The Comet

 

A comet, emerging

        from the black void,

                displays its wondrous grace.

A treasure made greater

        by its short life

                across the night's dark face.

And when its time is over,

        to blackness it returns,

                and we are left in grief.

For we are like the comet –

        bringing the world our light –

                unique, but also brief.

2001

(from the book Discoveries In The Dark by Doris Potter)

© Doris Potter

Dedicated here to the memory of Gale Martin who died on December 23, 2022

Winter Cemetery

A winter night – the gates are locked

To guard the dead's serene repose.

But Nature's life abounds within

That snow-borne tracks clearly disclose.

Against this snow-blanched winter scene

The tombstones stand in stark relief

With chiseled epitaphs displayed

To honor those who lie beneath.

But it is Nature's poetry

Transcribed by tiny feet in snow

That do provide a depth of soul

That words in stone cannot bestow.

And I shall lie content to know

That squirrels, scribbling in the snow,

Are writing epitaphs for me

Upon my grave that all can see.

And though the sun and wind and rain

Erase them time and time again,

There'll be new poets to the site

To honor me by what they write.

2000

(from the book Discoveries In The Dark by Doris Potter)

© Doris Potter

"Your account is permanently suspended"

If you recall back in June 2021, I blogged about Twitter having suspended my account.  See here.

Twitter never gave me a warning or told me why.  They flatly refused my two appeals with a terse, generic message.

My only "sin" seemed to have been participating in a tweet storm to advocate for better treatment of animals.  

Well, with Elon Musk taking the reins, I wondered what might happen (but, to be honest, I do not want to be associated with Twitter under the present circumstances anyway).  

I did find it ironic though, that in the week when he announced that he was giving amnesty to those with suspended accounts and he lifted the ban on Trump and others of his ilk, a message appeared on my page written in bold letters "Your account is permanently suspended". 

 

This new development makes me look at the "What's happening?" line that Twitter displays and ask, yes, Twitter, what IS happening?!

Life's Journey

Together they had forged a life –

Raised three children as best they could –

The years had times of woe and strife

But all in all, most times were good.

Now his sight has dimmed, but his love has not

And he felt their life would start anew

And he went to bed with this comforting thought

But awoke to a future gone askew.

His lifelong mate had been struck down

There wasn't the least forewarning clue

She's in a hospital far from town

And there is nothing now that he can do.

Their old life has now been lost

Their home is but an empty shelf

He too rests his head

On a hospital bed

Praying that soon she will be well.

In moments of fancy he's driving a ball

Onto a beloved golf course green

In her fanciful moments she's standing tall

And painting a lovely verdant scene. 

Their world once traveled in single orbit

Now double ..., Hope asks for overlaps

With all that they have had to forfeit

Fate answers softly "perhaps, perhaps ..."

2003

(from the book Discoveries In The Dark by Doris Potter)

© Doris Potter

Nighthawk

And when the sky turns dusky gray

Before the night has fallen

I come to watch your flight display

I come when you are calling.

You call to me when day's at end

I long to see you in my sky.

My sleep will come – but only when

I've heard your nightly lullaby.

2018

(from the book Discoveries In The Dark by Doris Potter)

© Doris Potter

The Toss of a Coin

Standing on the Metro platform in silence and solemnity,

her many years and cares are etched upon her face.

Clasped hands held high above her head,

brought down and raised again

to release a gleaming silver coin.

It arcs in the air and falls to the floor

over which she bends slowly

and picks it up and stares at its face.

She pauses and then repeats the process.

What answer does she seek?

People watch spellbound and give her space.

She picks up her precious coin and tucks it away.

A stranger's intimate moment.

2020

(from the book Discoveries In The Dark by Doris Potter)

© Doris Potter

Compassion In Fashion

 

(Please click on the image to enlarge it)

I popped into the Eaton Centre in downtown Montreal yesterday and immediately saw this beautiful window display.  

Noize is an apparel company that does not use leather, down, wool or fur (in other words, their products are cruelty-free) and thus they are PETA approved!

This made my day!

Love's Hold

Lounging on the bed

declaring vows of love ...

we sip amaretto from tiny

stemmed glasses.

The afternoon light softens the

contours of the room

and Leonard's slow songs

help bring our heartbeats back

to their resting states.

Your skin is warm as I pull you close

and drape your arm around me.

So many years have passed since that time and this.

Passion's been replaced by a gentle kiss

and sweet memories of times when "we were young and foolish".

2018

(from the book Discoveries In The Dark by Doris Potter)

© Doris Potter

November

 

November

November's icy breath blows in

Stripping trees of their golden dresses

And leaves them to shiver in their nakedness.

And then in effort to atone,

Makes fiery sunsets to warm the sky

And trees, as black lace silhouettes,

        stand in relief.

2016

(from the book Discoveries In The Dark by Doris Potter)

© Doris Potter

The Blue Jay Flies

The blue jay flies –

its shadow cast from autumn skies –

and I am left alone below

with only shadow wings that tow

my heart along in wild ride.

All earthly matters laid aside.

1996

(from the book Discoveries In The Dark by Doris Potter)

© Doris Potter

Making Love In A Meadow

Meadow flowers carpet the place

Where, lying in secret embrace,

I gaze up at his smiling face

While flowers, bowed in courtly grace,

Will later spring back to erase

The evidence of what took place.

2019

(from the book Discoveries In The Dark by Doris Potter)

© Doris Potter

Frost

 

Frost upon a window pane

Obscures a view of the mundane

And paints instead a vivid scene

Of forests cool in ice blue sheen.

And though the frost, in melting, will

Erase all trace of forests ... still,

It is for now a lovely view

No matter that it is not true.

2021

(from the book Discoveries In The Dark by Doris Potter)

© Doris Potter

The Robin's Song

The robin sings before the dawn,

trusting that day will come.

I listen while lying sleepless

wondering if my heart will still beat

once his song is done.

2018

(from the book Discoveries In The Dark by Doris Potter)

© Doris Potter

Please note:  sometimes your comments aren't published for some reason, but I do see them all from emails.  If they don't show on the blog, I add them manually as well as my reply.  So, please continue to comment – I really appreciate them. :-)

Day's End

 

And when the length'ning shadows' hue

Becomes a deeper shade of blue

My thoughts will always turn to you.

2018

(from the book Discoveries In The Dark by Doris Potter)

© Doris Potter

They Say

They say to read the writing on the wall –

Well it could be ten feet tall

But it would be too small.

They say that it was bound to end this way –

Skies so blue would turn to gray

But I could not see this day.

They say that "time will heal the pain" –

That "learning always is a gain"

But I am deaf to that refrain.

1997

(from the book Discoveries In The Dark by Doris Potter)

© Doris Potter

I Write

Although my poems are often wrought

from darkened mood and tortured thought,

I write.

And even at my most distraught

when all my battles have been fought

... and lost ...

I write.

2019

(from the book Discoveries In The Dark by Doris Potter)

© Doris Potter

Going Gray

 

The dismissal of Lisa LaFlamme from her anchor role on CTV, which many suggest stems from sexism and ageism (and her decision to let her hair go gray), has made me reflect on my own decision to go gray.

Luckily, I am out of the workforce so repercussions are not an issue.

The advantages for me in allowing my gray to grow out are numerous:

1) I was spending a lot of money every 5-6 weeks to keep my hair dyed professionally. (Those over-the-counter dyes are too messy and difficult);

2) I was enduring the long, annoying process while listening to my long-time hairdresser espouse views that more and more did not align with mine on practically everything!  (She was good at her job though);

3) I can't help but wonder if hair dyes are harmful to one's health in the long run.

I am also trying to grow my hair longer than it ever has been.  This has not worked out the way I had hoped because I need it to grow long enough to cut off the remaining dyed part and still have it long.  I only recently learned that the maximum length our hair will grow is genetically determined for each individual.  I have cut off two inches to see if it will start to grow again.

Also, on the topic of age and hair, older women are often pressured by society into cutting their hair short.

Long hair at this age has advantages:

1) If you have the right scissors, you can pretty much cut it yourself;

2) If your hair is thinning on top, you can brush it back from your forehead to cover the exposed scalp;

3) Speaking of foreheads, if you have long bangs, they will cover a wrinkled brow (and be a great substitute for Botox);

4) If you wear your hair in a "half pony tail" (hair from the temples is pulled back and up to form a small pony tail which hangs down over the longer hair), and you pull it tight enough, you get an instant face-lifting effect.:-)

I am not sure why society frowns on older women with long hair.  Is it that long hair is considered sensual and we are not supposed to be sensual beings any longer?!  A female friend of mine also admonishes older women who wear short skirts. When I suggested that that idea was being put in our heads by society, she responded: "well, older women should act their age".  I think she made my point for me.  Who dictates what "acting our age" entails?

Watercolor Lily

 

Watercolor petals gently release an inner glow – a tranquil light.

Lovely lanterns float on indigo among the glossy pads that invite tiny feet to tread lightly ...

– Stepping stones for rails.

– Rafts for frogs.

I must kneel down to see your true beauty.

In silence, on my knees, I receive your gift of serenity.

(from the book Discoveries In The Dark by Doris Potter)

© Doris Potter

Thanks For The Dance

 

I found you on a moonlit night,

You walked the streets alone,

Your feline silhouette was slight,

Your ribs showed every bone.

And when at last your trust was won,

I brought you to my home.

And now you're sleeping in the sun,

No further need to roam.

And cradled in my arms tonight,

This moonlit winter evening,

We're dancing in the silver light,

To Alexandra Leaving.

I hold you up against my ear,

Love starts to overwhelm.

Your purring's all that I can hear.

We've reached a higher realm.

2020

(from the book Discoveries In The Dark by Doris Potter)

© Doris Potter

Blue Butterflies

 

Flecks of blue sky floating down on powdered wings

flutter around my feet and, as I bend,

around my face.

Flitting among the flowers, they later rise again

and blend back into the sky replacing

the tiny missing bits.

2018

(from the book Discoveries In The Dark by Doris Potter)

© Doris Potter

My Heart

 

On western shores so far away

My Dad walked on the beach alone

And found a gleaming heart-shaped stone.

He bent to take it from the sand

And gently held it in his hand.

My Dad then sent this heart to me

My treasure for eternity.

With western shores so far away

I wish that time and space could bend

And I would see his face again.

2018

(from the book Discoveries In The Dark by Doris Potter)

© Doris Potter

Raising Anchor

 

I've been stuck in this harbour on an old boat

I'm going nowhere – I'm just staying afloat

I've got to raise anchor

I've got to get out.

I've been stuck in this harbour for far too long

Staying in limbo as though nothing's wrong

I've got to raise anchor

I've got to move on.

You're railing against what you thought that I wrote

And making false claims with an unfounded quote

It's sad that we're ending

On this angry note.

I've let you reside in my mind for too long

Your words ricochet like a tired, old song

I'm now raising anchor

I'm now moving on.

April 2019

(from the book Discoveries In The Dark by Doris Potter)

© Doris Potter

My Squirrel Campaign of 2021

This is a story that illustrates what one person can accomplish with persistence.

Last November I discovered that new metal garbage cans placed around the campus of a nearby college (over 25 cans) were regularly trapping squirrels inside.  The hinged door on the domed lid could be pushed inward but not outward.  The squirrel would push the door and get in, the door would close, then when it tried to get out, it had to jump to the top of the can, try to get a toe hold, and pry the door toward it so as to squeeze through.  Not an easy task!

I contacted the college's Director General and several other department heads, etc. to alert them to the issue.  At first I was ignored, then a second email got a response but basically it was to tell me all the reasons why they couldn't change anything.  I started plotting out a strategy.  I took photos of garbage cans that the city had installed on our main street.  These had lids but also openings that allowed squirrels to go in and out.  I sent these photos.  Still, I didn't get much of a response.  Then I wrote back tackling the issue not only from the perspective of the suffering of squirrels, but from a safety perspective (students getting bitten by panicked squirrels), and even from an aesthetic view point (the cans are just plain ugly).  I also started considering a letter-writing campaign, a media campaign and anything else I could think of short of taking a crowbar to the lids.

I was going out every day after sunset (when the squirrels had retired to their nests) and checking each can.  This took 40 minutes.  I kept a record of the squirrels that I found and started photographing them.  Two had bleeding scrapes on their faces which I presume resulted from trying to pry the metal doors open with their noses.  Each time I found one I sent a photograph to the college's authorities.

Note: you can click on any photo to enlarge it.

I also spoke in person to one individual and mentioned another angle that I thought of – these doors required students to physically touch them over and over again and I pointed out the dangers of this during a pandemic.

In any event, I made it clear that I was not going away!  I would check every night all winter long if necessary!

At one point during the frustrating back and forth emails, a manager who had been on leave returned and everything changed!  She thanked me for alerting them to the problem and said that new cans (with no lids) would be purchased and phased in next spring.  It was encouraging to me but the problem still existed in the meantime.  Finally my last photo of a squirrel trapped inside was enough for her to take immediate action and all the doors of the existing cans were removed!  I didn't receive any notice that this was being done and when I went out the next night and saw the cans, it brought me to tears.  This was one week before Christmas and was the best gift that I could receive.  I thanked her profusely and she wished me happy holidays.

Here is a photograph of a happy squirrel!

Resting Place

 

I watch the horse's serene gaze

as my lens snaps into focus.

The captured image upon review,

reveals my own as well –

reflected in her soft, brown eyes.

And suspended there 

between the fringes

of long, dark lashes ...

I dwell in the depths

of her soulful eyes,

and rest contented.

2020

(from the book Discoveries In The Dark by Doris Potter)

© Doris Potter

Feeding Chickadees

 

A whirr of wings –

a gentle touch

of delicate feet

on my outstretched hand.

I am filled with wonder

by the intimacy and privilege

these tiny, winged beings

bestow.

2018

(from the book Discoveries In The Dark by Doris Potter)

© Doris Potter

Leaf Shadows

 

Shadows born from leaf and sun –

Erased by night's swift fall.

Am I the shadow or the leaf?

Do I remain at all?

1994

(from the book Discoveries In The Dark by Doris Potter)

© Doris Potter

My Second Book of Poetry

 

On June 23, 2022 I self-published my second book of poetry.

This book continues in the same vein as my earlier one, Discoveries In The Dark, in which I wrote:  

Each one of us is born from the dark and returns to the dark.

I would suggest as well that we live our lives in the dark.  By this I mean that we, as strangers in this world, spend our time trying to understand what to make of everything.  Our life-spans are not very long for us to explore what life is and how to navigate it.

In Longing For The Light,  I continue to explore our condition of stumbling in the dark. We long for a lighted path.

Both books contain short poems, often accompanied by nature photographs that I have taken.

They are available as eBooks on Amazon and can be found by clicking on the links:  

Discoveries In The Dark; Longing For The Light.

The Veery's Song

 

The Veery's 

      enchanted

           spiral call

Like musical

       notes in a

            waterfall.

Downward

      and downward

           until it's all

Lost in the soft,

       green echoes.

December 2016

(from the book Discoveries In The Dark by Doris Potter)

© Doris Potter

 

Moths

 

The languid flight

in summer night

of a graceful moth.

Its patterned wings –

exquisite things –

soft like velvet cloth.

No need for flash

or dazzling hue –

subtle panache

bewitches too.

2019

(from the book Discoveries In The Dark by Doris Potter)

© Doris Potter

Wild Bird

Wild bird – you thrash and throw

yourself against my walls.

What led you here, off course

and lost and finding no escape?

There ... held fast between my palms,

I turn and walk towards the light.

With open hands and heart ...

I give you back the sky.

1995 (from the book Discoveries In The Dark by Doris Potter)

© Doris Potter

The Incredible Hoya Plant

When my sister, Diane, sent me a recent photo of one of her Hoya cuttings, I felt that the story of this amazing plant needed to be shared.  Here is Diane’s account of the history of her plant.

“In the mid to late 1970s Doris’ friend Marjorie gave me her Hoya carnosa plant (a.k.a. Wax Plant) as she was moving to Seattle.  I remember her telling me that, from time to time, there will be a few pink bloom clusters.  Sure enough, it would bloom now and then over the following fifteen years or so.  It continued to grow well and by 1993 it was at least 3 feet tall.  We moved in January of that year to Ontario from Montreal and, not wanting the plant to die if it travelled in the moving van, we brought it with us in the back seat of our car.  It made the trip okay and has been in our dining room ever since.  This room doesn’t get any direct sunlight and the plant rarely blooms but it has continued to grow and is now over 6 feet tall.

However, I have cuttings in water that do bloom regularly!  I add no nutrients to the water, and I have found that once the roots form a tight ball, the plant will bloom, almost continually, in one area of the plant or another.  Recently, the plant in water that resides in our kitchen, had five blooms at one time!  It gets the morning sun which I assume helps it to flower.  This plant, started from a couple of cuttings from the original, is at least 10 years old.  And all it gets is sunshine and tap water!

Over the years I have given cuttings away and started new plants for myself.  The one on the table next to the lamp is in potting soil and is about 4 years old.  It gets filtered sunlight and has not yet produced a bloom.  The plant in the jug is solely in water and is about 2 or 3 years old.  It gets only ambient light and also has yet to bloom.

As I’ve had the plant for close to 45 years and as it must have been mature when I received it because it had bloomed for its previous owner, I suspect it is over 50 years old.  Hopefully, it will continue for a few more decades.”

By the way, the paintings of the tiger and the flamingo are originals by Diane, so not only does she have a green thumb, but she is a very talented artist too!

Blue and Gold

 

The cerulean vase sits

bathed in soft light
from a nearby window –

Its gleaming beauty

wrought by skillful hands

with gentle touch.

Yet over time, fractures appear ...

And new hands come

to mend these cracks

with molten gold –

Kintsugi it's called.

Golden seams seal each jagged break,

and glint on azure curves.

Even that which is broken

can still be beautiful.

2020 

(from the book Discoveries In The Dark by Doris Potter)

© Doris Potter

Orion

 

I plan to post a poem a week for the next several months so today I start with the poem "Orion".  The photograph above shows the three stars which make up Orion's Belt.

Orion

In dreams so deep

Orion calls –

Aroused from sleep

His chant enthralls.

I raise my head,

Look to the sky –

Rise from my bed

Where sorrows lie.

The stars are mine,

Orion's gift –

I watch them shine,

My spirits lift

And as my eyes

Drink in their light,

I know love lies

With me tonight.

2018 

(from the book Discoveries In The Dark by Doris Potter)

© Doris Potter

Big Bang? My eye!

 

In case the title suggests that I am about to dispute the veracity of the Big Bang event that gave rise to the Universe as we know it, be assured that is not what this is about.  Rather, it is about a "big bang" event that occurred in my eye.

For two days I had been seeing a jagged flash of light (like a lightning bolt) on the left side of my left eye.  I have had numerous visual events in the last couple of decades such as: "flickering"; photopsia; negative and positive dysphotopsia; floaters; and a scotoma; however, I had never experienced this before.

On Sunday, May 15th, as I was walking in nature looking for photographic subjects, I suddenly saw black streaks cross my vision (left eye) that were very dark and defined:  first like spider legs, then like skeins of geese in V formations.

These V formations moved and changed and finally "exploded" into hundreds, if not thousands, of very tiny black rings (some smaller than others) that then swept across my field of vision (just like a murmuration of birds).  If you are not familiar with the videos of murmurations, you can see a spectacular one here.

These tiny rings gradually dispersed across my field of vision.  Rather alarmed, and fearful of a retinal detachment, I called my ophthalmologist first thing Monday morning and was able to see him later that day.  He explained that this was a vitreous detachment but that no retinal tear nor retinal detachment had occurred and scheduled a follow-up for next month.

In the meantime, I am still seeing the "lightning bolt" but less frequently as time passes.

Ice Halo

 

This ice halo, encircling the sun, was observed yesterday while I was walking in St-Laurent looking for migratory birds.

Just a quick note on how ice halos come to be:

Ice halos are caused by both refraction, or splitting of light, and also reflection, or glints of light from ice crystals typically suspended in cirrus or cirrostratus clouds.  The crystals have to be oriented and positioned just so, in order for the halo to appear.  They can appear around the sun or the moon.

Here is another photo of this atmospheric phenomenon: