Temple Illuminatus
2024-03-28T09:46:11Z
Debbie
https://templeilluminatus.ning.com/profile/DebbieDuncan
https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/66635344?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1
https://templeilluminatus.ning.com/group/artofpoetry/forum/topic/listForContributor?user=1a8ghdfujkgkk&feed=yes&xn_auth=no
Silent Moment
tag:templeilluminatus.ning.com,2023-09-09:6363372:Topic:3638002
2023-09-09T01:37:42.329Z
Debbie
https://templeilluminatus.ning.com/profile/DebbieDuncan
<p class="western"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><font color="#333333"><font face="Tahoma, sans-serif"><font size="2"><span lang="en" xml:lang="en"><i><b>Oh little stray, <br></br> Eyes lifeless fur gray, <br></br> How could it come to pass that rolling fate would claim you as its prey? <br></br> <br></br> A haunting scene as you lay listless against crushed rock and grass of green. <br></br> Forgotten so it seems, <br></br> by mans endless lust for power and speed. <br></br> <br></br> One boundary too many you tried to…</b></i></span></font></font></font></span></p>
<p class="western"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><font color="#333333"><font face="Tahoma, sans-serif"><font size="2"><span lang="en" xml:lang="en"><i><b>Oh little stray, <br/> Eyes lifeless fur gray, <br/> How could it come to pass that rolling fate would claim you as its prey? <br/> <br/> A haunting scene as you lay listless against crushed rock and grass of green. <br/> Forgotten so it seems, <br/> by mans endless lust for power and speed. <br/> <br/> One boundary too many you tried to cross, <br/> not knowing that what lay ahead was a blacktop holocaust. <br/> <br/> You came and went with little life spent. <br/> Like many before, <br/> And far too many more still to be sent. <br/> <br/> Transcend these earthly bonds, <br/> and journey to a safe place beyond the stars. <br/> <br/> Farewell for now, <br/> as my tears fall unfettered. <br/> Thank God this silent moment won't last forever!</b></i></span></font></font></font></span></p>
<p class="western"></p>
<p class="western"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><font color="#333333"><font face="Tahoma, sans-serif"><font size="2"><span lang="en" xml:lang="en"><i><b>by </b></i></span></font></font></font></span></p>
<p class="western"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><font color="#333333"><font face="Tahoma, sans-serif"><font size="2"><span lang="en" xml:lang="en"><i><b>Bill Walker<br/> <br/> <br/> Please have your pets spay or neutered. And please support your local shelters in any way that you can.</b></i></span></font></font></font></span></p>
Forgotten Feline
tag:templeilluminatus.ning.com,2023-08-09:6363372:Topic:3637422
2023-08-09T20:18:21.457Z
Debbie
https://templeilluminatus.ning.com/profile/DebbieDuncan
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>I got an honorable mention in a local poetry contest for this poem! </b></span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>She's a forgotten feline</strong></em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>Born to always roam</strong></em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>She's a forgotten feline</strong></em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>Searching for a forever…</strong></em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>I got an honorable mention in a local poetry contest for this poem! </b></span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>She's a forgotten feline</strong></em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>Born to always roam</strong></em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>She's a forgotten feline</strong></em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>Searching for a forever home</strong></em></span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>She's not much more than a kitten</strong></em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>But She's always been alone</strong></em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>Survival at its harshest</strong></em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>A life she's always known</strong></em></span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>Sometimes a kind human hand out</strong></em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>Gets her through the day</strong></em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>But most of the time she hunts</strong></em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>Most of the mice they get away</strong></em></span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>If not for the rains standing water</strong></em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>Her thirst is constant every day</strong></em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>Never knowing a gentle caress</strong></em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>Her bodies stress is here to stay</strong></em></span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>She is no less a hero</strong></em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>Than all of the others who roam the streets</strong></em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>She is just one forgotten feline</strong></em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>Maybe God will save the day!</strong></em></span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em><strong>by </strong></em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em><strong>Bill Walker</strong></em></span></p>
Lucidamy's Dream
tag:templeilluminatus.ning.com,2023-07-05:6363372:Topic:3636309
2023-07-05T02:24:41.408Z
Debbie
https://templeilluminatus.ning.com/profile/DebbieDuncan
<p align="left" class="western"></p>
<p align="left" class="western"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em><font face="Georgia, Palatino"><font size="4"><b><font color="#070F0F">As she surfed a top a solar flare</font></b></font></font></em></span></p>
<p align="left" class="western"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em><font face="Georgia, Palatino"><font size="4"><b><font color="#070F0F">Her illuminated consciousness had not a care…</font></b></font></font></em></span></p>
<p class="western" align="left"></p>
<p class="western" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em><font face="Georgia, Palatino"><font size="4"><b><font color="#070F0F">As she surfed a top a solar flare</font></b></font></font></em></span></p>
<p class="western" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em><font face="Georgia, Palatino"><font size="4"><b><font color="#070F0F">Her illuminated consciousness had not a care</font></b></font></font></em></span></p>
<p class="western" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em><font face="Georgia, Palatino"><font size="4"><b><font color="#070F0F">Then she closed her eyes and took a quantum leap</font></b></font></font></em></span></p>
<p class="western" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em><font face="Georgia, Palatino"><font size="4"><b><font color="#070F0F">Into the dark of the astral deep</font></b></font></font></em></span></p>
<p class="western" align="left"></p>
<p class="western" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em><font face="Georgia, Palatino"><font size="4"><b><font color="#070F0F">When an angels choir became quite clear</font></b></font></font></em></span></p>
<p class="western" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em><font face="Georgia, Palatino"><font size="4"><b><font color="#070F0F">The vibrations she felt lifted her to a lucid peak</font></b></font></font></em></span></p>
<p class="western" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em><font face="Georgia, Palatino"><font size="4"><b><font color="#070F0F">The universe is at once, all and none</font></b></font></font></em></span></p>
<p class="western" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em><font face="Georgia, Palatino"><font size="4"><b><font color="#070F0F">And then she knew that she and God were always one</font></b></font></font></em></span></p>
<p class="western" align="left"></p>
<p class="western" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em><font face="Georgia, Palatino"><font size="4"><b><font color="#070F0F">When she opened her eyes another was there</font></b></font></font></em></span></p>
<p class="western" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em><font face="Georgia, Palatino"><font size="4"><b><font color="#070F0F">Joining her a top her solar flare</font></b></font></font></em></span></p>
<p class="western" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em><font face="Georgia, Palatino"><font size="4"><b><font color="#070F0F">They rode through galaxies two spirits of Holy light</font></b></font></font></em></span></p>
<p class="western" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em><font face="Georgia, Palatino"><font size="4"><b><font color="#070F0F">Love and faith was their destiny this sacred flight</font></b></font></font></em></span></p>
<p class="western" align="left"></p>
<p class="western" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em><font face="Georgia, Palatino"><font size="4"><b><font color="#070F0F">Life’s the ultimate illusion so don't despair</font></b></font></font></em></span></p>
<p class="western" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em><font face="Georgia, Palatino"><font size="4"><b><font color="#070F0F">Always know I’m forever there</font></b></font></font></em></span></p>
<p class="western" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em><font face="Georgia, Palatino"><font size="4"><b><font color="#070F0F">And together we’ll surf past Heaven's gate</font></b></font></font></em></span></p>
<p class="western" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em><font face="Georgia, Palatino"><font size="4"><b><font color="#070F0F">In this purely divine spiritual state!</font></b></font></font></em></span></p>
<p class="western" align="left"></p>
<p class="western" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em><font face="Georgia, Palatino"><font size="4"><b><font color="#070F0F">by</font></b></font></font></em></span></p>
<p class="western" align="left"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em><font face="Georgia, Palatino"><font size="4"><b><font color="#070F0F">Bill Walker</font></b></font></font></em></span></p>
"I Came Upon An Ancient Tree" by Scarlet Kisses (c)2006-2022
tag:templeilluminatus.ning.com,2022-11-06:6363372:Topic:3629738
2022-11-06T19:36:17.817Z
Debbie
https://templeilluminatus.ning.com/profile/DebbieDuncan
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I came upon an ancient tree,</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Who gazed with gnarled branches' eyes:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">And stretched its limbs to deadened skies,</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Roots caked in fruitless misery.</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Its hair fell low, in weeping throes-</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Eyes hollow, streaked with painful…</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I came upon an ancient tree,</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Who gazed with gnarled branches' eyes:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">And stretched its limbs to deadened skies,</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Roots caked in fruitless misery.</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Its hair fell low, in weeping throes-</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Eyes hollow, streaked with painful screams,</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">And as its skin is pecked by crows</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Its blood gives way to broken dreams-</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Yet could I speak, to offer life</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Or bane to rippling seas of pain?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">But maggots surface in its strife</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Hang bone and flesh where love had lain</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Within it lay an ancient seed</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Entangled roots beneath dead earth,</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Yet as it sprouts, rain chokes its birth</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">And rises, parched, a strangled weed-</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The tree bends low upon its cane,</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Back arched with flames and sharpened thorn:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">For years of struggle, bitter vain-</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">To break away with hopeful scorn.</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I lingered, saw the broken earth</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Cracked, thirsty for the current's flow,</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Yet frost remains within the hearth:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">And dust cakes skin where touches go-</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Too long it lived, this wounded tree,</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Too far its veins have dried with soot</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Yet as my eyes, unsullied, see</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Absence of soil, or lover's foot-</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">None seem to hear its piercing cries,</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Its branches twist, reach desperately;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Yet even I, with saddened eyes</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Can only watch its dark demise.</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">It groans to heavens, blinded skies</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Its bloodied mouth in hollow sighs;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">It digs within the sunken earth</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Uproots its past, ground's twisted mirth-</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">And as I watch, her heart implodes</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">And veins burst forth from hidden skin,</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">For there never were an outside node</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">To quench the deeper dams within-</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">And as I watch, she screams a cry</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">To wisened earth, unhearing sky-</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Her blood bursts forth within the night</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Red stars of pain in holy light!</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I came before an ancient tree,</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">And watched it wilt, dried blasphemy-</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">And as its blood flows like the sea:</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I see reflected, depths of me.</span></p>
"TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE NEW YEAR’S"
tag:templeilluminatus.ning.com,2019-01-01:6363372:Topic:3451754
2019-01-01T00:00:22.614Z
Debbie
https://templeilluminatus.ning.com/profile/DebbieDuncan
<div class="discussion"><div class="description"><div class="xg_user_generated"><p style="text-align: center;">(with apologies to Henry Livingston, Charles Dickens and Dr. Seuss)</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><br></br>‘Twas the night before New Year’s, and all through my home,<br></br>There was no one awake; I was up all alone.<br></br>My husband reclined with the cat on his lap,<br></br>Dog dozed on the hearth near the fire’s pop and snap.…</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
</div>
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<div class="discussion"><div class="description"><div class="xg_user_generated"><p style="text-align: center;">(with apologies to Henry Livingston, Charles Dickens and Dr. Seuss)</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><br/>‘Twas the night before New Year’s, and all through my home,<br/>There was no one awake; I was up all alone.<br/>My husband reclined with the cat on his lap,<br/>Dog dozed on the hearth near the fire’s pop and snap.</p>
<p></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/600185615?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/600185615?profile=original" class="align-center"/></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">I curled on the couch, read romance on my Kindle<br/>And hoped that my horrible funk would soon dwindle.<br/>I munched on dark chocolate, drank peppermint tea,<br/>And mourned opportunities now lost to me.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">When out on the deck someone pounded the wood,<br/>I shivered and wondered who’s up to no good?<br/>On my way to the kitchen I shook like a leaf,<br/>Afraid I’d discover a big scary thief.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">The rain-soaked boards glistened in the porch light,<br/>Shadows danced gracefully through the black night.<br/>Then what to my sleep-deprived eyes did appear,<br/>But a wizened old man sporting two pointy ears!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">He was dressed all in brown, wore a cape of gold feathers,<br/>His angelic smile split a face of tanned leather.<br/>I instantly recognized Old Father Time,<br/>He waved a bright wand and then sang out this rhyme:</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Fee, fie, foe, fum!<br/>It’s New Year’s Eve; Why so glum?<br/>You’ve blessings a-plenty to celebrate<br/>And time to re-live them—it’s just half past eight!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Then, dancing a jig, he crossed the red rug<br/>And grabbed my cold fingers and gave a hard tug.<br/>When magic exploded like fireworks around us,<br/>I couldn’t believe the next place that I found us!</p>
<p></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/600193574?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/600193574?profile=original" class="align-center"/></a></p>
<p></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Intensive Care Nursery, babe wrapped in fleece,<br/>Doctor-signed papers that gave her release.<br/>My tiniest granddaughter would be okay,<br/>My heart swelled to bursting with joy on that day.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">In dribbles and drabs,<br/>In bits and in bites,<br/>Father Time showed me blessings<br/>The rest of the night.</p>
<p></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/600200720?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/600200720?profile=original" class="align-center"/></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">I’ve family closer, good friends within reach,<br/>Trips to the desert, the plains, and the beach.<br/>Living my passion for words as I age,<br/>Entwined with my husband, my heroic sage.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">So many hours later back home by the fire,<br/>My spirits could not have been lifted much higher.<br/>I gave Time a hug to express my elation<br/>And thanked him for spiritual recalibration.</p>
<p></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/600213563?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/600213563?profile=original" class="align-center"/></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">“You are welcome,” he said. “But now I must fly!<br/>Then, in the magical blink of an eye<br/>He was gone and I gazed at the clock on a shelf<br/>And I laughed when I saw it in spite of myself.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">‘Twas the morning of New Year’s; cat stretched & dog yawned,<br/>I told my dear husband the old year was gone.<br/>“But the new! Oh, the New Year has come, full of promise!”<br/>A toast and a tumble in bed paid it homage.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">So to all you sad people I say, “Never fear!”<br/>Contemplate, meditate, celebrate the New Year!</p>
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Are poems better with an illustration.?
tag:templeilluminatus.ning.com,2018-08-09:6363372:Topic:3423315
2018-08-09T14:36:00.453Z
Debbie
https://templeilluminatus.ning.com/profile/DebbieDuncan
<p><strong><em>Twenty first century nativity.</em></strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p>On the twentieth floor of a high rise flat,</p>
<p>A new born baby cries by his mother’s side</p>
<p>Her name was Marie with no where to bide,</p>
<p>No father came to chase the rats.</p>
<p>The child lay in an old pram with no wheels,</p>
<p>No warm cot as the hospital was full.</p>
<p>On this cold winter night stars shone down,</p>
<p>Bringing no comfort in their nightly bloom.</p>
<p>She had left her country of…</p>
<p><strong><em>Twenty first century nativity.</em></strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p>On the twentieth floor of a high rise flat,</p>
<p>A new born baby cries by his mother’s side</p>
<p>Her name was Marie with no where to bide,</p>
<p>No father came to chase the rats.</p>
<p>The child lay in an old pram with no wheels,</p>
<p>No warm cot as the hospital was full.</p>
<p>On this cold winter night stars shone down,</p>
<p>Bringing no comfort in their nightly bloom.</p>
<p>She had left her country of warming sand,</p>
<p>To keep her baby safe from invaders hand.</p>
<p>Her husband died saving them both,</p>
<p>Pushing them onto an unsafe boat.</p>
<p>After months of agonizing fearful travel,</p>
<p>Arriving at a place safe and free,</p>
<p>Kept as a prisoner within a shed,</p>
<p>She cried to heaven, God save me.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A gaggle of young children came to look,</p>
<p>Disturbed at Maries baby’s awful plight,</p>
<p>Scampering off again into the night,</p>
<p>Shouting don’t worry Marie it will work out right.</p>
<p>She smiled wanely as she weakly rocked the babe,</p>
<p>Three men came in finely dressed and laughing,</p>
<p>Sneering at her and her new born child,</p>
<p>She screamed at them to go leaving no gift,</p>
<p>As they shrugged and laughing went.</p>
<p>Lying back on a soiled pillow seeking some sleep,</p>
<p>Hearing the rats scrapping at her feet,</p>
<p>Again she screamed and kicked them away,</p>
<p>She knew they would be back another day.</p>
<p>Church bells faintly rang through the frosty mist,</p>
<p>a congregation in finery sang their carols,</p>
<p>would she be missed at the food bank door,</p>
<p>night drew on darkness deep and dire,</p>
<p>what she would give for a warming fire.</p>
<p>Threadbare clothes pulled tight to her skin,</p>
<p>Cuddling her babe as her tears splashed down,</p>
<p>Holding him close to generate heat,</p>
<p>Cold biting hard at his little feet.</p>
<p>A friend came in at near dawn,</p>
<p> carrying some food and a warming blanket.</p>
<p>As dawn fully rose all was quiet,</p>
<p>No sound was heard in the dereliction,</p>
<p>Of this unholy squaler and rubbish,</p>
<p>The weak sun shone through the broken glass,</p>
<p>Upon three figures holding each other fast,</p>
<p>No sound was heard no baby cries,</p>
<p>No one to miss them at the homeless fires.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>© andrew .provan.mcintyre.7 january 2018.</p>
<p> This is one of my poems would it be better for having an illustration? Do the words convey an image into one,s mind? I like both with an illustration and without.Words on their own can conjure images of what the reader sees mentally,as in a book .When the book is made into a film then it can be disappointing as the characters image isnt the same as one imagines.So i open the discussion, I look forward to other constructive comments.</p>
<p></p>
Amazing Fantasy Creatures Brought to Life by Talented Artist
tag:templeilluminatus.ning.com,2016-05-20:6363372:Topic:3185384
2016-05-20T17:52:37.296Z
Debbie
https://templeilluminatus.ning.com/profile/DebbieDuncan
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif; color: #800080;"><em>Ever wondered what the creatures of your imagination would look like in real life? I’m sure you have, but just like me, you probably lack the talent and patience to actually take them out of your dreams and into reality. Luckily, artist Wood Splitter Lee is both incredibly talented and patient-enough to do it. Plus, her imagination is so much better than mine……</em></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif; color: #800080;"><em>Ever wondered what the creatures of your imagination would look like in real life? I’m sure you have, but just like me, you probably lack the talent and patience to actually take them out of your dreams and into reality. Luckily, artist Wood Splitter Lee is both incredibly talented and patient-enough to do it. Plus, her imagination is so much better than mine…</em></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif; color: #800080;"><em>Do you know what a Tundra Stag looks like? How about a Moondust Wolf? Relax, you’re knowledge of zoology is probably not that bad. The only way you could have know about these fantastic creatures is if you lived inside Wood Splitter Lee’s head. The young Virginia-based artist breathes life into the figments of her imagination by sculpting them in clay and covering them with vividly-colored fur. Horned wolves, fire foxes, ice dragons, forest guardians, they’re all real in Lee’s astonishing art collection and she makes them all look so incredibly life-like you’re tempted to think these stills from an awesome fantasy film you somehow missed, and not just really good photos of hand-made sculptures.</em></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #800080;"><a href="http://worldduh.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/wood-splitter-lee-tundra-stag-550x447.png"><span style="color: #800080;"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-20783 align-center" alt="wood-splitter-lee-tundra-stag-550x447" src="https://worldduh.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/wood-splitter-lee-tundra-stag-550x447.png?w=683"/></span></a></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif; color: #800080;">Posable Tundra Stag</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif; color: #800080;">But the artist’s story is just as intriguing as her artworks. Born and raised in Alaska, Wood Splitter Lee grew up in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by forest and wildlife. Her memories include moose hunting with her dad, being surrounded by wild dogs and bears trying to break down the front door of their house, so I think it’s fair to say her adventurous childhood serves as the main inspiration for all these fantastic creatures. Even though she and her family moved to Virginia a few years back, Lee says she will always consider herself and Alaskan.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #800080;"><a href="http://worldduh.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/wood-splitter-lee-moondust-wolf2-550x3771.png"><span style="color: #800080;"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-20782 align-center" alt="wood-splitter-lee-moondust-wolf2-550x377" src="https://worldduh.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/wood-splitter-lee-moondust-wolf2-550x3771.png?w=683"/></span></a></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #800080;"> </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800080;"><em><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;">Posable Moondust Wolf</span></em></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800080;"><em><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;">Wood Splitter Lee was 13 years old when she first asked her parents for some sculpting clay. She had never tried sculpting before, but she wanted to give it a go. She started creating small animals and horse heads, and as her skills improved, she started taking commissions. Before she knew it, the young girl artist was overwhelmed with orders, to the point where she had to work long days to keep with demand, so her father had to stop commissions. After that, her parents contacted some professional sculptors and sent them photos of her work. They all said she was talented, and was even called a child prodigy by a number of well-known artists, but all those days of constant work had taken a toll on her, and Wood Splitter Lee didn’t sculpt again for 4 years, due to burnout.</span></em></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #800080;"><a href="http://worldduh.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/wood-splitter-lee-keeper-of-the-woodland-550x327.jpg"><span style="color: #800080;"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-20781 align-center" alt="wood-splitter-lee-keeper-of-the-woodland-550x327" src="https://worldduh.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/wood-splitter-lee-keeper-of-the-woodland-550x327.jpg?w=683"/></span></a></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #800080;"> </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800080;"><em><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;">Posable Keeper of the Woodland</span></em></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800080;"><em><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;">Then, at age 18, she started creating her little posable baby dragons. She was using her imagination, creating the things she wanted, and sculpting became fun again. As the dragons started evolving, she experimented with different techniques and designs to enhance the creatures and eventually started selling them on eBay. The feedback was very positive, and as a result, her eBay profile currently shows no available works. It seems only natural, considering each one is unique, created by hand, without using molds, casts or patterns. “I just enjoy creating, and sharing that excitement with others,” 20-year-old Wood Splitter Lee says on her DeviantArt profile.</span></em></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #800080;"><a href="http://worldduh.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/wood-splitter-lee-fire-fox-550x551.png"><span style="color: #800080;"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-20780 align-center" alt="wood-splitter-lee-fire-fox-550x551" src="https://worldduh.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/wood-splitter-lee-fire-fox-550x551.png?w=683"/></span></a></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #800080;"> </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800080;"><em>Posable Fire Fox</em></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #800080;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #800080;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #800080;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #800080;"><a href="http://worldduh.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/wood-splitter-lee-galaxy-stag-550x417.jpg"><span style="color: #800080;"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-20779 align-center" alt="wood-splitter-lee-galaxy-stag-550x417" src="https://worldduh.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/wood-splitter-lee-galaxy-stag-550x417.jpg?w=683"/></span></a></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #800080;"> </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800080;"><em>Posable Galaxy Stag</em></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #800080;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #800080;"><a href="http://worldduh.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/wood-splitter-lee-snow-leopard-dragon-550x466.jpg"><span style="color: #800080;"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-20778 align-center" alt="wood-splitter-lee-snow-leopard-dragon-550x466" src="https://worldduh.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/wood-splitter-lee-snow-leopard-dragon-550x466.jpg?w=683"/></span></a></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #800080;"> </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800080;"><em>Posable Snow Leopard Dragon</em></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #800080;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #800080;"><a href="http://worldduh.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/wood-splitter-lee-exotic-phoenix-550x520.jpg"><span style="color: #800080;"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-20777 align-center" alt="wood-splitter-lee-exotic-phoenix-550x520" src="https://worldduh.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/wood-splitter-lee-exotic-phoenix-550x520.jpg?w=683"/></span></a></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #800080;"> </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800080;"><em>Exotic Phoenix</em></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #800080;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #800080;"><a href="http://worldduh.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/wood-splitter-lee-keeper-of-the-woodland2-550x400.png"><span style="color: #800080;"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-20776 align-center" alt="wood-splitter-lee-keeper-of-the-woodland2-550x400" src="https://worldduh.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/wood-splitter-lee-keeper-of-the-woodland2-550x400.png?w=683"/></span></a></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #800080;"> </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800080;"><em>Keeper of the Woodland</em></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #800080;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #800080;"><a href="http://worldduh.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/wood-splitter-lee-moondust-wolf2-550x377.png"><span style="color: #800080;"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-20775 align-center" alt="wood-splitter-lee-moondust-wolf2-550x377" src="https://worldduh.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/wood-splitter-lee-moondust-wolf2-550x377.png?w=683"/></span></a></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #800080;"> </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800080;"><em>Moondust Wolf</em></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800080;"><em>All photos are © Wood Splitter Lee</em></span></p>
Perfect Moment
tag:templeilluminatus.ning.com,2016-03-19:6363372:Topic:3136738
2016-03-19T17:31:20.451Z
Debbie
https://templeilluminatus.ning.com/profile/DebbieDuncan
I hold my hand out to the ether, can touch you? are you real?<br />
<br />
My eyes can deceive a mind, who's heart is desperate to feel.<br />
<br />
Words have failed me once again,<br />
<br />
The intensity of the moment, have left me powerless to speak,<br />
<br />
Goosebumps dancing on my skin, the only acknowledgment your close to me.<br />
<br />
Heart pounding, in anticipation of the perfect storm that is us.<br />
<br />
A captured moment, held in time unique to no other, until the next time our paths cross each other again.<br />
Emms x
I hold my hand out to the ether, can touch you? are you real?<br />
<br />
My eyes can deceive a mind, who's heart is desperate to feel.<br />
<br />
Words have failed me once again,<br />
<br />
The intensity of the moment, have left me powerless to speak,<br />
<br />
Goosebumps dancing on my skin, the only acknowledgment your close to me.<br />
<br />
Heart pounding, in anticipation of the perfect storm that is us.<br />
<br />
A captured moment, held in time unique to no other, until the next time our paths cross each other again.<br />
Emms x
Black Feather
tag:templeilluminatus.ning.com,2016-02-12:6363372:Topic:3112896
2016-02-12T20:21:48.778Z
Debbie
https://templeilluminatus.ning.com/profile/DebbieDuncan
<p></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/113390781?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/113390781?profile=original" width="300"></img></a></p>
<p></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><b>Black Feather</b></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">A Black feather landed delicately on my cheek<br></br> An invocating caress from my Loved One<br></br> Awakening to see an empty nearby space<br></br> Bloody Soul Tears reached the eyes<br></br> <br></br> A troubled vision revealed a Flying Form…<br></br></p>
<p></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/113390781?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/113390781?profile=original" width="300" class="align-center"/></a></p>
<p></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><b>Black Feather</b></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">A Black feather landed delicately on my cheek<br/> An invocating caress from my Loved One<br/> Awakening to see an empty nearby space<br/> Bloody Soul Tears reached the eyes<br/> <br/> A troubled vision revealed a Flying Form<br/> Looking down on my Shadow Self<br/> With a Love glance warming my Soul<br/> Whipping the Salty River in a Breath<br/> <br/> What is it Angel? Why did you come to Me?<br/> The Celestial Being Floated Down Slowly<br/> In a Flip of the Magnificent Wings sat next to Me<br/> Extending Them to Include Me in Their Shadow<br/> <br/> I came to Deliver You Beloved One<br/> You wandered this Realm for to long<br/> Your Soul is Breaking , The Fallens are Calling<br/> Your Return Your Place among Us is Longing<br/> <br/> Our Souls reconnected Together<br/> Remembering Myriads of Souvenirs<br/> Infinite Comprehension Reemerging<br/> Secrets Lost For Ages once again Known<br/> <br/> Ebony Wings exhorted themselves from the back of my Shoulders<br/> Stretching to their Full Length for My Ecstasy<br/> The New Reformed Eyes could see what Was, Is and Will Be<br/> The Soul could Feel again the Inter Temporal Multiverses<br/> <br/> The Brethren Ring was Completed Again<br/> Interconnected Beings Sharing Again At Last<br/> My Self could feel their Joy<br/> They couldn’t Bear My Sorrow<br/> <br/> The Angel Looked at Me<br/> The Depth of Eternity in Our Eyes<br/> Absorbing the Secrets of My Soul<br/> And He Knew He Was To Late<br/> <br/> I am Anchored to This Realm<br/> For in it is My Eternal Love<br/> The Cause of My Fall Ever Wandering Since<br/> The One I am Chained For<br/> <br/> The Dark Wings Folded Back in Place<br/> I could Feel My Soul Falling Again<br/> And the Agony Of Pain<br/> Filling My Heart Human Again<br/> <br/> As He Departed, I Felt<br/> The Despair and Envy of The Angel<br/> For What I Feel Is Unknown<br/> To The Brethren of DarkHood<br/> <br/> But I Know that One Day<br/> I will Find Her in the Chasm<br/> I Will Surrender My Black Wings To Her<br/> To Finish in Peace at Her Side<br/> <br/> But For Now, all I Have is a Black Feather<br/> A Testimony to My Sorrow<br/> A Hold Upon A Dream<br/> A Relic Of Doom<br/> <br/> Warlock</p>
Old Man winter
tag:templeilluminatus.ning.com,2016-01-18:6363372:Topic:3098006
2016-01-18T09:47:35.565Z
Debbie
https://templeilluminatus.ning.com/profile/DebbieDuncan
In the Baron lands,<br />
In months of old,<br />
The winter comes,<br />
To take its hold.<br />
<br />
Green grass makes way,<br />
For silvery snow,<br />
Flowers retreat,<br />
Its there time to go.<br />
<br />
Goodbye to sunshine,<br />
Dark nights have come,<br />
Jack frost is here,<br />
To have his fun.<br />
<br />
Snuggle those you love,<br />
Keep the warmth abound,<br />
Hold them close and protected,<br />
Till the spring flowers are found.<br />
<br />
Look out for the newness,<br />
The streams of sun,<br />
The birds will be singing,<br />
The new months have come.<br />
<br />
Emmsxxx
In the Baron lands,<br />
In months of old,<br />
The winter comes,<br />
To take its hold.<br />
<br />
Green grass makes way,<br />
For silvery snow,<br />
Flowers retreat,<br />
Its there time to go.<br />
<br />
Goodbye to sunshine,<br />
Dark nights have come,<br />
Jack frost is here,<br />
To have his fun.<br />
<br />
Snuggle those you love,<br />
Keep the warmth abound,<br />
Hold them close and protected,<br />
Till the spring flowers are found.<br />
<br />
Look out for the newness,<br />
The streams of sun,<br />
The birds will be singing,<br />
The new months have come.<br />
<br />
Emmsxxx