.

Here's hoping that summer will change that.

Fairy Bell fruits in pen and ink

This is the last of the pen and ink series of berries/fruits I did up a couple of years ago, and the only reason I'm posting it is that I'm sick of seeing that horrible five-minute tulip at the top of the page.

For anyone interested in the actual plant, look here. I'm too lazy to elaborate today.

Tulip bud in pen and ink

Ok, honestly? The only reason this half-assed five-minute ball-point pen doodle (enough hyphenated words in a row for everyone?) is being posted is to prove that I did draw something for Drawing Day, even if it's being posted a day late and is COMPLETELY LAME.

It was a cruddy, rainy day here yesterday. That's my excuse. I couldn't get outside and draw, I wasn't in the mood to play still-life indoors, and I ended up just playing with a couple of old photos instead. This one was a tulip bud taken from an odd angle because I liked the shape of the leaves... oh, hang on. I'll find the original. And ignore the accompanying blather. I was obviously in a weird brain space that day.

Erm, anyway. The doodle was pretty bad and was done with a ball-point (I hate drawing with ball-points), but at least it was something. Maybe there's hope for some actual drawing this year yet.

Maybe.

Now, about the poetry...

Saskatoon in pen and ink

A more finished version of what I started to doodle in the field sketchbook.

I'm sort of running out of things to say about these particular sketches.

Bet you hadn't noticed.

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In other news, it's Drawing Day today. I kind of like this idea, and I suppose I should use it to give myself a kick in the behind and post something that doesn't have a date of '06 or '07 on it. I've been more than a little bit lazy about doodling in the past while. Last summer was too messed up for me to find much time to get out on the trails and sketch, and for whatever reason my usual habit of spending time with graphite and still-life work on winter nights fell by the wayside this year.

This summer should be different. Right?

Ah well, we'll see what happens, and if the upcoming threat of a fall show makes me renew my enthusiasm somewhat.

In the meantime, enjoy the graphic:

More field sketchbook

Saskatoon this time. I thought I'd already posted the resulting pen and ink sketch, but I guess I haven't. Tomorrow, maybe, if I remember.