nature

| aeporterfield

What are your favorite animals?

My favorite animals are the ones that have soft fur, wet noses, whiskers, and soft ears.

But I also like the ones that have feathers and fly and sing.

Oh but then there are the colorful ones that swim. And then there are some of the ones that swim that are really big and curious and smart.

I like the ones with big long necks and the ones with long funny noses that like peanuts but are afraid of mice. Is that really true?

I even like the ones that slither, although I keep my distance. And the ones that crawl, scurry, scamper, or hop. The ones that bray, or neigh, or moo.

I wonder if they like me too?

Petal by Petal

| aeporterfield

Petal by petal, each opening day

presenting itself in its perfect way.

Reveling in every moment sublime,

revealing nothing before its time.

The delicate softness, the biting thorn,

Something to celebrate, something to mourn.

Sticky sweet nectar the butterfly brings,

will also attract the honey bee stings.

The darkness, the light, embrace every day

Until, petal by petal, they all fall away.

To 2022

| aeporterfield

In the coming year,

the only drama I want to see

is that of a bird taking flight,

or a riotous garden of blooms.

The only shade thrown is

sunlight through leaves.

The only influencer I want to follow

is the one who encourages me

to be still, the one who welcomes me

with branches spread wide,

like grandmother’s arms,

the one who caresses my face

with winds that whisper in high tree tops-

“Welcome home.”

© Amy Porterfield 2021

Autumn Morning

| aeporterfield

Autumn morning,

golden, delicious,

crisp as a ripe apple.

Rising sun

lifting a blanket of fog,

waking the world,

whispering secrets into the wind.

Listen.

Be still, and listen.

© Amy Porterfield 2021

Winter Wonders

| aeporterfield

I’ve been interested in photography as a hobby for a while now, but I have found it to be prohibitively expensive. So, several years ago my husband bought me some little lenses that stick on your phone’s camera. He found them on Groupon Goods for $7. You can read more about them here. The set came with a wide-angle lens and a fish-eye lens, but I have had the most fun with the little macro lens. We are having a real winter here for the first time in ages, and I was able to get up close and personal with some flurries.

We are expecting several more inches of snow over the next few days. This will be the biggest snow event we’ve seen since I was little, and I’m so excited for my kids to experience a “real” winter snow! Hopefully I’ll be able to get some good shots of the kids and the snow this week. Fingers crossed that we don’t lose power during all this. I made sure to get our bread and milk yesterday 🙂

Stay safe and warm, and enjoy the snow!

If I Were the Wind

| aeporterfield

In response to February Writing Prompts at Putting My Feet in the Dirt.

Photo by Nita on Pexels.com

If I were the wind,

I would tousle your hair,

caress your face,

and whisper in your ear.

I would lift ladies’ skirts

and snatch men’s hats

to make you laugh.

I would clear your cloudy skies,

keep your kite aloft,

but steal your balloon.

Love and loss are so intimately related.

I would lay flower petals,

seeds, and feathers at your feet.

I would lift your prayers to heaven.

And I would carry your scent,

and the echoes of your voice with me

forever and ever.

© Amy Porterfield 2021

d’verse prompt- after St. Valentine left the building

Cathedral

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“Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky.” From Sand and Foam, Kahlil Gibran, 1926

Step softly into this sacred space

Of prayers, whisper-soft

Carried on bird’s wings

To heaven, shining through leaves

Of stained glass.

Step softly into this cathedral

And walk into

The welcoming arms

Of God.

© Amy Porterfield 2020

Growing

| aeporterfield

I happened upon this tree while I was walking my dog and I was so struck by it. The tree has grown up through the fence, and now the fence is a part of the tree. I thought, well, it’s kind of like life, isn’t it? We don’t get to choose the circumstances into which we are born, or the obstacles and challenges we will face. But we were meant to grow through them. Our challenges make us who we are. They grow us into who we are meant to be.

That, and it also looks like the tree ate the fence.

om nom nom…