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Phil S. Rogers captured these photos of a roadrunner seeking relief in his sprinkler during drought-like conditions in Texas. Phil’s ekphrastic poem is below. Add yours in the comments.
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A Summer Shower
One hundred four degrees today,
__Texas is parched and charred,
a lack of rain has baked the earth;
__the soil is dry and scarred.
Swiftly running through dead grass,
__yet wary, high on guard,
a sweltering road runner spies
__the dripping wet Swiss chard.
As spinning sprays of water pepper
__the thirsty, aching ground,
he spreads his wings in ecstasy,
__a miracle newfound.
Slowly he moves his head and seeks
__his enemy renowned,
but there’s no Wile E. Coyote,
__that dude, cannot be found.
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Post yours in the comments below.
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What a delight…thank you for this morning read!
Thank you, Allegra. I am glad you enjoyed it.
Enjoyed your poem and the photos. When I was young (first grader), my parents were taking a short vacation out west, including the Grand Canyon. Having seen the cartoon, I asked if they could bring me back a roadrunner.
heat wave…
a roadrunner bathes
in a sprinkler’s spray
~Nancy Brady, 2023
Thank you, Nancy. After moving to Texas, I was really surprised that some friends back in New England thought a road runner was not real, only a cartoon character.
Really? Wow! I know roadrunners don’t look like the cartoon variety (beep! beep!), but I knew way-back-when they were real.
Dry with Envy
Who does he think he is?
That pompous looking bird,
Flapping in his bliss,
And cooing to be heard.
Has he no respect
For those of us next door,
Whose owner with neglect
Has kept us water poor.
If only I could fly
I’d join that happy chap,
Although my branches high
Could not like birdie lap.
Yes, it’s true, I am
A “drought resistant” Oak;
I tell you it’s a sham –
No moisture makes you croak!
I give my owner shade,
But nothing in return
Does he give to me,
So I am left to burn.
Meanwhile over there
Onto a lifeless stump
Water overflows –
You lucky little chump!
Thank you Gigi for your cute poem. It so happens that there is a large oak tree on either side of my wife’s little garden, so your message is on target.
The Roadrunner’s Two Cents Worth
You humans think we’re always on the run,
That guys like me do nothing but make tracks.
You can’t conceive that we might pause for fun,
Put off the daily grind, and just relax?
Well, think again, my fine, unfeathered friends:
Would you not give all due consideration
To the advantages such dividends
As this you see provides? My observation
Is that you would, and do. You throw your cash
Around, in point of fact, as if to say,
“Get me that pool, that sauna. Here’s my stash
For my four–week vacation, by the way.”
You’d pay your bills (or not), then be long gone.
Just don’t forget to leave that sprinkler on.
From the perspective of the road runner, thank you, Julian. Unfortunately, these guys will have to bath on my schedule, or I could not afford the water bill. They do have a bird bath available, let’s call it a sauna in this summer’s heat, but they love the sprinkler.
The Butterfly
The butterfly, you will agree,
Should be renamed by you and me.
Though it does fly, ’tis not of butter;
The flutterby would be much better.
Good Morning John; I had to look up the origin of the word butterfly after reading your poem, and found there are many different explanations going all the way back to ancient Greece. A learning experience. Thank You.
The bird pictures are great and the poem is nice too. I enjoyed it, thank you.
Yael;
Thank you for your nice comment, I am glad you enjoyed it.
The Coolest Roadrunner in Texas
As backyards blister in the jaws of heat
As cats sag limp and listless in the boil
As hope is sucked from cracked and dusty soil
And grackles flock and shriek in the mesquite,
I see you perch and stretch to catch a burst
Of bliss that splashes from the garden hose.
I watch you in a fancy-feather pose;
A wing-flexed drench to quench your fevered thirst –
An aqueous fan and flutter of delight
A dance to fire the ire of wily curs
A water-lauding spectacle that stirs
The growl of a coyote’s appetite –
O beep-beep, crested cuckoo of the screen
I’m basking in your preen-and-shower scene.
Susan;
Thank you for your cute little poem. You have experienced this summer’s heat here in Texas. Really love your last two lines;
‘O beep-beep, crested cuckoo of the screen
I’m basking in your preen- and -shower scene.’
What a delightful morning you’ve made with this ! It’ll give me smiles for hours !
Anissa, thank you so much for your nice comment, it is greatly appreciated.
You’re very welcome ! Those photographs too are a delight ! They’re beautiful !
THE ROADRUNNER AND THE SWISS CHARD
By Roy E. Peterson (September 17, 2023)
Wile E. Coyote had all that he could take.
He had chased Roadrunner across an arid lake.
He was awful thirsty and he had burning feet.
He had lost once again in their two-way track meet.
While Wile dragged his tail across the last one-third,
Riley the roadrunner was now a happy bird
For he had found a sprinkler wetting some Swiss chard.
He opened his wings and drank letting down his guard.
The last he’d seen of Wile three more days had passed.
That is when the skies finally were overcast.
While Wile was crawling, the lake then turned to mud.
Poor Wile was caught up in a massive Texas flood.
When Wile floated to shore, roadrunner had fled.
He learned never to race across a dry lakebed.
A fun read to make my Sunday morning. Thank you Roy.
Phil, I had a two-line postscripts for this, but decided not to add it.
The moral of the story? Texas will fool you!
If you don’t pay attention to the things you do.
Yes, absolutely true. Our weather, especially, can change dramatically in very
short order.
This is indeed a beautiful poem. Thank you so much, Phil, for your wonderful craft.
Here’s my Sonnet on this:
A Spirit Bath
Since June, upon my small villatic land,
The Sun has been upholding its harsh reign,
Thereby depriving us of saving rain,
And brown rice on the paddies widely spanned;
But far away, a bird, wings fully fanned,
Has found and perched atop a blessed domain
Whose cooling jet has slaked its parched-up vein,
And feathers caused by summertime’s command—
O’ far-off bird, if only you could see
How overjoyed your picture’s rendered me,
(Although my flesh is ever duty-bound
On droughty croplands struck by famine’s wrath)
By transferring a spiritual bath
To India from your own Texan ground.
Shamik;
Thank you for your nice comment, and for your lovely poem. It seems you have also been the victim of drought and heat this year. Hoping a change of seasons may bring you some needed relief.
I am glad you like my poem, Phil. Thank you so much. Yes, this year’s summer has touched the highest ever temperature, and we are hoping for some relief. Thank you once again for your beautiful poem and appreciation. I wish you well.
Thank you for the visual Mr Rogers! Linda
Roadrunner – Nonet
Rascally roadrunner in the sun
finding grasshoppers on the run
feed your babies high protein
build a nest off the ground
in my two live oaks
run up and down
smiling clown
goofy
bird
When
the heat
gets too much
and drinks are few
and baths fewer still
find the nearest sprinkler
a thoughtful human neighbor
has turned on specially for you
repay kindness with showy gusto
I thank you Linda, for your comment and your poem.
Road Runner in Texas Limerick
The Road Runner can’t get to sleep;
It’s hotter than Hell, but he’ll keep
his head in the sand
because it is banned
to say ‘global warming’. Beep! Beep!
Global warming is ok to say.
Believe, then get ready to pay.
The fake so-called science
Demands your compliance,
So Roadrunner, NO SPRAY TODAY!!!
Thank you Paul, for your ‘Texas limerick.’ I like it.
Sorry Brian, I scrolled down too far. I thank you for your poem, and there is no spray today as we are expecting some rain this afternoon.
Paul; Thank you for your Texas limerick. It is greatly appreciated.
I bow my head in gratitude
As the water cools me down
Enjoying this peaceful soaking
With nobody else around
I spread my wings in happiness
Escaping the Texas heat
Cooling off on the hottest days
From my head down to my feet
I’m enjoying each precious moment
As the water’s gift I treasure
Extending my most gracious thanks
To Phil for this utmost pleasure… by Maureen Philbrook