Morning in the Forest

At the edge of the forest, there’s a new beginning.
Dr Abe V Rotor 

Morning in the Forest in acrylic, AVR 2010

Weaned from his cradle and forebears’ bastion,
He ventured onto the plains yearning to be free;
And built the road to civilization -
Now he, Homo sapiens, ruled the plain and sea.

This self anointed king and conqueror,
Built temples and worshiped the Golden Calf;
Raped the land, sowed poison and terror,
Then sought divine grace on his behalf.

At the edge of the forest, there’s a new dawn,
The remnant of his abode long forlorn;
And he, survivor of the Armageddon
Comes home - the Prodigal Son reborn. ~

People with large ears live long.

People with large ears live long. 

Dr Abe V Rotor

Study the ears of old people, including centenarians,  you will conclude it is not really true. 

Well, in the animal kingdom, elephants, which have very large ears live as long as 70 years - so with the giraffes, lions and hippopotamuses, which have relatively  smaller ears.  Large ears (pinnae) can pick up sounds better.  Having large ears helps us in coping with certain situations, especially in times of danger.  The long ears of the rabbit also helps regulate body temperature, by conserving or radiate heat, as it may be the case. In varying ways.  This  biological phenomenon applies other animals, including us humans.

 

Elephants, which have very large ears live as long as 70 years - 

so with the giraffes, lions, and other animals domestic and wild.

Reference:  Living with Folk Wisdom by AV Rotor, 

UST Publishing House, Manila 2008

Acknowledgement with gratitude: Internet photos ~

Red Hot Summer in Paintings

 Red Hot Summer in Paintings

Dr Abe V Rotor 

Fire tree in acrylic, on-the-spot painting AVR, 

Jamboree Site, UPLB Laguna

Burn in the summer sun,

your cinders on the ground,

and i shall walk on carpet,

a prince to kingdom bound.  

Erythrina by a stream, painting in acrylic AVR, 2009

UST Publishing House     

Flow gently sweet stream

among fiery petals strewn, 

 down the river flowing 

and never to return.

Mutant Red, painting in acrylic, by AVR 

Whatever happened to the tree Erythrina, 
lost in the madness of science and fancy,  
transplanted gene in her bosom dear,
forever coveted her beauty.  

An Arch of Fire Trees, painting in acrylic AVR 2009

An arch over a mountain stream, 
strewing confetti from its bow,
drifting down stream to where I dream,   
an honor to be simple and low.

A Field of Flowering Weeds, mural by AVR 2010

Dare to step on these lowly flowering weeds,

denied of decent place and defiled;

Save the deities by their magic wands succeed  

in bringing out Nature's hidden pride, 

The case of the green and brown grasshoppers - are they the same or different species?

Dr Abe V Rotor

Short horned grasshopper (Oxya velox).  Photo credit, Wikipedia

The old folks tell children they are one and same. The grasshopper is like the chameleon. They can change colors to mimic their environment.  It is a way of defense and offense - to escape their enemies and catch their unwary preys. Here are other examples to illustrate this biological phenomenon.

• ·         Moths near industrial sites are darker than their counterparts in the countryside, mimicking the bark of trees and walls of buildings darkened by carbon dust.
• 
  
• ·         The octopus is a master mimicker; it does not only change colors but patterns as well, sometimes assuming the likeness of other sea creatures, or a piece of coral or simply a colored landscape.
• 
  
• ·         Nonpoisonous butterfly species resemble the poisonous species to escape predation. Examples are the nonpoisonous Viceroy butterfly (Limenitis archippus) resembles the poisonous Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). Both are  identical that birds have learned to avoid eating both of them.  
• 
  
•  ·         The leaf-footed preying mantis is perfectly hidden among leaves; the walking stick looks like a piece of twig; the bagworm could be mistaken for a thorn.    

Going back to the puzzle of the grasshopper, in summer it is brown; during the rainy season, it is green.  As an entomologist I have observed the various coloration and patterns of short-horned grasshopper (Oxya velox) with the change of seasons. I would tell my students, just like the old folks telling me when I was a kid, “They are one and same.”   

Markus Before a Wall Mural

 Markus Before a Wall Mural

Dr Abe V Rotor

 Markus 2, in pensive pose before a wall mural of Nature 

at the author's residence in Lagro QC 2017

What brings to an innocent mind but images

as real to grownups as they see the world,

in pure delight, sans the bias of experience,

and rational thoughts that spoil such accord?

So sensitive, so delicate - the guiding hands  

must mold the growing mind like fresh clay,

lest it hardens nevermore fine and beautiful,

however the later years would dream it may. ~  

   

Beauty is Ephemeral

Dr Abe V Rotor

HR Ocampo's Mural, Cultural Center of the Philippines

If beauty were clouds rising, drifting ,
White in the morning, dark and heavy at two,
And red in the sunset in the early May
I choose that which brings the maiden rain.
And rainbow in the morning to the end of day.
But beauty is ephemeral and only a glance,
As brief as butterflies and breeze through a tree,
Fullest if truly be, but it is fleeting,
Fleeting until it is gone and free.
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