Gorge-ous Autumn Scenes

These are a few of the photos I took today along the Genesee Gorge Trail in Rochester, NY.  It was a lazy walk, shambling through the leaves and shadowed pathways.  Autumn colors are about at peak.

All photos © 2014 Rick Burnett Baker

Blueprint Of You

metropolis 

I had designs on you.  skylines 

and cityscapes, imposing eyes

to measure each breath.  draw 

the line at street corners, I said.

crosswalks cannot be foretold: 

don't jaywalk.  paths have been

carved from every inch of emotion.

you are a blueprint unfathomed. 

comes time for the dedication. 

ribbon-cutting;  cornerstones; 

handprints in cement;  signs. 

you are a time capsule, empty.

Photo/Poem © 2014 Rick Burnett Baker 

After The Palette Dries

artist(s)

who are we after the palette dries,
colors blend, shapes form, un-form.

your life is defined by myriad patterns.
a sketch of recall you leave to imagination.

memory becomes narrative in abstract.
that was your art. it is my guide. I waver.

who are we after chapters end?
we are characters sketched on any

shape of paper or canvas. we are
ink drying like tears in blackest night.

Poem © 2014 Rick Burnett Baker 

Painting by my Aunt Jean Garner, circa 1990.  Watercolor and ink on paper. 

Magpie Tales 241: Peak Color

peak color

take your place beside 

forest fodder.  glory is a 

wind-song journey captured.

entities have season, purpose; 

resilience if not recourse.  

we count days.  we count.   

someone captures our image 

for posterity. we remember

as we forget.  don't be sad:  

color is progeny. you prevail.  

Poem ©2014 Rick Burnett Baker 

Photo shared by Tess Kincaid. 

Letchworth Park, NY: An Afternoon Drive

It was a pleasant October day, today.  I took a drive to Letchworth State Park, NY.  It is Near Mt. Morris, NY less than an hour south of Rochester.  Here are a few select photos I took today.  Enjoy!

Photos © 2014 Rick Burnett Baker

Tonight Your Voice

your voice

tonight is not my muse.

music -  be silent.

leaves -  rustle tomorrow.

wind -  gather yourself.

rain -  fall silent.

daylight -  surrender: 

we're captive to

seasonal toil, 

its violent beauty.

our voices recall

staccato banter,

bundled in autumn.

I'll listen another night, 

when darkness stills 

and I am restless, too.  

Photo/Poem © 2014 Rick Burnett Baker 

Love, The Fast Lane

speed dating

a strategic plan is antithesis 

               to first hellos. 

negotiate position.

               measure angles.  

edit emotions;  

               proof read.  

carry intellect to the 

               table. 

who will be first to 

               offer grace? 

Photo/Poem © 2014 Rick Burnett Baker

Old Friends and Crickets

old friends and crickets

old friends and crickets chirp 
of 'these days' and how quickly
dusk is falling. roses die
till they bud again: cycle,

recycle, soak revolving hours
in daylight and season. pack
away nonchalance. my neck
is chilled. I bundle up my collar.

evening measures distance
between memory and now.
do you notice the color of
the rose's fading hue?

Photo/Poem © 2014 Rick Burnett Baker 

1/2 A Bubble Off

the art of body politic 

if you measured with a level it was half a bubble off,

leaning left, like so many youth and old atheists do;

paintings must be straight to be pleasing to the eye.  

my reasoned hands grasp both left and right sides of the

frame and eyeball the position.  everyone eyeballs 

positions, perceptions dependent on tilt and angle. 

gallery light definition casts shadows downward.  

enlightenment must be in each scene's history.  focal

points are framed for reasons:  prayers to be answered.

Photo/Poem © 2014 Rick Burnett Baker