Light Under a Cloud

Like the tide running in 
The paint glides over the surface 
Twists are defined by one turn of the brush 
Deliberate and even 
Echoed above in the clouds 
And mirrored in the surface of the water 
Sharp lines and crisp edges
Follow contours and perspective
The tall masts of the wooden ship
Tower into the dark clouds 
The estuary runs to the sea
Light under a cloud 
Of wide strokes
Prussian blue and raw umber 
Combined
From monochrome to splash of red 
There was light under the cloud 
But not for long.
light under the cloud Topsham

I just loved painting this – it deserved a crisp graphic approach.

Amazed by Nature



Like the popping of a balloon,
A cloudburst, 
A torrent
Lash of rain
Whips the window,
Ricocheting  
Glass on glass; 
The droplets pound.

How can a drop,
Held in the palm of the hand,  
With its fragile  meniscus, 
Burst with such force?

We bathe in its softness;
The molecules slide over us;
We sip it smoothly,
Without harshness of swallowing.
Replenished,
Revived,sustained,
Grass is greened.

Paradox:
Life giving,
Life taking. 

Drenched fields,
Minerals leached,
Land slips,
Branches drop,
Waves surge,
Tides rise 
Floods.
Catastrophe. 

Creation’s power released.

Answered prayer…

Given in abundance.

I have watched the clouds over recent days and am fascinated by the change in the skies. This acrylic seascape captures the power of an impending storm but contrasts with the beauty of the shimmering sands.

Nature never ceases to amaze.

The house which tells a family’s story

Is it the tread upon the staircase, steep, uneven,
Recognition  instinctive to the one which makes a sound? 
Is it a feeling of those who’ve trod the steps before   
Echoing times of joy and merriement
in song?
I think I hear conversations seeping through the walls
Like whispers that cocoon this ancient space
Softness with comfort lingers 
Suggests I slumber its embrace.
 
Touching the rail,
I seem to place my hand in theirs; 
I feel the laughter; I sense the memories shared; 
From  chair,to windowpane the way the curtain moves, 
I feel the breath of dampness in the air.
My spirit gently eases in the  softness of caress
Safety and security in all I’ve ever known;
This thread of family history is truly blessed;
Generation on generation have called it home.

Dare I to lose the house which tells the story 
Break the strands that hold me fast? 
Yet memories stay secure
within the cerebral cortex 
Uniquely wired and coded so will last. 
I am known to the one who loves and cares, 
Whose ancestry spans the test of  time
Interwoven  with all we’ve ever loved
Held until completion finally  is  mine.

Today I visited a very special house of a friend

If I could stem the Flow of Time

If I could stem the flow of time;
Could halt the fading of a flower;
Let effervescence bubble in my hand
Trace comet tails through a meteor shower;
Oh to see her run again  along the  sand;
Over dunes to  plunge to the turquoise sea;
Salt fresh,in  wind-flapped ears and tail;
To walk, to run,to be free.
Pepper and Blue near Arisaig