Have you found them? Don’t worry, most people can’t on the first try.  They’re there, all right, but only reveal themselves to those who are ready to believe, to accept, to embrace.  Close your eyes and open your mind. Clear away the prejudices, fears and preconceptions. Suspend your skepticism. Relax and let all your senses — even those you don’t fully perceive or comprehend, and may not even believe in — do their jobs....

Relentless. The undergrowth of beginning. The endless overgrowth without a finale. Twining and vining imperceptively, Yet, interlocking in a stranglehold for life. Creating its own atmosphere in a limitless terrarium. Providing sustenance while feeding upon itself. Nature in consort with planetary purpose. Adapting to each assault. Flexing but not breaking. Surviving even the pestilence of man. A forgiving mother. But a h...

 "Witness Well" (c) Mike Stone Raanana, February 3, 2019   Nothing in nature is hidden from us; It has no secrets. It is we who close our eyes Or look away And think it magic or unknowable, Unwilling to give up the comfort of our ignorance. When we walk in a forest lush With trees standing and fallen Beheld within the play of sun and shade We must not be daunted That we know not the names of sycamore or oak, Crocuses or m...

“I am Mother Nature, and I hereby call to order the first annual meeting of the Bureau for Oversight and Observation of Beasts In Existence. Our mission here at B.O.O.B.I.E. is to design and implement the types of animals that shall roam my earth.” “Well, I for one think it’s about time. The plants have taken over this place. There’s not any place to walk anymore.” “Shut up Clyde. You’re the one who came up with ferns.” “...

A tall tree strong and upright, A tree flowing amid rocks and fern, A songbird's call.   These mark the path Upward, to where the damp turf Springs under feet no longer dryshod   There, where sky and earth and water meet, There, lie hidden in a rocky cleft A pearl and a rose petal.   I will cherish them forever.  

Leaning as far over as she dared, she peered under the lake’s gently rippling surface. She could see all the way to the silt and rock bottom but couldn’t discern a black rectangle protruding from it. The phone was gone. “Stupid, stupid,” she muttered. “Where is it?” She risked leaning even farther, searching beneath the canoe but the old wooden vessel creaked in protest and tilted perilously, threatening to capsize. She s...

Let your mind wander, let my mind go too, Together our heads, simply make two. Two little thoughts, drift in the wind, Like a couple of leaves, carrying currents run thin. A momentary look, a rustle here and there, Browning and wearing, who saw… who cared? Slowly decomposing, now beginning to rot, Back into the soil, food for the plot. From the earth to the heavens, the story still stands, If you think far further, beyond...

It’s raining outside, I can see through the living room window. With my eyes closed, I imagined how it would feel on my skin so cool and refreshingmaking me feel clean again after it washed away all my worries and fears. As I’m watching the rain fall hard in places and the rain pounding on the windowmaking everything look dreary.  I am amazed to see how gentle the rain falls onthe most fragile of flowers quenching their t...

I love going for walks in my hometown. It’s a very small town, but its natural beautyis unbelievable. Words cannot do it justice. There is one particular nature trail thatI do enjoy taking whenever I get the chance.  It starts at the Horsebrook Trailer Parkand Campground that is located almost at the end of town, and it leads to a long dirt road.  During my walks one of the things I have noticed is the smell of the trees;...

One couple arrived at the residence. They hoped to find a perfect place to raise a family. It wasn't to be. Another couple had been quicker. They were there earlier and, so, they got first pick on available housing. The lucky couple's kind was abundant in this country. They'd been brought here for a purpose. They'd fulfilled their purpose. They just wanted to live happily. As did the couple watching them consider this new...

The olives and the ochres of withered blades,Of conkers and hazel all through the gladeDark evenings, too soon the clock going back,Squirrels secreting their nutty snacksA ring of fairies dancing on the lawn,Appearing in the early dawn  The cool breeze brings a dash of rain,Like tears on the window paneA double rainbow a lucky sign?Still no evading autumn time Some might speak of the fall,Time to don coat and shawlNo more...

It never failed. I was never surprised anymore. I walk out here with my fleece throw, my cup of coffee in hand, and sit on the bench overlooking the lake. Then, without question, there he is, always soaring high above the lake fog. I swear I can see the wink of his eye as he turns that white head in our morning meetings. Sometimes, although I'm wrapped in a throw and enjoying my hot wake-up juice, I can feel myself soarin...

As I live and breathe, so do these animals and trees. Now I perform a palm read, on the veins of these leaves. And it will tell me, the wrongs of my breed.I can hear her soul, she cries for me to aid her. But our kind is convinced, we are the single child of Mother Nature.A child greedier than no other, we decorate our homes, But pillage that of our mother, and act like gods before our brothers.Confining them in jars, lab...

A tapestry of color nature weaves,Changing greens to red and gold,Across high hills and valleys low.Heated days now a memory leaves,Spring's new life no longer bold.Gone are warm winds that blow.Summer's green packed in sheaves.Tucked away for the coming cold.Color soon traded for Winter's snow.My mind foggy as it perceives,I'm in the autumn of life's hold.Most times I'm left eating crow.Seasons pass quicker oh I grieves;...

I saw her from my window She was hungry and looked at me She was a beautiful doe She was eating a leaf by the tree I went outside and she was very still I had some food for her to try I walked closer to her with great skill We both looked at each other's eye I offered her some food She walked slowly and accepted She took it and carefully chewed It wasn't what I really expected She wasn't afraid you see I fed her and strok...