Thursday 5 February 2015

3 Poems by Joan McNerney

Effective Immediately

I want to become an
Ambassador for Rain!

Why the bad image?
Birds love rain.
Tweeting through
dry spells for water.
They flutter from leaf
to bud for a sip.

(It’s super creative…)
feeding tree roots, wild flowers.
Without rain…no blessed
blue lakes, rivers, streams.

Open your eyes.  Rain clings
to window panes, miniature globes
of splendor.  Listen as pitter
pattering skips over rooftops.

Consider your thirst for
liquid pleasures. Gather up
in green reverie. Dance
barefoot on this emerald earth
joining me in jubilant chorus.



Trees Can Dance

Winter trees stand...cold sculptures
against grey skies.  Naked and defiant
their limbs etched against weak light.
Black engravings stretching over heaven.

Spring begins its tiny birth covering
branches with small buds.  We constantly
search for growth, longing for green.
Birds come pecking berries filling
afternoons with their chorus.

Now comes heat and luxurious
leaves in myriad shades of green.
How many shades of green are there?
As many as there are leaves.  We
rest under the oak's comforting arbor
as familiar as an old friend.

Shape shifting now wearing
red, orange, green, yellow
foliage.  Fresh breezes spread
this splendor creating magic
carpets of many colors.
Trees welcome the harvest
swaying to their own music.



Woods

Sliding through arches
of elms sunshine
yellow and warm as honey.

Moss crawls over mudstone
while squirrels skip
around tree stumps.

Imagine to be a sea gull
in blue wind pushing
air through your wing.

After the long rain
pine trees bending
with cones.

Branches etch evening sky
turning razzle dazzle
purple red citron.

Leaves drop like butterflies
filling the floor of forest
with crunchy foliage.

See this snowy storm of
light quickly quietly
covering our moon tonight.

Long winters keep
greatcoats of frost
wrapped around our woods.


Bionote

Joan McNerney’s poetry has been included in numerous literary magazines such as Seven Circle Press, Dinner with the Muse, Camel Saloon, Blueline, Vine Leaves, Spectrum, three Bright Hills Press Anthologies and several Kind of A Hurricane Publications.  She has been nominated three times for Best of the Net. Poet and Geek judged her poem as the best for 2013.  Four of her books have been published by fine literary presses and she has three e-book titles.

She has recited her work at the National Arts Club, New York City, State University of New York, Oneonta, McNay Art Institute, San Antonio and other distinguished venues.  A recent reading was sponsored by the American Academy of Poetry.  Her latest title is Having Lunch with the Sky, A.P.D. Press, Albany, New York.

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