~ April Poetry Month ~ Daily Haiku and Social Commentary ~

These are not pretty. They are distillations of my observations and study of human behavior since I began to differentiate myself from others.

Unhinged - a series of haiku


4/1/21

many synonyms
for human insanity
subtle nuances

4/2/21

careful portrayal
in medical manual
no 'nutso' or 'bats'

4/3/21

out here in real world
deranged thinking goes postal
with guns, knives, autos

penis extensions
unbridled power to kill 
inflates crazed egos

4/4/21

if not genetic
this unbalanced behavior  
when does it begin? 

with the birth of pain
invisible soul bruises
unacknowledged trauma

4/5/21

compressed hidden hurt
amplified by daily life
a festering boil

gloms proof from mundane
fuels a growing conviction
which course will it take?

4/6/21

easy to find fault
self-blame brings on depression
road to suicide

simple to accuse
hold others accountable
self-validating

4/7/21

just a normal guy
clutching his cauldron of bile
teeters on the edge

suddenly sees red
the instant his synapse snaps
madness takes over

4/8/21

bloodlust the sole fix
to quench a raging passion
scratch the crazy itch

4/9/21

alternative source:
rigid indoctrination 
unquestioned beliefs

4/10/21

engrained repression
natural impulse denied
labeled abnormal

4/11/21

pent-up frustration
lack of personal control
backfires in gunfire

to quell fiend within
or erase temptation's source
death is their answer

4/12/21

parental abuse
of children and each other
molds relationships

survival instinct
drives actions and attitude 
vengeance is aroused

4/13/21

self-harm is quick fix
striking back at unfair world 
seems just punishment

4/14/21

hard core reprobates
humorless unforgiving
life-long psychopaths

among us daily
skulking in shadows alone
or batshit bullies

4/16/21

fear triggers action
fight, flight, freeze - or buy a gun
AR seventeen

handy extension
for would-be mass murderers
hunters of humans
 
4/17/21

just thirteen years old
shot, hands up, in an alley
justifiable?

4/18/21

fear of the unknown
fear entrenched in racist tropes
fear of ‘the other’

adrenaline rush
fear plus gun - deadly combo 
fear beats reason

4/19/21

power is granted
through position or merit
power stimulates
 
counterfeit power 
assumption born of conceit
corrupts to the core

4/20/21

there is no excuse
will there be justice for all?
the jury is out

guilty beyond doubt
nation waits with bated breath
for first conviction

4/21/21

GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS
YES! Handcuffed, led to jail. YES!
maybe forty years 

it is about time
finally held to account
blue line is breaking

4/22/21

head down silence scheme
bad cop’s crucial weapon
good cop’s nemesis

4/23/21

an act of hatred
victim considered evil
wicked dangerous

perp intends to hurt
craves to destroy the object
lust for suffering

4/24/21

hold accountable
daily deaths by police - three
twenty-one per week
 
law and order kills
eleven thousand yearly
reprehensible

4/25/21

football brain scramble
chronic encephalopathy
prompts mood swings, outbursts

explanation why
past NFL defensive back 
kills a family -

shot dead in their home
doctor, wife, two grandchildren -
then turns gun on self

4/27/21

hands on steering wheel
boxed into driveway by cops
with warrant to search home

seven officers
their guns blazing - mow him down
execution style

4/30/21

racist violence 
erodes all humanity
traumatizes young

holding onto hope
in face of degradation
heroic challenge



Posted in haiku, Poetry, Social Commentary, Writing | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

~ Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #141: Geometry ~

Maybe it’s because spring is all around me, or perhaps it’s that I’ve always enjoyed the softness of spheres relative to angles, either way, today my LAPC focus is on circular shapes in nature.

Wishing everyone safe harbor, as we navigate onward. Please mask-up and stay safe.🐾

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #141: Geometry

Posted in Flower Of The Day, flowers, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, nature photography, pacific northwest | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

~ Wordless Wednesday ~ Red-breasted Merganser ~

Mergus serrator – March 2021

Wishing everyone safe harbor, as we navigate onward. Please mask-up and stay safe.🐾

Posted in Birding, birds, nature, nature photography, ornithology, pacific northwest, photography, Wordless Wednesday | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

~ Wordless Wednesday + Cee’s Flower(s) of the Day ~ Three Tiny Beach Gardens ~

Wishing everyone safe harbor, as we navigate onward. Please mask-up and stay safe.🐾

Posted in Cee's Flower Of The Day, flowers, Gardening, Wordless Wednesday | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

~ Lens-Artists Challenge #139: Special Moments ~

This week, in response to Tina’s challenge to feature “moments that take your breath away,” I’ve selected five photos taken over the past five years on the Long Beach Peninsula in Washington State, USA. Each one was a gift from nature, and taught me something about capturing breathtaking shots.

February 2016 – North Head Lighthouse – Cape Disappointment State Park

It was a dreary cold day when Jello and I took a long walk through the park to North Head Lighthouse. I snapped several photos of the structure and the environs before walking up the path away from the lighthouse. When I turned around, the sight stopped me in my tracks. In this moment a personal photo mantra emerged – “Always look back!”

Long Beach Sunset – September 2016

Sunsets are addictive! Intense gorgeous light filtered through earths atmosphere as night begins to overtake day, is almost always stunning. What makes this photo a favorite of mine is the dune grass foreground. Without that texture and context, it would be ‘just another sunset’.

Beach Walk – December 2018

Bird life here is plentiful and diverse. In late fall to early winter large flocks of shorebirds migrate through. Over the years I’ve featured some, as I learned to identify what species they are. This shot was a moment of being in the ‘right place at the right time.’ The couple was walking away from where I stood, birds swirled through the air above them, and I took the photo.

Jello at Sunrise – October 2017

If you follow my blog, you have seen this photo before. Mist had settled into the dunes as we crested the berm heading toward the beach. I stopped to see where Jello was and saw her silhouetted in ‘the golden hour,’ confirmation that light in early morning truly is magnificent.

Fierce Bald Eagle – May 2020

During the initial two plus months of COVID19 shutdown, we opted to stay at our condominium in Long Beach. Twice a day Jello and I walked along the beach and resident Bald Eagles became accustomed to our presence. Always keeping a distance, so as not to intrude, I was blessed to get some great photos using the telephoto feature on my camera. The lesson here is, ‘just keep taking shots, you don’t have to pay to develop them, you can delete all that are blurry or blah, and once in a while you get something extraordinary!’

Wishing everyone safe harbor, as we navigate onward. Please mask-up and stay safe.🐾

Lens-Artists Challenge #139 – Special Moments

Posted in Beagles, Birding, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, nature, nature photography, pacific northwest, pacific ocean, photography, Report from the Edge of a Continent, travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

~ Wordless Wednesday ~ Early Spring Light ~

Black-tailed Mule Deer – fawn

Wishing everyone safe harbor, as we navigate onward. Please mask-up and stay safe.🐾

Posted in nature, nature photography, pacific northwest, Report from the Edge of a Continent, Wordless Wednesday | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

~ Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #138: Natural Light ~

Looking out from the western edge of the North American Continent with the Pacific Ocean on the horizon, the sky often is filled with fantastical clouds. Sunlight reflecting on them or rays of sun streaking through them create lovely suffusions of natural light.

Looking West at Sunrise
Pink on Gray
Dune Marsh Sunset

From late winter into spring the dune meadows turn into marshes which add another dimension of natural light to the scene.

Quiet Morning

Always there is the ocean, with dune grass highlighted at sunrise, light reflecting on powerful waves, and wind lifting spray to the skies.

Stormy Weather

Sunsets here are as varied as the weather and almost always spectacular! Thank you Amy for a lovely challenge. Anytime I get to showcase nature, I’m a happy camper!

Wishing everyone safe harbor, as we navigate onward. Please mask-up and stay safe.🐾

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #138 – Natural Light

Posted in Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, nature, nature photography, pacific northwest, pacific ocean, photography, Report from the Edge of a Continent, weekly photo challenge | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

~ Wordless Wednesday ~ Report from the Edge of a Continent ~

Clouded Sundown
Spotted (Rufous-sided) Towhee Pipilo maculates
Early Morning High Tide

Wishing everyone safe harbor, as we navigate onward. Please mask-up and stay safe.🐾

Posted in Birding, birds, nature, nature photography, ornithology, pacific northwest, pacific ocean, photography, Report from the Edge of a Continent, Wordless Wednesday | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

~ Lens-Artists Photo Challenge # 137: Soft ~

“Softly, as in a morning sunrise…

The light of love comes stealing
Into a newborn day”

Abbey Lincoln

“Soft as a whisper in the wind”

Lindy Low Le Coq

“Soft as the silky-velvet of Beagle ears.”

Lindy Low Le Coq

Wishing everyone safe harbor, as we navigate onward. Mask-up and stay safe.🐾

https://lagottocattleya.wordpress.com/2021/02/27/lens-artists-photo-challenge-137-soft/

Posted in Beagles, jello, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, nature photography, pacific northwest, Report from the Edge of a Continent | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

~ Wordless Wednesday ~ Augie Trees a Squirrel ~

Wishing everyone safe harbor, as we navigate onward. Mask-up and stay safe.🐾

Posted in dogs, Wordless Wednesday | Tagged , | 1 Comment