Author: Claire Kroening
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Lucky Clovers
Image Credit: Unsplash- Lulu Lovering Her mother told her to count her lucky clovers. Bury knees-deep in overgrowth of the four leaves, little hearts cusped together by stems. Weeds to many. Wonders to a mere few. She told her to carry them with her, press them in worn-bound books. To return to later— turn them…
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Days Unravel Slowly
Image Credit: Pexels- Jess Loiterton Days unravel slowly, as a June haze to wildflower warmth. Her flip-flops clog abandoned to stories written in the sand, her summer house hanging on by splinters by the outstretched bog. First touched by summer’s heat. Then, the ebb and flow of the waves hugged at her bare feet. It…
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Strawberry Orchards
Our strawberry orchard expands as vast as the seas, married in barbed roots and tea-berry-stained fingertips. Twinkling starlight reshapes the greenery come February to June. For generations, they ever-bloom; yet, the rest of the world carries on in tendon, settled in their own miniature domes. Sunlight pools on the hardwood floor. Matted in old wear,…
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A Bird’s Migration
I almost moved to the coast, shrouded in roaring ports. Where time traversed slower, trees pooling their early-vibrancy as memories come and passed. I almost moved the fireflies from their hometown in twilight-dew, a flicker of light caught by few. I almost moved mountains and rivers and storm-clouds and constellations, but that chance was taken…
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Viridescent
The world stands on tiptoe, reaching, reaching—toward the light, the warmth, the infinite expanse of possibility. Fields ripple like rushing waves, their grasses alive in unfolding windstorms. Trees arch skyward at the forest’s edge, their crowns a viridescent cathedral. Even the smallest things—a drop of rain hanging onto ferns, a seed lodging itself in the…
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Traversing The Quiet Season: How To Stay Safe While Winter Hiking
While we find ourselves outside to enjoy the winter season to its fullest before it comes to a close, it’s advised to keep your safety, as well as others, in mind while exploring the snow-covered trails. As someone who hikes throughout the year, wintertime has been the most dangerous if one isn’t careful. Before heading…
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Winter’s Crescendo
Among tall-aching pines, a grove lies embedded in the heart of winter, where silence reigns its crown. Each step heaves with an impression of transient existence on each powdery surface, a testament to fleeting moments all but forgotten. Needles and nettles fray— heavy with frost— glistening under dim eyes of light. They create a tapestry…
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Creation Of Wonderland
Central Park blinked awake in lights of red and green, the early December air painting the horizon. A dusting of snow scattered on the busy sidewalks and roadways; forecasted to grow several feet over the next couple of days from the human on the television screen. As the snow simmered down, I watched out my…
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Poetry- Hokkaido From Frosted Windowpanes
The world sinks into a commiserating stillness— abstracted conversations chiming with the shuddering snow. Tracks sway slowly over mountainous curves, a landscape of miso and stagnated ports buried amidst white-slated sheets. A dormant cry etches train windows as I glance outward, as though the gods of winter’s embrace carry in every unboarding-footstep traced from cascading…
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Prose- Respect The Locals
Waves break against tattered rocks, their rhythmic roars echoing like a heartbeat against the sand. Each swell captures a fleeting moment before retreating– leaving behind a mosaic of seaweed, shells, and driftwood, treasures scattered from the ocean’s depths. Sunlight dances upon iridescent waters, shimmering flashes spinning tales too ancient to recount. Children squeal with delight…