Metaphor I

The oak tree blooms 
Today-Easter Sunday, 
Creates seeds that become
Acorns to nourish-
Jay, squirrels, turkeys, deer.
Acorns to root,
Sprout and grow
Into sturdy trees 
Themselves.
Life regenerated.

-MW




Metaphor II

Tiny caterpillar on a leaf,
Alone, unnoticed,
Crawls and chews,
Chews and crawls,
Grows bigger and bigger,
Sheds its skin
And grows some more,
Until it is time…
Finds a branch,
Hangs from a thread,
Still, as if dead,
But then emerges,
Transformed,
Free to fly
Heavenward.
​Miracle of Life.

​-MW

A Paean to Life

All life should be treasured!
This I long did doubt.
Years it took and growth
Before my mind and heart
Were sage enough to think so.

All life's an awesome miracle
And every living thing
Reflects that glow and wonder
that's beyond all ken,
That comes and goes arcanely.

That there are animals,
Plants, bacteria,
Life forms of every ilk,
In endless variety,
Cannot but awe and rapture!

That water, air and earth
Teem with complex life,
That life adapts, evolves
And thereby stays alive,
Cannot but awe and humble!

That humans can feel and think
And replicate themselves,
That birds can sing and fly,
Elephants mate and mourn,
Cannot but awe and puzzle!

That spiders spin silk webs
To catch their wary fare,
That chickens lay their eggs
And eggs bring forth their chicks,
Cannot but awe and amaze!

That flowers blush and smell
And bless the earth with seeds,
That acorns will be oaks
And trees become a forest,
Cannot but awe and silence!

We cannot but stand in awe
Of life's many mysteries.
Describe what we can and do,
Know we never will,
But treasure life we can and should!

​-JM 

I am
a caterpillar
soft and vulnerable
hanging upside down
ready to harden my skin
against all predators
to wait...

Some chrysalises
transform to become
a butterfly
beautiful and free,
While others
wither and die.
Which will I?



Harden the skin
Shut out the world
Commune with the self
A Chrysalis
Still and dark
Waiting...



Once I found
a caterpillar
that hardened then 
grew black and dry 
and I thought I had killed it.
But months later
it emerged
Yellow and black wings
And flew away.
So there is hope.

​-MW

A Polar Pair

Without life there is no death,
Without death there is no life.
In life we consume,
In death we are consumed.
Life is born of death,
And death is born of life.

-JM




The Flow of Things

Night follows day
And day follows night,
Death follows life
And life follows death.
All else is and has its being
In sympathetic harmony.

​-JM

An Epigram a Day:

Let live what will and let die what is spent.

Life ends when hope dies.

Birth and death are life's sole certainties.

To live is to suffer and to suffer is to live.

Humans live to die and die to live.

Most are dead though alive,
Few live on though dead!

Life is a never-ending seduction, death a never-ending fear.

Cottages ring the lake
Docks, manicured lawns
Whine of jet skis
Children playing,
But as I swim
along the shore,
Only a loon calls, 
I am near invisible,
A fish gliding silently,
Just me and the water. 

-MW

I am the she-wolf
Padding silently, unseen
Through the underbrush of life.

I am the beta,
Alert, aware, listening,
Rarely howling in reply.

I am the wolf
In society's wilderness
Unheard, unseen, yet there
Nonetheless. 

​-MW



​

Piccolisms:

Dogs do not seek to alter Nature. We are part of it. 

The backyard is my wilderness to explore.

                              Animals wild are full of guile,
                              Animals tame know no shame. 

Northern Ontario

Water, forest and sky,
Fish, animals and birds,
Rocks and sand, bogs and scrub, mist and clouds,
Layers of reality become an inseparable blend!
Water thrusts into forest, laps at rock and sand,
and mirrors clouds and sky,
Nourishes fish and fowl, houses beaver and otter, and quenches wolf and moose,
Forest implanted in mulch and rock reaches for the sky, catches and holds the wind, and serrates the surrounding horizon--
A grand pulsating whole!
A red-capped black-bibbed woodpecker
thrusting nourishment into the gaping white-edged mouths of its voracious fledglings,
A tufted anxious duck and her eight ducklings running on water with feverishly flapping wings,
A pair of statuesque loons playing hide-and-seek, skating water spiders and scurrying chipmunks--
All integral parts of that inseparable grand blend!
And into this balanced blend man intrudes with road and rail, and rod, gun and machine,
Intricately interdependent rivers and lakes are dammed, forests are cut and the earth is mined,
Pike and pickerel are lured, and bear gunned, fox and beaver trapped, and wolf withdraws with receding wilderness--
And nature's balance is at stake!

-JM

An Epigram a Day:

Happiness is born of contentment
and contentment is based on satisfaction.

Greed destroys more than it acquires.

Humanity is a magnificent calamity.

Our wants far exceed our needs.

People are what they do and not what they may want to be.

We live in reality and vacation in ideality.

Money is to humans what honey is to bees.

​-JM

Doe lies peacefully.
Welcome sight after
A hard day. 



​

                   Daily visitor:
                   Jay sits on the post waiting
                   For his peanut treat.

Urban Wildlife
 
Humans need Nature. We may have built cities with skycrapers and paved over much of the Earth, but we are forever seeking out Nature in our lives. Parks are built in cities and are well-visited. We plant gardens and greet the wildlife in our yards. In turn, the wildlife has adapted to human civilization and uses us to its own advantage. We have tamed much of the wildlife, so that they are no longer wild but rather urban pets. Many people put out bird feeders, so they can watch the finches and sparrows every morning. We put out peanuts for the blue jay and walnuts or corn for the squirrels. They return the favor with their amusing antics. I have had a blue jay that would knock on the window to be fed. The current one just sits on the railing post and waits. One day, a crow watched the jay and decided to try that as well. It did not get a peanut and didn’t try the trick again. Another jay would enter through the open window to find the peanut bag on its own. As has the squirrel. Those humans just take too long to feed them!
The deer and the turkeys are a quieter presence. They come into the yard to feed on whatever the garden offers and maybe to take a sip of water. One dry day, I saw the entire flock of hens gathered around my little fountain to take a communal drink. The deer will sometimes grace me with their presence for a few hours rest. They will not let me approach but will allow me to move around the garden freely. They watch the back gate and will immediately notice if I leave it open. There are more enticing plants in the backyard, to which they have no access. Both the deer and the turkeys use the paved roads for travel. They seem to appreciate the wide, smooth paths that humans created for them. 
Then there are the night animals. Some residents have patios where they can see the night animals and feed them. Raccoons are fond of marshmallows, I am told. We used to feed them the leftover crab shells. In my current house, I cannot see them but I do see the evidence of their presence in the morning. The raccoon likes to use the fountain as a latrine, the skunk digs up the lawn and leaves a faint lingering odor, and several times I have found what appears to be fox scat on the lawn.
Research has shown that humans fare better psychologically and physically when they are in contact with Nature. We have always known that intuitively and seek out Nature wherever we are, whether it be in a big city, a suburban neighborhood, or in the rural towns. The more adaptable of the wildlife has, in turn, adopted us humans and uses us to its own advantage. A mutually rewarding relationship.

​-MW

          The Wilds

         Wilderness is not here
               To be tamed for recreation
               Or to be claimed for profit!

  Wildlife is not here
    To be killed for sport
          Or to be trapped for gain!

       Don't despoil and spoil,
            Live and leave well alone!

​-JM

An Epigram a Day:

Prey is predator and predator is prey.
That's life's way and it is likely to stay.

In our earth's ecology, humans are a deadly cancer.

To struggle is to be alive.

Not life but human expectation is absurd.

Animals are animals and so are humans.

Of all animals, human beings are the best and the worst.

​Rats in the garden will quickly be rats in the house. 


-JM


​

A Poem for Parents
to the beat of Green Eggs and Ham

Time for bed now, time to sleep,
I do not want to hear a peep.

Brush your teeth and go to bed,
Turn out the light, lay down your head.

You forgot to read to me!
You have to read a good story.

Here's your reader from your school,
Ten minutes a day is the rule.

No, Daddy, you read to me!
To read to me is your duty.

Well, okay, just one story,
One little book, now let us see...

Here is How to Be a Good Sport:
This book is easy and it's short.

No, I want Green Eggs and Ham,
The one about the boy named Sam.

I like that book so much, you see,
It is my favorite story.

No, no, please, not that one!
We've read it before, now I'm done!

Yes, because I like it so,
Now, come on, try it, have a go.

You can read it fast or slow,
I'll like it either way you know.

Read it with a funny voice,
Or read it loud, it is your choice.

Read it to me now, I plead,
Get out Green Eggs and start to read.

Listen to me now, my child,
I'll read about the things so wild,

Goodnight, Moon, I'll even read,
That is a sacrifice, indeed.

Knufflebunny, Little Bear,
Perhaps the Tortoise and the Hare.

No, Green Eggs and Ham is all
I want, so do not stall. 

No,I will not read that book,
Now you must let me off the hook.

I will read it by myself,
Just go and get it off the shelf.

Yes, now you can read, it's true,
I do not have to read to you.

Every night I'll let you sit
And read your own story a bit. 

While I sit and watch TV,
And sip upon a nice iced tea.

No, you still must read to me,
I like to listen too, you see.

If Green Eggs is not your choice,
Then I will find another voice.

To the library I'll go
To find a book you'll love, I know.

Do you like to read by chance
About the Captain Underpants?

We could read a Goosebumps book;
They're full of terror, gore and gook!

No, I don't  like any of those
That you just have proposed. 

I will tell you, child of mine,
I'll go to the attic to find

My box of books I loved back when 
I was a child of six to ten.

Full of books I liked the best,
Of dragons and brave knights on quest.

Of the spider who did spin
A web so her pig friend could win,

Stone Fox who gave up the race
So Will and his dog could win first place,

Children who lived all alone
In a caboose that they called home,

Robin Hood, who was so brave
But also somewhat of a knave,

Now that's a good idea, Dad,
Find a book that makes us glad.

Choose one that we both enjoy,
Maybe about a dog and a boy?

But now please turn out the light,
I think I'll forego the book tonight.

​-MW 

To Learn or Not to Learn

To spell correctly,
To read ably,
To write clearly,
Are skills, not gifts!
to come by them,
Tenacious application
And patient persistence
Are sine qua non!
These fruits are born
Of bitter tears galoe,
And tears we all have
And all can shed!

-JM

A Poem for Teachers
in Empathy

Twas the week before vacation,
The children thought with glee
Of the coming week of fun,
Of music, art and poetry.

The spelling test was done, the sight words learned,
The theme for the week was done,
So the children to the teacher turned
And said, "Please may we have some fun?"

"We've studied hard, we've paid attention,
We've behaved and all done our best,
No one has served detention.
Isn't it time we've earned a rest?"

Their teacher turned to them to say,
 I know a way to  work and play,
To learn while you have fun,
And still get all our work done.

This week we'll read and sing about Spring
And study animals on wing.
We'll make our own egg dyes
And then observe our butterflies.

The standards we will meet
As we enjoy this little treat
And you will learn every day
Even as you play.

But when the Hootin' Niflin of this got word,
He couldn't believe what he had heard.
"It isn't right," he said with a smirk,
"To enjoy themselves while they work."

"Why, tisn't the American way to do thus;
All work and no play is good for us.
School should be tests and drill,
I'll stop this nonsense, I will!"

He sent an email to his minions true
To tell them what to do.
"Send the principals a decree
That teachers must with fidelity

Follow the text line by line
Every day starting at nine.
And no matter what their students need,
The manual they must heed."

"And to make sure that they do," he said,
"I'll send my minions ahead
To observe in every classroom there
That they all fun do foreswear."

The principals quaked in their shoes and grew cold,
And the teachers did as they were told.
So that week, instead of fun,
The students were told every one,

To study some more and read once again
The story of the short e hen.
The teachers put away their picture books
While their students gave them sad looks.

They had no time to sing, to paint, to bake
Or crazy contraptions to make.
And the children did as they were told,
But inside their hearts grew cold.

And the last day they hung their head
As they came to school with dread.
They didn't even want to eat
Their late afternoon holiday treat.

And when school was out, they said, "Hurray!"
Now begins our holiday.
For a week we don't have to read or write,
Those things belong to school all right."

"Home is for play, school is for work,
And reading and writing we will shirk
For they are no fun for us anymore;
School is such a bore!"

Far away in textbook land,
The Hootin' Niflin said, "My plan
"Has worked so well, you see,"
And he smirked with glee.

"No more shall children want to learn
And so we now can turn
Their heads wherever we will
Just by giving them more drill."

"And each and every day
They will learn what we send their way
And will do whatever we say,
For that is the American way."

Now is this, sad though it be
The end of our Niflin story?
Need it be so, must it be thus
Or is it maybe up to us?

Will a teacher one day
Stand up to say
"I am the one who knows
How a child learns and grows."

"I am the one who knows best
How to teach and what to test.
How a child learns through play
And to vary each day."

"How to make children want to learn
So to books and learning they will turn
Not only when we say
But forever more as they go on their way?"

Will we teachers ever stand up and say
It is we​ who will lead the way?

-MW