tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20636337558315184372024-03-12T22:01:28.050-06:00THE POET TREEHOUSE"I love deadlines. I love the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001)S.E.Ingrahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135141369161538082noreply@blogger.comBlogger248125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063633755831518437.post-24806605602217304542019-07-23T22:19:00.000-06:002019-07-23T22:27:00.742-06:00A Tribute Poem for J.Breen
MOTHER MINE
A marker year, this very first, wherein I know your name,
I hear your voice and breathe the sound, grasp nothing is the same
And sensing this, a calmness comes, a self is realized
The hearts that beat our common blood, at last, are recognized.
It’s said there’s more to mothering than pushing out a life,
A S.E.Ingrahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135141369161538082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063633755831518437.post-58066037252820539232019-01-01T21:45:00.001-07:002019-01-01T21:45:45.789-07:002019? BRING IT!
(photo - S.E.Ingraham)
My 2019 New Year’s Letter
The following was inspired by a note I wrote to a group of poets I write
with on a regular basis - this is a version of that note.
As we all perambulate or S.E.Ingrahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135141369161538082noreply@blogger.com07547 152c Ave NW, Edmonton, AB T5C 3L3, Canada53.6151282 -113.459560734.067210700000004 -154.7681572 73.1630457 -72.1509642tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063633755831518437.post-38419781888854672372018-10-15T20:47:00.000-06:002018-10-15T20:47:21.955-06:00FROM THAT MOMENT*
lock, stock and barrel – along with thousands
of others, we were joined together over the
Seine – such a cheesy sentimental thing to do.
But somehow it felt portentous, important,
eternal – so even though the wind was howling
crazy like home, arctic-wolf colder-than-cold,
and snow was spitting sideways at us, we knelt
down and slid that sucker hasp through two
bars on the bridge, S.E.Ingrahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135141369161538082noreply@blogger.com0Edmonton, AB, Canada53.544389 -113.4909266999999953.2425465 -114.1363737 53.8462315 -112.84547969999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063633755831518437.post-57633087716224579392018-10-15T20:42:00.000-06:002018-10-15T20:42:02.807-06:00AFTER A WHILE*
I get over the shock of being here. Being in Paris,
being in Rodin's garden outside Rodin's house
– now a museum, and finally, standing beside
a really large edition of Rodin’s ultra-famous
The Thinker. It’s so big, it's surreal. I love Rodin
– especially because everything he did is larger
than life and he was never afraid to show
all the warts and wrinkles onS.E.Ingrahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135141369161538082noreply@blogger.com0Edmonton, AB, Canada53.544389 -113.4909266999999953.2425465 -114.1363737 53.8462315 -112.84547969999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063633755831518437.post-13536752607008830022018-10-15T20:34:00.000-06:002018-10-15T20:34:07.694-06:00LOVELY THOUGHT TO HAVE HERE IN THE MIDDLE OF AN*
excavation in the shadow of an extinct volcano.
Even in late afternoon, I can hear the ancients whispering
as the amateur archaeologists—we’ve nick-named them
crypt-kickers—begin shrouding the site,
especially the graves, finished for the day.
I sit off to the side near the well,
writing in my notebook. From my vantage point, if
I look one way, I don’t even see the scavi**, only S.E.Ingrahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135141369161538082noreply@blogger.com0Edmonton, AB, Canada53.544389 -113.4909266999999953.2425465 -114.1363737 53.8462315 -112.84547969999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063633755831518437.post-13674348329252710722018-10-15T20:26:00.000-06:002018-10-15T20:26:13.440-06:00YOU CAN’T GET WARM*
A common complaint amongst pelicans that
migrate from the Arctic Circle to Florida and
further south – every single year—then fly on
back again. They didn’t used to fly so far north
but food reserves are disappearing and the great
birds are in danger, their numbers decreasing
alarmingly. Birds are thought to be cold-blooded
(no blooded?) but you can see them shiver if you
watch S.E.Ingrahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135141369161538082noreply@blogger.com0Edmonton, AB, Canada53.544389 -113.4909266999999953.2425465 -114.1363737 53.8462315 -112.84547969999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063633755831518437.post-26584003056944082062018-10-15T20:22:00.000-06:002018-10-15T20:22:14.992-06:00WHAT TEMPERAMENTAL INSTRUMENTS*
they be, these graceful as champagne flutes,
drooping down in seemingly benign beauty – especially these—
these butter-yellow bells, their throats painted with a sprinkling
of pale freckles. Such loveliness can conceal
lethal secrets: foxglove – known for its healing powers
is also renowned for being deadly poisonous. It grows
in an array of colours: purple, pink, white andS.E.Ingrahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135141369161538082noreply@blogger.com1Edmonton, AB, Canada53.544389 -113.4909266999999953.2425465 -114.1363737 53.8462315 -112.84547969999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063633755831518437.post-21032968257778449932018-10-15T20:16:00.000-06:002018-10-15T20:16:04.858-06:00INTO THE PALE FOREST LIGHT*
I slink, padding softly as a moccasin-wearing native
from any of the North American tribes. If I am
hunting, my prey is unlikely to hear my approach but
should the herd mentality alert them, no matter. I am
one of the fastest beings on the planet. I can go from
0-60 mph in 3 seconds, and run flat out at 75 mph.
My acceleration makes me faster than a Lamborghini,
a Ferrari,S.E.Ingrahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135141369161538082noreply@blogger.com0Edmonton, AB, Canada53.544389 -113.4909266999999953.2425465 -114.1363737 53.8462315 -112.84547969999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063633755831518437.post-90808343929220944342018-10-15T20:10:00.000-06:002018-10-15T20:10:13.703-06:00OUR BODIES’ THRILLED THE MOMENT*
Even fenced within this place, we roam as if we
own the earth. Born to majesty cannot be
shrugged off just because captivity is the
order of the day. One can become acclimated
to anything given enough time. Besides, there
is little to worry about here – food is plentiful,
disease is not—our prides are many and we
live in peace, wrestling for fun but never to the
death. Once I almost S.E.Ingrahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135141369161538082noreply@blogger.com0Edmonton, AB, Canada53.544389 -113.4909266999999953.2425465 -114.1363737 53.8462315 -112.84547969999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063633755831518437.post-90980272081801364472018-09-29T18:51:00.001-06:002018-09-29T18:51:15.506-06:00POSTCARD FEST 2018 August/September– the reflectionThis was my fifth year taking part in August’s Poetry Fest.
It's one of my favourite things to do and has the added bonus of making me look forward to summer. Believe it or not, summer is my least favourite season – maybe because I’m a child of winter, born in February and born in the northern hemisphere, and I’ve always lived in a cold climate. There’s something about being able to layer up if&S.E.Ingrahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135141369161538082noreply@blogger.com0Edmonton, AB, Canada53.544389 -113.4909266999999953.2425465 -114.1363737 53.8462315 -112.84547969999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063633755831518437.post-37953706243192570492018-09-28T21:29:00.000-06:002018-09-28T21:29:06.789-06:00DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU STAND*
A Magpie can appear deadly dull – just black and
white, a little larger than a Robin, with either a black
or yellow beak, spindly legs, thick at the top and sturdy
but splayed bony feet—also, the light – if the day is dull,
the bird will appear likewise. However, should the bird
be seen in sunlight – its black bits will appear phosphorescent
– almost the way oil on water looks.
S.E.Ingrahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135141369161538082noreply@blogger.com0Edmonton, AB, Canada53.544389 -113.4909266999999953.2425465 -114.1363737 53.8462315 -112.84547969999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063633755831518437.post-12964757543442539682018-09-28T21:24:00.000-06:002018-09-28T21:24:09.509-06:00TO KNOW THAT BEAUTY COULD CHANGE US*
is
the secret found deep in rosebuds; beautiful
from
birth, they know innately that they will only
grow
more gorgeous as they blossom – whether
milk-white,
ruby-ribbon red, or baby blush pink—
their
petals will unfurl in patterns perfect and
they
will undeniably be breath-taking.
*From
E.Bachinsky’s poem FOR THE PAGEANT GIRLS:
MISS MOTEL 6, ET
AL
from the book Home of Sudden
S.E.Ingrahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135141369161538082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063633755831518437.post-81845862386191256602018-09-28T21:04:00.000-06:002018-09-28T21:04:08.524-06:00THE TRUTH IS*
you can’t believe everything nature guides tell you.
She said these waterfowl are anti-social, that one of
the ways to know you are spotting one was, it will be
solitary. And it was borne out. For the next few weeks,
every time I saw a lone black bird that I thought might
be a cormorant, once I sited through my binocs, sure
enough – the snake-like neck, the sharp beak, the awk-
wardS.E.Ingrahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135141369161538082noreply@blogger.com0Edmonton, AB, Canada53.544389 -113.4909266999999953.2425465 -114.1363737 53.8462315 -112.84547969999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063633755831518437.post-70586945379405113172018-09-27T21:20:00.000-06:002018-09-27T21:20:00.305-06:00HERE IS THE PLACE*
they sealed their love, a nondescript building in a city
that was anything but…Oh Venezia, the tales you could
tell – of the Doges, the Medicis, the Borgias—to name
but a few. Home to explorer Marco Polo, weren’t they
surprised to find his place is now an apartment block
with just a plaque to designate it once his? They wanted
to tour all the bridges until they learned there were 409
S.E.Ingrahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135141369161538082noreply@blogger.com0Edmonton, AB, Canada53.544389 -113.4909266999999953.2425465 -114.1363737 53.8462315 -112.84547969999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063633755831518437.post-12753817991105324922018-09-27T21:08:00.000-06:002018-09-27T21:08:10.595-06:00A VINYL-SIDED WET DREAM*
that’s what I’ve been described as – imagine – it must
be because of my sleek, slippery, coat; I am rarely dry,
preferring to spend most of my time in the ocean. In case
you mistake me for a seal – don’t – I am the much more
interesting sea-lion. I can bark! Yes, it’s true – as loud
and precise as any dog, but again, more enthrallingly.
Oh – and I love to pose for photos—maybe youS.E.Ingrahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135141369161538082noreply@blogger.com0Edmonton, AB, Canada53.544389 -113.4909266999999953.2425465 -114.1363737 53.8462315 -112.84547969999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063633755831518437.post-24569223296125258372018-09-27T20:29:00.000-06:002018-09-27T20:29:00.962-06:00I WANT THE CHILLED BLUE NIGHTS*
that canopy Virunga, embrace stars
that peek through jungle leaves high
in the mountains where I’m from…
I’ve never been there but my Mama’s
told me about the place so often, I can
smell the thick foliage and the dusk of
other apes. She’s also told me how lucky
I am to be here in this zoo where there
are no poachers and no disease either.
Still, S.E.Ingrahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135141369161538082noreply@blogger.com0Edmonton, AB, Canada53.544389 -113.4909266999999953.2425465 -114.1363737 53.8462315 -112.84547969999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063633755831518437.post-71898472600487450112018-09-26T21:37:00.000-06:002018-09-26T21:37:11.524-06:00HIS BROW A CONSTANT LINE ACROSS HIS FACE*
makes his deep-set eyes seem that much more recessed. But as
we regard each other with unwavering gaze, I find I am
swimming deep within brownish-black orbs, so like human
eyes, I find it difficult – no impossible—to look away. Neither
of us blinks for what seems the longest time. Finally, I risk
bringing two fingers to my forehead – still not looking away—S.E.Ingrahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135141369161538082noreply@blogger.com0Edmonton, AB, Canada53.544389 -113.4909266999999953.2425465 -114.1363737 53.8462315 -112.84547969999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063633755831518437.post-61353348530011185502018-09-26T20:39:00.000-06:002018-09-26T20:39:00.314-06:00I WANT THEIR LONG COOL LIMBS*
so slim it seems there’d be no way to hold
them up when standing, but even on land,
they carry themselves with a certain stateliness.
It’s nothing compared to the way they soar
in the air. Great Egrets have a buoyancy
as they fly and are so white, they might
be mistaken for fluffy clouds until they
slowly flap their wondrous wings.
*From E. Bachinsky’s poem Night Voices from
S.E.Ingrahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135141369161538082noreply@blogger.com0Edmonton, AB, Canada53.544389 -113.4909266999999953.2425465 -114.1363737 53.8462315 -112.84547969999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063633755831518437.post-64615731474236548152018-09-26T20:34:00.000-06:002018-09-26T20:34:11.177-06:00WHAT WAS ITS NAME AGAIN?*
The bridge that spanned the river after the dam
before the lake? The one that witnessed some
that hung, some that jumped, but mostly just
the water passing slowly beneath, the water
filled with stories and tears wept, the water
from far away and from nearby. The bridge
observed it all.
*From E. Bachinsky’s poem For the Pageant
Girls: Miss Teen Motel 6, ET AL, from the book,
Home S.E.Ingrahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135141369161538082noreply@blogger.com0Edmonton, AB, Canada53.544389 -113.4909266999999953.2425465 -114.1363737 53.8462315 -112.84547969999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063633755831518437.post-64986663261948669532018-09-24T20:55:00.000-06:002018-09-24T20:55:14.875-06:00QUICK, LIKE AN ANIMAL…*
Like
a meerkat? That would be me alright. I’m
from
a mob, a gang, a clan, a manner – isn’t that
fascinating?
So many collectives for such a wee
mammal.
We’re known as one of the most cooperative
groups
of mammals in the world because of the way
we’re
able to live together, raise our families, look
out
for each other; at night we sleep together in one
big
pile. We might not be able to S.E.Ingrahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135141369161538082noreply@blogger.com0Edmonton, AB, Canada53.544389 -113.4909266999999953.2425465 -114.1363737 53.8462315 -112.84547969999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063633755831518437.post-7811501619748678452018-09-23T20:51:00.000-06:002018-09-23T20:51:10.476-06:00THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS*
too many of us! It’s Insulting that sign out there
– right where you enter the park—to see us, and
on the map, there’s a hand-lettered warning…a warning!
It reads, “Here’s your chance to
bypass the monkeys (baboons are unpredictable and
have been known to damage cars) – feel free to take
the road to the right.” What? Bypass us? We’re the
most entertaining bunch of S.E.Ingrahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135141369161538082noreply@blogger.com0Edmonton, AB, Canada53.544389 -113.4909266999999953.2425465 -114.1363737 53.8462315 -112.84547969999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063633755831518437.post-74460358766728034662018-09-22T20:46:00.000-06:002018-09-22T20:46:02.927-06:00AT SCHOOL WHERE YOU LEARN*
all sorts of things – about people and countries
and animals – did you happen to learn about
White Lions? I know I didn’t, didn’t even know
they existed until I saw them at a Safari Zoo, then
learned they are not an anomaly but are a breed
unto themselves. Okay, that’s a bit of a stretch,
but the rare white lions of Timbavati are not albino,
their colour is due to a S.E.Ingrahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135141369161538082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063633755831518437.post-5231756396621364602018-09-07T19:48:00.001-06:002018-09-07T19:48:44.400-06:00THANKS BE TO THE FAITHFUL
Every time I return from yet
another sojourn
to the great beyond,
an increasingly unknowable place
that grows ever more difficult to describe
and even more challenging to articulate.
Without exception, without fail,
I am always warmly welcomed back
Embraced by a group of friends,
the nucleus of which
is such that I know not how to classify,
categorize, or in any way S.E.Ingrahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135141369161538082noreply@blogger.com1Edmonton, AB, Canada53.544389 -113.4909266999999953.2425465 -114.1363737 53.8462315 -112.84547969999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063633755831518437.post-14511783286351702422018-09-05T17:00:00.000-06:002018-09-05T17:00:03.511-06:00DECISIONS, DECISIONS, DECISIONS *
Three green Adirondack chairs crouch in the snow – pick one
for your afternoon break; one where you will sit and gaze at – at
what? Will it be a mountain-side? Will it be a frozen lake ringed
by a thickly treed forest? Will it be a winding road leading to a
place disappearing in the distance? No-one has sat in the chairs
for a while; you will have to dust the snow off once you’ve S.E.Ingrahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135141369161538082noreply@blogger.com0Edmonton, AB, Canada53.544389 -113.4909266999999953.2425465 -114.1363737 53.8462315 -112.84547969999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2063633755831518437.post-22027643179490808512018-09-05T16:51:00.000-06:002018-09-05T16:51:01.370-06:00SOFT COATS THAT GLEAM *
We, this year, have slipped quietly onto the endangered
species list…our numbers have been depleted by 40%
over the past 3 decades. At this rate, we will become
extinct very soon. People complain about us being in
zoos. Some zoos are keeping us from disappearing with
breeding programs and seeing we don’t get sick from Aids,
or poached either. I’d rather be in a zoo than be shot orS.E.Ingrahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135141369161538082noreply@blogger.com0Edmonton, AB, Canada53.544389 -113.4909266999999953.2425465 -114.1363737 53.8462315 -112.84547969999998