Pokeweed Against a Breaking Sky

Special message: Thank you to everyone who stopped by to wish me a happy 4,000 blip-day yesterday! Your friendship and lovely comments (and stars and hearts) are very much appreciated! Thank you, one and all!

I took off for my walk as soon as I took one look at the weather map and saw what was coming our way. As I left the porch, I heard a smattering of raindrops, and then the rush of wings. A mid-sized hawk landed on a tree right beside our shed. I had time for one single thought - CAMERA! - but in less than a second, the hawk was gone. I was left with the memory of its color, which was a coppery brown, and the fierce lock of its gaze on mine. Just two wild hearts, united in a single moment; then it was gone.

They have just started the regular rifle deer hunting season here, and so we have ceded the gamelands to the hunters for safety's sake, at least for the first few days. I have plenty of blaze orange that I wear when I do go near the Barrens. This is as close as I got on this day: those electric pylons up on the hill are in the Barrens, and I am down below, looking up the road at it.

There is a pokeweed plant that has been rich and colorful and glorious all summer long, and I photographed it so many times. Hard to believe that this is how it finally makes it to this page, with its berries sort of dried up and weird, looking like the grapes of wrath, but making neat shapes for me against a breaking sky. Rain would come later, even heavy rain, with big thunder and some pretty flashy lightning, mixed with darkness. But for this moment, there was light.

Here is my soundtrack song for this image: Pink Floyd, with Goodbye Blue Sky. Here is a bonus cover of the same tune by Joni Mitchell.