Posts Tagged ‘North Becaguimec River’
painting of a covered bridge
When I was preparing the basics of my new book, ‘in the shelter of the covered bridge’, I did a couple of paintings as a possible cover image.
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One of the paintings I prepared was ‘choke cherries at Ellis Bridge’ (24″ wide by 20″ high, acrylic, gallery edges, painted June 2016) a study of late summer at the covered bridge over the North Becaguimec River in Carleton County. Since another painting was chosen as the cover art for my book, ‘choke cherries at Ellis Bridge’ is my new submission to Isaacs’s Way Restaurant for their art auction. My painting ‘Farmyard in Winter’ sold before the Autumn Art Auction #31 was over and most artists submit a painting to fill their ‘space’.
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‘choke cherries at Ellis Bridge’ by Jane Tims (24″ wide by 20″ high, acrylic, gallery edges)
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The Ellis Bridge is a charming covered bridge, situated on a little-used road near Carlisle, Carleton County, New Brunswick. Built in 1909, it is one of 59 covered bridges remaining in New Brunswick and a lovely spot to pass a summer day. Two poems in my book are based on our visit to the Ellis Bridge. One, ‘bunches of bitter’, features some of the initials carved inside the bridge.
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bunches of bitter
Ellis Bridge
North Becaguimec River #4
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beside the Ellis Bridge
choke-cherries hang in mist
and berries blacken
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R.S., E L O
who were they?
Braxton, KAMRYN
S M, G M P
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did they wade the shallow water?
fish for trout?
shout and listen for echo?
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did they strip berries from branches?
pucker lips and cheeks?
does Eric still love Linda?
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I love showing my work at Isaac’s Way. The art is viewed by everyone enjoying a meal at the restaurant and 50% of the proceeds from my sales are donated to ART lessons for kids-in-need. If you love covered bridges and would like some original art for your home, drop by and have a look at my work.
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Copyright Jane Tims 2017
in the shelter of the covered bridge – a ghazal
Yesterday, we drove to see a few bridges in north-western New Brunswick. One of these was the North Becaguimec River #4 (Ellis Covered Bridge) in Carleton County.
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the North Becaguimec River #4 (Ellis Covered Bridge) in Carleton County (Sept 2015)
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The bridge was built in 1909 and is 18.3 meters long. It shows lots of recent maintenance, including a shingled roof and new timbers and boards in the roof area.
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The late summer season dominates the atmosphere of the bridges we are visiting. At this bridge, the choke cherries are black, the purple asters are the dominant flower and clematis has set its fuzzy balls of seed.
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the North Becaguimec River
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The North Becaguimec is a rocky brook, very shallow after a dry summer.
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Although there are usually lots of spider webs in a covered bridge, this was the first time I saw a spider. The spider was still and stubborn, not moving for me or my camera.
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As I have said before, in making my manuscript of poems about plants and animals living in the shelter of the covered bridge, I have been trying some different poetic forms. This is my first ghazal.
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Ghazals are meant to tell of the pain of loss and the triumph of love in spite of loss. A ghazal consists of 5-15 couplets. The second line of each couplet repeats a refrain established in the first couplet. The poem can follow any meter but the meter must stay consistent in every line of the poem.
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the spider waits
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North Becaguimec River #4 (Ellis Covered Bridge)
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in the covered bridge a spider weaves and sets its bait
between the beams, and confident, the spider waits
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cedar shingles, boards replaced and rafters new
but traffic sparse, and in the web the spider waits
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aster, shepherd’s purse and mullein crowd the road
no risk from the press of tires, and the spider waits
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after the flood, drifts of birch and maple high
on the river shore, the spider mends its web and waits
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a skater bug steps and skips on the river’s skin and fears
the water’s dry, and in its web the spider waits
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on aging crib work velvet moss and lichens grow
landscape formed on rotting wood, and the spider waits
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years since they wrote their names on the wall of the covered bridge
crickets sing, and in its web the spider waits
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Copyright 2015 Jane Tims
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nichepoetryandprose 