Cascades
Sunlight’s
rays silently
warm dried red clay river
beds, as if all the water was
flowing
By Lorraine Stark
Image via Unsplash by @andreilasc
Friendship
Friendship
Friendship
invisible
bonds that connect people
like gravity, you’re drawn to share
with them
By Lorraine Stark
Blue in Bloom
Blue in Bloom
Small petals
form clusters
pompous against
green leaves
not too big
mind you not
too small just
enough to make
you notice and
sigh in awe
from puffy
masterpieces
against a brick
garden wall
blue in bloom
hydrangeas
By Lorraine Stark
Image via Unsplash by @tunamayoongirl
Haiku—Tempting
Haiku—Tempting
Outside Dante’s heat
Children splashing in the pool
Ice-cream has no chance
By Lorraine Stark
Image via Unsplash by @squishtine
@squishstine
Flapping
Flapping
Sheets on clotheslines as
Seagulls soar against a
Backdrop of blue skies
Listen, hear them flapping
Their freedom as they
Dance with the wind
By Lorraine Stark
Image via Unsplash by @tq_photos
High Heels
High Heels
She wears high heels
when she gardens
don’t bother to ask why
square patent leather heels
a straw hat tilted with a red
sash that in the winds seems to fly
and there’s one thing you can
be sure of always you can
recognize her above the flowers
by her hat and her nickname is
the lady in red fancy that
By Lorraine Stark
Cold Rain
Cold Rain
Sometimes when things
Seem all wrong
They say you have
To remain strong
No matter
How badly you feel
Your own pain
Remember someone
Somewhere is hurting
Just like you
So bring up that
Smile From deep within
To chase the shadows
And gloom
And then
You will see
Sunshine
Light a new
Path
And the cold rain
Will cease
And leave your
Heart
Like a bad dream
It will fade
Away too
By Lorraine Stark
Image via Unsplash by @kellysikkema
Baseball (Cinquain)
Baseball (Cinquain)
Baseball
soars towards the clouds
beside it, it carries
all passengers seeking their field
of dreams
By Lorraine Stark
Image via Unsplash @matthew_t_rader
Aroma (Cinquain)
Aroma (Cinquain)
Scents with
hypnotic smells
linger in fine mists and
fill the air with their bouquets that
beckon
By Lorraine Stark
Image via Unsplash @mary_pen
Bouquets of Promise
Bouquets of Promise
She’s as silent as
a bride walking down
the aisle, guests whisper
how beautiful she looks,
afraid to disturb the
moment of her passing
Beneath her veil tears
are visible in her eyes
they are not caused by
sadness, they come from
bliss
For she symbolizes love,
hope, beauty and peace
equal to the grace of spring’s
bouquets of promise
By Lorraine Stark
April (Cinquain)
April (Cinquain)
April
Gently persuades
lazy sleeping beauties
prince and princesses in the ground
to wake
By Lorraine Stark
Garden Maiden (Cinquain)
Garden Maiden (Cinquain)
Between
strands of her hair
buds of spring form garlands
made by gypsies that travel with
the wind
By Lorraine Stark
Image via Unsplash @edwardhowellphotography
Gardening Couture
Straw hat
old shirt, old shorts,
some tears, who really cares,
while weeding away the past for
today
By Lorraine Stark
Image via Unsplash @ilerstoe
Matthews During COVID-19: A Photoessay
Take a stroll through Matthews with photographer Claire Rodahaver. Claire captured the usually active downtown, now absent of people, the streetscape dotted with informative handmade signs. This is our current normal.
“I hope this is a time when small business owners come together and support one another. We need to get through this. We must and we will! Thankful for the opportunity to live and work in Matthews the last year. It is truly an amazing gem of the Charlotte area. As a photographer, I hope I can use photography to share powerful stories and uplift people in this time of uncertainty. ”
Claire Rodahaver is Matthews-based photographer, photojournalist, and educator.
Visit her website here.
Glass Spring
Glass Spring
On one American morning, a virus came ashore, it does not discriminate,
it knocks on anyone's door
On one American morning, this invisible beast made humans its feast
On one American morning, our country decided to fight against the pain
and sorrow, now a familiar site
On one American morning, we will make this pandemic leave no forwarding
address
On one American morning, together we are strong, we are America we will achieve success
On one American morning, again, we will resume our daily routines, and not
forget, anything can change life in a minute
On one American morning, we will defeat the unknown
On one American morning the sun will rise, just like before
it will greet the young and old
On one American morning, again the alarm clocks will ring, school buses
will roll and a glass wall will not divide us anymore
By Lorraine Stark
Image via Unsplash @anshu18