Where’s Walden III

Works by Julie Pettine

The Diamond Mirror

The diamond mirror
whispers and carves,
it engulfs the forest.

The sound of tinkling bells,
rushing trickles,
the water babbling,
the green hills rolling, like a dance.

The Elements

The earth and wind and water too,
always look happy when together anew.
But sometimes the water, the wind and the rain
destroy the earth under what came.

The Night Grieves

The night grieves,
the shadows tease the ground.
Secrets and stories are gathered, tainted.
The night snatches the light.

Untitled

The forest is a wondrous thing—
it’s secrets are only told
to the people who realize that it is the king,
and who value its magical hold.
The wind through the leaves is a lovely sound,
and the water over rocks is a joy.
The stories of the wood are bound,
For it is not a toy.
The difference between the melodies,
it is only shown to the
insects so little,
that most only see
as nothing compared,
to the monstrous tree.

To walk in this beauty
is something few comprehend.
While others walk quickly,
hoping to see the light at the end.

The Word Toad

I read the list—
On it was one word,
The word was “toad”—
Set the list to flame.
I threw the ashes over my head,
Into the rising waves of the sea they fell,
For I was on a beach.
They made no noise,
Not a splash, not a whoosh.
They floated on the water like a gray
butterfly in the sky.
I smiled into the afternoon sun,
As the word toad pickled the ocean.
I sniffed the thick, wet air and smelled a thunderstorm.
The lightning glowed, swirled.
A dead fish washed up onto shore;
It looked like a chanterelle mushroom,
But baby blue.
The water flowed,
I looked in its mirror,
I loathe the sea,
I have a war with it.
But the lightning brightened my mood.
It was dancing with the thunder across the sky.
The menacing clouds read my mind.
The thunder rumbled and it began to pour.
Down the ocean the rain fell,
The waves picked up like a wave of death.
I saw a flash of green scales.
It was another fish
Speeding through the water with a smile.
It was a vicious smile.
After it the sunset was lavender and the sun glowed on the way down.
I smiled. I could no longer see the ashes of the word
Toad.