(c) 2022 by Michael L. Utley
(#31)
my exhausted faith
flows just as the drift ice flows
breaks and melts away
heaven’s reflection blurring
in the sea’s saltwater tears
…..
(#32)
I catch the water
dripping from the icicles
in a mason jar
as a gentle reminder
that I do not weep alone
…..
(#33)
moon paints snow angels
on forgotten midnight fields
only clouds can see
sleeping souls oblivious
to shy winter’s artistry
“January’s Scion”
(c) 2022 by Michael L. Utley
January’s scion, born of winter
messenger of midnight’s dark domain
harbinger of fearful futures
herald of the past’s persistence
bearer of remembrances of
what shall surely be
I’ve succumbed to January’s Janus
peering ever forward and behind
frozen firmly on the threshold
of what was and what may soon be
doomed to bear the weight of all things
for eternity
there are reasons January haunts me
memories unmeltable come spring
anguished glacial recollections
nurse at doleful mountain’s bosom
hiemal tempest screams its sinful
arctic lullaby
blizzards pummel me across the decades
breath sucked from my lungs I cannot scream
woeful winters resurrected
stain the present, tinge the future
I cannot let go, my tired
mind encased in ice
mountain path from past to future voided
bone-white drifts of January’s wrath
stalk the trail in hulking silence
passage is impossible here
miles of dead denuded forest
bar my way ahead
I can’t scry the future in the darkness
terrifying in obscurity
thrumming rumbling shakes the earth as
cloying caustic vapors fester
sulfur-scented volcanism
lies ahead for me
close my eyes and I can see the carnage
close my ears and I can hear the cries
spewing peaks of raining cinders
fire-bomb the desolation
I can sense the future tremble
in uncertainty
memories entombed in frigid white flakes
worries of the future caked with ash
undead past alive and raging
unseen future salivating
waiting restlessly for me as
time moves ever on
M32-1(S)—Sheep Mt. & Beaver Pond, near Trout Lake, SW Colorado
Trout Lake is located near the small town of Telluride in southwest Colorado and is among my favorite places on the planet. This image was made a couple of miles from the lake. The stark contrast between the black water of the beaver pond and the brightly lit snow stretched the exposure limits of the slide film I used, resulting in some blown-out cloud details. Despite this, I like the image. I’m not a winter person by any stretch of the imagination, so I have few winter scenes. This image has the feel of a black-and-white photograph, and the cloud-shaded mountain in the distance adds a brooding, melancholy tone. (Canon gear, Fuji Velvia ISO 50)
F38-1(S)–Rocky Mt. Columbine, Taylor Mesa, SW Colorado
This is my favorite flower. It grows up in the mountains where it’s cooler and shady. In the summers you can find meadows covered with columbine of various colors, including variations of purple, yellow and even red. This columbine was found growing beneath the lower branches of a dying conifer, whose brown needles serve to magnify the brilliant purple, white, yellow and green of the flower. (Canon gear, Fuji Velvia ISO 50)
(c) 2022 by Michael L. Utley
(#175)
the burning earth
raging sea and starless sky
nature’s broken heart
…..
(#176)
the blowing snow
winter’s children play hopscotch
on frozen fields
…..
(#177)
nine thousand miles
and years of pain lie between
my heart and my soul
…..
(#178)
does she remember
in her tropical winter
my world of snow
…..
(#179)
drafts have stilled the hearth
killed the fire in my soul
endless winter night
…..
(#180)
ice in wash basin
fingers too frigid to wash
cold thoughts from my mind
Arch Rock State Park lies along the southern Oregon Coast between Gold Beach and Brookings. Its namesake feature is a natural arch just off the shore. This image represents the view north from Arch Rock in the magic hour lighting of late afternoon and early evening, which I found to be more dramatic and appealing than the arch itself (which is not shown in this image). (Canon gear, Fuji Velvia ISO 50)
(c) 2022 by Michael L. Utley
(#169)
my unsettled thoughts
blanket my winter world
in restless stasis
…..
(#170)
winter’s bitter dirge
prelude to spring’s soliloquy
hope waits in the wings
…..
(#171)
from womb to tomb
winter’s ever-present shroud
white cloak of despair
…..
(#172)
heaven’s secrets
whispered in the hiss of rain
on elm leaves
…..
(#173)
to those whose stories
go unheard by dearth of care
nature lends her ear
…..
(#174)
all hope is not lost
though harsh winter batters me
the golden suisen
(c) 2022 by Michael L. Utley
(#163)
old apples
frozen to the ground
the silent orchard
…..
(#164)
juniper berries
blue sky’s children nestle
in cedar cradles
…..
(#165)
my horse is old
and my cart is broken
the depths of winter
…..
(#166)
winter granary
rice sacks are empty
and spring may never come
…..
(#167)
thoughtless chickadees
bear the winter’s burden
while I succumb
…..
(#168)
in the evening snow
hare tracks on the mountain path
silent, soon to fade
NP12-1(S)—World-famous Delicate Arch, Arches National Park, SE Utah. This is probably the most iconic spot of the Colorado Plateau, which covers a great portion of the Four Corners area (Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico). Delicate Arch is simply incredible and is the most photographed and most famous natural arch in the world. There was no color manipulation here—this is exactly what Delicate Arch looked like that evening when the warm light of the setting sun struck the orange sandstone. It was literally breath-taking. (Canon gear, Fuji Velvia ISO 50)
FC4-1(S)—Autumn Colors & Early Snow, near Groundhog Reservoir, SW Colorado. Groundhog Reservoir is one of my favorite locations. You can achieve perfect mirror-image reflections of the Lone Cone on its surface at times. Most people go there to fish, hunt or camp, but I always went there to work on photography. The roads are not maintained in the winter months, so it’s only accessible during the summer and fall. This image was made on the way to the reservoir and gives a good idea of what it’s like in my general area. (Canon gear, Fuji Velvia ISO 50)
Silent Pariah 