Our diminutive world
is far different from your “big” world
but we are doing pretty darn good
4mm Aphids living upon a Wild Burr Cucumber Plant.
Small Aphids on a Wild Burr Cucumber Plant … Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
As if he crawled
out from M.C.Escher’s Dream Woodcut
he watches the camera
and the camera manipulator
waiting for
the aloneness
that he cherishes and lives by
beyond mere supplication
Praying Mantis Hanging Around… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
If you don’t like to be stared at,
don’t come to rural Illinois!
There are some rare plants here in rural Illinois
that are sensitive to the touch and that are quickly evolving.
At first, besides their sensitivity to touch,
they began being sensitive to the sunlight.
Then, gradually over time, they developed
photoreceptors that could better detect sun-
light and let them know when to fold their leaves for the evening.
Now these photoreceptors are further evolving
into legitimate eyes.
Some plants that i know have
better response and better perception than
a lot of the humans out there!
I am a vegetarian,
and i certainly am not going to eat these plants
while they stare back at me!
Chamaecrista fasciculata, a wild plant of Illinois with an eye on each branch section and with leaves closed for the evening… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
Chamaecrista fasciculata, a wild plant of Illinois with leaves open in daylight for photosynthesis…. Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
As Grover on Sesame Street
— not that i ever watch it
with our pet parrots —
says: “Oh, lower case “i,”
you are so cute with your
little dot!”
Grover is right! It is a
marvelous letter and helps
to represent what i am
(even though it really isn’t
what i am whatsoever)!
Two Pearl Crescent Butterflies… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
Valient blue conqueror
of the skies
Aware mosquito slayer
and bug buster
An aerodynamic agility
turning on a dime
Posed limber and free
and thus we salute thee
Swift Long-winged Skimmer Dragonfly… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
One little tentacle at a time
One little seed among many
One small leaf rising to shine
One tiny bristle around plenty
One curious mind turning into this rhyme
After this line won’t be any
One Little Tentacle at a Time… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
Life is so much more
than books and words
and iPhones and money
Death is so much more
than finality and crying
and funerals and caskets
If one is of deep understanding
Life and Death are
not two different things
Augochlora Green Metalic Bee… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
Similar to miniature armored tanks
from the prehistoric past,
you scurry along like ancient,
deep sea Silurian Period trilobites
(with shielding exteriors)
to be envied by soft, fragile, vulnerable we.
***************************************************************************************************************************
Much like M.C.Escher’s famous Curl-up Prints — these crustaceans probably inspired him — Rollie Pollies (or Pill Bugs) are capable of rolling up into protective balls, just like trilobites did many millions of years ago in the deep oceans. This particular species looks to be more like a Sow Bug so is likely not able to fully roll up like an almost similar looking Pill Bug can. Most Rollie Pollies live up to two years. They are the only crustaceans that can spend their entire life on land. They mostly eat dead vegetation. They breathe by means of gills, which necessitates needing to be in a humid air environment (such as under logs).
Sow Bug from the Past… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
I am not the problems, this morning,
upon waking up,
that i went to bed with.
This waking is a real awakening,
a true awakening.
It is not an awakening to some second-
hand religion or separative flag
that was shoved down my throat.
It is not an awakening to what others
have said that i was in the past.
It is even beyond what i thought i was
in the past.
It is, very possibly, a true renewal,
a true awakening
beyond the past images and labels
about myself and others.
It is not the old and stale past
getting out of bed; it is
newness, pristine perception,
and whole, healthy action
beyond mere reaction.
It is perception beyond the secondhand images
implanted by a largely immoral society.
We’ll not miss that nightmarish,
assembly-line-brain of conditioning!
The old, jaundiced brain upstairs is dis
app
ear (arh-whoooooo)
ing
“So goodbye yellow brick road
Where the dogs of society howl
You can’t plant me in your penthouse
I’m going back to my plow!”
Mushrooms deep in the woods… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
At the tattoo shop
they just quickly sent me home.
Nature is perfection already!
Hibiscus Bug… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
One young student of life asked Lo Zu, “Of all the various types of clouds in the sky,
which is the one that you deem best?”
The great sage’s penetrating eyes sagaciously looked up and he said,
“Not the huge, mountainous, white towering clouds that have accumulated much. Neither the
saturated, heavy clouds, for each is darkly full of itself; nor the clouds that stretch, sheet-like,
blanketing the whole sky; they think that they know everything.
However, there is real beauty in the little, truly humble, faint cloud of no-mind that one can barely see,
that no one notices; it lets the sun through and helps illuminate the darkness. Fireflies can illuminate
darkness too; very few people love them like I love them.”
Firefly Illumination Happening!… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
Flaming passion flows
past inconceivable now
spilling into we
Flaming Calocera cornea fungus found deep in the woods… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
Before after came
it took some time to remember
which, of course, came before
now was ever formulated
Supposedly, depending on circumstances,
once upon a time
was reading this
before the story’s ending was
conceived
like a grin without a face
or a tear without an “I”
as what was up
reads
d
o
w
n
Note: Buffalo Treehopper… The eye is not a double-exposure; that is how the eye and eye edge actually look.
Buffalo Treehopper… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
Beauty needs no reason
like bourgeois businessmen do
who strut with the deepest frowns
competitively struggling for what
beauty is not
The faceofthewings(lookclose
ly)has eyes
a dimple and a smile
That smile transcends
sorrow
[Note: Do you see the “Smiling Face” in the Swallowtail’s wings?]
The Face on the Wings of a Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
Why
dew
sew
many
cling
two
the
s
u
p
e
r
f
i
c
i
a
l
?
Rose Chafer… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
Especially i just want to breathe
when air is getting dirtier
Especially i just want to see
when the world’s views are getting cloudier
Especially i just want to hear
when so few are really listening
Especially i want to smell
when so many just pass the flowers by
Especially i want to feel
when many are just indifferent
And most especially i want to live
beyond a cadaverous respectful comfort
Question Mark Butterfly, and why not? Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
My antenna raised
but no separative flag!
We are one, whole globe.
Katydid on Thistle Leaf… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
“I want happiness,”
said the greed to be happy.
Joy is motiveless.
Magnificent Milkweed Flowers… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
As a young student was walking by, Lo Zu asked, “How many legs do you have?”
The young student replied, “Two!”
Then Lo Zu remarked, “That is a shame.”
Many weeks later, the same young student observed Lo Zu and asked,
“Why is it that you often bend down and focus upon the insects and spiders?”
After some silence, the great sage answered, “What you think you are, you are not… and what appears to be what you are not, you are. For instance, when an ant is looked at, a deep perception consists of six legs. When a spider is examined, a great perception consists of eight legs. When butterflies are seen, a deep perception embodies wings, and when bees are observed, there is diligence and responsibility.
There is no “I” or “me” regarding this, since both are merely empty, delusive, learned abstractions.
Therefore, this does not involve mere identification; it is much deeper than that!
Most people merely see things with lazy eyes of delusion and separation.”
“I don’t quite understand,” said the student.
With a tender smile, Lo Zu warmly replied, “That is OK; maybe someday you will understand and no
longer be
just another one of the two-leggers.”
Eastern Tailed Blue Butterfly … Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
It’s supposed to be
pockets of human beings,
not pockets of the whole of nature!
*******************************************************************************************************
I speak from the heart on this. My wife and i do not have any children. I love kids and had worked for my career as a teacher for the multiply handicapped, but this planet has way more than its share of humans. In the past, i have lost a number of girlfriends because of my stance on this. It is very interesting (and tragic) that this most vital subject — that directly impacts the whole earth and all of its creatures including man — is mostly neglected (and not seriously considered) worldwide.
In too limited of a space… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
The shadow of my wing
unfolds as a very curious thing
reading this to the very end
The Shadow of the Dragon’s Wing… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
Little Miss Could
promised to marry Should
They’d live in a sweet fancy house
mostly made of would
But then she met Why
with a special twinkle in his eye
He visited her ‘most every day
and often made her pie
When Should found out
he began to scream and shout
He demanded that all the pies be trashed
and that instead she eat sauerkraut
Miss Could began to cry
she threw a gigantic pie
It flew in Should’s round pretension
hitting him squarely in the “I”
Mr. Why married Miss Could
right there in the neighborhood
and he baked her plenty of pies
just as she felt he wood
Tiger Swallowtail (i.e., Mrs. Why, stuffed from eating pies!)… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
We must find C-3PO
make our way to Obi-Wan Kenobi
and erase the forces of darkness
New Model SuperDroid 4-JPG… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
In Canada and around the world,
Curling is a sport that is growing.
We love to watch Curling as it continues to grow!
Curling … Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
If people were sweet like flowers
this world wouldn’t be going to hell
and so much would beautifully smell
Become a Flower… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
As it fell from my
hands into the river,
my second-rate, semi-waterproof
camera was drowning.
I tried to give it mouth-to-
mouth resuscitation
but then received a
massive jolt of electricity
into my flared chops.
As I remained passed-out
on the riverbank,
sweet images of beautiful flowers
crawled in my head
and I smiled,
realizing that a camera
was no longer needed.
Wildflowers and Soldier Beetle… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
If there is a spy among us,
he shouldn’t be too hard to spot;
he’ll be at the top and have glaring eyes of red.
[Note: These insects are on a wild Celery plant. Wild Celery is very common in our area.]
Spy Among the Ants… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
PHOTOGRAPHY TIP #7:
When you see what you like,
there is a button on the top of your camera.
Press that button.
Photography Tip with Wildflowers… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
A young student asked Lo Zu, “When a firefly is full of light, does that mean that it is undergoing satori or full enlightenment?”
“No,” the sage answered, “Fireflies groom themselves often, making themselves orderly and spotless, but that is not enough for them — insects who live with separateness and competition — to receive immeasurable enlightenment.”
“What will happen if I receive such enlightenment?” the lad asked.
Lo Zu then answered, “If the limitless, unadulterated energy of the cosmos visits you and flows through you, you will look slightly physically different but you will not physically glow and, additionally, the fingers of the hands may contract (making it difficult to move), but usually that visitation occurs when one is alone and not among others.”
“I see,” said the student.
“After the visitation,” said Lo Zu, “you will look just like everyone else and, of course, the hands will easily move again; however, your mind will be much different. You will be glowing on the inside and will have seen.”
“Seen what?” the young lad enquired.
“Seen what is unseeable; met what is indescribable,” said Lo Zu.
“Is it the sacred?” the young boy asked.
With a tear in his eye and a concomitant smile on his face, Lo Zu answered, “Perhaps!”
Then Lo Zu graciously remarked, “Listen, Firefly, surpass fireflyness.”
Firefly Grooming Itself… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
(thou)
gh
man
y hate
you
Some
see you
r true
full
beauty.
That’s
all
th
at
mat
ter
s
Bull Snake Admiration… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
Only sick immorality can yank children
from their parents and cage them up,
shitting on universal-global love
You know, i am not interested in politics whatsoever. Politicians are not my cup of tea. However, what is happening in the U.S. is getting to be extremely sick and immoral, and people (deeply stuck in their ruts) are accepting it! Children are children of the world; they don’t belong to any damn country, to any damn politics. It’s only crass, divisive adults who put them in such fragmented domains. A regime that, against international human rights laws, pulls children from their parents, is an immoral, diabolical regime. That same deranged, fascist-loving regime has been turning its back on the environment (kissing the behind of the fossil fuel industry). The unnatural, hellish, hot and violent weather is going to get exponentially worse and is no coincidence; mass extinctions will continue. When will people wake up?… when it is too late?
Shitting on Children… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
Speedy Gonzales: Why was I pulled over, officer?
1st Officer: You were speeding. And you were thinking about passing in a “no-passing zone.”
Speedy Gonzales: I was?
1st Officer: Yes, you were! Let me see your driver’s license.
Speedy: What’s a driver’s license?
1st Officer: Oh boy, you hit the jackpot!
Speedy (smiling): No, I did not run into any jackpot! Here is my driver’s license.
1st Officer (yanking Speedy roughly): Put your hands behind your back, wise guy; I have to handcuff you. You got a green-card?
2nd Officer (nervously): Be careful, don’t get too rough with him. Maybe we are being filmed. I, from this highway, already see huge aerial cameras hovering above us.
1st Officer (in a cruel tone): It’s off to incarceration in the old Delux Ant-farm for you, Speedy! You will get nothing but bread and water!
Speedy: Bread and water? I love bread and water!
*************************************************************
Final Note:
Speedy got sentenced to three years but he got out in two for good behavior; unfortunately, against international human rights, all of his children were separated from him by an immoral, fascist-loving regime. Though extremely poor, he is content with living on meager crumbs somewhere upon your shiny kitchen floor. Walk gingerly!
There is an alternative name for Highway 47. The alternative name is Tom’s Garden Hose.
Incident on Highway 47… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
They hate yellow deeply
with their Scotts toxic bags
set to make dull lawnminds all exactly the same
Dandelion Dreams… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
They cling to guns to feel safe
while callously letting the environment go to hell.
It’s all really starting to smell.
[Note: So sad that the U.S. is a country addicted to guns. Even the children have taken up shooting each other. On another note: So many fly in jets to go on vacations to “beautiful places,” or to take “beautiful” nature photos. The carbon footprint of jet travel, for human beings, is unbelievably high, massively high; there is nothing beautiful about ruining the environment. People who frequently go traveling around the world are admired by others, not by me.]
Our Dying Environment… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
an impressive this and that
a revealing why and how
won’t make the superficial mind much deeper
we might see that by now
a reading left to right
some judgment up and down
will not make the world much saner
or dissolve the patterns to which we’re bound
Young Leafhopper (around 4 mm long)…. Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
Same-sex marriage laws.
Nothing like old, moldy raisins deciding
how the young grapes should grow.
Moldy, Old Politicians… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
Physically, there may be a bridge to a better future. One can eat more healthfully, exercise more, and do things to improve the environment, including building wonderful bridges. Internally (i.e., psychologically), is there really a bridge, and who is going to cross that bridge? Is the bridge different from what one is?
Is the “experiencer” really something separate from the experience? If there were no experiences, what would the “experiencer” be? So many of us, like infantile children, want more and more pleasurable experiences. Can there be moments when a sagacious mind exists without merely depending upon experience after experience?
If anger takes place, can it be looked non-fragmentarily — without manufacturing separate ideals — so as to be fully aware of it (without separative space and time)? Can there be moments when the mind (without excuses) fully sees what it is directly and with full awareness, without concocting notions of something different (that requires space and time to achieve)? If cruelty exists, and ideals manifest of “someday not being cruel,” is the non-cruelty an actuality or is it a mere abstraction (or escape) that depends upon fabricated psychological time?… and may it be that fabricated time (with its space) fails to see cruelty instantly and fully for what it really is? Is the thinker really something separate from thought, or are they one and the same? Is psychological time often an escape depending upon fragmentation, fabricated space, a mentally fabricated separate “I”… and, also, a postponement?
These questions are here for you to ask yourself; they do not exist for you to reply here with any answers.
from Emily Dickinson:
There are two Mays
And then a Must
And after that a Shall.
How infinite the compromise
That indicates I will!
Ebony Jewelwing… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
[While at the local Subway, getting a vegetarian sub the other day, i noticed a framed “Subway Diploma” hanging on the wall where the employees were working; the following Haiku was inspired by that Diploma certificate.]
I worked so very hard
to get a diploma from Subway
but I just couldn’t cut the mustard
Insects on Wild Celery… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
An inquisitive young man, along with some of his friends, went to Lo Zu, and said,
“Every time that I look east, the birds fly east, and every time that I look west, the birds fly west;
every time that I look up the birds fly up,
and every time that I look down, the birds fly down. What does this mean?”
After a very long period of silence, Lo Zu, the great sage, finally answered,
“One must keep one’s mouth shut when inquiring within.”
They finally hatched! 🙂
Mourning Dove Fledglings… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
Let me shelter you
from the rain, from all the pain,
for all are brothers.
Mushroom Feelings… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
[from Albert Einstein (1879-1955; physicist and Nobel Laureate): “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.”] Write to your congressmen, vote wisely (instead of what you inherited), and demand change.
This Haiku doesn’t need a canto
because it’s just too damn small.
The U.S. is destroying the Environmental Protection Agency.
Tiny Things… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
Eye see you still there
focusing on your sweet friend
with “I”s to no end
[Note: Look at all the eyes along her cephalothorax!]
Fishing Spider… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
[Note: Most people are afraid to die psychologically, so they are never really living.]
no method
no practice
no effort
no goal
no system
no beliefs
no process
no analysis
no past
no future
no present
no nation
no religion
no ideology
no “shoulds”
no wants
no opinion
no fear
no escapes
no thoughts
no me
no authority
no time
no tomorrow
no yesterday
no separation
no excuses
no them
no being
no becoming
no controller
no labeling
no indifference
Skipper Investigating… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
at my “final ending”
don’t waste a lot of tears
at what is just another beginning
Red Admiral Butterfly Metamorphosed… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
Wisdom will go to sleep
while understanding the whole.
Scientists will not.
Ant on Tree Blossoms… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
a different kind of bird
a different kind of nest
too many hate you but i don’t
Wasp with Nest Eggs… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
A listening happened just today
beyond the “shoulds” and frowns
It curtsied and then ran away
without the verbs and nouns
Then seeing came running past
as lightning with the rain
All this will always ever die
like laughter after pain
Then fragile touched a feeling thing
as springtime slipped away
All this will always never die
Whitman’s wink here to stay
Bumblebee Time… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
Oops, I tore my pants!
For syllabic perfection,
legs are swarmed by ants.
Ants getting ready to invade the legs of Thomas Peace c. 2018
Why should Haiku involve
the counting of syllables?
This isn’t Sesame Street!
Face to face with a Red Admiral… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
Not decapitated
Not put in a coffin-like vase
to beautify hell
Midges with Tulip growing Outdoors… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
Tom's Nature-up-close Photography and Mindfulness Blog 