MESSAGES FROM

NATURE
2012- A book of poetry by Jeannine Marie Blalock
2013 Horton
 Contents
INTRODUCTION & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................... 3
Rains of Color ................................................................................................................................... 5
Light Our Way .................................................................................................................................. 5
Different Breeds, Similar Needs ....................................................................................................... 6
Blue Sky ............................................................................................................................................ 6
Messages from Nature..................................................................................................................... 7
Last Night’s Poem ............................................................................................................................ 8
Winter’s Solstice Eve ........................................................................................................................ 9
Stormy Peace ................................................................................................................................. 11
Noise .............................................................................................................................................. 12
Raven’s Call.................................................................................................................................... 13
Nature’s Christmas Tree ................................................................................................................ 13
Leaving ........................................................................................................................................... 14
The Dark Side................................................................................................................................. 14
Child of Nature, Trusted Friend .................................................................................................... 15
Where is Christmas?...................................................................................................................... 16
Fog Takes All .................................................................................................................................. 17
Cosmic Energy ............................................................................................................................... 17
Raven ............................................................................................................................................. 18
Chipmunks in the Wood Pile......................................................................................................... 18
Set Free .......................................................................................................................................... 19
Message Dream ............................................................................................................................. 20
Spirit Messengers .......................................................................................................................... 21
Appalachians ................................................................................................................................. 22
Upon This Mountain...................................................................................................................... 22
Barren Trees ................................................................................................................................... 23
The Battle of Sun and Winter’s Storm ........................................................................................... 24
Christmas Is ................................................................................................................................... 26
Blessed Are the Birdies .................................................................................................................. 27
Up On Roan Mountain ................................................................................................................... 28
Misty Mornings .............................................................................................................................. 29
In the Park ...................................................................................................................................... 30
Nature’s Forecast ........................................................................................................................... 31
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Who Had To Die Today? ................................................................................................................ 32

Nature’s Rule ................................................................................................................................. 33
Lone Raven .................................................................................................................................... 33
This Mountain Place....................................................................................................................... 34
Wind Chimes; Bells of Life’s Heartbeat Ring ................................................................................ 34
Pseudo Nature ............................................................................................................................... 35
Morning Glory ................................................................................................................................ 36
Transformation .............................................................................................................................. 37
Artic Chill ....................................................................................................................................... 39
Nature’s Law .................................................................................................................................. 41
The Great Ice Melt......................................................................................................................... 42
Celtic Appalachian Wave Winds .................................................................................................... 44
Mankind’s Presence in Transcendental Universe; Gift or Curse? .................................................. 46
Fierce Winds Rage ......................................................................................................................... 47

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 INTRODUCTION & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Welcome. This book of poetry has come to me through the Great Spirit, the Ultimate Power,
God; At a time of change and transcendence in not only my own life but the world as a whole.
This time in history finds more uprising against oppression, authoritarian, religious, capitalistic
and other power control groups than at any other time in the currently known history of
mankind. I find myself once again on the path of healing from my own life’s oppression and
discriminatory treatment. I am a child of nature and as such have come to find my solace in
the breadth of her arms, under the vastness of her starry nights, the gentle breezes, fierce-
some winds; her seasonal color palette and all of the living fauna and flora. Under the awe of
her awesome power I have come to deeply understand the existence of connective-ness of
the entire universe that science is only now beginning to provide evidence based truth.

I have been lucky enough to take a journey for my soul into the Appalachian Mountains of the
Eastern US; a place I have long since felt in my heart to be home. From this journey evolved
my soul and in that process the words flowed to paper as easily as the rivers flowed down the
mountains with frequent rains.

In the midst of our own souls journey we sometimes must leave behind or cast aside
momentarily those special people in our lives to make our way alone. I am gracious for the
love of my family and my very special husband who loves me deeply enough to let me go and
find myself again; a process that seems to be rocky and ongoing for well over a decade now.
At this point I can say there is a light but the tunnel does not end, it is only beginning and that
light is within me. From this light I will find the strength to take the actions necessary to create
the best of my short earth life to come. Changes will abound and through them I will continue
to learn and heal, and to help others in their path where I can.

My husband Joe is my best friend, this year we celebrate our 18th anniversary. I want him to
know that I love him more than I loved him that day that I chose to be united in marriage. He
has helped me through some of life’s toughest challenges, and I to him. As spiritual partners
and souls that belong together we shall continue to help each other onward in our soul
journey in this earth school, providing time, insight, communication and most of all loving
attentiveness. He has been my rock and I love him for the wonderful person that he is. We
both share in similar needs to develop our souls, and will continue to reverie in our
differences. We can take from the messages given me by Mother Nature in this Appalachian
journey and apply them to our lives and relationships, and give back to the Great Earth Spirit.

I am gracious for my mother who brought to me this opportunity for life, and has shared so
much of herself to lift me up and push me on when I needed her. My brothers, nieces and
nephew have even from a distance given me strength of resolve knowing and feeling their
connective-ness in my heart. Other special folks along the way like Jo and Moira, Erin, Jenny
and Kathy; my spiritual Angels, my special friends Julie, Lena and Felicia who have kept me
grounded, stuck by me and helped me in so many ways. My dogs who continue to take this
journey with me and share the greatest gift that makes them mankind’s best friends; they are
role-models for unconditional love, they live life to its fullest and are present in every
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moment, they are willing to give their life for you and would not hesitate to be “with” you,
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and give you the biggest most joyful hello even if you were only gone a minute.
I am gracious for my ancestors, my cosmic helpers, my angels, and those who have gone
before me on this path and others; those souls that still today maintain a presence in my life
helping me on my way, and watching over me. I can feel their love in my heart just as strong
as if they were physically by my side; that among other mind-blowing phenomena is how I
know they are still with me today. My brothers, my father, and others who have passed are
with me every day, I feel them, and I have learned how to connect to this presence.

I am gracious for our beloved “Trooper”, who tried in vain to teach us calmness and patience,
and to not get bent out of shape over the small stuff, which is most every “ thing”. It is in her
death and the passing of her spirit to our other 4-legged quadra-peds that we are learning the
importance of calmness and reacting in a loving way or not at all. Trooper and our other
animals refused to be around hateful angry energy and had no qualms about letting us know
in their own unconditionally loving manner. Animals, as with nature have so much to teach us
if we will just listen, learn and take the work to put those messages into our mind, intentions,
and behaviors.

History and records being what they are with discrepancies in ancestral past occurring as a
result of human discrimination and oppression even in the America’s, I have found little
“proof” to tie my ancestral past to a particular native tribe, I rely on the words of my
grandfather and my mother along with the little evidence we have located, to provide the
affirmation to the truth that I know in my heart and my being; I have ancestral blood that
includes Native American Cherokee Indian. I feel that this is part of the spirit calling me home
to the Southern Appalachian Mountains.

I have experienced many sixth sense situations and have had some profound messages sent to
me in what most unenlightened would call “crazy” ways. In the infamous words of my spiritual
guide and friend Jo, it’s “Magic”. Religious and Shamanic healers around the world have long
since known that we are sent messages from many means, through our ancestors, nature,
earth, the universe and other spirits such as God. We are all gifted with this ability but we
must respect this gift, and develop its power through calming our mind, training our thinking,
rising out of our egoic conditions; learning to listen and connect deeply to these energies.

I am gracious for everyone I have had the chance opportunity for our lives to cross, for I
understand that each soul passes through another at one time or other in order to provide
lessons and openings to the heart for healing the soul.

I am gracious that my journey will continue infinitely and that the best of my earth life is yet to
come.

Although this prose and poetry book tells stories from my soul journey with Mother Nature, I
pray that it can help others on their souls journey; to provide nurture, comfort, strength, and
of course share, “Message ‘s from Nature” ; that anyone who has ever been outdoors can
relate to. I pray that I have been given the guidance to write in a way that paints a picture
enabling anyone who reads these words from the heart to close their eyes and go on their
own journey to enlightenment. For we all have that God given Divine Light within, our souls
are craving for healing to bring it forth.
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 Rains of Color
It’s raining leaves of colors,
Radiant yellow, red, and gold
Warm days and nights of cold,
Floating colors left and right
Falling gently downward into sight,
Dropping silent, barely a sound,
Listen closely as they hit the ground,
At times you hear the delicate thump
Some colors fall straight down,
Like an arrow spinning round
Others tumble to and fro
Hitting branches as they dive below

The sun sweetly appears in the east,

Colors glisten through morning dew
Be the watcher of this gift for you.
Soft breezes blow to send down just a few,
While brazen winds bring rains of brilliant hue.
Occasionally falls just ones or twos,
Then falls in orchestrated rows
Scattered about the forest
In rhythms no one knows
Gently cascading down like feathers,
Ushering in a change of weather

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Blalock Horton

Light Our Way

Celestial bodies shining bright

Setting up romantic light
Bringing bright to the darkest night

Shining down upon the earth

Twinkling stars dancing nigh,
Slowly moving in the sky
Earth turns from night to day,
Lighting our path, our way

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Blalock Horton

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 Different Breeds, Similar Needs
Little birdies flicker round,
Tree to tree, up and down
Hopping branch to branch,
Stopping in to feast the feeder

Carolina chickadee, tufted titmouse, nuthatcher,

In the sky the Raven’s roost,
All dancing haphazardly, singing sweet song,
Chirping and cooning their own special tune,
All different breeds, cooperatively orchestrating,
With the same goal in mind,
All the same species, with differences abundant,
Yet sharing and caring for each other,
Preparing for winter, and hard times ahead

Some are just tiny, with black and white feather,

While others are bigger, with sturdier beak,
Yet others shine grayscale with tomahawk tuft!
Some gather above, some gather below.
Back and forth they scurry, taking only what they need
Allowing for others to take some seed

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Blalock Horton

Blue Sky

Blue sky’s big and bright

Bring us joy, to our heart a light
Never ending vast space,
Appearing infinite on its face
Permit us if for a moment
To feel the beauty of the day

Enhancing all the color, much more brilliant

Electrifying colors of all shade
Among the deepest blue hue
Tis soon begin to fade
To leave us wonder…
What tomorrow will bring anew?

Yet as we sit and ponder

As if from behind the blue sky, the sun sets gently,
As it drifts from on high
Then Blue skies give way to rainbow color
And darkness follows

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

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 Messages from Nature

Trees abound in radiant green,

Then turn to colors of yellow, gold and red,
Falling slowly, sometimes quick
Soon the trees are dormant and lean,
It’s hard to tell the living from the dead.
Like all of life we blossom,
Our flowers of beauty bloom
The products of our works fall,
We grow dormant in our gloom
A cold sets in deep down in our soul,
Changes abound, our spirit calls,
In our heart, we must make room…
Soon warmth will befall by sun and moon,
Again our selves will triumph over doom!

Among the trees, a special breed

Standing there to fulfill a need
A message given to plant the seed

Observe the haughty evergreen

Not affected by winter or fall
Standing strong and tall and green
Look close to see they too have flaw

But what they teach, we can’t deny

Our purpose is not to question why
Just know that when change is all around,
Just stand tall and hold your ground

Messages from nature all around,

Silence watcher, they will come,
Pay attention, be still, be numb
God speaks to the calm mind,
All the answers ye shall find.

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Blalock Horton

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 Last Night’s Poem

It's a snowing
Winds a blowing,
Trees a howling
Gusty growls,

Feel the house shake,

Under cold feet,
Slippers warm,
And cozy treat

Winters solstice,
On the way,
Coming next day,
End of world?
Not mine to say,
Wish I may,
For many a new day

Christmas bliss
Frigid weather
Here together,
In my heart,
When were apart,

Like the stars

Way away far,
Cloudy, gray skies
Hidden to my eyes,
Shadowed by the darkness,
Yet I know the stars are there,

No matter where,
I believe, I am aware
Our souls kiss,
Our hearts connect,
Whether close or far away,
Our love is to stay,
Never falling a stray

Lights a twinkle,
Gold and silver,
Garland round,
Up the tree,
And back down

Round the corner,

Snowman flickers
Clocks a tick
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Stockings hanging,
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Bells a clanging,
 Fire place burning
Dinners churning
Christmas wishes,
All about,

It's just the first night,

Here in heaven,
On the mountain right
A peace and solace,
All through the night

Snug as bug
In warmed bed,
Dreams of nothing,
Fill my head,
It’s good to be
Just is, as is

Sleep tight,
Til morning light,
Without fright,
No more fight,
Morning brings
A new delight.

Merry Christmas,
and Good Night.

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

Winter’s Solstice Eve

Snow falling, floating down,

With freedom’s flight
Moving all around,
Without a single sound

Waifing left, then right

Zipping, zagging, what a sight
Carried in the wind,
Flying upward and around the bend

Softly floating, sometimes upward motion

Drunk from Mother Nature’s potion

In the solitude, harsh of winter, sets a blanket

Ice as sharp as thorns splinter,
Touch it she will sting,
Lays down upon the ground in fluffy white,
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A softer ice sparkles light

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Snow as soft as cotton fleece,

 Frigid fright to some, heavenly play to others
Sisters, friends and brothers,
Gather round her winter holidays
Sending love in special ways

Is it freedom?
That sends her down,
Floating, moving toward the ground
Or is it bigger forces,
For which she gets no choices,
Wind that pushes her around,
Gravity that takes her down,
Rain that melts her,
Ice that steals her softness,
Heat that takes her life
A tender part of a greater storm,
Together nature’s winter takes form.

Snow precious, as Goddess Divine

Winters colorful sign
Brings joy in a burly world of
Forces, ice and frigid cold

Standing on her own

Capable of mighty strength,
Depths so high, towns nearly sink
Underneath her piles of white

When she cries, she turns to stone, Stones of ice,

That very ice that took her fluff,
Is capable of dreadful stuff

She delivers in her deathly strife

Reincarnates as the drink of life,
To bring forth nurture, of forest, animal and man

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

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 Stormy Peace

Storm clouds a coming, across the mountain round

Clouds of gray close down low, Winds build, in force some speed
Ripping through the trees
Barren of their leaves,
Bending, swaying, breaking branches old or weak,
Sending weapons tumbling down
Spooky sounds gasp when winds gust,
Howling through the canyons, spreading debris in its path

Tender snowflakes fall in tiny icy pellets,

Spatting on the ground,
Fleetly stopping, just a moment,
Winds push snow abound

Changing forces, moisture growing,

Packing snowflakes big and light,
Fluffy lacelike floating down,
To gently settle, blanketing all
Growing building, more and more,
Falling heavy, collecting silently
Tenderly covering in glistening white
All that once was in our sight

Muffled sounds usher in peace,

Solitude, quietness serenity prayer
Lost in the calm of the snowflakes lair
When big wind blows, to let us know
Remind us the power he bears,
As if jealous of snowflake,
He howls and he growls,
He pushes and snarls,
And causes a crash
Down comes a tree,
Unable to bear
The angry wind

Snowflake triumphs and outlasts the wind

When all around her quietness
The remnants still remain
Branches have broken, and tumbled to earth,
Trees have been beaten
Signs of a struggle, in the war land remain

The signs of her victory reign

Peace, stillness and quiet she lay
Basking the land
Till warmth take her hand
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Back to the earth snowflake disappears

Leaving behind no sign she was here.
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©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

 Noise

Artificial noise fills the air

City busy ness tainted my silence
Traffic, sirens, screaming hustle,
Tires echo off the pavement,
Doors slam, airplanes buzz, music blaring, TV’s on,
People talking by the thousands,
Cell phones ringing, computers pinging
Unnatural vibrations breaking up atonement

Created hardship for my mind,

For when I get in peace and quiet,
In the beginning it drives me crazy
Feeling like my heads a busting
Lack of noise is pressuring me.
Like a drug, I withdraw
But the need takes control
I fight it, it fights back

Time carries me on, I succumb to the peace

And serenity nature brings
Here up on these mountains high.
I give in…
Cause I know the damage the city does
To a child of nature, it makes me crazy

Quietness, calmness, sounds of nature

Natural vibrations, closer to my own
Creative juices flowing
Mind at rest, sleep can come
Patience, stillness, clarity of thought
Feel the oneness, connected to Mother Earth,
An all her fair creatures, big and small
Closer to the Divine

For when I return to city, I must for a little while more,

I find the noises city bring
Create hardship for my mind,
For when I get in noisy bustle,
In the beginning it drives me crazy
Feeling like my heads a busting
All this noise is pressuring me.
Like a drug, I take it in
Soon it takes control
I fight it, and fight it,
And
It takes me a little bit at a time,
More and more each day,
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It makes me crazy.
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©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

 Raven’s Call
-
This day’s a special day
To the morning I awoke,
A couple Raven’s at my window
Through the trees, the sun’s rays
To Ravens sound I awoke
From deep dreams of horror in my sleep
Dreams of bad that turned anew
And changed from sad to glad

Raven’s call a little odd

A normal Raven’s caw,
Followed by a deep bo bo link
Perched on branch, near and fro they gave a nod.
Then off they flew as if on mission
Something they had to do,
Leave me wonder, left me ponder
What message have they left for me?

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

Nature’s Christmas Tree

Christmas tree, you sit in silence, yet loudly you speak,
Grown from Carolina Mountain Soil,
With loving care and labors toil
Your gleaming beauty radiates God’s love
Your colors scream happiness,
Your twinkle says peace,
Every ornament tells a story

You stand with all your branches proud,

A history of the weather and care given to you,
You are a symbol of Christmas time,
Of good will to mankind
By one to each another, but few listen

Instead they fill your song with gifts of pleasure

And miss the gifts your heart sings strong.
This the best tree who sits silently alone, in many of our home,
Sending messages one season a year, in hopes humanity can hear
Speaking and sharing in the only way it can,
In the symbolic subtle radiating beauty,
A message one must be ready to hear,
In Quietness, in stillness you understand.
You sacrifice your life to send peace to the world.
What do we do to bring peace to mankind?
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©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

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 Leaving

My heart falls deep

I go to sleep
Then the nightmares come
Load the trunks and travel on
Leave the place I know as home
I feel it deep within my bone

The place up where the mountains stand

Where my soul prefers the land
God is dancing hand in hand

Holding tight to autumns sight

Colors dancing red, yellow, gold and bright
Turning slow to shades of brown
Dying, dying falling down

How I’m feeling time to go

Back to where I do not know
A place I feel I cannot heal
Where I must be so unreal

We play a game for human’s lust

Where love hides and veils of trust
Bringing shadow to my soul
Somehow I must bring myself to function in this dirty hell

Down in the city where I dwell

Far away from the magic of the mountains spell
Where I feel at home with every cell
Until the day I can come back to stay

Away from the city by the sea

Back into the mountains that have so deeply captured me
The place I never want to leave
For every time I do, I cry tears and grieve.
©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

The Dark Side

Hell hath no fury like the dark side of Mother Nature
Rain clouds build in wind and rain, Massive strength of hurricane
Spinning slowly, pushes wind and water
Destroying slow, miles and miles of coastline batter
Greater still tornadoes tatter
Like a man-made war zone, lives are shattered

Every day storms bring lightning’s clatter

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Thunder sounds the warning bell, Wildfires spread like burning hell
Petulance, insects, disease, amoeba brother,
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Bring wrath to all at one time or another

 Hell hath no fury like Mother Nature
Yet human beings rise in stature,
Destroying what so many touch,
To Mother Nature’s bosom we should clutch

Hell hath the strength to take us sunder

Man hath ego and pleasure wonder
Nature has no hell like common man
For love of universe, we must stand.
©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

Child of Nature, Trusted Friend

Child of nature, where I best fit in,
Child of human by virtue of kin,
Many acquaintances, few good friends
Deep in my heart, I know love lives,
Time after time my trust badly ends
I must pay heed to the message God gives
For in the winds come warnings of sin
In the light of day with bird song
Comes love with justice for the wrong

Acquaintances, friends; define differences here,

No matter how near or far,
Friends will soothe your fear,
Whenever the rains come they will not shun
The love and the care they give to your heart,
Will take the darkest day into the light of the sun.

Fair-weather friends, acquaintances bound,

Disappear with the dark clouds, not to be found.
Many ties so lonely, unable to trust,
These connections, they erode and they rust
At once was social butterfly, standing with people,
Likes trees in a forest,
Close and together enjoying the weather

Innocence and naiveté tore away, BAM!!

After, the heart acts more like a dam.
Just shy of a decade I fought like a warrior,
Trying to heal but growing in furor.

A heart wants to love, but doesn’t know how,

That pathway forgotten here in the now
Only toward humans and mostly to men,
Centuries of oppression wearing thin,
Never a feeling I really fit in
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Canine unconditional love, does not try to change

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Acceptance and love across a vast range.

 Lessons yet to learn,
A love so deep, man not understand
For me, my heart still yearn
Few hearts on the outside ever let in, but
Nature feels natural, acceptance a win.

For few humans the dam gives in,

Changing places, may bring graces
Mountains are soothing to health and to heart,
Making new friends is a little start.
Few of the old ones will follow the path,

Visiting from one far-away place to another,

If not for a long one, a short one at that
Trying to stay close to the other
Only for a time then it’s back to the grind

God bring a message, a miracle

Pull things together, stop the scorch
Bring the finances, time and needs,
For ever to sit upon this porch,
Pulling and healing hearts weeds,
Where nature is fore-most, and ruler of lands
Mountains tall and strong, forest lush and alive
Earth just perfect to plant hearts new seeds.

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

Where is Christmas?
Is Christmas up on mountain top or valley down below?
Is it in the lowland or over by the seashore?
Is it in the warmth of sunny Florida?
Or where there’s fallen snow?

Where is Christmas?
It is in the giving of ourselves to other,
The helping of another
It is in the care we have for family and friend
And in the forgiveness of those we offend
And to those who do to us in ways not so nice.
Christmas is in the time we take to sit calm and refresh our mind,
Reflect, then sit without thought

Where is Christmas?
It is not a thing or place
You cannot find it on a chart
For Christmas is the very life that beats within our heart
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©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

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 Fog Takes All
Fog dancing through the trees,
Misty shadow lights reflect against the fog
Clouds drop low teasing mountain tops
As if hopping tree to tree
Rolling in over range shading out the scenes
Laying blanket cold and wet
As if reality in dream set

Sunshine hides behind the veil

Yet daylight still prevails
Hues of brow, blue and green
Faded misty fog banks deepen into grays
Wispy winds push onward spreading fog abound
Covering sky from infinity to ground
Overlapping all around
Taking every object on the mountain
Enveloping all into one
As if one big blanketed screen
©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

Cosmic Energy
Everything in nature, all we see
All we hear, we touch and feel
Means nothing, it’s not real
Only illusion placed before us
To bring us back to God as one

In everything of this world

Is a message from another
To bring us all together
None of this means anything
Except the message it’s here to bring
The teacher of the lesson
To brings us God’s blessing
Set our souls free
Free of mind for all mankind
To carry us home to thee

All emerge from same family tree

Red, White, Black and Yellow
Each an extension of little me
As I, my fellow
Created by that same energy Divine
Everywhere you can see the sign
Plant, animal, thing or man
We are all one upon this land
For all the universe
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Farther than we see

We belong to this cosmic energy.
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©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

 Raven
Raven, Raven; dark as black
Sun sheens a midnight blue
Calling, crowing, perching roost
Protector, messenger, power spirit
Soaring through the forest trees

Smaller crows grow in number,

Signal great change a coming,
Disappearing crows, call in all Ravens
In swoons Raven bringing message,
What does Raven say?

Raven swoop in close, make a presence,

Momentarily shows her beauty
Stooped upon a low bare branch,
Caws but for a shortened moment

Spreads her wings to soar the canyon

Distant calls from further places
Returns to fly from tree to tree
Caws and calls like she’s talking just to me

Raven, Raven; near my window

What message brings you to me?

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

Chipmunks in the Wood Pile

A mole, a mouse, the lady bugs,
Chipmunk, beaver, jack-rabbit
In the dark the forest chatter
Something lurks and leaves do scatter
Human, small or bigger matter?

Forest gangs and wildlife clans

Bring about a change to plans
Fear will take you back inside
Adventure forth a crazy ride

Critters scurry all about

Sending out for food a scout
Prepping, stocking up for winter
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©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

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 Set Free
Here I sit upon the mountain,
Nature’s beauty all around me
Feeling like I’ve come home
Peace washes over me,
A healing destiny

This place I sit, I sit with God

No other place, I’ve ever been
Touches my soul, quite like here, upon this range
The mountains so strong, do persevere

Here God is close, I feel her presence

Divine Spirit in the breeze, the ground, the wind, and all the trees,
The flowers bloom, the wildlife looms
Filling each and every cell within my body,
I can tell, the love, the power, the soul full-filled

I’ve come home to roost up here

Where the Raven’s swoon and the songbirds tune
Spirit roams the air around
Seasons change and so do I
I am free to grow, laugh and cry
Here is me, just who I am
No need to be what I am not
Chasing ideas of others lot

Here I find me is me
And here among the gracious trees
I find my soul can be set free
Among these mountains, strong of rock
Where I find that me is me, and me is just enough.

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

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 Message Dream
Along the shore, we all stood by
When Kia fell without a cry
Her head bobbed, she was startled
I said, “Go get her”; you stood still
Then down she went, she disappeared
I said, “Go get her”; you jumped no haste
Down in darkened murky water
You pulled her from the lake
I know not why, I could not dive
I was not present in my body, I did not feel alive
I was simply a watcher, watching as it all went by
Was it I couldn’t or I wouldn’t, I don’t know why.

Later on in a diner, I served a faceless unknown crew

I remember Fred and Hattie too.
I posed for picture somehow shirtless,
Soon some cover was provided
In the next room stand electric guitar
I turn on amp, no sound, no noise
I strum, I pick, no sound, no power
Off I turn, to leave the room
It’s my diner, temporarily, soon it will be sold

I remember yet one more time that Kia drowns

This time I take action, I save her…
My Dream door closes
Raven’s at my window
Kia gives one big bark
I awaken startled
Wondering the message? The meaning of this dream?

Soon the overwhelming beauty outside my window

Fills my heart and soul with peace
I think it; just as it seem
Little girl is drowning, few come to help, but some friends by my side
I’m standing part naked, vulnerable without power,
I must find the strength to save myself
Where I am is temporary,
I must jump in and take action to save that little girl,
To stand and save myself
No matter how murky the water may be,
I must rise and fly
No longer watching by,
To speak my truth and be set free

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

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 Spirit Messengers
At once was hawk, so spirit filled
Came to rebuild my soul past darkest days
Watching skyward, always drawn
I could sight them, if as magic
To me they come after life was tragic
I watch, I wait, I learn
What lessons bring they to me?

I see them soaring high above

While getting beat by little birds
Whose eggs they probably stole
To nourish their own life’s soul
Yet fight they do not do
They soar proud and take the beating
Barely flap a wing

On high they perched branch by branch

They just watched, observed in silence
Occasionally carried pray

Nine years later, Hawk dead on highway, past it by,

Crows begin calling, ushering change
Hawk disappears from view
My heart changes, action stews

Now drive homeward, placed on leave, out of gas I ponder

Dead hawk on highway down the road
Drawn to stop, I give ceremonial care
Now hawk visits, only on special message
To give a lift to me
When I need it most; to keep me forging on

Now Raven drawn to me

I watch, I wait, I observe
This message comes much harder
I’ve yet to hear the lesson Raven bring

Ravens come in morning light

Wear darkest blues and black as night
Could their message be to trust the dark?
Cause everything’s anew in morning light
Trust, come to the light,
Be what you need to be, when you need to be,
Take action to survive,
Then soar and fly.
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©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

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 Appalachians
I love this place, my spirits high
Every day the morning greets with silent beauty sigh
Soon all the songbird orchestra tweets

Among the trees and morning dew

Flicker here to and fro, flying left to right
The ceremonial dance, a day anew
Powerful beauty, such delicate flight

Cascading rays of sun float down through tree

To warm the cold and earthen ground
Brilliant colors of autumn renown
Breeze through forest, leafs set free

Sometimes barely make a sound

Then like rainstorm, leaves rain down
In the tree tops up and down
Forest squirrel runs round and round

For in these mountains I’ve come home

Where my spirit is free to roam
Whether I go with others or sit alone
My soul travels to gather atone.

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

Upon This Mountain

Upon this mountain Christmas morn, the peace that so adorn
There is magic in this special day
For each in their own way
The songs words “in solemn stillness lay”
Is where the peace reside
For in this quiet time is when we realize
The peace and love we have,
Is what’s inside each and every one of us
If we just trust, be calm inside our mind; then it is there for us to find

Next to me sit this Christmas morn a special little girl

Her name is Kia, she’s a dog
But more than that she is love
From every beat of her heart love exudes from within her
She shares it with kisses, affection and hugs
At times her predator survival skills ooze out and crazy she can be
There are times to play and run and jump
Yet even she’s clued in
That the best in life is love
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In those quiet moments is when it comes to bear

The tenderness of life is really meant to share
Page

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

 Barren Trees

These barren trees are brave

Standing naked in the cold
Winds lashing at their bark
Whipping through the branches stark
Limbs barely hang on splinter
Some have broken tips,
Strong foundation in the center
Scars from lightning’s fierce strikes
Disease, insects, and the likes
Standing tall and proud, naked as a jay bird
With dead dormant stare, not a word
So strong they stand against the wind
As they sway within the breeze
Letting go of weaker parts, as if not to be kind
Preparing for the coming freeze
Older weaker branches tear and plunder as if they had no care

Thick trunks give way to smaller branches and down to many twigs
The tiniest of them all extend out from the rest
So brave they endure this stormy test
Way out there in natures grip
While bigger branches show their broken tips
Hardwoods stand like peasant rebels, rising for a cause
Amongst the haughty evergreens
With all their leaves so preen
Their softer wood gives winter color
Among the whites and greys and browns
Side by side they gather round
All in harmony to shelter forest friend and foe
Who live down below
Even in their death, when they are down
They provide a home

Breathing the air, they swagger to and fro

Like dancers of nature’s ballet
Spinning in turbulence
Flexing at far ends, high up in the space
Bases firmly planted, dug down into the earth
Trees of various species collaborate together
Some seem hand in hand,
Spread all across this sacred mountain land

Tis wind is the orchestra of this song

And trees the mighty dancers following along

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

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 The Battle of Sun and Winter’s Storm

Windy days appear across the mountains

From far to near
Softly subtle they first appear
Tiny sweet tender bells
Ring from wind chime hanging near

Sudden gust of howling fierce

Through the trees they pierce
Allegro staccato the bells are chiming here
Swooshing winds that you can hear
Rush across the way

Clouds of bluish winter’s grey

Pushing winds ahead, the trees unite in play
Preceding skies of threatening green
Through the night they dared
Bringing waters rain and brought the changing winds
Ushering in the winter’s storm
This season’s weekly norm

Sun peaks above the grey sky

Spreading beauty blue
Solar rays of her own winds
Soon begin to show
Light behind the clouds trim a golden crust
Winds rise in stormy gust
As if to rebel the suns warm glow

Growing fierce, the winds they howl

Through canyon, round corners, winds begin to growl
The fight for the day is in full form
Who will reign, sun or winter storm?
Will sunny blue sky win the way?
Or cloudy grey take this day?

The winds indicate no desire to share

The Sun works hard to overcome the spreading of their lair
Gray clouds deepen hue
Eating up the skies of blue
Reaching out across the sky
The gray sneaks in sly

Sun rises and shoots fire out from her belly

Winds respond with gusty bly
24

Grey emerges from two sides

Spins around the back and sends the wind abide
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Takes the sun in one big gust

 Sun rises once again and takes her place on high
Again the winds begin to roar
And take her power warmth
She fights to rise and spread her rays

Clouds rush in from east, and west and north

The sun begins to dwarf, refusing to give in
She peeks between the cloudy garden
And shoots her rays for all she’s worth
Sending down her warmth

Winds begin to churn, like a train engine in the distant,

Sending out from winter clouds, a hand that grabs the sun
Covering up her power, stealing from us her warm
See the glow of gold from out the clouds thin edge, she shines

Winds push from west, deeper cold sets in,

Thickest grey and deep blue whites
It’s coming clear who’ll win this day
But Sun does not go lightly
And neither does the wind

Sun rises even higher, her painted blues disappearing

Wind chimes respond with almost constant clang and ding
As if for gray clouds they are cheering
Sun rises once again,
Not wanting to give in,
Spread her warmth to thee
Knowing she’s not long today for winter’s sure to come

Sun shines as warm and bright in every moment that she can
Each opportunity she’s given
She’s brighter and she’s warmer, giving all she can
But over the mountain, all four sides
She’s flanked by winter storm
North, South, East and West
It’s coming for the day
The Sun in all her glory will have to part her way
To stand behind the sky of winter’s grey until another day

The clouds of grey deepen blue push lower toward the ground
A strange calm as the wind slows to a crawl
While clouds and wind strategize this brawl
Sudden burst of gold
Ushers her last stance
Sun pushes her way through
Again the winds begin to roar
Gray skies pushing fast
To take the Sun at last
25

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

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 Christmas Is
Christmas begins with a calendar date
For a year goes by that we must wait
This mark of time in between
Gives this day its special ring
Symbolic of the Christ Child’s birth
Describes this days true worth

Christmas carols we hum and sing; music to our heart

With this season brings a joyful start
Memories of times ago
Bring to us a warming glow
Christmas is a time to slow
Reflect on life and those we love
Give glory to our God above

Gather gifts we wrap in pretty paper and a bow

Decorate our homes and spaces just so
Bask in beauty of gleaming lights
Baking goodies our tummy delights
Shiny ornaments, snowmen, Santa, angels on high
We take a breathe and give a sigh
Stars and reindeer, Christmas Trees
Wreaths and stockings hung by fire, down on bended knees
Filling all our hearts desire

Christmas is a time when we do good deed

For those who have a special need
Celebrate the birth of Christ child in a manger
Give service even to a stranger

Christmas is a season,
Given to us for a reason
To understand our purpose here
All these symbols spreading cheer
Are what we need to do all year
It’s all about peace and love

For in us all is a given Spirit

It is in our hearts and souls and up to us to gift it
That’s our human role
Stop the bustle and the rush
Stop the fighting and the fuss
It’s all about PEACE and LOVE
Merry Christmas
26

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

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 Blessed Are the Birdies

Blessed are the birdies that fly about the trees

Tiny precious beings, bringing songs of please
Touching hearts like Sun’s warm rays, even on the coldest days

Phee bee, Phee bay, you can hear them say

Today’s another day
Up at morning dawn, cheering out the window
A human’s sleepy yawn
Motivation to get up and go

Go out amongst the nature, coffee hot in hand

Peace and quiet her nurture
All the true riches of the land

Blessed are the birdies, who sing a song to me

Heaven’s calling to my heart, to heal my soul, be free

Blessed are the birdies, fleeting about the trees

Tiny precious beings bring a song for me
Feather friends a plenty
Orchestrating peace, sit quiet, just be

Hear them in the distant, carry on their song

For you God’s glory meant
A moment disappears all wrong, our heart is just content

Whether God or science, a happenstance of chemistry

We all have inter-reliance
With even the birdies and the tree
Blessed are the birdies
They are a part of us and we a part of thee

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

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 Up On Roan Mountain

Up on Roan Mountain, way at the top

A frigid icy wonder, traveling up the winding road, one seven three
Snow piled up high along the side, a scary beautiful ride

Valleys barren down below, Sandy’s brought October snow

In feet not inches to ridges high, a beauty one cannot deny
Icicles plummet from the rocks, daylight tic tocs
All is frozen still, glisten through Sun on side of hill

This beauty can’t compare, trees now icy once were bare
In stillness bares its soul as winter takes its toll
Trees captured in ice and snow, mountain tops all a glow
Few signs of autumn show below
Confusion of the seasons, Man’s calendar not in reason
Freak storm of signs of more to come
Global warming or ice age storm

I stand silent for a moment with wondering who, what, where and why
Like a scientist I will try
To understand the circumstance of nature’s odd October dance
How or if man had a hand
If these forces across the land
Are just way bigger than common man

Across the frozen tundra blows a biting chill

Wakes me from my wonder, capturing me still
Once again I notice the beauty on this hill
Piles of snow spread about, proving Mother Nature’s clout

I stand in awe of all I saw

A beauty to behold, shivering in the cold
Sun setting to the west to give us all a rest
Winds begin to howl, my bones let out a growl
The journey down I ponder, which road shall I sonder
Choose the way for safety’s sake
East or west the choice to make

To the south the sunny side, at first I think the safest ride
North Carolina served on ice, road to southeast frigid ice
Signs of warning, trucks beware, curves of downslope if you dare
Pause for moment and I stare
Conditions that way I don’t know; icy patches and off I may go
Back from other way I have came
Already I have played that game
Elevation curves and climb; slow and steady more sublime
Northwest I decide, in the car we soon ride
28

Hoping not to slip and slide

Page

Heater on down the mountain

 Mile per hour only ten, all the sights we’re taken in
Fill our hearts with cozy warmth
Forgetting how cold can harm
Down we ride from side to side
Twisting turning sunsets burning
Icy wonder up on top left my heart still yearning

Winds that cut down to the core somehow still I’m wanting more
Nature is my drug, from her bosom get a hug
Her beauty addicting, yet she can surely sting

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

Misty Mornings

Sun peaks over ridges, dances at mountain top

Colors ridge tops in shades of blue
Subtle misty mountain hue
Misty mornings soft and still, in the air a crisp chill
In the distant sounds the hunt
Hounds go barking on the prowl
Hunters follow for feast of fowl
Chainsaws glare in echo fashion
Trees fall to earth a crashing
Sounds of winter soon to come
Transcending fall to end
When most retreat to summer’s heat
Frost now glistens, sparkle glitter
To the schoolhouse birdies flitter
For their morning feed of seed
Magic wands of silent transparency
Disappears the icy frost
Mist lifts slow and sure
Unveiling caps of red and yellow, gold, green and blue
Subtle hues of brown and tan
Sprinkled out across the land
Sun’s rays shine about the pines
Hemlock needles shimmer silver
Pale blue skies deepen further
Chirping birdies of all kinds
Compete with chainsaws
Shotguns blast in distant near
Forest sounds you still can hear
Peaceful mornings slowly fading
People stirring about their lading
A new day has awaken, Life is moving on

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

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 In the Park

In the park the snow is little deep

Half below my knee, half above my feet
Melted by the days just past
Playful puppies run for fun at last

In the park the contrast stark

Brilliant snow of whitest white
Evergreens wear leaves of darkest green
Across the river in our sight
A deer appears in beauty light
Dogs begin to fuss and fight
Domestic training gives its way to species instinct,
There I lay upon the ground, my feet jostled round
Hold tight to leash at bay to keeps dogs from chasing down
Stop…
In its tracks, not a movement can be seen
Across the mountain in the trees
I see the deer in stillness stare
Then bolt away in rapid fare

In the park to where I’ve come

Across the mountain quietness hum
From out of blanket soft and white
Begins to appear snowman delight
Arms of branch and eyes of wood
He was happy where he stood
Sharing fun just while he could
Pup Kia grabbed his arm and ran
Soon the fearsome Sun began
And snow took snowman back again

In the park the stillness lay

No one else was here this day
We owned this place, the pups and I
Why I love this wintry craze
Solemn loneness yet not alone
Throw the dog’s toy and bone
Nature’s presence stands with me
As I dance from tree to tree
Hear Her voice as she speak
All the senses come to peak
Hear and see, smell and touch
Most of all I feel her clutch
In silent reverie
Comfort in her every message is key
30

Bridges lay cross creeks by three

One big, two wee
Page

Hike, we walk by silent feet

 Crunching down below
Water rushes over rocks
Singing gentle whispers of tiny waterfalls
Giant oversized pebbles rounded smooth to perfection
Topped with snow mallow fluff
Sweet as icing on a cake
From this beauty that nature make
Humans come to take and take
Graciously I thank Divine Mother for her grace
Knowing how drastic she could slap our face
In a distant far off place,
In the place of bustle and hurry
Others felt Sandy’s furry
In the park stark contrast came
The good and evil of this autumn hurricane
Sandy was her name.
©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

Nature’s Forecast

Wispy clouds across the sky

Blowing in as waves across the sea
Changing out the turquoise blue
Move in slow the sea of gray
Briskly filling in the space
Hues of blue will soon erase
Little patches here and there
Usher in ahead of rain

Sky started misty blue

Giving rise to paler hue
Turning deeper infinite space
Whispy clouds briskly past
Closing in the forest tops
Dropping on the mountains ridge

Drowning Sun’s dusty rays

Fillings sky of blues and grays
Peek a boo the Sun gets through
Warming all it touches

Back behind the building clouds

Speaking hints of coming time
In this message you will find
Natures forecast what follows hind

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

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 Who Had To Die Today?
Tweeter, tweeter, tweeter tweet
Hear my song sweet as sweet
Soft breezes blow me by
Snick, snick, snickety, snick
Crickets chirping clickity, click
Bristle chipmunks in the leaves
Tiny twitters titmouse breathes

Shot gun rings across the road

Scares us all to run abode
Hide behind me puppies run
Pitter, patter my heart beats on
Flip flop my hearts a knot
The loudness of that shot
Through solemn stillness pierce
Shatters silence something fierce

Shotguns ring past

Bullets flying fast
Leaves me wonder
Who had to die today?
Was it fun and just for play?
Did it bring one food to bear?
Was it done with gracious care?
Did they give a thankful prayer?
Or was it just a pompous stare,
Followed by celebratory toast
Just for rights of humans boast

Who had to die today?

I send to them a precious pray
To understand the human way
With acknowledge the chain of food
But if for the ego, No dude!
That’s just not the way
Nature’s law will see that you pay.
For all your intentions of evil for jest
Just so you can say
You are the best
Who had to die today, to give their life away?

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

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 Nature’s Rule
Cold weather clouds
Mix with summer puffs, in a sea of blue
Cross the misty mountain calls my Raven near
One titmouse bit the dust, found him dead this morn
There’s a message in that sadness

Life comes and goes,

Change is constant throes
Sing a song cheerily along
Feasting on seed, fleeting to and fore
Suddenly no more
Captured in the hand of death
Nothing one can do
Everything is in the mix, without defined line
Hot, cold, here, there
Winter, summer, spring and fall
The message not slow down and wait
But slowly open your heart to fate
Cause in this world of wonder
Little control has man
Who walks across this land
Natures forces, they are rule
Barely what we learn in school
Be still and listen, watch and learn
Let your heart open to the beauty of this world
Fill it up with peace and love and not the things of man
That is the path to heaven
Not more of this on earth
In that piece of mind no longer shall exist
Time and peace and death,
From all, this universe

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

Lone Raven

Raven’s come one then three

Then a bunch fill barren branches of the tree
Lone Raven to the side takes his special seat in a special tree
Lone Raven stays while others fly away
For hours Raven watches over outside my door
This message must be clear
I am never alone, Divine Spirit is always near

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

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 This Mountain Place

Foggy misty mountains hide behind the veil

Lone Raven visits, sits aside me on the porch rail
Together in silence we sit
And then Raven soars out across the sky
I remember yesterday a song that made me cry

The song told me to “go ahead and go home, for I will not be alone”
This little song crushed my very heart of stone
Every time the moment comes to leave this mountain place
My heart begins to harden and my breath begins to race

Up here on this mountain is where I do belong

This special place is home up where the Raven’s roam

Where the world around me brings my heart a song

Where my soul is free
Understand I must the time is not quite yet
Loose ends I must tie
All in time, a year or two; Then I make this move

Visit often as I can to keep my sanity

While I fight this fight for justice and women’s rights
Continue to pave the path as I have done before
So that other women can follow
And I can fight no more.
©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

Wind Chimes; Bells of Life’s Heartbeat Ring

The bells of wind chimes ring
Upon the background of Hemlock green
Then silent flutter in repolarizing motion
Once again their deep harmony ring
Brought about by wind and breeze

The sounds soothing to human kind

Bringing peace to weary mind
Ring then silent, ring then silent their reverie
This rhythm of ring and rest
Likens the heartbeat in my chest
Suddenly no more they ring

Reminds the songs our own hearts sing

Is just as much a fleeting thing

Then at once a little bell rings, followed by two and three

A rebirth of sound renew
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The song of life’s cycle

Continues on
Page

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

 Pseudo Nature
Today we walk in pseudo nature
Trees and grass, plants and birds, squirrels and rabbits,
Few other spots of nature sprinkled in among the concrete jungle
Asphalt streets and square block houses,
Yards stuffed in tight quarters
Block by block we travel one after the other to make a mile
Even these tiny hints of nature bring to my heart a smile

Something missing I stop and wonder

Nothing comes, we move ahead
Round the tree to clear the kids
Feared to stop for Kiki’s play
Maxx may bite and spoil the day
In the city few know dog
When dogs may bite, as dogs may do
Man strikes them down in death
While humans do far worse
For pleasure, or silly petty ways
In the city, dog bites takes last breath

Round the corner, pick-up sticks

Then in a sudden the message hits
Kiki’s afraid of little branch carried in my leashed hands
In the forest open land she has little fear
In this city setting here she’s afraid of everything
Why I ask as if to bring an answer to this troubling thing?

In the city there you lose that deep sense of freedom,

In the forest, open country land
Oceans vastness mountains range is where our hearts are free
There in the city, leashed to tree, inside fences, stay in yard
Our soul’s freedom stands on guard

In my mind the thoughts come

Rules and rules we add more and more
To put you in that little box and keep you closed inside the locks
Here within the walls of captivity, a slave of society
Then I realize I share the heart and soul of my dog Kia and she the soul of me.
Clear as clear can be
Our souls were meant to be free.

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

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 Morning Glory

Sun greets morning

Rises with rays of glory
Brings with Her skies of brilliant blue
Rich depth of cobalt blue

Last patches of snow bask in Her warmth

Glistening crystals, powder form
Shine like velvet all adorn
Slowly ebb and fade

Warmth emits at 20 degrees

To heal the soul from stormy days
Not a cloud can near be seen
From here to far or in between

Birdies roost, to preen and sing

Colors enhanced by happenstance
In our minds, they play on neurons
Like LSD
To lift our moods and fill our needs
We take this trip that nature gives
For in Her glory is why we live
In the forest Ravens call
Distant voices nature’s law
When they speak all others hush
Raven’s rule this forest lush
Hawk and Eagle spaces high
Rulers of the vast big sky

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

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 Transformation

Yesterday we walked downhill and up again

The ground is barely level everywhere you go
The strength it builds in record time to make a body grow

At first you feel the pain, after all is done

Barely can you move, seething from the fun
Keep it up you must or our bodies sure will rust

The transformation it is quick

I see the crippled dog soon begin to run, playing as if young

The land up here is mighty,

Tough, strong and hard
Not for the meek or flighty
One must be on guard

The hills are steep, and ask of you

To dig down very deep
Rock and stick and various things never are the same
Move your feet in every different plane

Ankles aching, hips to follow

Soon your body begins to wallow
The desire to play must overcome

Focus not on the pain

For it will surely drive you insane
Though you may feel sapped
The body will adapt
Muscle, heart and lung connective tissue, joints and all
Soon you will be standing tall
Strong and agile moving free
Feeling fresh and spree

The transformation, it is quick

When back to land of level flat
Where daily grinds can make you fat
Boundaries, rules and neighbors near
It’s hard to keep in active gear
Muscles soon will waste away
No matter how much you play
You barely move, the land so flat
Staying in a single plane at that

It soon begins to show

Body stiffens; joints get tight, and lose their natural flow
37

The transformation, it is quick

I see the healthy dog
Page

Soon begin to trip and fall, crippled as if very old

 Vigor health begins to unfold

What is the cause?

This change in quality of life
Up here in the mountains
Where movement and change is rife
Is it in the water pure of minerals?
The air of clean and green?
The peace and solace?
The room to roam?
Vibrational frequencies healing to our own?
The hills and valleys, dips and obstacles under feet
That make your body move in everything you do
In ways quite unique

What is the cause?

This change in quality of life
Down her in the flatlands of city strife
Is it in the chemical laden waters?
The air of smog and fumes?
The noise of constant chaos?
The boundaries and the rules?
Vibrational frequencies damaging to your own?
The flat and level ground so steady under feet
That keep you straight and narrow
On land so neat and full of concrete

What makes the transformation from living dead to living live?

And where do you fit in?

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

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 Arctic Chill
Yesterday ‘twas fifties
Gracefully arctic air ushers in
The night a big chill
Today silently slowly struggles
To make the temp of thirty

The air crisp, clear and clean

Icicles and Eskimos dream
Skies vary shades of velvet cobalt blue
And babies breathe of whitish hue

Not a cloud across the sky

Softly breezes usher by
Bringing song to wind chime bells
Hanging by the porch

The Sun so strong and warm

It’s big and fiery torch
Barely notice the arctic freeze
Till that cold wind blows in the trees

That mighty chill you feel

Refreshing, tart and real
Bask below is the remaining snow
Remnants of days gone past

Wants to melt in sun’s warm glow

Freezing temps will make it last
Meltdown will be slow
Water’s ripple sparkle bright
Across the way, the ponds icy delight

Birds flitter all about

As if spring times on this hill
Songs of soft twitter, they sing and shrill

Deepness in the chimes that ring

Sounds of breezes rustle tree limbs
Hemlock pines dance on key
Mountains full of barren tree
Giving rise to visions rarely seen
Winters time these treasures glean

Brown gray mounds of hilltop ridge

Contrast stark with blue skies that bridge
Space to ground and back again
A peace-ness flows across this arctic fridge
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Gods glory at work, once more again, Amen

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©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

 Ice Storm Blues
Once again the warning sounds
Across the mountains winter storms are bound
Forecast calls for icy mix
Streets and ground awful slicks

Windows glow reverent

Across the mountaintop sun drops night-times hint
Red skies at night are seen
Sailors delight is just a dream

For through the night the clouds drape in

Cover moonlight, sky and stars within
Wrapping winter across the way
Dimming the light of the coming day

Tink, tink, tink of ice pellets fall

Still out the window chickadee call
Ice rains down to cover all
Spread half inch thick upon the ground

Icicles hang from vertical heights

Snow packs built in icy mound
Dressed in winter thermal tights
We step with cautious steady feet

Evergreens frozen, limping down

Weakened limbs dropped to the ground
Ice sheets cover windows round
With stained glass design
This day in mid winters time
Its beauty glistens in icy shine
With dangers lurking about its sheen

Slip and fall, down you go

Drive, spin and slide out of control
Down the mountain you may roll
Trees weighted down can snap and crash
A moment’s notice not enough

Today this day, even beauties sight

Is not enough to keep us out,
For in this icy might
Is anxious safeties doubt
Fog banks in and blends the dusk
The days light turns gray white and dust

To our home place we must retreat

In warmth and safety by fireplace heat
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Creative crafts, inside jobs and internet

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Things we put off for days like this

 To keep our minds with busy ness
We count our blessings; we feel so glad our power is good,
For in this ice storm our lines have stood.

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

Nature’s Law

Signs of strength, nature’s power

Seen in tree tops, tall as tower
Trees stripped barren for all to see
The struggle that is given to thee
Yet tall they stand, all across this land

Branches broken, twisted trunk

Some would look and call it junk
But in these broken barren trees
I see the strength, power and flexibility
I see ability to weather the storm
Through all seasons, cold to warm
Not afraid to bear their soul
To open for all to see
The wounds and scars set on thee
New seasons come they dress in leaves of satin green
Some bear flower like beauty queen
Soon shall follow dancing colors of autumns touch
Always underneath they bear the scars of tougher times
Yet as the seasons come and go
They bare their very soul
And open then dress their selves to cover up
Still standing strong and tall
Yet some are weak, diseased and fall
It’s all just nature’s law

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton 41

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 The Great Ice Melt
The great ice melt has begun
Winter’s storm brought icy fury one day before
Today brings blue skies, wispy puffy clouds and sun
Times gone past of frozen tundra
One day stood still frozen under a thick sheet of ice

From a warm and safe place her beauty nice

Trees and plants a frozen stiff
Some stand proud and tall with glistened branches tip to trunk
Some they sway and bend, touching grounds normally not near,
While others standing strong barely move at’all

Carolina chickadee fly’s round in jovial joyful noise

Tis only sound we hear that day ‘cept dropping ice pellets from the sky
Arctic winds from way far off brought down arctic freeze
Good thing ‘bout being in Tennessee, wait a day it’s sure to change

Today awakens this mountain range by red-tailed hawk soaring high aloft
Sun rise strong above mountain top to bring this ice palace to a stop
Chicadee a strong and mighty bird, stopped by neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet
Choosing icy day to gather sleep, to this day they wake
First ones up to greet the forest
Fly round singing proud as if they own this forest town

Dark-eyed Junco join the crowd from some colder place

Sun’s rays reach down gently warming ice’s chilly day
The ice melt now fully underway

The day starts with silent rise over the mountains ridge
Rays of warmth cascading down
Lighting up the icy sheen as if Christmas morn
First tree branches shimmer and shine,
gold and silver all adorn shining off the rays of warm

Soon the sounds of gentle rains sprinkle down from melting ice,
As each moment passes in sparkle gems
Till ice melts down like springs soft rains
Treetops glisten shiny and bright
Winter and Sun in harmony delight

Ice caps crash from roof above,

Slide with screeching chalkboard rub,
Send down hail crashing to ground

In the distant birdsong rings,

Crisp and clear their symphony
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Clouds rise up across the sky

Fog sets in from moistures evaporation
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As steam rises from objects warming

 Giving mist to fogs worthy cause
Frozen ice begins transformation

Suns grows stronger, all day progresses

Trees radiate their beauty bright giving all their heart possesses
While icy limbs they bear, their beauty shines like diamonds they wear
In the forest stand the trees, against the clear blue skies
Drops of rain fall with increasing intensity from frozen icy melts

Daylight grows higher in sky and heats up, this process quickens
Upon the roof the ice sheets breaking
Icicles loose battle gracefully
Sounds in forest grow of heavy rain in skies so clear and blue
Large crashing sounds above like thunders clacking booms
Steam flows from wooden beams
Tree tips grow white and glisten light

Yesterday was silent rest frozen still this icy jest

Today this forest comes alive
Re-nourished, only partly scathed
Some branches broke, most trees still stood, fared much better than we could

Daylight deepens close to noon

Melting ice storm in full bloom
Crashing meltdown continues from above
From treetops rain down to forest floor
Melting ice galore
Across the way the ridges white
Stand in awesome winter’s light

Where ice sheets once covered all

Daylight brings magical awe
Disappearing slowly, nature’s call
To transform the frozen stillness into the living once again
This cycle of winter, ends and begins and ends again
From silent frozen stillness heavy weighted cold
To warm and bright and bold

We cycle too, we humans do

But lest we do often forget
Man is under nature’s law
Just as forest & nature raw
We can learn her lessons hard or easy

There is time to lay still and hold tight to your selves

Time to be quiet, serene and lazy
Letting go and letting it be, just as it is…

Reflecting in the warm Sun’s glow &

There are times to get up and go
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This cycle always changing as all her processes do

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Similar but never the same

 The forest does not fight it, nor resist her power
Nor does the smallest little birds
It stands as it is, in all its special glory,
With reverence, respect, and careful manner
Until it’s time has come
Then transforms its energy
Into some new life giving form

Respect her, go with her

Ride the winds of changes
Reverie in whatever the moment
As fleeting as it is sure to be
For at some point in time, we never know
Our clocks are all on different time,
Though in harmonizing sync
For some a moment, a day, a year,
Decades, centuries,
Others hundreds, thousands, millions, billions and trillions,
We know not what ours be…
From natures forces we receive our destiny

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

Celtic Appalachian Wave Winds

Heavy wave winds blow through canyons,

Up one mountain side, down drafting from ridges high
Trees that rise above all smaller ones below,
Stand their spaces nearly all alone
Bend and sway in stress full way
Holding tight to branches, squeezing to every twig
Barren of any leaves
Naked, scarred, broken yet proud and strong

Celtic tunes of WNCW Sunday’s Celtic Winds set in background sound

Drowning out the swoosh and howl
Trees in bunches, groups closer to ground, dancing with the wind
Sway in all different directions, moving about each with individual dance
Yet somehow seem in perfect sync, in harmony not hap-n stance

Trees strong and thick barely moving at all

Other’s twist and turn swaying frantic side to side
Small trees standing barely still
Each player moves in symphony to the same beat of song
Each tree an instrument of beauty
Playing just a piece of this glorious tune
Through the silent window, sturdy home
It’s as if this dance to music on the radio is orchestrated by some unknown
To come together in perfect design
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In the distant mountain tops

 Solid stillness sits backdrop
Ridges brown and gray painted behind this dancer’s stage
Against the gray white screen whisping past in slower time
Almost if out of rhythm with this day’s song

Hours upon hours this dance continues on

Celtic energies spur this dance,
Shamanic powers coordinate the show
From inside the walls the scenes supreme
Mind gamed, feels like a dream

All these pieces come together

Like seamless roads traveling on to places yet unknown
Familiarity and feeling of being there before
The presence of being united with spirits past
By the music’s tone

Bagpipes blow deep sounds, as winds continue onward prowl

Gives aura of bagpiper’s pushing winds that drive the scenic windscapes I see outside these doors
And with their breathe the gift of musical tunes in my ear
Sun rising through gray clouds just as angelic voices fill the room singing:

“Hand in hand across the land we walk the road together,

All the way through wind and rain,
I’ll never deceive my heart again”
(- Walk the Road, Walk the Road Album, Cathie Ryan, WNCW Celtic Winds 10 Feb 2013)

This nature, you and me, we are one

Everything we do for us
We also do to thee
There is no escape from this connection deep
For we are part of nature,
Just as the very breath we breathe

Follow this come Raven’s Family of Five

Across my view in front of me they pass
While music sings on:

“Oh please Journeyman help me on my way,

Oh please help me please, I won’t be afraid.”
(- The Journeyman’s Grace, Angel’s Delight Album, Fairport Convention, WNCW Celtic Winds, 10 Feb 2013)

There is divinity in this moment where song and life combine

In silent presence of my captive mind
Spirit Messages are everywhere
When we take the time to find

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

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Mankind’s Presence in Transcendental Universe; Gift or Curse?

Ah the Sun filled days, that dot the calendar in between

The wintry cold and grays
Shooting down upon forest green
Her warming rays

Crisp is the air cold and clear

Sounds seem different to the ear
Soft breezes barely blow
Wind Chime ring staccato
The reverberate in distant sounding bell
All parts of nature’s healing well

The songs of birds are clearly near

So sharp and crisp their tunes of cheer
Way up high the Raven’s lurk
This day lends us all a joyful perk

The Gift, now obvious on mountains high

Where winter’s storms and gray sky
Steal the sun from day to day
So when she comes you take notice and shout hooray!

Other far off places more tropical in nature

The days of Sun are vast
The thought of bright sunny days as a special gift
Just does not last

For in our minds design

Complacency soon sets in
The beauty of a sunny day is often taken for granted
As so much we humans often do

Our presence scattered about

Just as the busy lives we’ve accustomed to
Our minds adapt and absorb the stimulus stew
Barely noticing Mother Nature’s clout

Til one day she rears her angry head

And lays upon our land a storm of dread
We then awake and take notice
Yet even that shall soon pass

For me today on these great hills I sit

Reminded of the Gift I’ve been given
A gift entrusted to all mankind
To care for, to keep to be of mind
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Bustle bustle, hurry scurry

Take, waste, destroy
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Humans carry on with little worry

 Thinking that their just too coy
Often oblivious to the damage we spread
To feed our luxuries and lust
Tis true most of nature will
Long outlast all of us

For in this universe a power so great and strong

It transcends above us humans
To right our wrong
Waiting on us to make amends

We can live like the dinosaurs

and the others who have perished before
Or we can become stewards of this mighty land
And live in harmony within her hand

This Gift called earth is not a place

It’s a living breathing grace
A Gift to us as fragile as our own heartbeat
A complex unity and connection we share
That none other can compare

For in this universe a power so great and strong

It transcends to us the gift of will, choice and freedom
To change our world for better…
Or for worse…
Mankind’s presence in harmony with transcendental universe,
Are we a Gift or are we a Curse?

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

Fierce Winds Rage

As words flow down upon this page
Outside the fierce winds continue their rage
They blew upon the mountains range
The night before with a little rain

Angry winds tore through the trees

Bending them to their knees
These naked soldiers stood courageous
Nature’s soldiers adorned in evergreens thrashed about their spaces

Wind chimes clang absolved of harmony

Clashing sounds of thundering bells
Tangling in winds velocity
Raging gusty swells

Climatic changes seem to bring

47

Rising winds among other mighty things

Battering rams smack the cabin
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Praying home does not flatten

 Restful sleep is nowhere near
When normally the sleep is dear
Tonight the anger in the winds
Tearing through the mountain tops
Carries to us fears

Even dogs are reluctant to venture off porch

As winds growl and roar
And rap upon the door
Wondering if a tree will snap
Where it will fall and clap

Howling roaring like a train

Leaving sleep a wishful strain
Building creaks with mighty gusts
Mother nature’s angry thrust

Across the land the battle goes

Cold and warm air adjust
I resound I’ll just have to trust
Let go my weery woes

So tired, eyes heavy, time to rest

This decade brings much unrest
From natures presence to man kinds up-rising
The world it seem is polarizing

I pray myself off to sleep

Thinking we sow what we reap
For some will say the other way
We reap what we sow

It does not matter which way it goes

Universal Law will impose
The law of attraction
We obtain as a consequence of thoughts and action
With each action we get a reaction

From the seeds of ideas we spread

From the thoughts we hold in our head
Will we receive our daily bread
Or suffer in dread

Feed our collective souls

Heal our egoic minds fears
Fill our hearts holes
For we are but this frontiers pioneers

We have got lots to do

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We are responsible for human kind

All of us are all divined
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For everyone not just the few

 From where these fierce winds blow
What is the message of intention they bring
Can we be still and abstract enough to know?
Will they cause our hearts to sing?

Can we hear the meaning in the winds?

The storms and natures changing presence
Or are we so ill consumed within our own egos cocoon
The screams from nature the climate yells
Can send us all into a fear-some hell

Calm these angry winds

That from all our actions blew
Know that only Love transcends
The Light of Love is the universal glue
For in it is where we can renew
And rise above our haunting past
To create a life; worthy at last.

©Copyrighted & Written By Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton

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 The End
of
this
Volume…
February 23, 2013

The
Journey
Will
Continue
On…

May the Spirit

Be With You
&
Guide You
On Your Own Souls
Journey

Thank You
Jeannine Marie Blalock Horton
All Material in this Work solely belongs to the Author and is not to be reprinted without
permission.

I am who I am and that is more than enough !

I will always get better because I am committed
to the work. It is a blessing even though
sometimes it feels like a curse !!!
50

I am worthy and so are you !

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