Michael J. Vanderhorst
A book of poetry and wildlife photos for children and adults. Showing people the beauty of nature and how we need to keep her healthy. Expressing the feelings I get when I am in nature. By doing this, with the photos I have taking, I hope to encourage my readers to want to go take a walk in the woods or local park. This is mainly for the young people. This book, I hope, will make them sensitive to the needs of nature. As people and nature move closer to each other we need to learn to live side by side. My photos show them the animals they can see right in their backyards and parks. If they look, they can see the diverse life right in front of them and hopefully seek the beauty of the rest of the natural world. To teach people now will help the future for all creatures. The poetry is the media I use for the painting. Poetry seemed the best way to express the beauty of nature, while also showing some bad sides I hope we avoid in the future.
I am a small town boy who would rather go to the woods or meadows any day, over going to a party. I have spent the last five years trying to decide how I can help Nature. This book is only the beginning. I will spend my life on helping nature. I was taught early that life is important no matter what. That is kind of ironic, since my father is a butcher, but he would always be kind to anything. I have taught my children the same. I live in West central Ohio, which one the last places for wildlife to return. I have a wonderful supportive wife, Amy. My two children Aarron and Whitney are also very interested in nature, I wish all children cared for the land and animals as they do. My goal in life is to buy as much land as I can and nurture it back to the wildside, just leave it be, so nature can do what she has to do. Finding good wildlife areas in this part of the state is difficult. Without friends like Tony Rampe and Patsy Watkins, who let me use their land which is good land for wildlife.Without Patsy's support I would never have started this book. Tony has land which he is the steward of for the state.This is a key to saving the wildlife. People like these folks are the reason nature is making a comeback in this area. I hope I can do the same someday, because it is a daily thought, WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP NATURE. I'll start here and hope some of my readers will join me in this.
Doe and Fawn,
Early morning the sun shines thru
the misty fog, the morning dew
acorns and walnut on the forest floor
The leaves are falling, summer is no more
Walking the same traill day to day
Fawn following doe going the same way
Open pasture, field of green
Doe needs to eat for she is lean
Fawn plays and jumps around
Little steps and large bounds
back to the same trail as yesterday
to make it thru the winter this is the only way.
Out of the cliffs,
Hiking in the hills
Forest all around
creek in the middle
making a trickling sound
Sun's glare light up the trees
on the cliff above me
Rock face 100 feet high
I hear a sound that I cannot see
To the end it seems I have come
The rock here is worn and dull
Thousands of years of erosion
Created this beautiful waterfall.
