Theme Day: Smell

The Theme for the first day of May is "Smell."

I posted another image of this same tree some weeks

ago showing its tiny buds against a background

of brown stucco. Since then, the flowers have come

and gone, too soon. All around, bunches of pansies

 have been planted in beds, against a background

of black mulch. Tulips have opened their

crowns to the sun and fallen away.

Today, hidden among the branches of its bush,

I saw the first rose opening, its aroma 

a promise still hidden amid the folds

of its petals. 

But I have smelled the rain,

those "April Showers" that bring

all the delicate colors I love so much.

And the scent of just-mowed grass

has wafted through the neighborhoods

in recent days as homeowners

wage a battle to keep their lawns from

turning into little jungles.

Pink

Monochrome: On the Way to Spring

I took similar pictures just about 

a month ago of these trees and shrubs.

Yep, they were standing in front of the same 

brownish wall, too. Then, it was the way the light 

reflected off the branches that caught my eye.

Yesterday, it was the subtle variations in color. 

There were bits of red added to the mix,

the buds that told me spring was indeed, in spite of 

the leaden gray skies, in our future.

Backlit/Edgelit/Sunlit

The flowering trees, their petals nearly ready

to fall with the first good breeze, stood in the sun,

happily bathing in the morning light.

And I, just as happy, stood amid them, 

taking in their beauty.

The sun washed over their blooms, 

revealing the flowers' delicacy, defining 

their edges and accenting 

the translucent pastels of the petals.

Morning Light and Mini-Bulbs

Saturday morning, I left for swim practice

at my usual hour. It wasn't until I was downtown

that I realized I'd left an hour early.

Damn.

But the light was beautiful.

After nursing a chai latte at Starbucks,

I hefted my backpack onto my shoulders

to take a walk around the Circle.

I found myself caught up in the crooked-y stance

the trees make against the more strict lines

of the buildings and grids.

And the colors! The new green of the budding

leaves made a lacy aura on some trees, 

while a mossy green patina shaded others.

Then the mini-lights accented the figures of others,

shapes that at night provide twinkly beauty,

as well a sense of security to walkers.

Satiny Pink Gowns and Fuzzy Sweaters

No sooner than they bloom, a breeze come in 

to whip the magnolias' petals away, 

creating a wet matted carpet below their parent

tree. Maybe it's so the redbuds won't

have to share the glory.

It's time for those trees to don 

their fuzzy pink sweaters,

astonishing us with their floret cuteness.

Kablooey! Spoosh! Splat!

A peony's time on this Earth is much too short.

Their buds are huge, each one about an inch

in diameter, a hard pink or white ball

atop a dark green stem. 

Once they bloom the flower is 

much too heavy for the stalk,

with all the flowers leaning down

to the ground. 

Someone or something walks by --

Kablooey! The flowers get jarred, 

the petals are shook loose,

flying Spoosh! into the air,

and end up Splat! in an untidy pile, 

looking like they had a brawl.

The delicate color fades into the hot 

light of the sun and its lovely scent,

like the remembering of a kiss, 

drifts away into the imagination.

Yarn from A Redbud's Sweater

In other years, I've seen this tree so covered 

in tiny flowers that it looked as though 

it was wearing a beautiful pink sweater 

to protect itself from the chilly spring mornings.

Maybe I just got there too late in the season.

I had to remind myself that I no longer had those

pictures and went by to check on the trees.

This was almost all that was left, looking as though

only a bit of yarn from the sweater remained

after the tree had taken it off.

Tapestry

I love backlit trees and flowers. 

The sunlight adds richness to the leaves and petals,

showing their delicacy and structure. 

In this case, these gleaming red leaves come to life 

against a backdrop of purple-y stones 

and pale yellow twigs. The little buds resemble

 the silken sheen of an Oriental carpet,

where a weaver may have sought 

to capture this brief moment of Spring 

in a lustrous tapestry.

Spring Embroidery

Most of my Saturday mornings find me at 

a swimming practice. However, not only was the site 

of this week's practice changed to a more distant location, 

bus service to my neighborhood was suspended 

because of the annual "Mini." 

It is a half-marathon race, 13.1 miles in length, 

that annually has over 30,000 participants, 

and winds its way from Downtown to 

the Speedway and back.

I took the opportunity to take a long walk,

an activity that I'd neglected because of the miserable

winter weather. It seemed like a chilly day for May,

and the plants looked a little wan, too.

Perhaps they were tired from the effort to germinate

and bud in these cold mornings.

At any rate, as I walked down Lynhurst Drive,

I noticed the sunlight on this flowering tree.

I do love lace and these white flowers looked

as though they'd been embroidered on a base of

black lace provided by the bare

limbs in the background.

Winter Into Spring

The past few days have been rainy and cold.

 Flowers have appeared, only to be assaulted 

by temperatures verging into frost; the delicate leaves

of magnolia show the rusty scars inflicted

by the cold and the winds.

Here, the fresh green leaves on a shrub

stand shoulder to shoulder with the remains

of decorative grasses, its ashen colors revealing 

the hardships it endured during winter.

For My Muse: You Smiled

You smiled,

and the dark, gray branches 

of winter disappeared,

covered in flowers.

The colors revealed themselves for you

as dogwood and magnolia

shed their velvet coats,

showing their creamy white complexions.

Daffodils, nodding their assent,

turned their heads to greet you

as pale, green sprinklings of new leaves

arrayed themselves at your feet.

The tulips' pastel gowns undulated and 

bounced with the breezes as, 

now and then, a petal flew

tracing a path in the air like Ginger Rogers, 

dancing with Fred Astaire.

You smiled

and Spring came.

Twining

One nice day during the Spring, 

I took a walk along the Central Canal, 

where I saw this vine, growing up along a trellis 

sheltering a bench by the walkway.

I was struck by the contrast of young and old, 

new buds and old growth,

each providing support for the other.

Here a trunk of  an old vine

resembles sisal rope, stretching and twining

from the ground, in and out of the trellis.

Does it provide a pathway for the newer vines,

to grow along the grooves in its surface,

showing them the way towards the sun?

Textured Tuesday: Green and Gray

It had rained overnight, but the only remaining 

hint was the damp outline around 

this fallen leaf. I loved the green shades against 

the striated concrete sidewalk.

Beautiful Misery

The past few summers have been dry.

Not this year, because every living thing has 

received a fair allotment of rain.

Everything is its appropriate green,

rose, pink or yellow color.

And everything exists in abundance.

Which goes a long way to explaining why

I acquired a miserable, lingering summer cold

complete with fever, aches, and annoying coughing 

spells that are exhausting.

These pictures show two of the 

suspects. I dearly love them and enjoy

their presence far more than

anything offered by fall and winter.

But thy, oh, why, did they and

their floral brethren decide to target me?

I love them!

Repose

Shaded by the trees surrounding the stream, 

this mallard took the opportunity to rest, 

dozing a bit in the afternoon quiet

while the water shimmered quietly past.

Pink, Purple, and Green in the Sunlight

Every summer, I'll walk by a yard in Speedway and, just like the summer before, 

I'll be startled by the little sparkles of bright pink against purple and green.

The sun catches them in just the way needed to captivate my eyes.

The little pink bells look like paint has been splattered across

a field of bright green and purple color and,

suspended in space, they make a galaxy of floral stars.

However, I've never been able to capture that moment with

my camera, which saddens me. Maybe next year.

Textured Tuesday: Light Shadows

I liked the image of the lamppost's shadow against the concrete wall.  

Along with the tree's leaves, the sun seemed to illuminate the post, 

adding extra dimension to the entire scene.

Meanwhile ...

 ... Back at the Zoo, the beautiful birds in the aviary 

perched and fed among the branches 

as members of the smooshy, pink

two-legged species wandered and gawked 

along the paths of their enclosure.

Peonies

I've loved peonies since I was a small child. 

Their size and fragrance fascinated me, 

but they were always gone to soon, their petals

laying wilted and bereft of color on the ground

while I looked in vain for another bud.

It was a real treat to find these peonies blooming

in the yard of a vacant home.

Would anyone have missed them if I'd picked a few 

for myself? Instead of committing peonicide 

I chose to leave them where they grew.