Edited by Charlotte Zisimides

Hello and welcome to my third piece for this month’s Showcase. I came by Pen to Print through a competition called ‘What If YOU Spoke?’. I entered with a poem called Loss Of Limb, which was a runner-up in the nature competition, judged by Zakiya Mckenzie.

Today, I’m delighted to introduce more pieces from the Write On submissions folder. These are less about being ‘Worlds Apart’ and more about how we belong to the natural world and the sense of hope this belonging carries in its wake.

*****

In Gloria Maloney’s Tulips, she uses similes to make nature appear vibrant and alive and emphasises how we should treat it with respect, just as we would a person. Mother Nature has a soul!

Tulips

Spring is in full swing
Tulips have burst upon the scene
A gay eclectic mesmerising spectacle, for us to peruse as we pass by
Deep velvety purple Cuban Nights
Elegantly dressed up in frills and ruffles for their opening night
Treading lightly on their heels, a Foxtrot who likes to take a solo performance
Clusters of pink candy-floss faces jostle for position
Up against the orange fiery-red Emperors; sunburst pouting lips shouting out
“We’re here!”
Dolls Minuets with pink-magenta pirouette pointed ballet slippers
Dance in the slipstream breeze to our delight
Last but not least to be outdone, red, yellow rimmed swaying Calypsos
Positively glowing with a promise of summer’s sun to come

© Gloria Maloney, 2022

*****

Mary Walsh’s poem presents a different face of nature. Here, nature is a healer, offsetting the darkness of social pressures the writer faces. I certainly recognise the imagery of work as a constant which stops me from functioning creatively.

Distraction Sonnet

I sit down at my desk to write some lines
The virginal paper ready for its ink
While outdoors the sun beckons and shines
Luring me out until my soul can’t think

I stand and sip my coffee now gone cold
I watch the blooms and blossom shake their heads
The dog gambols about happy and bold
My work lies sleeping softly in my head

I sigh and sit once more my fingers poised
I wait for inspiration to appear
At last, a pause in all the urban noise
A word , a line, and thought rise in my inner ear

And so, I write a sonnet when I feared
My muse had left me never to come near.

© Mary Walsh, 2022

*****

To finish my nature-themed page today, I’d like to end with an audio poem by young writer, Emmanuel Carriere. In Few Steps Away From Nature he shares the impact its beauty has on his creativity.