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:

Another Nest!

 

The Cooper's Hawk couple has returned to the cemetery to start a new family!  This is the third year now that I have been privileged to witness their domestic activities.

Here are some photographs (with captions beneath each one).

Such a handsome bird!

The nest is well developed.

Here's the male flying with a twig for the nest.

You can see the nest at the top left and the female hawk at the bottom right.  Unlike the earlier nesting sites, I think that once the leaves come out, I may not get much of a view of the nestlings.

The famous hawk stare!

A Sly Disguise

This poem was written during the first pandemic curfew in 2021.  The photograph was taken by me but kindly edited by a good friend (M.S.).

(Please note that this post's text does not format well on a smart phone and looks better on a computer screen).

A Sly Disguise

                The nightly curfew begins.

                    I curl up on my loveseat

                at my sixth-floor window

                    to view the street below.

                In the darkness I see large

                    snowflakes swirling in slow

                motion around a street lamp

                    like soft white moths.

                The falling snow is silent,

                    as are all the streets.

                Everything glitters under

                    a canopy of city lights.

                How can this infected 

                    world be so beautiful?

                The unseen foe lurks

                    far and wide –

                its danger clothed

                    in sly disguise.

(from the book Longing For The Light by Doris Potter)

© Doris Potter

Happy Valentine's Day

 

I thought for a Valentine's Day post, I would present photos of "hearts" that I have found or have been given to me or in one case, I have purchased.  As you will see, many have been made naturally.

This last one comes from South America and represents people of different races in colourful dress.  It is shown adorning my previous apartment door.

A Cat Rescue Operation From Years Ago

One day back in 1997 I took a different route home from work and in the process came upon an abandoned lot that was home to a colony of feral cats.  The rescue operation lasted a year and involved many obstacles.  There were tragedies and triumphs but every individual that was given a better life was a victory and made it all worthwhile.  A friend who collaborated with me on this undertaking was instrumental in the many victories.  

Here is a "slide show" of the operation.  You can enlarge a photo by clicking on it.