"KANSAS TROUBLES"
Not having to go far
To witness mayhem.
Loving every minute
Of the storm.
Gathering reference
While dodging
Hailstones.
Realizing what I've
Become.......
Stormchaser!
JP
"RAIN"
Last bit of light
Washing off the field.
Waiting for the rush
That comes with
The wind.
Rain, drenching thirsty
Fields.
Deep breath,
Catching the clean smell.
Renewing earth,
And faith.
JP
"MORE THAN ENOUGH"
"Never catch a break,"
Said Harold.
"Not from these storms."
More rain than
He needs.
More wind than his crops
Can handle.
Livestock jumpy in
Their pens,
Soaked rows of
Fresh turned hay.
Never-ending battle
In the middle of
This land.
JP
"SOUNDS OF WATER"
I walk through the field,
Smelling the damp air.
Search the distance
For the glint
Of water.
Around the bend,
Noises of swift moving
Water.
Never disappointed
On the road
Less Traveled.
JP
image size 20 x 20 $1,750
"HAVEN"
The only conifer
On the hill.
Safety net for
Birds in flight.
From a distance,
A murmuring of swallows
Sweeps inside its
Shape.
Minutes pass, I anticipate
The explosion
And am not
Disappointed.
Alone.
Ageless feeling of
Solitude.
JP
image size 10 x 20 $1,150
"END OF AN ERA"
She stands alone.
Someone's memory.
A life remembered,
Maybe.
Depends on who's left
To pull on that
Thread.
Once full of life,
Ever battered by
Storms.
She will stand her
Ground.
Until her last column
Falls.
JP
"PORCH LIGHT"
Gives a soft glow to
The landscape;
Right outside the
Door.
Moonlight is the subtle
Touch
That lights the
Yard.
Cup of coffee on the
Porch,
A feeling that the summer
Fades,
Right before my eyes.
Planning for a
Fall cleanup,
Before it even
Happens.
JP
"AFTERGLOW"
Looking west, a
Favorite view.
Well, until
Sunrise in the
East.
Waiting for the sun
To set.
Cooler is not always
Possible here!
Just dark may be
Enough
To keep the night
Bearable.
Hope springs
Eternal.
JP
"LAST OUTPOST"
Nothing beyond
That he can
See.
Miles of flat
Land.
Empty fields
He tells me.
Looking out,
I see wildflowers,
Butterflies and bees.
Sparrows taking a
Dust bath.
All in how you
Look at it.
JP
"STILL STANDING"
Years ago, a beauty.
1980 was the first glimpse
She gave me
Of her strength.
Hayloft full,
Stalls with horses,
Swallows nesting
Above.
She has her memories,
As do I.
JP
"FARTHEST REACH"
Been all the way to
Those hills.
Farther may not be
Possible,
But trying is.
Age matters only to
Those that
Count.
Really think that the
New knee
Needs to prove
Itself.
Go for it!
JP
"ROSIE AND TANGO"
Covered in twilight,
Two friends ending
The day.
Starting to slow-walk
Back to the barn.
Stable-mates,
Comfortable with each
Others antics.
Loving the cool
Evening air,
She waits at the barn as
They stop one more
Time.
"Eventually", she whispers.
JP
HOMAGE
Lost in the storm,
One white cloud,
With attitude.
There are safer spots
Than this field.
Safer, yes,
But not as
Exciting.
JP
image size 12 x 24 $1,500