Warmth will awaken scents and colours:
the forest is waiting
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Grey fingered, twisted limbs spin mist:
still white-out on the pass
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Gnarled brown in bracken and bark,
dappled patches on trunks
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Floored in fresh-tipped ferns’ green screen,
sea of swaying fronds
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Lichens flecked on colour-licked rocks;
mosses mottled on logs
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Sudden surprise of bright blue hue:
tiny fungus buds on stems
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Prancing in perky pinks and purples:
tree fuchsia’s petal-flared tutus
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Showy red rata gleams amidst green:
bright flash of colourful trim
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Kowhai’s yellow a glimpse of cheer
as golden rays descend
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In Spring’s softly subtle sunbeams,
birds balance to sing.
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Writing Prompt |
Wrote a poem about the upcoming Spring season. any length or style will do. |
Author Notes
Author's Notes:
(Here in New Zealand it won't be Spring until September; we are still enjoying Summer.)
This poem describes observations while 'tramping' in New Zealand forests in Springtime, when many small, colourful plants and flowers will be revealed.
1.) Ferns come in many shapes, sizes, and green variations.
2.) The little blue mushroom, Enteloma hochstetteri, grows in woodlands, among moss or leaf litter, of western parts of both the North and South Islands of New Zealand. It is one of the most distinctive mushrooms in the world, found only in New Zealand and India. It is part of Maori folklore. The species was first described 1866 by the Austrian mycologist Erwin Reichardt. It has a small, delicate above-ground fruiting body; the cap's diameter may be up to 4 cm (1.4 inches) with a conical shape. It is named after the German naturalist Ferdinand von Hochstetter, who was a key figure in NZ's early days of exploration and natural history discoveries. An illustration of the mushroom is featured on the NZ $50 note.
3.) The NZ native Fuchsia excorticata, commonly known as tree fuchsia, is the largest species of fuchsia in the world. The trees have distinctive papery orange coloured bark hanging off in shredded strips. Its flowers are smaller than those on shrubs in domestic gardens.
4.) Rata is a native red-flowering tree, from the myrtle family.
5.) Kowhai is a native flowering woody legume tree. Its bright yellow flowers hang in clusters, the nectar being popular with a wide variety of birds.
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