Christine L Emmons

Outside My House: A Journey Through Nature During COVID Lockdown, April 2020 to May 2021 - Flowers and Rocks Christine L Emmons

To the Reader Filling the frame this summer day
With demure white flowers on display
This tree readies to welcome summer
Perhaps as it did last year
But I do not remember
Reflection: When our world becomes small, we see things that we did not notice at all. (#22: Tree with White Flowers)

Confined to my home during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, I started to pay attention to what I could see from my house. Then I started taking pictures. One day I decided that I would write a poem a day for a year. Take a picture. Write a poem. Think of a comment. I shared a few with relatives and friends. They enjoyed them; suggested that I publish a book. So, here it is. No, I did not write a poem a day for a year. But I took several pictures and wrote many poems; and, I am still writing!

All of the poems in this book were inspired by photographs that I took from April 2020 to May 2021. They focus on the scenes outside my house as the seasons changed from spring through summer, autumn, and winter, back into spring.
My signature style is to pair each poem with the photo that inspired it, and to create a reflection to accompany each pair. To show the changes in scenery as one season flowed into another, the poems are arranged by the date each picture was taken.

You may notice few poems written for summer and fall. During those months, I visited parks where I could socially distance, walk along trails, and enjoy expanded views. The poems from these visits are not included in this book.
And so, welcome to my nature escape, where I hope you will have a fun, feel-good time. For this book is intended for the stressed out, the young at heart, and those who love nature. Whether you are eight or ninety-eight, please enjoy and comment. I would love to know what you think.

Dr. E