26 Comments
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Patris's avatar

How beautiful this poem is, Wes. Stanley said it perfectly- as if you spoke Laurie’s picture in these words and married them with heart.

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Weston Parker's avatar

Thanks Patris, it really is hard work channeling a rose bush.

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Patris's avatar

A bouquet for Laurie I thought!

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Stanley Wotring's avatar

Excellent poem. It is exactly that picture in words.

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Weston Parker's avatar

Thanks Stan. So, I wonder, without the photo, is it a stand alone poem or does it need to have that photo there. Old Robert Frost made "Stopping by the Woods" without a photo. That's life. I'm lucky to have a wife who can take a very good picture.

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Stanley Wotring's avatar

Both are good individually but together they are great!

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Weston Parker's avatar

I’ll tell her Stan

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Patris's avatar

Reading this again and everything I said before, it’s beautiful, Wes.

Maybe shadows are those ghosts we love, allowed to walk with us in the sunlight but called home - like when we were kids, running - by our parents when it got dark, telling us it’s time to be home and to rest.

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Patris's avatar

(As old as I am I remember chasing my shadow on the sidewalk trying to trick it into allowing me to jump on it)

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Weston Parker's avatar

Oh, I tried to do the same thing!

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Patris's avatar

Great minds with time on their hands

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Weston Parker's avatar

Thanks Patris. I know there's a poem in there, in your comment, something more serious than these comic ones but they take a while.

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Patris's avatar

I was going to tell you the Shadows poem might be my favorite! I’m not being maudlin about the ghosts either - I’d like to think they’re inter dimensional comics!

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Weston Parker's avatar

That's a good image, "inter dimensional comics"

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Patris's avatar

After my father died my sister and brother relayed to me events they believed were signs from him. But although I was closest to him in the last months of his life, I neither saw him in dreams - nor around me since I poured wine in the garden as an offering- (when every light along the street went out) a day after we’d left him at the cemetery.

Until the night of the following Halloween.

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Weston Parker's avatar

To be continued……

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Catherine Porter-Borden's avatar

Laurie really does take inspiring photos!

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Weston Parker's avatar

Yeah, she has such a good eye for composition.

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NG's avatar

Either would stand alone, in my opinion. They could be in France, Spain, US, Croatia, etc, , even in Canada at the end of summer. Therefore, everyone could close their eyes and see the beautiful photo that Laurie took.

I trust you are both well and enjoying your eternal summer.

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Weston Parker's avatar

As you can tell, Norma, we are trying to make the most of every day since who can know how many more we are given.

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House of Neglected Poetry's avatar

They really do need to paint that downspout!

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Weston Parker's avatar

I’m going to knock on their door and get that started

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House of Neglected Poetry's avatar

They really do need to paint that downspout!

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Jessica Rath's avatar

What a lovely union -- picture and poem.

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Weston Parker's avatar

Thank you Jessica.

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May 7, 2024
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Weston Parker's avatar

Exactly!

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