Tag: peace

Poetry by Patrick JenningsMay 22, 20235:57 pm

Howling Horse Hermitage in Grey, Gilmanton Ironworks, New Hampshire, United States of America

Soothing ~ Pic and a Word Challenge #342

I find few moments more soothing
Than a cool, grey day
Whose listless breezes stir a gentle rain
Droplets patter pane and sill

And I, warm and dry
With a steaming mug
Turn the pages of a book
Offering scant attention to its contents

Poetry by Patrick JenningsDec 14, 20225:38 pm

In the Silence Between Waves, Pacific Rim National Park, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada

Surf ~ Pic and a Word Challenge #337

I paddle out onto the calm sea
Despite the listless surf
Rather, no

Because of it

I love the thrill of catching a wave
The feel of the board cutting through the water
The acceleration as the curl builds

And, yes
Even the tumult
When the sea punishes me
For my errors

But I love too

The moments between waves
The calm quiet introspection
Gentle swells sway me
An ocean hammock in the breeze

Take a deep breath
And another
Feel my resting heart beat
In a state of peace

Here am I
Rapt in my own presence
In time with the rhythm
Of nature

Some days
I prefer these long deep breaths
Over the exhilaration
Of a racing heart

So I paddle out
Sit with my being for a while
Then paddle back in
At peace with the world

And myself

Poetry by Patrick JenningsOct 7, 20227:43 pm

Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach, Oregon, United States of America

Surf Song

With gentle insistence
The ocean rises up to greet me
And I, pant legs rolled to my calves
Welcome it’s cool, frothy embrace
Enjoy the caress of water over my ankles
The sensation of sinking into the sand
As the receding wave draws the beach
From beneath my feet

I stay there for an hour or so
Take a few steps back
When the waves threaten my trousers
A few steps forward
When they fail to reach me
My sandpiper dance
In time with the surf song
And its choir of gulls

Poetry by Patrick JenningsSep 10, 20221:05 pm

Solitude in the Shadows, North Window Arch, Arches National Park, Moab, Utah, United States of America

Solitude in Shadow

I stand alone
Solitude in shadow
Cast by arcing stone

Find peace in gentle breeze
Wafting warmth from heated earth

Find beauty in nature’s chiseled landscape

Poetry by Patrick JenningsSep 4, 20229:56 pm

Salted Inner Sea, Egg Island Overlook, Antelope State Park, Great Salt Lake, Utah, United States of America

Cradle

Salted inner sea
Perturbed not at all
By even a breeze
Offers its peaceful cradle
To the failing sun

Poetry by Patrick JenningsJul 27, 20226:07 pm

Haystack Rock

A seductive rock
On ocean’s edge
Half the day
Surrounded by the tide

Attracting thousands
Nature’s iconic monument
To a monumental coastline

In time with the waves’ ungentle caress
They saunter near, then scramble back

This flightless flock of sandpipers

Photographs and selfies
Arm-in-arm and hand-in-hand

A deep breath in, a longer one out
The calm that comes on any shore
Where the surf rumbles and sighs

Some may say it’s the rock
But the rock is a draw as any other draw
A pier, a lighthouse, beach chairs and gazebos
It is the sea which helps us remember ourselves

Poetry by Patrick JenningsJul 13, 20225:00 pm

Stroll in the Stand at Haystack Rock, cannon Beach, Oregon, United States of America

Morning Stroll in the Sand

A lazy Thursday morning
When life is but a stroll in the sand
With the river flowing out
The waves rolling in
Very breath of Earth
As we all take a welcome sigh
In advance of the hodge-podge concerns
The day will all-too-soon offer

May I carry that sigh of the sea
Into the coming hours
Breathe in waves of beauty
Let the day’s worries flow from my earthly body
The only weight I’ll bear
Left behind on the beach
Footprints in the sand