Carpe Diem #1412 Daisies (extreme haibun)
Day of sadness, a daisy graces the lawn. Tears flow.
moss tucked in
Carpe Diem #1410 Rainbow (short-haibun)
Colored spots of light dance on the floor and light. I smile as I turn to the source, bottles of colored water setting in the window. When I was three my mother had small glass bottle lining the window and I was enrolled with the way the light shown through the bottles and the dancing rainbow on the floor. When my sons were young, I came across identical bottle with glass stoppers and created my ow rainbow. After 25 years they still make me happy.
afternoon joy
double rainbow in the sky
holding hands with you
Carpe Diem #1403 Mountains (kikôbun)
Bluegrass Parkway
All along the parkway we stopped to photograph the mountains. The scenery was spectacular, but for May it was quite chilly. This, however, did not deter the spring wildflowers that bloomed in profusion. The changing light in the sky also added to the dramatic look of the mountains.
mountain view
parkway over run
with mini coopers
We stopped for lunch along a river. We had seen a few giant swallowtails from the car and i saw another as walked to the water. I climbed a large rock and sat down. That’s when I started to notice lots of swallowtails fluttering down the course of the river. Their slow movement was hypnotizing.
wildflowers blossom
playing hide and seek
along the path
mountain path
a snake entwined on a tree
no – a vine
bird sounds
echoing through the woods
hidden from sight
in a clearing
wild turkey
Seven Days to Christmas -Day 5 A Choir of Angels
Christmas pageant
angelic choir of cherubs
delighting parents
Ise Shrine the most sacred shrine in Japan. The inner sanctum is not for view of the average visitor, but the shrines in the outer garden are made to exact replica, only smaller.
sacred shrine
monk sweeps the path
prayer stains
Every 20 years the shrine buildings and the Uji bridge are rebuilt. This reinforces the idea of impermanence of life.
reopened gates
Ise shrine flooded with pilgrims
solitude lost
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scent of new shrine
lingers on the pathway
among the cypress
across the Isuzu River
boarded by ancient trees
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Isuzu River is located at the foot of Mount Kamiji and Mount Shimaji in the Mie Prefecture. After crossing the Uji Bridge you passing through the large torii gate marking the entrance to the shrine.
the Naiku shrine
stepping through the past
ancient spirituality
~~~~~
Ise Grand Shrine
beautiful part of Japan
imbued with holiness
for Carpe Diem Tanka Splendor #24 Black Earth
Black Earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning . The Black Earth by Timothy Snyder is a history of the Holocaust and also serves as a warning. In lite of the recent election and the election of xenophobic leaders in other countries I feel we are closer than ever to repeat such a tragic event. In his book Timothy Snyder show how ordinary citizens turn a blind eye to what is going on. He talks of the brave few who try and help at great personal risk. He also talks of how our twenty-first century is beginning to resemble the twelfth. I believe it would behove our current house and senate to take heed and read this book.
in the chernozem belts
long growing seasons
yield much grain
but this atmosphere of hate
will keep bread from being shared
chernozem- a rich fertile black soil
Day 180 — Wild Chickory — Finding Beauty Each Day
Today’s beauty comes in the form of pale blue chickory and queen Anne’s lace growing along the roadside. Seeing these really let’s me know that summer is upon us. It reminds me of hot summer walks, searching for fossils and pretty stones. It reminds me of raking dry itchy grass on a sunny afternoon and sharing an slushy with my sisters when finished. It reminds me of crickets chirping and flashing lightening bugs. When I see the wild chickory I see my childhood and smile.
wild chickory
swaying in the breeze
carrying my youth
Day 179 -Hummingbird- Finding Beauty Each Day
Today’s beauty is found in the form of a long awaited of the first arrival of a hummingbird. The mimosa have been in full bloom for several weeks and still not one signing. Finally today just before dusk I found a female hummingbird at one of the feeders. I sat our as the sun set and watched for it to return with a heightened sense of the beauty of the flowers, birds and trees
in the garden
a flash of red and emerald
hummingbirds return
Day 178 -Heat Lightening- Finding Beauty Each Day
Today’s beauty was found during out midnight walk. The dark skies were full of white cumulus clouds and brilliant constellations, The night air was humid and muggy. Not long into our walk we noticed the clouds lighting up. They were back kit with heat lightening. Sometimes under the midnight sky the entire sky lit up and others just a long spiral of light going upward. When you see all the marvelous sights in nature it makes you believe in a creator or intelligent design rather than the randomness of chance,
under the heavens
midnight sky and clouds
lit with hear lightening
Adas Poetry Alcove 