Ravensong Poetry And Writing Blog by Donovan Baldwin

By Donovan Baldwin

We think, and talk, a lot about "nature" and, somehow, often seem to assume that homo sapiens, that destructive and abusive species, is, in some way NOT natural.

Oh, we do create artificial machines and devices which can do stuff, often destructive stuff, at levels previously unimaginable in the history of mankind. No doubt of that.

But, amid all the "destruction" real, imagined, revealed, hidden, lurks one aspect of homo sapiens which I feel is often overlooked.

While it may SEEM to be part of our "nature" to destroy, tear up, and use the rest of the "natural" world, there always seems to be people working to restore, repair, regenerate... often using the same mechanics, science, and technology capable of causing the "destruction" in the first place.

I put "destruction" in quotes because, often that tearing down or tearing up of things is done to make things to satisfy the rest of us who desire to have the fruits of the labors of those tearing stuff up and down.

I have no idea, statistically, who's "winning". I just know that in the battle for Earth, leaving aside attacks by intelligent aliens, there's more than one "army" at work... often just small platoons, if you will, maybe even marauders, on both sides.

It seems to be "natural" for some of us to take, and some of us to give. We sometimes even benefit from the efforts of the takers.

No answers, as usual, but, thinking out loud makes me feel better about "nature" and the "natural" process of things.

Labels: article by Donovan Baldwin, natural, nature, progress, science

By Donovan Baldwin

Part warrior, all poet,
Wielder of weapon or pen,
With equal alacrity, one
Mightier than the other
Depending on circumstances,
Cause, and foe, but always
For what I see as truth,
Beauty, love with my most
Humanly discriminating eyes.

-----

send me messages
to read in my quietness...
silently reply

-----

i learned her secrets
she revealed her hidden self...
i saw her treasure

-----

I hear and understand
The messages of the wind,
Fragrance of bold red flowers
Small secrets whispered among
Trees and grasses, and sung about
By birds and cold running water,
Burned into the souls of us all
In rays of the afternoon sun,
Molded in silver moonlight,
Stories told us by ancients,
When we all were poets,
In bold conversation

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intimate moment
my head on your naked #leg...
planning my journey

-----

our hands intertwined
staring at the universe...
sharing forever

-----

all life's ups and downs
so easy when together...
a carnival ride

-----

warm fragrant flower
i become a swarm of one...
let's make some honey

-----

to silent music
dance a motionless embrace...
endless cotillion

-----

i am what i write
revealing the hidden man...
words reality

-----

Poetry copyright 2020 by Donovan Baldwin
Image: Movie Still, Cyrano de Bergerac (1950)

Labels: Cyrano de Bergerac, donovan baldwin, fragrant flower, nature, poems, poetry, warrior poet

By Donovan Baldwin

I have a passion for the earth
For all the aspects of nature,
Visiting as often as I can,
Taking away visions and memories,
Skies changing from blue to black,
And back again, golden sun
Rising and setting with silent bursts
Of flaming colors brassy
Pastels leaving their impressions
On eyes and soul....

Of grassy fields, trees green
In spring, bare and solemn
In winter, flowers blooming
Bright and gay, to die away,
Before the heat of summer,
Or blasts of winter winds...

To listen to the songs of birds,
The quacking of the ducks
And even the inharmonious
Screech of the wide winged heron,
And the hidden owl in the dark...

And for water, in all its forms
From stream to river
Pond and lake and even,
To the cascading rain
Which drums a tune that
Makes the most hardened soul,
Stop what they're doing,
To watch a bit and hum along,
With this symphony of nature.

-----

chilly this morning
cuddling and snuggling in bed...
we make our own heat

-----

sunrise in window
changing picture in a frame...
dawn exhibition

sunrise beside me
throwing her covers aside...
dawn exhibition

she makes me arise
turning towards her i display...
dawn exhibition

-----

curious fingers
explore down so softly warm
tangled in her web

-----

two lovers embrace
beyond all earthly power
true love conquers all

-----

I shouted, "Who are you?" to the winds
Which blew in from the ocean,
Never expecting a reply.
I muttered, "Where are you?" to the sands,
Crunching beneath my feet.
I wondered at the night sky,
"Why must I be alone?"
And, then one day,
The sky said, "Turn around and look."
The sand said, "Listen for her voice."
The wind blew you to me,
And I knew your name was "Love".

-----

I started drawing lines,
The lines became words
The words became poetry,
And, from the poetry,
A face sprang up and
Spoke back to me in poetry,
And we wove our words
Creating a volume,
A body of work, in which,
Two bodies became one,
And made love with words.

-----

Poetry by Donovan Baldwin
Picture: Idyllic Stream, photograph by Donovan Baldwin

Labels: donovan baldwin, flaming colors, grassy fields, haiku, nature, poems, poetry, songs of birds, the earth, water

By Donovan Baldwin

Gift of gilt and silver,
Amber, glass, and enamel
Wrapped about in
Gold filigree.
Ancient wedding brooch
From Tara,
Eighth century they tell me.
No need to write a poem about,
Poetry in itself.

-----

if i come to you
will you understand my desires
are the same as yours

-----

two people in love
closely intimately one
kept so far apart

-----

i would say the words
but my touches say much more
if you will listen

-----

life is tough as nails
enduring long ending fast
life can be fragile

-----

Water bathes in one way,
The wind in another.
Each is cleansing,
Each whispering tales,
Hints and suggestions
Of lands and people
Far away and near.
Wind neath the sun,
Caressing the skin,
Arouses feelings akin
To those of a lover,
And a desire,
Like making love,
To slip into
Nature's arms
Once more.

-----

How many books
Are crammed within my head,
Stacked upon the shelves of my mind,
Gathering dust until, taking them down,
One by one I turn the pages,
Read a page a paragraph
Stop and consider the words
Echoing in my brain,
Demanding to be with their friends,
To go out and play.

-----

night is for hunting
take rest in the heat of the day...
advice to a wolf

-----

naked words reveal
innermost desires and loves...
i have no secrets

-----

bare feet on the ground
sun and wind upon my skin...
in nature's bedroom

-----

the stars have their names
humans cannot understand...
shining without us

-----
Poetry Copyright 2020 by Donovan Baldwin
Pictured: The Tara Brooch, a Celtic brooch made in 650 to 750 AD.

Labels: bare feet, books, Celtic brooch, desires, haiku, naked words, nature, night, poems, poetry, Tara Brooch, water, wind

By Donovan Baldwin

steamy bolero
an internal orchestra
pounding in her veins

-----

Upon her tangled bed
One woman orchestra
Within her pleasure pit,
She, maestra,
Elicits sharp notes,
Wrung with pleasure,
Deftly fingering
The exact spots,
Making the most
Exotic music
As her lips play upon
A silent flute.

-----

i am filled with you
quivering at your touches
even while apart

-----

find you in nature
you are the wind touching me
everything i see

-----

it's about feelings
bold tastes and hot touches shared
our hearts' sensations

-----

make my offering
within her body's temple
altar of venus

-----

i raise my banner
planting the stiff staff deep
in mount pleasant

-----

she plays melodies
fingering delicious notes
on a silent flute

-----

i float upon waves
undulating sensations
from her caresses

-----

you are part of me
your name's written on my cells
eternal essence

-----

yummy confection
warm and savory dessert
she serves up with love

-----

no perfect body
she does not bribe my desires
yet my heart is hers

-----

spooning warm honey
lifting a loving dessert
a charming hot bun

-----

Labels: bolero, dance, donovan baldwin, Mount Pleasant, nature, pleasure pit, poems, poetry, tangled bed, Venus

By Donovan Baldwin

captured on canvas
moment of revelation
offering her love

-----

her exciting path
hard tipped hills to soft grotto
loving interlude

-----

throbbing emotion
sounds of romantic effort
then a blissful rest

-----

she cannot hold still
overcome by my kisses
a movable feast

-----

let her blossom stay
you must visit where it blooms
for if plucked will die

-----

bare to open air
lovers of and in nature
sex under the sun

-----

in her sweet repose
seducing in slumber
her sworn guardian

-----

water pelting flesh
four soapy hands exploring
lovers showering

-----

reaching around me
intentionally brushing
provocatively

-----

though i use no words
you understand my touches
wordlessly reply

-----

let not the dream fade
keep it bright and beautiful
as if beginning

-----
Copyright March 2020 by Donovan Baldwin

Art: Nude Woman with Black Stockings - Pierre Bonnard

Labels: donovan baldwin, haiku, lovers, nature, nude, Pierre Bonnard, poems, poetry, shower sex

By Donovan Baldwin

Mother Nature put on a bit of a show in the Fort Worth area between 4 and 6 AM.

Big thunderstorm, or, as I have heard them called in this part of Texas, "thunder boomer".

I grew up in Florida, on Pensacola Bay along the Florida Gulf Coast, so, thunderstorms are not new to me.

However, in this part of Texas, dreaded "water from the sky" is not as common as it was down on the coast.

Over the decades, I have worked many jobs that took me outside a lot. Mama Nature and I are old friends, if not always good friends, in my boyhood, on beaches, in woods, and as a working man. Even my "fun" activities often occurred outside.

(Side note: If you are not from the coast and love on the beach sounds romantic to you, ditch that idea. Sand gets into everything....everything.)

Anyway, I have gotten away from Lady Nature, what with advancing age and other responsibilities.

Pity.

It's always (Except when it's Summer in Texas...) a pleasure to reconnect with the Great Outdoors.

Most days, these days, it's through my sitting room window. However, today, I am taking the trailer to nearby Benbrook Lake, and am going to renew my friendship with Ol' Ms. Nature for a week.

Comments may not be as often as normal, but, expect the pleasure meter to be near the top of the scale. Nothing like a little quality time with Mother Nature to make you feel you're home, and whole, again.

NOTE: The above comment was written several weeks prior to being posted here, and I have been back from that pleasurable outing for several weeks.

Labels: donovan baldwin, Florida, Florida Gulf Coast, Mother Nature, nature, Pensacola Bay, texas, thunderstorms

By Donovan Baldwin

I sat in a park today. Pleasant interlude, although I made use of the time to try an experiment. I recorded a poem and loaded it to YouTube.

Conversation With The Moon

Even though I was "busy", just being there for a few moments, in the shade of a tree with a stream running by, was relaxing.

Even I, the guru of "peace, calm, and tranquility" had forgotten how a few quiet moments, sitting in the shade by a stream, with trees around and a blue sky above with a few white clouds, can soothe and ease the cares of the world. It can make the sun seem brighter and love seem warmer.

You can go to the library and find all kinds of books on relaxation, meditation, centering, balancing, and so on. Years ago, climbing trees and swimming in the bay, I was relaxed, centered, and balanced, and, yes, those hours on the beach watching the waves, or in the woods as the breeze blew through the limbs and leaves, was meditation.

People have come to me and asked, "How can I learn to meditate?"

I guess one simple answer would be to go find a tree by a stream. Sit under the one, and watch the other. You'll learn fairly fast how to relax.

Nature can be the great relaxer, and, it doesn't require a prescription. There are no classes to attend, no lessons to learn or practice, and it's free.

Ah. I think I'll just stretch out here for a while, and relax.

Labels: conversation with the moon, donovan baldwin, learning to meditate, meditation, nature, poem, poetry, relaxation, relaxation techniques