Wilderness Interface Zone

She painted herself
into the landscape. On
a canvas she had
magicked from deep-self,
April sunlight streamed
from the clouds
in spectacular, uncanny, rays—
immaterial matter,
soul stuff made flesh.
She brought it to her
father who pointed out
how she should have
painted the sunbeams with
more yellow—
pointing to a maudlin
mountain scene,
hung ceremoniously on
a well-manicured wall—
an oil anyone could have techniqued
with hackneyed accuracy. That’s
how it should be [...]

Deep in the sugar-blossomed orchard
spring catches in the throat of each bloom
pink with nectar promises
heavy with buzz of bees
dreaming honey-laden fruit to come
this ancient cherry tree
beckons with shade
a dusty wanderer who
turns from roadside Jiffy Mart
leaves billboard clutter
and afternoon sales calls behind
climbs the paint-peeled fence
that separates this holy of holies
from hum and drum of market-
driven life
to [...]

Yep, this review probably contains spoilers.  Also, because its themes address directly environmental issues, I’ve given it a more thorough critical treatment than I gave The Charge at Feather River. Thanks in advance for taking the time to read it.  Finally, this movie contains intense battle scenes and a frightening pirate villain, either of which [...]

When Lily plays the cello, it is holy.
Like lavender that strays from garden walls
and necklaces of evergreens that slowly
curl across the meadows, along the halls
her wreath of somber notes is softly borne.
She wings the bow; I hear my mother’s voice,
recall a lover’s crying flame. I mourn
and then, with silent chanting tongue, rejoice.
Each memory is coaxed [...]

Keep your craggy, up-thrust mountain peaks!
Your chasms and your cliffsides roughly made
From clattering and shattering of plates
In the devil’s galley by some shade!
I’ll have my soft-edged tinder coulee view,
Tan and green, and gently, supply formed
Like mother earth was always thought to be:
Green-crowned, or seascape prairie grass adorned,
Our traces nestled, sheltered, on her knee.
There’s hope in [...]

Cayuga Lake’s asleep again,
ice-locked at her edges.
Dressed once more
in shreds of white,
organza, wispy curls
across her skin-
beauty lying deeper
than her dreams.
Denise and I would skate
when we were girls,
flying toward each other
till we met and locking hands
would spin in dizzy circles,
laughter pealing bright
in frigid air;
innocent of life to come
and choices made,
of sorrow bearing arms
against the days
that rush [...]

Click into pictures for larger views.
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Virginia is in 4th grade and enjoys the Warriors book series by Erin Hunter. She has started exploring photography since her father found her a digital camera at Goodwill. Nature is a favorite subject for her to take pictures of.  You can find more of Virginia’s work posted on WIZ [...]

Her family sailed to exotic lands
where elephants waded through rivers,
women wore silk saris, coconuts hung
from palms, and monkeys raced
along beaches. Her brown hair wisped
around her temples and curled
like orchid petals beside black lashes.
Twice a year, their boat docked by ours,
slipping in quietly on evening tides.
Her aunt was a famous movie star,
her brother sucked on lemons,
and [...]

He walks slowly, his back more straight than not,
his gait timeless. Strong.
Still, there is something hesitant and
questioning about his steps, as though
he were feeling his way through the stony-bottomed
stream of a shallow river. The wide path allows him
to cherish his granddaughter’s hand as they walk
abreast at a pace that suits them both, supporting one
another in [...]

Graceful and alluring Dorothy Lamour stars as Ulah, The Jungle Princess, in this chimerical but endearing, black-and-white 1936 Paramount production that launched her career.  Ray Milland co-stars as Christopher Powell, a hunter who comes to the Malaysian jungle to capture wild animals but himself falls captive to Ulah’s native beauty, her stunning singing voice, and [...]