Creative Life – Page 6 – Susan Joy Clark

Creative Life, It's a Doggy Dog World, Photography

Fluffy Cuties in Black and White, #CBWC

I may be a step ahead (not sure) but this post is for Cee Neuner’s Black and White Photo Challenge with a Pets or Stuffed Animals theme.

None of these cuties pictured are my own pets, but in my animal care business, I come across dogs and cats in a variety of breeds (and breed mixes.) They may not be my pets, but I love them as if they were. Here are just a few of my animal friends.

Franco — It’s less complicated to call him a cockapoo,
but he’s actually a mix of four small breeds.

Luce, a Brittany spaniel and dachshund mix

People often ask me what my favorite breed is (of dogs especially.) With all of these lovable cuties, it is hard to choose. Of these photos, which is your favorite?

Creative Life, Poetry

Synchronized Swimmers, #Haibun, #Haiku

A trickling waterfall creates a soothing soundtrack as I walk along the edge of the koi pond. The pale koi and deep bronzed goldfish weave in and out of one another’s paths, darting undercover of the lily pads and then emerging again into the center where I can observe them. They are graceful, arcing and twisting their lithe bodies, like water ballerinas … synchronized swimmers. And once in a while, in the midst of their performance, they seem to be arranged in perfect symmetry.

the koi and goldfish

align themselves in the pond,

warm-toned symmetry

Creative Life, Poetry

Poetry in Motion

Like a ship’s maidenhead

reimagined

for a machine on wheels,

she is poised

for action,

knees bent like those

of a diver,

gracefully streamlined

in art nouveau design.

She is, seemingly,

a type of female Mercury,

a goddess of speed,

wings tilted upwards

as well as her chin,

holding forth a

wheel

as though the wind

will turn it.

Though frozen

and still

in sculpted metal,

she is full

of motion.

This poem was written for a dVerse Poetics challenge, where we were challenged to choose one of 12 minimalistic photos by Glenn A. Buttkus for poetic inspiration. Glenn is a poet who contributes to dVerse challenge and also has a site for his minimalistic photography.

Creative Life, Photography

Oh Deer! #CFFC Photo Challenge

I spotted this deer in someone’s yard that had grown a little wild and was nearby to a public park …

and this deer in my own front yard. It was even closer to the house at one point.

My buddy Sabrina deserves the credit for capturing this cutie on camera, at the James A, McFaul Environmental Center in Wyckoff, New Jersey.

I photographed these two beautiful fawns last year in a dog care client’s backyard.

They had no fear of me, so I was able to get some good shots. Mama was nowhere in sight.

I really hope this does not mean they were orphans. I enjoyed my moment to observe them up close.

This post is my entry for Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge with this week’s theme of Nature Animals.

Creative Life, Poetry

A Map of Stars #Tanka Tuesday, #Tanka, #Ekphrastic Poem

paddling my canoe

under the light of the full moon,

while guided by stars

and wisdom of forefathers,

while kingfishers fly above.

This was written for Colleen M. Chesebro’s Tanka Tuesday challenge. We were challenged to write a syllabic poem inspired by the artistic photo shown. I was inspired both by the photo and this bit of information I found on http://www.ancient-wisdom.com, “The ancient Polynesians navigated their canoes by the stars and other signs that came from the ocean and sky. Navigation was a precise science, a learned art that was passed on verbally from one navigator to another for countless generations.” I decided then to make reference to a Polynesian bird.