Winter Morning - a prose poem

Pink wisps of cloud pass overhead against the cold blue sky that stretches to the horizon where the sun struggles over the hills in a blaze of orange. Frost sparkles in pale sunlight on black branches that rise starkly from the trees that shelter the first snowdrops, their white heads bowed gently. A blackbird flies up from the path to land on a branch where it throws its head back and opens its orange beak. Blissful shivering melodies against the chill quiet of the day.

Prose poetry for Poetry Thursday

Think Before You Buy Flowers for Your Valentine

You could be helping to destroy the ecological balance and communities around what was once one of Kenya's most beautiful lakes:

http://society.guardian.co.uk/societyguardian/story/0,,2012102,00.html

If you buy flowers, try to make sure they've been grown closer to home. For some ideas for fairtrade Valentines Gifts, please visit here.

Warm Heart of Africa

Inspire Me Thursday this week asks for art inspired by hearts, to mark Valentines Day. I was stuck for a while, caught between the sugary sweet of romance and the goriness of heart surgery. I quickly remembered my years in Malawi, the Warm Heart of Africa and put together this piece. The photo is of the Primary School in Malindi, the village where I lived for two years - education is after all at the heart of Malawi's development. The background is from a chocolate box (a subtle hint of romance there!) and the letters are cut out of a magazine.

Haiku - Shelter

dark sky glowers

over endless heather -

one white-washed cottage.

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woven nest of sticks,

covered with lichen and moss -

four small eggs.

Shelter for One Deep Breath.

Decorated frame

I've finally got round to doing some more frames! I had bought several plain wooden frames and mirrors from a second hand shop, with the intention of decorating them, but have been slow to get round to it. (The labels on new Blogger that show Crafty Green Poet is more Green Poet than Crafty anything helped to motivate me here!). I've just glued patterns from a catalogue onto the plain wood, varnished it and and it looks quite nice. A pretty way to brighten up a plain frame!

Changing Seasons

first snowdrop -

the hope of spring

in winter.

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this winter

brightened every day

with blossom.

Changes for Poetry Thursday.

Playlist - Environmental Songs

Inspired partly by GeL's Tuesday Afternoon Tunes Idea and partly by an archive prompt from GPP Street Team, here is a list of 5 of the best environmental songs I could think of, with each artist being limited to one track.

1. World Falls - Indigo Girls

2. Timburetza Lingua - Ani di Franco

3. Giving it All Away - Hothouse Flowers

4. If a Tree Falls - Bruce Cockburn

5. Twyford Down - Galliano.

What are your favourite songs about the environment? I'll be doing future playlists in the future, specific environmental and related themes on this blog (There'll be some horses galloping along very soon, for example!) and other themes on my Alter Ego blog.