Tag Archives: nature

In the Wake of Barnegat Bay

clamming

Clamming on the Barnegat Bay

Marsh grass swaying to summer’s breeze music,

Wafting smell of sulfur…cattail decay permeates the air,

Skeleton legged egrets skate over muck and mire,

Silently stalking, without trace or print,

Fisher of frog and killie and eel satiate the craw,

Atypical beauties gliding amongst driftwood and jellyfish.

Gulls chatter wakes the quiet of the rustling reeds,

Circling, cawing in haphazard patterns above the sea,

Groupies to fish laden boats anxious for port,

Unafraid…swooping to touch the hand that feeds,

Scraps of innards, heads, tails treats for the monochrome crew,

Relentless in their acrobatic aerial pursuit.

Sullen skies harvest chilly rains, whipping winds churn the bay to froth,

Whitecaps endlessly roll across turbulent waters,

Crashing to port and starboard in a symphony of wind-swept spray,

Biting hardened faces, skin soaked..raw with each pull of the rake and tong,

Muscle aches, such minute reward, so honorable the sacrifice,

For bushels of clams…the elusive cherry stone.

Brutality of summer’s heat nor winter’s cold deters,

Boats of wood, chipping and weathered, flat-bottom or “v”,

Designs dreamt in the mind of another century,

Purpose built, purpose born, rugged men, bred for the rigors,

Calloused, barnacle laden, weaned from the land, cast to the sea

Baymen one and all, men to their briny cores.

Bay of cedar and Atlantic salt, treacherous inlet throat,

Darkened by sources of origins mixed,

Nectar of life to fish and fowl, baymen and boater, lovers of marine,

Beauty whilst beast when stoked by storm,

Life giving…treacherous for the ignorant and uninitiated,

Wondrous, mysterious…Barnegat Bay.

~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~

* I grew up along the Barnegat Bay, in New Jersey and worked as a commercial clammer for a number of years.  This type of work is not easy by any stretch of the imagination, but it certainly was honest work and taught me the value of persistence.  This is an absolutely beautiful area to live in and now that I live in the desert, I realize how much I love and miss the bay and ocean.

Godlessness

Image Credit: gawker.com

Image Credit: gawker.com

I do not question the existence of God,

I question the existence of godlessness

Ever so pervasive in this hedonistic world.

So sure am I that even the inattentive cannot be blind,

Look around you, everywhere around you,

Do you not see the mountains, oceans, rivers, flowers,

Do you not see the sun, the moon, the stars above,

Do you not see your mother, father, wife, children?

All right before you,

Shining examples of the goodness of the Creator.

Step back, for just a moment, from the materialism that cripples you,

Look to the sky,

Feel the sun on your face,

Smell the fragrance of a rose,

Embrace those that you love,

These are all gifts from God,

Not to be taken for granted,

Not some random creation, weird science or cosmic coincidence.

Beauty lies all around you as it alway has,

If only you will open your eyes,

Open your hearts,

Open your minds,

To the greatness of the Maker.

~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~

Model Of Perfection

Cascading waterfalls,

Feed by mountain snows,

Sculpt masterpieces,

On a canvas of faceless stone,

Meticulously perfect,

Timeless in their artistry,

Mother’s brushes and chisels,

Water, wind and sand,

Do what the masters could never do,

Hobbema- Rembrandt paint pretty pictures,

But nature did create their models,

By her own steady hand,

Exquisitely crafted and signed,

To the world with love.

~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~

Jackrabbit – Haiku

Image Credit: desertusa.com

Image Credit: desertusa.com

Southwest jackrabbit

Silent and still as a mime

Ears perked for danger

~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~

Cry for the Song Dog

coyote

A singular bay,

Followed by another,

Then another,

Their lonesome calls,

Echo through the granite canyons,

The pale summer moon,

Pays homage to their cries,

What must the Hopi and the Navajo thought,

Looking into the darkness of night,

O’ they knew the coyote well,

The hero, trickster and shapeshifter,

A buffoon,

A clown,

Seldom dangerous,

Never a nuisance,

That is the label of today,

Seeing the song dog as inconvenient,

Thrusting them out,

To places they don’t call home,

Still they are not be hushed, but resilient,

Distant howls,

Raised to the crystal moon can be heard,

Their sad lonesome cry,

Growing fainter and eerily infrequent,

As man advances on their prairie,

Leaving little hope for more,

Than a future of extinction,

Will anyone mourn the passing of…

The song dog.

~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~

Castle in the Sky – Haiku

Montezuma's Castle Credit - nps.gove

Montezuma’s Castle
Image credit – nps.gove

Hollowed out limestone

Abandoned long long ago

Ahead of their time

~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~

New Dawn – Haiku

Credit - pbase.com

Credit – pbase.com

The sky glows orange

Signaling the end of day

A new beginning

~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~

Hostile Nature

pollution

Image credit – thewaterq.com

The exploit of nature

Indiscriminate as if it has no consequence

Acting as master as if it were all under control

When all is well, you belittle the tree huggers

Crucifying compassion and caution as a gauntlet to progress and profit

Until progress yields to disaster

Igniting the public relations machine

Blame is never placed with self but on others

Minimizing damage to the image is paramount

The environment expendable

Poisoned water, tarballs, dead zones

Headlines today soon to be forgotten by the gluttonous masses

Creatures of habit bribed by unscrupulous liars

Clearly the cleanliness of air and water are of only temporary concern

Instant gratification is worth sacrificing the progeny

These behemoths think nothing of the living world

It is here to be conquered at any cost

To be stripped bare of the resources it has so long protected

Coal, oil, gas

Eighteenth century fossils lobbied to buy the people’s government

Elected officeholders answerable to none

These scoundrels throw our prospects to the wolves

Tearing at the plunder as if a rabid pack

The citizenry kept appeased by hollow promises lays in coma

Promised to reap the rewards of the spoils

But at what loss must the gain aspire

~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~

Lady San Estrella

Dark and exposed after eons under the sculptor’s chisel

Laid naked to the elements and the seasons

Sharp, jagged and formidable, few dare confront you

Either out of fear or rightful respect

~~

A few fools dare scale your rocky crags in quest of your treasures

Cutting deep into your subterranean veins

Drawing out your blood and secrets through violent means

Leaving hollows only to be left abandoned once bled dry

~~

Still this does not detract from the adoration of your admirers

The saguaros raise their arms to the sky in praise

Brave faced monolith, you offer comfort in spite of the desecration

Providing shelter to those that dwell under your protection

~~

Your strength and bravery are none diminished

Inspite of the riches stolen from your purse you hold your head high

Taking revenge on those with careless intentions

Showing no remorse in light of the pains you’ve endured

~~

It could be said that nature has been cruel to you

Yet you have not taken this to heart

Your life can not be counted in mere mortal years

Since you have outlived those that laid claim to your precious abundance

~~

Our prayer is that your future holds you in appreciation and respect

No more to cut and scar your rough hewn beauty

You are a wonder to behold

To be looked upon with reverence as the creator intended

~~ D. R. DiFrancesco ~~

Nature’s Beauty – Haiku

Image credit - firstpeople.us

Image credit – firstpeople.us

By D. R. DiFrancesco

~~~~~

Light as a feather

Wind dances through the treetops

Summoning the Gods

~~~~~

The moon overhead

Keeps watch over it’s subjects

While they soundly sleep

~~~~~

Winding rivers flow

Steadily toward open sea

Free from all constraint

~~~~~

Mountains majesty

Big Horns rule the rocky crags

Where others fear tread