Shadow and Light Upon A Mountain Side
Written For/With @dVersePoets
This Second Weekend of August
Writing Prompt: Creating poetry in the style of a Monet painting

Number One — a glimpse of the mountain side —

a crystal sky dome sits over Lake Ann
blue — falls down onto green tree tops
open sky light along lime green folds
tracing shadow of oak and hickory timbered lands

Ozark mountain hills lay inside
painted in greens, golds, reds
and now browns
light — dresses up for the day
as if changing matters
following some constant
yet unnoticed sky chart

a delicate mix of light
falls along the forest floor
where light patterns emerge
in open spaces
and suddenly stride up
to the top of the hill
riding along strands
of white sun beams

glimpses of mirrored reflections
target darkened downed timbers
and sharp freshly cut edges
shine in a burst of intense sunlight
beneath the canopy

there you can see light and shadow
standing side by side
edges melting into darkness
and then all at the same time
moving into the light of day

emerging and disappearing from view
in a wave of wind or just by more time
moving into eastern sunlight
now slanting west

near the mountain tops
where few trees are removed for building houses
nothing is there in the landscape
but a  gaping open mouth
gulping back only black shadows

Number Two  — a glimpse of the cliffs—

faces of grey
silver stacked stone-walled cliffs
stand over Lake Ann from below
layered in deep time
of limestone and flint

creating outcrops
ledges for cliff swallows and canadian geese
finding places to construct their homes
and places to build their nests
finding their day in the sunlight and afternoon shadows
or seeking refuge from summer storms

deep gouges penetrate thru the layered bedrock
escaping with openings along the shoreline
where waves lap back and forth splashing up white caps
in persistent coat-tails
along the lake edge

Number Three  — a glimpse of the shoreline —-

light upon shadow
shadow upon light
each becoming the other
reflections pulsate thru the lake waters
held just for a moment into shore shallows

wearing a crown of thorny vines
upright trees and crooked old-man branches
over hanging canopies
slightly touching the blue-green algae waters below

waves of sunlit leaves
drop — lost to the summer heat
picked up and carried by southwesterly winds
fall — slowly drifting into the lake
as if, each measured leaf
is gently placed —
in its own individual spot
by some invisible hand


Number Four  — a glimpse of an eagle flight —

caught in a sudden flutter
carrying shadow upon its wings
a single Bella Vista Eagle flies
through the canopied cliffs
gliding upon the rising air
soaring — carrying flight
into new found light and shadow
breaking from each new circle
higher and higher into new heights
finally —  flying over the mountain tops
into the vast steely blue sky day

— a new found quest among shadow and light