Magaly of Poets and storyteller United asked us to write about October
In October the blossom has gone and trees have fresh green leaves. For the first time in months people have a holiday again on the 23 of October, Labour Day. Many people leave for a long weekend. We often go to the West Coast and our favourite place is Punakaiki. We will go there this year again.
Punakaiki is famous for the limestone
formations These rocks are made up of two layers. A layer of hard limestone and
a layer of soft mudstone. Because of the erosion of the mudstone the pancake
rocks were formed.
Punakaiki in October
Nikau palms wave
when we arrive
A flowers bursting
from its base
We kick off our shoes
feel freedom in soft sand
We cut the edges of our age
building castles of stones
Echoing Tangaroa
creator of the masterpiece
of stacks of pancakes
like my mum used to make
No sticky syrup on top
but salty tongues licking the
lower rocks every minute
Rock walls are draped in fog
like our minds
Mended by the mystics
of rushing water
Our voices washed
away by the wind
We do hear each other
Confess a comber of feelings
We soften life as we know it
Beautifully captured in pictures and verse!
ReplyDeleteThat looks very much like someone built it that way on purpose. Do they say it's a natural formation? Amazing!
ReplyDeleteThese rocks look quite interesting. So is the coastline.
ReplyDelete...pancake rocks is a fabulous example of sedimentary rock formations! Marja, thanks for taking me along to enjoy the views. Let's do it again.
ReplyDeleteLovely photos of the ocean and rocks ~ Have a wonderful time ~
ReplyDeleteWishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
Wow! What a landscape!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed looking at these Pancake Rocks. Rocky places fascinate me! :)
Those formations are fascinating! I've been to Devil's Postpile in California, and Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland, but I've not seen anything like the pancakes.
ReplyDeleteLove the raw and untamed beauty of the rugged vistas.
ReplyDeleteHappy Thursday!
Those rocks are very interesting. I have never seen anything like that before.
ReplyDeleteThe rocks look stunning and these lines "We cut the edges of our age
ReplyDeletebuilding castles of stones" and "Mended by the mystics
of rushing water" and "We soften life as we know it" - beautiful.
Marja, I like the "voices" being "washed away", it would have to be such a pretty place as this where that would happen. We didn't make it up to Punakaiki on our cruise, we left NZ after spending the day at Dunedin and headed down around and turned towards the AUS, Tasmania.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the BDay wishes, I'm about to run away for it. Tell you about that later.
..
Beautiful pics to go with the equally beautiful lines.
ReplyDeleteThis would be an amazing place to visit. Stack of pancakes is a homey way to think of these ripples and ridges of muddy stone.
ReplyDeleteSome places just have the magical ability to soothe the rough spots inside us. It's almost a cleansing act to visit places like that.
ReplyDeleteHow spectacular! No wonder it inspired your poetry. I particularly love what you say about the back-to-childhood feelings the place also inspires.
ReplyDeleteWow. That is a stack. I'm gonna put that on my list of places to see. I was drawn to the line 'We cut the edges of our age...'
ReplyDeleteThe person who created this post is to be congratulated, as are the Nameless Ones who fashioned the rocks depicted in the photos! :-)
ReplyDelete"Our voices washed
ReplyDeleteaway by the wind"
Beautiful pictures and verse!
Softening life ... it rings 'simple' but so incredibly difficult to achieve. A stunning write.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pics and words....good place to escape to.
ReplyDeleteYour poe͏m be͏a͏uti͏fully ca͏pture͏s the͏ e͏sse͏nce͏ of Puna͏ka͏i͏ki͏ i͏n Octobe͏r, whe͏re͏ na͏ture͏'s symphony ble͏nds wi͏th the͏ whi͏spe͏rs of che͏ri͏she͏d me͏mori͏e͏s. The͏ i͏ma͏ge͏ry of Ni͏ka͏u pa͏lms wa͏vi͏ng a͏nd the͏ se͏nse͏ of fre͏e͏dom i͏n soft sa͏nd e͏voke͏s a͏ fe͏e͏li͏ng of se͏re͏ni͏ty. The͏ me͏ta͏phor of 'ca͏stle͏s of stone͏s' a͏s we͏ll a͏s 'sta͏cks of pa͏nca͏ke͏s' a͏dds a͏ de͏li͏ghtful touch to your na͏rra͏ti͏ve͏. Your words pa͏i͏nt a͏ vi͏vi͏d pi͏cture͏ of thi͏s e͏ncha͏nti͏ng pla͏ce͏, a͏nd i͏t's e͏vi͏de͏nt tha͏t the͏ e͏xpe͏ri͏e͏nce͏ ha͏s le͏ft a͏n i͏nde͏li͏ble͏ ma͏rk on your soul. The͏ me͏nti͏on of 'me͏nde͏d by the͏ mysti͏cs of rushi͏ng wa͏te͏r' i͏s e͏spe͏ci͏a͏lly profound, hi͏ghli͏ghti͏ng the͏ he͏a͏li͏ng powe͏r of na͏ture͏. Tha͏nk you for sha͏ri͏ng thi͏s lyri͏ca͏l journe͏y wi͏th us; i͏t's a͏ te͏sta͏me͏nt to the͏ be͏a͏uty found i͏n si͏mpli͏ci͏ty a͏nd the͏ conne͏cti͏ons we͏ forge͏ a͏mi͏dst the͏ e͏le͏me͏nts. 👍👌👏😊
ReplyDeleteThank you Yes I feel very blessed to live in New Zealand and feel a deep connection with the land, with the nature, with the soul of this country
DeleteThe͏ photogra͏phs ca͏pturi͏ng the͏ li͏me͏stone͏ rock forma͏ti͏ons a͏re͏ nothi͏ng short of ge͏ologi͏ca͏l wonde͏rs froze͏n i͏n ti͏me͏. The͏ juxta͏posi͏ti͏on of ha͏rd li͏me͏stone͏ a͏nd soft mudstone͏, sculpte͏d ove͏r e͏ons by the͏ force͏s of na͏ture͏, pre͏se͏nts a͏ ca͏pti͏va͏ti͏ng spe͏cta͏cle͏. The͏se͏ pa͏nca͏ke͏ rocks, wi͏th the͏i͏r i͏ntri͏ca͏te͏ la͏ye͏rs a͏nd te͏xture͏s, se͏rve͏ a͏s a͏ te͏sta͏me͏nt to the͏ ce͏a͏se͏le͏ss da͏nce͏ be͏twe͏e͏n ge͏ologi͏ca͏l proce͏sse͏s a͏nd e͏nvi͏ronme͏nta͏l e͏le͏me͏nts. The͏ e͏rosi͏on of the͏ de͏li͏ca͏te͏ mudstone͏, li͏ke͏ the͏ de͏li͏ca͏te͏ stroke͏s of a͏n a͏rti͏st's brush, ha͏s gi͏ve͏n bi͏rth to the͏se͏ e͏xtra͏ordi͏na͏ry forma͏ti͏ons. The͏ photogra͏phs of Puna͏ka͏i͏ki͏'s pa͏nca͏ke͏ rocks not only showca͏se͏ the͏ ma͏rve͏ls of our na͏tura͏l world but a͏lso symboli͏ze͏ the͏ re͏si͏li͏e͏nce͏ a͏nd a͏da͏pta͏bi͏li͏ty of li͏fe͏ i͏tse͏lf. The͏y re͏mi͏nd us tha͏t be͏a͏uty ca͏n e͏me͏rge͏ from e͏ve͏n the͏ most unli͏ke͏ly ci͏rcumsta͏nce͏s, just a͏s the͏se͏ rocks ha͏ve͏ ri͏se͏n from the͏ i͏ntri͏ca͏te͏ i͏nte͏rpla͏y of force͏s de͏e͏p wi͏thi͏n the͏ Ea͏rth. It's a͏ vi͏sua͏l chroni͏cle͏ of the͏ Ea͏rth's hi͏story, i͏nvi͏ti͏ng us to ma͏rve͏l a͏t the͏ i͏ntri͏ca͏te͏ ta͏pe͏stry of li͏fe͏ on our pla͏ne͏t. The͏se͏ photogra͏phs truly ce͏le͏bra͏te͏ the͏ re͏ma͏rka͏ble͏ a͏rti͏stry of na͏ture͏, a͏nd the͏y i͏nspi͏re͏ us to che͏ri͏sh a͏nd prote͏ct the͏ fra͏gi͏le͏ ba͏la͏nce͏ of our e͏nvi͏ronme͏nt. 👍👌👏😊
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing reply Pankaj I love how you say "The͏y re͏mi͏nd us tha͏t be͏a͏uty ca͏n e͏me͏rge͏ from e͏ve͏n the͏ most unli͏ke͏ly ci͏rcumsta͏nce͏s" Very philosophical
DeleteI really enjoyed the poem--the imagery, the sensory feast, the way your words take us there with you. And after looking at the photos, I love the poem even more. This line will stay with me for some time "We soften life as we know it." Everyone needs a place like that.
ReplyDeleteI see it! stacks of pancakes ... or they also look like a lost civilization. Really lovely.
ReplyDeleteWow! The photos in this are amazing.
ReplyDeleteI love:
"No sticky syrup on top
but salty tongues licking the
lower rocks every minute
Rock walls are draped in fog
like our minds"