In the Jungle by auntietk
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No AI - This artwork was created entirely by hand or with traditional digital tools.
Description
In the Jungle
To my city-dwelling eye
The jungle is a tangle.
Unrecognizable plants
Twist far above my head,
And the drip of collected moisture
Sounds loud in the random silence.
Monkey screams split the air,
Raucous birds call to one another,
And the jungle falls quiet once again.
At first the unfamiliar noises
Make me jump out of my skin.
After a while I seem to sense a rhythm.
Exotic flowers are everywhere.
Perhaps an explosion in a florist shop
Is responsible for these bromeliads
Thrown hither and yon,
Hard-to-grow houseplants
Running riot in their native land.
I'm sure I don't see a tenth
Of the inhabitants here.
Diversity is a ridiculously small word
To encompass the various forms of life
That swarm and teem and hide
In this rich environment.
Nothing I have read or seen
Has prepared me for this experience.
Heat and humidity are a physical blow,
Sights and sounds invade my senses.
The jungle breathes a cadence all its own
And I am but an interloper here.
..........
Title page created in ArtRage and Photoshop
Font is Arctic
..........
I fiddled around and missed the deadline for submissions for the current Writer's Challenge, which is "In the Jungle."
For me, the challenge was writing about something with which I have absolutely no experience!
I thought I would take this opportunity to tell you to go vote, though. You can read the submissions here. Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page to see the entries. Voting ends on Sunday, May 10th at noon, Renderosity time.

Comments (18)
Well that is brilliant! I am transported there by your words. It powerfully describes what I experience when I visit a tropical greenhouse, which is the closest I'll ever get to the real thing! You are a multi talented marvel.
I find myself wanting to say just what Andrea has already said. Glad you took up the challenge of writing something completely outside your persoanl experience. You've done a wonderful job of describing an area that is probably alien to most of us. As I sit here, I think of what it must have been like to fight in the jungles of the South Pacific during WWII or what life must be like for a primative tribe in the Amazon living apart from civilization as we know it. I like the style you've used, five stanzas of six lines each. The entire structure is easy to read, easy to follow and leaves both a visual and a tactile impact thanks to your careful selection of descriptive words and phrases. Great job my friend...if this piece was unsigned, I'd assign the authorship to you:)
I could feel all you were writing, so you did a splendid job Tara. :)
This is amazing, your words are breath taking Tara. Thank you so much for sharing.
super done
WOW!
this is awesome !!! you are amazing at writing
This is a great piece, and your writing has the ability to transport: for me, that's a part of what writing is supposed to do. I loved reading this, simply because it puts it thumb on a very important pulse that too many people ignore. I'm in a strangely poetic mood. I was chatting about 14th century Haiku with someone I met in Prague and have now become good friends with...then I read this. NICE...it's not Haiku, but it has that same visual quality with an emotional undercurrent.
wonderful work, Tara May warm hug that smiles, Linda Kaye
I agree, its a good account with hightened senses. Got me thinking of how I would write about something I have never experienced. Nice work Tara!
very imaginative writing
Wonderful words!
Wow! Wonderful writing Tara! And to write so well about something outside your personal experience is not an easy feat but you make it seem so! Bravo!
I agree with shadowstime
Great writing Tara...very well done
The real jungle is full of contradictions. Beauty, lushness beyond belief, plants, birds and animals not found anywhere else on earth. It's also dangerous, raw, primal. And isn't that exactly how life is?? You so got that!!
I think you did very well.
Excellent work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!