By Daniel Paiz

Some words conjured together so you get a sense of their sketchy nature views.

Sketchy Nature Views

The light flickers as I focus on the zigzag stripes before me,

My chiaroscuro efforts failing on this timid okapi,

sketching out a critter skittishly elusive seeking peace,

reminded presence in a moment, is what this one really seeks.

The outside reminds folks to “breathe in, breathe out,

say somethin’ significant”,

without Luda’s chorus being belligerent,

but I digress from the deep cut,

barely drawing surface level images,

penmanship getting hazy,

patience paying off though

as light and dark shading improves daily.

Night and day feeding the hunger,

roots and berries the newest plunder,

learning new things helps push dusty thoughts out yonder.

Kelp forests outta reach as warmer waters bequeath,

manatees and other natural wonders remind me the blue marble ain’t deceased.

Drawing from their experience that times are tough,

sometimes dicier than propellers,

and yet meandering below the current helps survive any weather.

I digress to creatures across the planet,

mainly because they aren’t outlandish,

impacting some environments that are far from lavish.

Worse in some ways than crazy cat ladies and proud pupper pops,

these animals aren’t immediately providing joy to me with behavior over the top.

I get why some pet parents say they’re more into critters than humans,

largely because they gave up,

mental semblance in some ways to others not so congruent.

Maybe they cared too much,

there were times I did too,

submitted to something bigger,

fruits of labor ignored as

Kevin Owens’ efforts for others often do.