Spanish Garden

by Terry Reilly

The scent of oleander fills the air,

my eye is drawn to succulents in bloom.

I gently sway upon my rocking chair,

my garden's an enchanting outdoor room.

The mighty palm tree spreads its cooling shade,

protecting me from summer's scorching glare.

Foundations for siesta have been laid,

I drift away embraced by sultry air.

"Chip Chip Chip Chip" awakes me from my dream.

Black swifts are diving, soaring, swooping free.

Their aerobatic flourish is extreme,

bemusing insects hoping they might flee.

Then minutes later all the birds have gone,

pursuing prey beyond my stucco wall.

Silence reigns once more as day moves on,

and mellow evening shades begin to fall.

I force myself to rise and glide across

blue Moorish tiles still warm beneath my feet.

The lemon tree bears fruit with saffron gloss,

I twist one off and bite, it's bitter sweet!

Now climb the steps up to my balcony

from where the sunset light show starts to thrill.

Scarlet, crimson, orange symphony.

I watch, enthralled, until I've had my fill.

Much later, on that spot, I sit and slurp

a gin and tonic piqued with lemon slice.

Enchanted by the crickets' strident chirp,

this moment seems to me beyond all price.

My Spanish garden helps me find a peace

which oft eludes me in my British nest.

My fretful thoughts so markedly decrease

I sometimes wonder which home suits me best.

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Quatrain Poetry writing prompt entry

Writing Prompt
A quatrain is a poem that has four lines for each stanza. It usually has rhyme scheme of abab or its variant, xbyb. Click here for an example.

Since 2007 we have divided our time between our UK home and our little bit of paradise on Spain*s east coast. I know, we are so fortunate. Eight months UK, four months Spain.
I have numerous photographs of the garden but because of its size they are all just close-up sections which do not reflect the reality of the entirety. Hence the AI generated image. It is much more crowded and compressed than the real thing, and the palm tree is tiny in comparison. The Moorish fountain, however, looks very similar to ours.

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My tranquil hidey-hole in Alicante province.

Spanish Garden

by Terry Reilly

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