The weather changes
Socks lose their mates
Traffic and noise annoy
Tastes fade
Friends lose interest
Ideas wander
We notice a
slide
a dwindle
or a drain
Without looking
backward
or forward
One moment
lingers
for attention
Then buoyancy
lifts us
as we marvel
at the sunset
Discomforts
slip away
into the sea
Penny Wilkes, served as a science editor, travel and nature writer and columnist. An award-winning writer and poet, she has published a collection of short stories, Seven Smooth Stones. Her published poetry collections include: Whispers from the Land, In Spite of War, and Flying Lessons. Her Blog on The Write Life features life skills, creativity, and writing: http://penjaminswriteway.blogspot.com/ . Her photoblog is @: http://feathersandfigments.blogspot.com/
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PLEASE NOTE: ARTICLES CAN ONLY BE REPRODUCED IN OTHER SITES WITH DUE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BORDERLESS JOURNAL
Environment and man — are they separate or is man a part of nature? Different writers have interpreted nature and its forces in different ways over a period of time, in glory, in storm and at battle. Explore some of our selections on nature on World Environment Day… Enjoy our oeuvre.
Rabindranath Tagore’sEkti Khudro Puraton Golpo (One Small Ancient Tale) from his collection Golpo Guchcho ( literally, a bunch of stories) has been translated by Nishat Atiya. Click hereto read.
Bhaskar Parichha gives us a glimpse of the life of Wangari Muta Maathai founder of the Green Belt Movement, which has — through networks of rural women — has planted over 30 million trees. Click here to read.
As cyclone Amphan fireballed and ripped through Kolkata, Nishi Pulugurtha gives a first hand account of how she survived the fear and the terror of the situation. Click here to read.
As a tribute to the 209th anniversary of Edward Lear, Rhys Hughes writes of his famous poem, ‘Owl and the Pussycat’, and writes a funny ending for it rooted in the modern day. Click here to read.
A compelling flash fiction by Suyasha Singh hovering around food and a mother’s love. Click here to read.
The Literary Fictionist
In A Lunch Hour Crisis, Sunil Sharma raises humanitarian concerns that though raised in a pandemic-free world, have become more relevant and concerning given our current predicament. Click here to read.
Anasuya Bhar explores the various lives given to a publication through the different edited versions, translations and films, using Tagore as a case study and the work done to provide these online. Click here to read.
Prithvijeet Sinha uses Gaman (Departure), a Hindi movie around the pain of migrant workers, as a case study to highlight his contention that lyrics and songs convey much in Indian films. Click here to read.
Bhaskar’s Corner
In Manoj Das – The Master Storyteller, Bhaskar Parichha pays a tribute to one of the greatest storytellers from the state of Odisha, India, Manoj Das( 1934-2021). Click here to read.
Bhaskar Parichha reviews Raising a Humanist by Manisha Pathak-Shelat‘s and Kiran Vinod Bhatia. Click here to read.
Interviews
Communication scholars and authors, Manisha Pathak-Shelat and Kiran Vinod Bhatia, discuss how to bring up children in these troubled times, based on their book, Raising a Humanist, which has just been released. Click here to read.
Sonya J Nair of Samyukta Poetry talks about the Samyukta Research Foundation and its affiliates and its festival, Anantha. Click here to read.
Poetry by Penny Wilkes. Photographs by Michael B Wilkes & Penny Wilkes
Peregrine Adventures
I awaken with a question: Where will I discover today’s adventure?
A swish of wings meets me as I walk out the door.
“Hop on for a ride,” a peregrine falcon coaxes.
“Whee,” I say as the bird directs me to his back.
My mind launches into the sky.
I feel elevation and joy as feathers surround me.
Fledglings entertain with their mock battle.
Feeling renewed with ferocity,
I slip back into my body.
Language of Trees
In years when curiosity did
all the work, nothing irritated
like the inconvenience
of nightfall that robbed
her of tree climbing light.
She clutched and scampered
into magnolias and oaks
despite parental warnings.
Eavesdropped on birds
She questioned why ancestors left
the doughy scent of branches.
While tasting the tang
of sour apples, she hid
her promises in limb shrines.
With feet back on the earth,
breezes left her senses
dazzled by evening’s light.
Applause arises from the sea.
Penny Wilkes, served as a science editor, travel and nature writer and columnist. An award-winning writer and poet, she has published a collection of short stories, Seven Smooth Stones. Her published poetry collections include: Whispers from the Land, In Spite of War, and Flying Lessons. Her Blog on The Write Life features life skills, creativity, and writing: http://penjaminswriteway.blogspot.com/ and at penjaminswriteway.blogspot.com. My photoblog is @: http://feathersandfigments.blogspot.com/
Michael B Wilkes is an award winning architect and photographer who has collaborated on three books of poems with his wife Penny Wilkes. On two occasions he has received recognition among the 100 Most Influential peoples in San Diego by the San Diego Daily Transcript. Michael B Wilkes site: http://mbwilkesphotography.com
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Poems inspired by snapshots of nature by Penny Wilkes
Necessity
If I’m hiding
search for me
in a spider’s dream
or the web of twilight.
You might find me
in shadows gone…
a ladybug on a lemony
sway of eucalpytus.
Consider me in
the moon’s crackle
above the pines.
I’m there just before
stars prickle
with the promise
of what we
need the most.
Memory’s Rhythm
Scenes tickle, rumble, roar
across the mind’s landscape,
While bird song soothes the breeze.
Solitary shadows sparked scrambles in
scenes of friendships’ foundations,
Collages mesh with fierce echoes.
Rose scents and tangerine recalled
times of immediacy where sunset
bore a backdrop for fireworks.
A box filled with toys enticed,
while eyes explored a roadway
winding into kinship sharing.
Magnolia branches climbed to the clouds,
brought bark stings against a knee,
marked how frustration does not delay.
Heart shapes amble and circle
across the page, as fingers clutch
a fountain pen in a cupped hand.
Beyond life’s aches and ashes
a smile uplifts to reveal mountain
moments do not relent to time.
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Penny Wilkes served as a science editor, travel and nature writer and columnist. Along with short stories, her features on humour and animal behavior have appeared in a variety of publications. She has published an anthology of short stories, Seven Smooth Stones. Her poetry collections include:Whispers from the Land, In Spite of War, and Flying Lessons. She publishes a daily blog onThe Write Life:http://penjaminswriteway.blogspot.com/.
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PLEASE NOTE: ARTICLES CAN ONLY BE REPRODUCED IN OTHER SITES WITH DUE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BORDERLESS JOURNAL
Some tease and tickle brain cells or trick you unaware.
A few move in and out of the mind’s pocket.
.
Others paddle and float in the bloodstream
then vacation into the heart to stay.
.
A breath reveals those who flutter in the lungs.
Many from afar reside in hibiscus blossoms, a tulip or rose.
.
When a tree branch brushes a hand, you’ll know who’s there.
A trickle of water or wave roll calls them to mind.
.
A lemon’s scent or a phantom hand on the shoulder brings a hug of breeze
There. Always there.
.
As sun blends a spark of memory with tangerine sky,
a chuckle sounds into the sea with a flash of green.
.
A rustle of wings returns those elevated to another plane.
Still they remain. There. Always there.
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Penny Wilkes served as a science editor, travel and nature writer and columnist. Along with short stories, her features on humour and animal behavior have appeared in a variety of publications. She has published an anthology of short stories, Seven Smooth Stones. Her poetry collections include:Whispers from the Land, In Spite of War, and FlyingLessons. She publishes a daily blog onTheWrite Life:http://penjaminswriteway.blogspot.com/.
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PLEASE NOTE: ARTICLES CAN ONLY BE REPRODUCED IN OTHER SITES WITH DUE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BORDERLESS JOURNAL
Photo essay by Michael B Wilkes And Penny Wilkes: Text by Penny Wilkes
White Pelicans
We share a variety of words with bird activities and sounds.
Stop that squawking. Start feeling chipper.
If a pelican . . . so can you.
White Pelicans
Wake up and feel fine feathered.
White Headed Sparrow
Or, maybe you’re just winging it today?
Black Phoebe
Michael Wilkes, my husband and a retired architect, used to take photographs of the built environment. I asked him to take a photo of my favorite bird, a black phoebe. He did and won first place at the San Diego Fair. Ever since he has enjoyed taking bird photographs with his big lenses.
Saying one is feather-brained is a compliment.
Lesser Golden Finch
Seagulls
Just keep your beak up. Don’t get in a twitter unless it turns into a trill of birdsong. Stay Tweet.
An Osprey
Spend time on the fly.
If you feel peckish, find your favorite snack. Then keep your head down and work.
A house sparrow
We had moved to an apartment while we remodelled our house. I spent free time at a park next door writing. A black bird kept flying by. When he flew upside down in twirls, I noticed a heart on his chest. The next day I brought him seed and he paid no attention. He cocked his head at me as if I really had no clue. Which I didn’t. That night I searched and discovered he was a flycatcher and ate bugs.
Black phoebe (flycatcher)
I watched him for days until he brought a friend and did a flying dance in the middle of the park. I got close but not too close. They led me to a nest with little heads popping up.
Peregrine season is about to begin where the pair romance, build an aerie, and take turns minding the nest. When the fledges toddle out, the parents teach flying and hunting lessons. I love to watch what I call, “flying fisticuffs” where the fledges attack one another in mock battles as they learn self-defense. We have lots of photos of their activities.
A pair of romancing peregrines
Lady Jane was frustrated with her mate because he did not bring food as he just wanted to romance her. Eggs are due soon. Then he will have to focus on the nest and feeding and all that . . . beyond the fun he enjoys.
A solo peregrine
I prefer to photograph with my cellphone. I want “moments in movement” so I do not have to set up a tripod or carry a huge camera around. As for the challenges of bird photography, one word: patience. Today I heard a woodpecker and chased him for two blocks. No photo. During my morning runs, a black phoebe flies and lands and flies away again. They hunt for insects and are called flycatchers. I enjoy photos I can take. The eyes enjoy what the camera cannot capture. Then when I least expect it, a fun opportunity arrives like the photo below.
This is an example of what I love to capture. A finch landed on a photograph of a bird.
A finch perched on a bird picture
Sing beyond a peep. Get raven about your successes.
Raven
Don’t duck opportunities and challenges.
Ducks with ducklings
You don’t have to get all your ducks in a row to find success and have fun…
Penny Wilkes, served as a science editor, travel and nature writer and columnist. An award-winning writer and poet, she has published a collection of short stories, Seven Smooth Stones. Her published poetry collections include: Whispers from the Land, In Spite of War, and Flying Lessons. Her Blog on The Write Life features life skills, creativity, and writing: http://penjaminswriteway.blogspot.com/ and at penjaminswriteway.blogspot.com. My photoblog is @: http://feathersandfigments.blogspot.com/
Michael B Wilkes is an award winning architect and photographer who has collaborated on three books of poems with his wife Penny Wilkes. On two occasions he has received recognition among the 100 Most Influential peoples in San Diego by the San Diego Daily Transcript. Michael B Wilkes site: http://mbwilkesphotography.com
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PLEASE NOTE: ARTICLES CAN ONLY BE REPRODUCED IN OTHER SITES WITH DUE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BORDERLESS JOURNAL
*DUI – Driving Under Influence is punishable as it involves driving a car while impaired by alcohol or other drugs (including recreational drugs and those prescribed by physicians), to a level that renders the driver incapable of driving safely.
Penny Wilkes, MFA, served as a science editor, travel and nature writer and columnist. Along with short stories, her features on humour and animal behaviour have appeared in a variety of publications. An award-winning writer and poet, she has published a collection of short stories, Seven Smooth Stones. Her published poetry collections include: Whispers from the Land, In Spite of War, and FlyingLessons. Her Blog on TheWrite Life features life skills, creativity, and writing: http://penjaminswriteway.blogspot.com/
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PLEASE NOTE: ARTICLES CAN ONLY BE REPRODUCED IN OTHER SITES WITH DUE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BORDERLESS JOURNAL.
The navel chuckles, “Don’t ask the colon’s opinion.”
Throughout this chatter
the brain has remained complacent.
“Have fun without me,” it sings
as it flits out an ear.
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Penny Wilkes, MFA served as a science editor, travel and nature writer and columnist. Along with short stories, her features on humour and animal behaviour have appeared in a variety of publications. An award-winning writer and poet, she has published a collection of short stories, Seven Smooth Stones. Her published poetry collections include: Whispers from the Land, In Spite of War, and FlyingLessons. Her Blog on TheWrite Life features life skills, creativity, and writing: http://penjaminswriteway.blogspot.com/
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PLEASE NOTE: ARTICLES CAN ONLY BE REPRODUCED IN OTHER SITES WITH DUE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BORDERLESS JOURNAL.
Borderless 