"MORE THAN ENOUGH"
"Never catch a break,"
Said Harold.
"Not from these storms."
More rain than
He needs.
More wind than his crops
Can handle.
Livestock jumpy in
Their pens,
Soaked rows of
Fresh turned hay.
Never-ending battle
In the middle of
This land.
JP
"SOUNDS OF WATER"
I walk through the field,
Smelling the damp air.
Search the distance
For the glint
Of water.
Around the bend,
Noises of swift moving
Water.
Never disappointed
On the road
Less Traveled.
JP
"HAVEN"
The only conifer
On the hill.
Safety net for
Birds in flight.
From a distance,
A murmuring of swallows
Sweeps inside its
Shape.
Minutes pass, I anticipate
The explosion
And am not
Disappointed.
Alone.
Ageless feeling of
Solitude.
JP
image size 12 x 20 $1,300
image size 10 x 20 $1,150
"HOMEWARD BOUND"
Long road, longer
Days.
The cliche, A farmer's
Work is never
Done.
At the end of the road,
A home cooked
Meal,
And family.
What more could one
Ask?
JP
"GATHERING"
Again and again,
Wandering the
Flatlands,
The clouds gather.
Can't stop it,
Can't wish it
Away.
Sharpen the
Senses,
Focus the
Mind.
Bring it
Home.
JP
"THE OTHER TRAIL"
Not one to be cowed by
Distance,
Even though the
Pathway stretched unending
Took a chance to find
Its purpose.
Watched for signs of
Reason
For this never ending,
Dusty route.
Nothing in sight for
Miles.
A quick step to the side
To watch the mail truck
Pass!
JP
image size 8" x 30" $2,100
image size 8" x 30" $2,100
"ORANGE COLORED SKY"
Never ceases to
Amaze.
No matter the number of
Times.
Photographs don't
Express,
Paintings can't
Depict
The brilliance of
Your first
Orange Colored
Sky.
JP
"OVERGROWN"
Old path, long
Abandoned.
Haven't been there for years.
Half forgotten memories
Resurface.
Alone with my thoughts,
Recalling childhood
Forays.
Missing friends on
Horseback,
And dogs that follow.
Across this field
A way still shows.
Worth the effort.
Time spent wandering
With companions in my
Heart.
JP
"A FATHER'S SECRET"
His favorite spot
For fishing late.
Took no one here
But Uncle Bugs
And me.
Gave him that name,
I did.
Uncle Bugs did
Fly tying.
Lots of fish
Caught on those flies
In that lake.
That name, "Uncle Bugs"
It caught on, too.
Still have his
Bamboo pole.
JP
"HEADED BACK"
Walked back home
(where home was for a
Few months.)
Turned around a
Hundred times.
Pondered the canvas of
Colors.
Going the wrong was the
Thought.
In the moment,
In unfamiliar
Territory.
Darkness called me
Home.
JP
"GRANDFATHER'S FIELD"
He lived his life
For the land.
Planted his gardens,
Cut the hay and
Filled his barns;
Bent his back
To the harvest.
He pruned the fruit trees
In dead of winter.
Did we ever know
The seasons meant
So much more than
Four pictures
On a wall.
JP
"BACKLIGHTING"
Color of maize,
All turns to
Gold.
Surrounds everything that rises
From the Earth.
Wanting to see if it happens
To me.
Never anyone I can turn to
On these forays.
Solitude is my strong
Suit.
Sharing with those that have
Traveled before,
Is all I know.
Fortunate to be here,
Still.
JP
image size 12" x 20" $1,150