Gideon’s Challenge

Morning Serenade

Birds sweep through
air above water
following air currents
between dives
to catch hovering bugs
their song sweet
and bright
and welcoming
to blue skies
as the sun burns off
the film
of gauzy clouds
Inviting visitors
to sit and stay a while

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Gideon’s Challenge

The Barrier

Time to slip
beyond the fronds
to dappled shade
and hushed spaces
filled with
moss draped surfaces
and damp earth
take a breath
and let the whispers
of hidden friends
skittering through
underbrush
tempt you deeper
among the trees

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Gideon’s Challenge

Deceptive Beauty

Rough and rocky
the water’s cold
gray mixed and choppy
it will numb the toes
yet with such a view
it’s hard to take care
it seems so harmless
when you’re there
I want to dive in
and explore beneath
then slip into the forest
and get lost
among moss and trees

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Gideon’s Challenge

IMG_7149The Secret Squishy

Prickly edges
jut out
in angular patterns
with insides jagged
and not inviting
yet you reach anyway
and discover
what appears sharp
is soft as rose petals
and feathered down
while soul’s arid ache
waits
for the kiss of dew drops

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Gideon’s Challenge

The Draw

Powdered sugar hilltops
flirt with the senses
luring
tempting
and promising adventure
as they whisper
about cool temps
and a crisp nip
to the air.
Come, they say.
Come climb higher
til altitude causes
panted breaths
and sweat to cool
on the skin

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Gideon’s Challenge

The Savoring

Stop
for just a moment
Stop
and take a breath
allow the world
to give you peace
through the
sweet scent
of fresh rain
and green grasses
Let the world
move without you
as you savor
this moment

Photo © ZenStatePhotography