{"id":6892,"date":"2021-06-03T09:22:53","date_gmt":"2021-06-03T13:22:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/?p=6892"},"modified":"2021-06-03T10:15:33","modified_gmt":"2021-06-03T14:15:33","slug":"poem-whats-up-there","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/poem-whats-up-there\/","title":{"rendered":"Poetry – What’s up there? + BONUS Poem"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lynda’s\u00a0 poem<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h1>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0“What’s up there?”\u00a0 <\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h1>\n

Published in the Summer 2020 Issue\u00a0 <\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

The Avocet: A Journal of Nature Poetry<\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n
\"\"<\/a>

When a small child asks, “What’s Up There,” what do you say?<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“What\u2019s up there?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What\u2019s up there?<\/p>\n

At night, I wonder.<\/p>\n

Scan the heavens – search for<\/p>\n

Full Strawberry Moon in the eastern sky.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Astronomer\u2019s predictions promised<\/p>\n

spectacular lunar performance tonight.<\/p>\n

My thoughts flow upwards towards<\/p>\n

mysteries in the sapphire blue firmament.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Afternoons, on summer days,<\/p>\n

I look beyond the verdant horizon lines<\/p>\n

above treetops in the aquamarine summer sky<\/p>\n

Curiosity returns. I stand affixed.<\/p>\n

–<\/span><\/h1>\n

As published in The Avocet: A Journal of Nature Poetry<\/em>, Summer Issue, 2020.<\/p>\n

Photos by Lynda McKinney Lambert. Copyright 2021. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

BONUS – <\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

BACK STORY<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Backstory for the poem –\u00a0 a reflection on the Night Sky of my childhood.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

A stately Black Walnut tree occupies memories of our backyard in my childhood. This solitary tree is dignified. Splendid.<\/p>\n

Tonight, my father and I stand hand-in-hand looking up into the mysterious autumn sky. The branches stretch upwards. They disappear from our view. I have the feeling that the tree is touching the stars.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As I stand beside my father, I feel invisible as we gaze into the shifting canopy. I sense that my feet are planted into the wet dark grass. It feels magnetic, this connection I sense with the earth. I am nervous and my body trembles with fear. I ask him, \u201cWhat\u2019s up there?”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

My father leans over to put his hands around my waist. He gently picks me up into his strong arms. Still frightened, and feeling cold, I hold onto him. Together we gawk into nighttime. A shimmer of fear passes through me. My throat tightens. I cannot speak.<\/p>\n

He says, \u201cDo not be afraid of anything you can\u2019t see.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

BONUS POEM – a TANKA<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

we stand in darkness<\/p>\n

urge distant red blood moon \u2013 Rise!<\/p>\n

hover above trees<\/p>\n

slip past Earth\u2019s silvery shadow<\/p>\n

become a total eclipse.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

–<\/span><\/h1>\n

Thank you\u2026<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

to the editors of\u00a0The Weekly Avocet<\/em>\u00a0and the quarterly print magazine,\u00a0The Avocet.<\/em><\/p>\n

Editor: Charles Portolano<\/p>\n

Co-Editors: Vivian and Valerie Portolano<\/p>\n

The Avocet\u00a0 website\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Contact the editors at:\u00a0 \u00a0angeldec24@hotmail.com<\/p>\n

You can get a copy of<\/p>\n

The Weekly Avocet<\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n

in your mailbox every Saturday, too.<\/p>\n

You can enter your nature-themed writing for consideration and you might find your own poetry there one morning when you open your E-mail.<\/p>\n

Contact Charles Portolano, Editor \u2013\u00a0\u00a0E-mail is\u00a0 cportolano@hotmail.com<\/p>\n

*<\/span><\/h1>\n

The featured poems and back story are courtesy of Lynda McKinney Lambert, American poet who lives in Western Pennsylvania.\u00a0 Lynda is the author of FIVE published books – available at Amazon and at all retail book outlets.<\/p>\n

My Book<\/a><\/p>\n

riverwoman@zoominternet.net<\/p>\n

I welcome your inquires about my books.\u00a0\u00a0*<\/span><\/strong><\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lynda’s\u00a0 poem \u00a0 \u00a0“What’s up there?”\u00a0 Published in the Summer 2020 Issue\u00a0 The Avocet: A Journal of Nature Poetry     “What\u2019s up there?   What\u2019s up there? At night, I wonder. Scan the heavens – search for Full Strawberry …<\/span> Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9098,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trusting-god"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/DSC00319-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1920&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4gbwn-1Na","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8583,"url":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/poetry-canticle\/","url_meta":{"origin":6892,"position":0},"title":"Poetry – Canticle","author":"Lynda Lambert","date":"April 26, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Poetry by Pennsylvania Award-winning Author, Lynda McKinney Lambert.","rel":"","context":"In "#Trusting God"","block_context":{"text":"#Trusting God","link":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/category\/trusting-god\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/English-Sparrow_.jpg?fit=951%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/English-Sparrow_.jpg?fit=951%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/English-Sparrow_.jpg?fit=951%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/English-Sparrow_.jpg?fit=951%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12671,"url":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/garden-song-embraceable-succulents\/","url_meta":{"origin":6892,"position":1},"title":"#Garden Songs – embraceable succulents","author":"Lynda Lambert","date":"September 28, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Take a look around at the landscape where you live. 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I love how the Garden Stonecrop plants become the focus of beauty in late September as they gradually shift from a lovely green to a blazing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "#Trusting God"","block_context":{"text":"#Trusting God","link":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/category\/trusting-god\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Garden-Stone-Crop_Sept-13_2020.jpg?fit=645%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Garden-Stone-Crop_Sept-13_2020.jpg?fit=645%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Garden-Stone-Crop_Sept-13_2020.jpg?fit=645%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6510,"url":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/a-poem-a-day-1\/","url_meta":{"origin":6892,"position":2},"title":"A Poem-a-Day – National Poetry Month","author":"Lynda Lambert","date":"April 1, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"A Poem-a-Day, by Lynda McKinney Lambert. Pennsylvania's award-winning poet, author and artist is writing a poem every day in April for National Poetry Month. Each day her blog will feature a new poem, and a photo she took that day. Thank you so kindly for your interest in art and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "#Trusting God"","block_context":{"text":"#Trusting God","link":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/category\/trusting-god\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/DSC09718-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/DSC09718-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/DSC09718-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/DSC09718-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/DSC09718-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":74,"url":"https:\/\/www.lyndalambert.com\/wordpress\/a-poem-is-for-everyone\/","url_meta":{"origin":6892,"position":3},"title":"Lynda’s Journal – A Poem for Everyone!","author":"Lynda Lambert","date":"May 22, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Yes, it is true! Everyone can read a poem\u00a0 and ENJOY it.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 I promise you, poetry is for everyone. So many people say, \"I don't know anything about poetry.\" The seem to apologize for not knowing anything about poetry. 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I'd love to give you a very easy way to begin to write a poem. During this entire year, I will be postinbg poems and instructions for poems on my blog_From Lynda's Journal. 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