Neil Barker 🐦‍⬛
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neildbarker.bsky.social
Neil Barker 🐦‍⬛
@neildbarker.bsky.social
Sijo poetry inspired by Nature.
neildbarker.ca
Morning Snowstorm
Heavy flakes of snow falling in the early morning twilight.
Swimming together for safety and diving in search of food.
Cold water awakens the senses that snowfall seems to dull.

#poetry #skypoets #blueskypoets #poetsofbluesky #blueskypoetry #sijo #nature #birds #commongoldeneyes
November 11, 2025 at 9:54 AM
Following @robcrank68.bsky.social and the #BirdOfTheDay theme of #BirdsOnTheGround. A #coopershawk I spotted in summer 2024 looking for brunch here in Ottawa. #birds #photography
November 11, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Trail Companions
A quiet forest in Winter, listen carefully for sounds.
Soft chirping and calling surround you from the trees near the trail.
Your companions have returned in their constant search for a meal.

#skypoets #blueskypoets #poetsofbluesky #blueskypoetry #sijo #birds #blackcappedchickadee
November 8, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Seed Party
Comings and goings of neighbours stirs your curiosity.
So much activity - flights back and forth - eating and chatting.
Flying in for a closer look, might as well join in the fun.

#poetry #skypoets #blueskypoets #poetsofbluesky #blueskypoetry #sijo #nature #birds #redbreastednuthatch
November 8, 2025 at 7:33 AM
A Bald Eagle for #FlyDay I saw in Ottawa Canada a few years ago. #Flying #birds #baldeagle #photography #EastCoastKin #birdphotography @robcrank68.bsky.social
November 7, 2025 at 8:50 AM
Dine, Dash, & Cache
Sunflower seeds scattered on top of a large moss-covered stone.
Observing from afar, birds are gathering before the storm.
Flying closer, and closer, you land and gather what you can.

#poetry #skypoets #blueskypoets #poetsofbluesky #blueskypoetry #sijo #bird #downywoodpecker
November 7, 2025 at 8:42 AM
#BirdOfTheDay theme is #lunchtime set by @alan678.bsky.social - bird with food in their mouth. A Grey Catbird I saw with a dragonfly for lunch #birds #greycatbird #photography #EastCoastKin
November 6, 2025 at 9:06 AM
Trifecta
Echoes of hammering through the forest: searching for next meals.
Feathers of black, white, red: spots and stripes surround and show others.
From tree to tree, the search continues to find out who you are.

#poetry #skypoets #blueskypoets #poetsofbluesky #blueskypoetry #sijo #nature #bird
November 6, 2025 at 8:56 AM
Micro Forest & Cold Stone Mountain
A snow covered forest spread out atop a cold stone mountain.
The cold stone mountain holding up the forest, offering life.
What does the cold stone mountain stand on and provide it with life?

#poetry #skypoets #blueskypoets #poetsofbluesky #blueskypoetry #sijo
November 5, 2025 at 11:11 AM
November 5, 2025 at 9:52 AM
From a Safe Distance
Late in the year and early Winter, the bay is unfrozen.
Something stalking the shoreline, attempting to remain hidden.
From your watery sanctuary, you are safe and aware.

#poem #poetry #skypoets #blueskypoets #poetsofbluesky #blueskypoetry #sijo #nature #bird #commonmerganser
November 5, 2025 at 9:18 AM
Trail Surprise
A cold Winter morning on the trail reveals ribbons of ice.
Icy limbs reaching to the sky, trying to escape the earth.
Now free of their dark home, what are the ribbons of ice seeking?

#poem #poetry #skypoets #blueskypoets #poetsofbluesky #blueskypoetry #writingcommunity #sijo #nature
November 4, 2025 at 11:44 PM
A Different Perspective
A dry cracked surface tells a story of what has come before.
Yesterday reveals itself today, echoing tomorrow.
Which leaves the question, what are the secrets beneath the surface?

#poem #poetry #skypoets #blueskypoets #poetsofbluesky #blueskypoetry #sijo #nature #tree
November 4, 2025 at 11:22 AM
Silhouette Revealed
Perched atop wooden skeletons on a cold rainy morning.
A gentle mist surrounds, further concealing much of the world.
Your silhouette from afar, are you a predator or prey?

#poem #poetry #skypoets #blueskypoets #poetsofbluesky #blueskypoetry #sijo #nature #bird #mourningdove
November 4, 2025 at 10:07 AM
Vibrant Green
Vibrant green stops you in your tracks, go in for a closer look.
In years gone by, most things would be under a blanket of snow.
On this day though, there is no blanket, instead revealing you.

#poem #poetry #skypoets #blueskypoets #poetsofbluesky #blueskypoetry #sijo #nature
November 4, 2025 at 1:19 AM
New Year’s Sunrise
A new year, a new day, illuminating the world below.
For some, a time for beginnings, for others nothing changes.
Each day is a new beginning, each moment is a new you.

#poem #poetry #skypoets #blueskypoets #poetsofbluesky #blueskypoetry #sijo #nature #Sun #Korea
November 4, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Island Breakfast
A grey cold Winter morning on the river, rain begins to fall.
Swimming with the river current, to a small island refuge.
Stopping to rest for awhile, to eat your morning meal in peace.

#poem #poetry #skypoets #blueskypoets #poetsofbluesky #blueskypoetry #sijo #nature #muskrat
November 3, 2025 at 9:52 AM
Sunrise Revelation
A bright sunny morning breaks through a few days of gray, wet gloom.
Dark shadows retreat into small corners, cracks, and crevices.
The light reveals experience, beauty revealed for a time.

#poem #poetry #skypoets #blueskypoets #blueskypoetry #poetsofbluesky #sijo #nature #tree
November 2, 2025 at 11:58 PM
Experience & Memories
Sunrise in a stand of trees, sentinels standing guard, watching.
Observing the world move about: births, lives, and deaths passing by.
Speaking to everything in their own way, what do they say?

#poem #poetry #skypoets #blueskypoets #poetsofbluesky #sijo #nature #forest
November 2, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Bird Bath
A mild morning for a change, melted ice creates a cold pool.
Sheltered all around, a cold bath is needed and refreshes.
Enjoy the present moment, for once it is gone, it is lost.

#poem #poetry #skypoets #blueskypoets #poetsofbluesky #poetrycommunity #sijo #nature #northerncardinal
November 2, 2025 at 9:21 PM
Pecking for Food
A cool damp morning, searching for hidden food beneath the bark.
To find what you are seeking, you must go beneath the surface.
To go beneath the surface, you need to know what you’re seeking.

#poetry #skypoets #blueskypoets #poetsofbluesky #sijo #nature #bird #pileatedwoodpecker
November 2, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Winter Caching
A secluded stand of trees, surrounding a snow-covered stone.
Atop the stone, a Winter offering of food from a friend.
No time to eat and enjoy now though, cache for the cold future.

#poem #poetry #skypoets #blueskypoets #poetsofbluesky #sijo #nature #bird #whitebreastednuthatch
November 2, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Christmas Eve Fox
Early morning twilight, the world has begun to stir awake.
You have been up all night, searching and your day is ending soon.
Now is your time of chance, as others awaken unaware.

#poem #poetry #skypoets #blueskypoets #poetsofbluesky #poetrycommunity #sijo #nature #fox #redfox
November 2, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Cold Morning Swim Revisited
Overcast sky reflecting on the waves, lapping from all sides.
Alone, swimming without a destination, diving below.
Surfacing, swimming, diving again, living in the moment.

#poem #poetry #skypoets #blueskypoets #poetsofbluesky #sijo #nature #bird #commongoldeneye
November 2, 2025 at 9:26 AM
Bold Colours in Plain Sight
Dark murky waters conceal treasures and opportunities.
Stalking forward and leaving faint ripples, your search continues.
Ever aware of all around and focused on things below.

#poem #poetry #skypoets #blueskypoets #poetsofbluesky #sijo #nature #bird #greategret
November 2, 2025 at 7:59 AM