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Blue Water, Green Rocks
By Michael Chesley Johnson
oil, en plein air
8" x 10" |
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Benediction
By Ronda Broatch
Sweet grass
smolders
in hollowed stone.
Fanned with eagle feathers,
its breath finds her; her eyes
brim with sea,
or winter sun—
she doesn’t know.
Knows only this prayer
burns deeper than words.
Forgiveness
transfigures
into birds of possibility;
blemish embraces its own
sacred beauty.
Eagle flies,
pulls the sky’s
cool ocean over her.
This blessing
she understands, and lifts
a fragrant braid
of sweet grass
to her face, inhales
its hidden litany,
and breathes out. |
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Ronda
Broatch is the author of Some Other Eden,
(Finishing Line Press, 2005). Her work has appeared, or
is forthcoming in the American Poetry Journal, Dogwood,
Diner, Crab Creek Review, Pebble Lake Review, and
Tiferet. Twice nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Ronda
is the recipient of the 2005 Kay Snow Poetry Award. She
recently attended a residency at Soapstone - A Writing
Retreat for Women, where she could be seen, walking the
creek, speaking to salmon. She attends Grace Episcopal Church on
Bainbridge Island, Washington.
Email:
sheepgrins@silverlink.net
Michael Chesley
Johnson is an award-winning painter whose oil and
pastel landscapes can be seen in galleries in New
Mexico, Colorado, Maine and Canada. Working primarily
en plein air, Michael excels in bringing color,
light and the feeling of being in the Great Outdoors to
his paintings. A Signature Member of Plein Air New
Mexico and a juried member of the Pastel Society of
America and Oil Painters of America, he also is a
popular workshop teacher. Also a writer, Michael is
Contributing Editor for The Pastel Journal and author of
The Art of Ann Templeton, a retrospective of the
internationally-known artist's career. He has also
written for American Artist, The Artist's Magazine,
Southwest Art and other publications. Michael is a
member of the Church of the Ascension in Cloudcroft, New
Mexico.
Web site:
www.MichaelChesleyJohnson.com |
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