More creative writing

This week was Theme Poetry with Sara-Jane Arbury.  She always starts with a warm up exercise.

This week's idea was Litter-ature.  Sara-Jane suggested some ways we could approach this topic.  I was very taken with her comment that litter is something else before it becomes litter.  It's only litter once it leaves our hands and hits the floor and is left there.

Michael Walter on Unsplash

The Question

Why did it go wrong?
I was held upright
without thorns, bud ready.
Pinkish-red, tall, proud.
A token of love.
He held me, sniffed
my heady perfume
ready to fall to his knees
and ask his question. 

Where did it go wrong?
I was thrown to the ground.
She trod on me
twisting her foot.
No longer tall and proud
but torn apart
petals strewn across the path
As tears fell down his face. 

The theme for this online session was Sand and Peat.  Sara-Jane gave us a presentation about these and introduced us to three poems.  Then it was our turn.

Shoreline

Shape shifting
reality not CGI.
Shape shifters.
Dunes wind-blown
to angles of repose.
Miniscule crystals slide
unwillingly
transposed from height
to shore
meeting the encroaching tide.
Dragged back and forth
the grains grinding
against each other.
Eventually deposited
by the highest tide.
Dried out and wind-blown
reach the summit
to settle again in that
angle of repose.
Waiting
for the next
unwilling glide

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice

Big sand dunes, big trees and big boulders

Welcome back to our trip around the Northlands of North Island, New Zealand.

Our last three days in the area featured the largest sand dunes in the world, enormous boulders and the second largest trees in the world.

Sadly this photo doesn't really do justice to how tall these sand dunes actually are.

We drove along the tourist drive until we came to the Hokianga Ferry.

This took us to Rawene where we booked into a B&B.

This is is the pretty front door of the B&B The Postmaster's Lodgings.

We visited Clendon House arriving just as the guide was beginning a talk about the history of the place.

Then we took a drive to Wairere Boulders.

The path around the site is mostly well defined although there were some narrow places to get through

and sometimes the path seemed to disappear.

I earned my 'mountain goat certificate' scrambling over some of these large boulders.

The next day as we travelled we stopped off at different spots to view intersting landscapes, a waterfall and view the large Kauri trees.

These were still sand dunes but some of the sand seemed to have hardened into rocks.  I always though rocks eroded into sand but there you are!

The Waiotemarama Waterfall.

Then on to the Kauri trees.  This tree is thought to be at least 2000 years old.

And a walk through the forest.

We spent the last morning in New Zealand visiting the Kauri Museum.  It was a very comprehensive museum about the Kauri tree and the amber that is taken from it.  I spotted these in the room displays.  I was supposed to be looking at the amazing furniture!

Then we were off to the airport and our flight to Sydney.  Next time - In and around Sydney, Australia.

Thanks for stopping by.
Bernice