Gumball #89 The Next Mountain

silk paintings / reflective poetry

Hand Painted Silk Scarf detail by Marjorie Pezzoli

The Next Mountain

I face the East
open my thoughts to the sun

rays peak over a hill
almost a mountain in its grandness

white light refracts into rainbow components
each color evokes a different emotion

thoughts dance with orange and purple
heart moves feet with each beat and every breath

I waltz through the brambles 
leaves and sticks collect in my hair

skin scratched 
I bleed out self-doubt 

wildness fills my soul
as I come before the garden gate

inhale       exhale
my breath becomes the key

the gate swings wide open
I choose to walk through

a river of rocks flows around me
pieces of a broken mountain 

metamorphic knowledge shared 
I understand what is possible

my heart follows the convergence 
it becomes the next mountain I must stand upon

©2025 Marjorie Pezzoli

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I painted these two silks when Ukraine was first invaded, along with the following poem. Spontaneous brush work looks like a person with open arms - gives me hope. It always amazes me what designs pop out while painting

First draft I was only going to share the first poem using a completely different silk image. It was a close up of an eye that looked like a mountain was in the pupil.

After what transpired on 2.28.25 these images came to mind. I know what mountain to stand on.

Bad Taste

roasted sunflower seeds
no longer a snack I reach for

life burnt out
no possibility for flowers to bloom

a land out of reach
is fighting to keep petals from falling

atrocities of war
start with one bad seed

this place has become burnt 

bombs dropped 
playgrounds
hospitals
homes
destroyed

more petals fall

the burnt land needs its sunflowers
sparrows know this
the crows as well

they fly over charred buildings 
broken bodies on the street
mothers pick up pieces

birds take to the skies
release seeds of possibilities 
life finds a way to bloom

I like my sunflower seeds raw

© 2025 Marjorie Pezzoli (updated)

till next week - Marjorie 🌻💛💙💛🌻💛💙💛🌻