my stride holds steady
buoyed by the gentle embrace
of the downing golden sun
early shadows fall soft
vesper’s velvet blanket
drapes ’round my shoulders
envelops me in calm
there is still road to travel
eager to keep the journey
I’m drawn by the beauty
of the rising moon in sunset
coaxed by a soothing breeze
I venture on toward my love
rolling amber fires the lane
spreads warm ‘cross the horizon
mist begins to rise and waft
nestled in the valley
I see my hearth & home
guilded copper in this eventide
my heart quickens
stirred by this gorgeous vale
the ribbon of its brook
entwines my soul in wonder
my smile sweetens
my pace livens
I hum a quiet evensong
in the grace of this splendid day
To be entwined in wonder! I love the energy that drives this poem. Such a love for life.
Thank you Sandy, I try my best to find the sun…
…rob
Rob,
A truly beautiful piece.
We should all try to find the sun.
Pamela
Thank you Pamela, and yes we should — though not always easy…
…rob
Wow, this poem drew me right in…..I could see that amber glow (my favorite color of the day!), your love for life lights up every line, and I enjoyed walking home with you, your heart quickening, as you walked towards-and with- your happiness. Beautifully done.
You are most kind Sherry, and thank you for joining me on my walk… 😉
…rob
the grace of a splendid day….that is truly living beautiful…bkm
They can be rare BK…
…rob
the rising moon in the sunset is beautiful,
very lovely sentiments,
the imagery is unbeatable.
here from Monday Train revisited.
Thank you Jingle…
…rob
mountains beyond mountains of grace
Rene… 😉
…rob
Infectious poem.. it did sprinkle a lot of energy .. my spirit was feeling drousy.. loved it.. thanks Rob.
Thank you Ramesh…
…rob
Love how the speaker in the poem sees beauty no matter where he goes. The beautiful image is perfect. Beautiful!
Beauty is everywhere if we look Ana, and are able to see…
…rob
Thanks a lot for linking,
please feel free visit a few poets near your entry to get yourself better known to the community,
your poetry shines,
have a smiling day.
You’re welcome Jingle. Keeping the prompts on Writer’s Island moving for the past 4 years, and staying in touch with the writer’s/poets who frequent the Island, as well as creating my own writing and art for my 4 blogs, which includes my current iteration of Image & Verse blog, which I originslly founded in 2004. With the freelance creative projects I do — I unfortunately don’t have a lot of time to visit.
With what time there is, I try to touch base from time to time, with the writers/poets I’ve been in community with since 2005/2006, the days of Dana Guthrie Martin’s pioneering site Poetry Thursday (PT) – and Meg Genge and Laini Taylor’s site, Sunday Scribblings (SS).
SS continues, but PT closed, and evolved in 2007 into Read Write Poem (RWP) and my Writer’s Island (WI) — and about a year and a half ago, Carry On Tuesday (COT) came on the scene . My WI continues, but RWP closed and the community expanded to include Big Tent Poetry (BTP) and We Write Poems (WWP).
So with the community from the founding sites, PT and SS, who are now on SS, WI, COT, BTP, and WWP – It is hard to keep aware, much less in touch with the number of very new sites, like yours, Magpie Tales, One Stop Poetry, Poets United and others which have cropped up only this year… but I try… 😉
You do a truly wonderful job of creating that peaceful feeling. Very beautiful.
Thank you Teresa…
…rob
Heart-/nature-resonant work, excellent, as usual.
Thank you Steve…
…rob
you create quite the beautiful atmosphere rob…and there is nothing like getting home..nice one shot!
Appreciate your kind words Brian…
…rob
An excellent poem. I really like it.
Thank you Shashi…
…rob
“as dusk descends
my stride holds steady
buoyed by the gentle embrace
of the downing golden sun”
Great poem..
Loved reading it… 🙂
For a moment I was entranced by the sheer breathtaking beauty of the picture!
A very visual image of dusk you paint here! It exudes happiness!
As I reached the end of the poem I felt that it was the glimpse of hearth and home that caused ‘my heart quickens’ yet just as I grasped that thought I was thrown into the new thought of ‘my heart quickens
stirred by this gorgeous vale’. Whether or not you intended that to happen in the reading of the poem, it did for me and I must admit that I enjoyed the question it left me with…. was it hearth and home or was it the scenery that caused the joy… No doubt both….
I felt a golden glow throughout. Thank you.
that had such a gentle flow…a really beautiful, image full read…thanks for sharing
You use beautiful imagery in this!
Thank you so much RW… 🙂
I love the image of a wonderful place like this… i hope to find a place and time to enjoy it.
I hope you do Bjorn! 🙂
An enchanting walk, Rob. Thank you for taking us right along with your mesmerizing words!
You are welcome Beverly, thank you!
Nice last stanza of praise.
Thank you Frank!
This is one of the most beautiful poems I have ever read, Rob! 😀
Wow Sanaa, I am so humbled by your gracious compliment, thank you! Wow! 🙂
I love the dreamy feeling of this.
I amglad you do Kerfe, thank you!
Beautifully said Rob. And I hope you are feeling better.
Very beautifully penned, as always.
Thank you Lucy… 🙂
I love the gentle opening lines, Rob, the slow build-up of your poem, and the vowel sounds in ‘buoyed by the gentle embrace / of the downing golden sun / early shadows fall soft’, like a big hug. Your description of ‘rolling amber’ sunset warmed me up, sitting here in my cold study, as did the thought of arriving home at the end of a splendid day.
I am pleased you enjoyed this Kim. I needed to feel warm like this today, so I dug back through my archives and pulled this one out. It is the second time I revisited this piece on I&V in the past few years. I wrote the very first version in 2008.
I loved to revisit and read it again… to hear (and see) you reading was amazing…
This morning we had a light that was reminded me of this.
Thank you for revisiting my piece here, I am proud and pleased you enjoyed it. Light pure golden light is just magical. When I was able, I would trek into wilderness forests to watch it cascade down through the canopy. It always made me “high”, made me believe in hope snd possibility — at least for the moment.
So much paradise. I live there, too.
You sure can paint, RK.
Thank you Ron… 🙂 …when I was younger and healthier, and especially after moving to Oregon in 1990, I’ve spent so much of my time in nature. I love people, but given the choice between saving cities or saving nature — those fucking buildings would tumble… and we’d all again learn how to live from, and in balance with the land. Of course I’m certain iI am in the minority, just look at how we treat the planet — like a bunch of asshats.
A beautiful, expectant ride!
Thank you Mary! 🙂
Wow, I may be the first to comment here in 2020. I bad no idea you were so active on so many sites. You paved the way for me at Magpie Tales and later d’Verse Poet’s Pub. This piece is so halcyon, so passionate and loving of Nature, hearth and home.
Thank you Glenn. I’m an “old fart” online poet from too far back to think about (or clearly remember at times)… 🙂
I enjoyed the imagery in this, Rob. Sounds like a wonderful journey.
I am pleased you dnjoyed this RW… 🙂
A peaceful, spiritual walk, it reads like a Psalm. So nice to hear you read it. May your lovely wife have a good visit with her family and return safely to your waiting arms <3
Thank you Lisa… 🙂 I was really hoping to hear you read today.
Thank you Lisa… 🙂 …as a sad commentary on our current state of affairs, she won’t be in my arms until a negative Covid-19 test — and quarantine. It sucks! 🙁
This is incredibly gorgeous, Rob! 🙂 It was wonderful to have you read tonight.
Thank you Sanaa. I simply love to create environment and atmosphere, it is so uplifting for me as a writer. I am pleased you enjoyed it… 🙂
Beautiful Rob. I love the way it winds through the dusk of evening toward your destination. Well done.
Thank you Dwight… 🙂
A beautiful read and write, Rob. Walking the road of life in peace towards the sunlight of the spirit. Nice.
Thank you Ingrid… 🙂
I will always look at evenings with these line in mind after this.
vesper’s velvet blanket
drapes ’round my shoulders
envelops me in calm
May it always comfort you.
This is so lovely, Rob, and it was wonderful to hear you read it! Thank you for taking us along on this beautiful, magical walk. I felt that blanket, “vesper’s velvet blanket” drape around me, too.
Thank you Merril… 🙂
Both the peacefulness and optimism of your words are a welcome balm. How lucky you are to have such a refuge.
It helped me warm a chilly, rainy day — I am happy to share.
With a returning like that, I almost want to leave again, just so I can come back! Beautiful!
Thank you Eric… 🙂
I love the optimism of this Rob. I especially liked hearing your words of explanation before you read it to us. So NICE to actually see you at the pub! 🙂
These words I love:
“vesper’s velvet blanket
drapes ’round my shoulders
envelops me in calm”
and then the way the voice of the poem literally brightens as home and hearth come into view. This is the penultimate definition of home: how it should make one feel! 🙂
Enjoyed this very much!
Thank you so much Lillian. So very pleased it struck a chord… 🙂
This is beautiful, Rob …. home and hearth in shades of copper, what an amazing sight it must be.
Thank you Helen… 🙂