Contributor Posts

Martin Johnson Heade (1819 – 1904) was an American painter known for his salt marsh landscapes, seascapes, and depictions of tropical birds (such as hummingbirds), as well as lotus blossoms and other still lifes. 
Heade was not a widely known artist during his lifetime, but his work attracted the notice of scholars, art historians, and collectors during the 1940s and  quickly became recognized as a major American artist.. Heade's works are now in major museums and collections. His paintings are occasionally discovered in unlikely places such as garage sales and flea markets.

Wasting away,
without any time.
No more complaining,
no more the whine.

When your courage has weakened,
your morals are thin,
be very careful,
No Mortal Sin.

Those lazy, hazy,
days of summer,
will soon appear,
6\21, Summer Solstice is here.

A loss of life,
through self-abuse.
What is the price?
What was your excuse?

I miss you more,
every waking day.
You were the youngest,
yet you went away.

My youngest brother,
remembering when,
we went to the Naneum,
I was your oldest friend.

You left a void,
in your children's lives.
Gone too early.
It was no surprise.

The slow descent into darkness.
A journey of a declining mind.
Thoughts, our memories
are now only mine.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

There is no sea on Earth large enough to contain the Shark nebula. This predator apparition poses us no danger as it is composed only of interstellar gas and dust. Dark dust like that featured here is somewhat like cigarette smoke and created in the cool atmospheres of giant stars. After being expelled with gas and gravitationally recondensing, massive stars may carve intricate structures into their birth cloud using their high energy light and fast stellar winds as sculpting tools. The heat they generate evaporates the murky molecular cloud as well as causing ambient hydrogen gas to disperse and glow red. During disintegration, we humans can enjoy imagining these great clouds as common icons, like we do for water clouds on Earth. Including smaller dust nebulae such as Lynds Dark Nebula 1235 and Van den Bergh 149 & 150, the Shark nebula spans about 15 light years and lies about 650 light years away toward the constellation of the King of Aethiopia (Cepheus).

Photo by Stephen Kennedy

Alone am I,
sitting in my room.
An unhappy place,
sadness and gloom.

Out to the Courtyard,
bathed in Sun,
with little shade,
it's a lot of fun.

Purchased some plants,
to brighten the Courtyard.
Now filling the pots,
with soil and plants. Not bad.

For all the joys, you are.
For all the love you bring,
my soul burns brightly
of your virtues, I'll sing.

Alone is the traveler,
lonely is the star,
he follows,
to find where you are.

Following his heart,
over many byways,
into the wild terrain,
on life's highways.

His journey continues,
by plane, train or car,
until the end,
finding where you are.