Poetry ~ Waka
At Carpe Diem Haiku Kai, our host givs us two images of “fractal art” and explains it here:
This image spoke to her with mute passion. Each colour and curve follows a perfectly planned sequence. Memories of stories her grandmother, a mid-wife came to mind. Grand-Maman was led by her compassion and her faith…life happens.
swimming in circles
iridescent embryo
symmetry of life
©Tournesol’17/08/21
blue butterflies
even cicada are silent
divine messengers
My readers may remember my sharing, the spring, summer and fall after my mother passed, I kept seeing blue butterflies from May to early November. For some reason, I felt she was hanging around for a while until I was ready. I kept looking for those blue butterflies last year and this year but to no avail until this afternoon.
Walking home I took a different path and I was rewarded for my choice. Grasshoppers jumped at my feet before moving on to the grassland; bees absorbed solely by sweet nectar and so many to choose from! And then I saw one, two and so many more for the first time in two years…
if blue butterflies
even the cicada would silence
could only sing
if blue butterflies
were really messengers
living in heaven
even the cicada would silence
cardinal croons cheerfully
mid-day serenade
living in heaven
once in perfect harmony
demons and angels
©Tournesol’17/08/20
Daily Moments – August 20/17, return of my blue butterfly
Such a lovely way to wake up on this sunny morning. Feeling a gentle wind , she stretches languidly, inhaling its freshness.
morning sun trickles
coolness floats above her bed
tickles her nose
©Tournesol; 17/08/17
Daily Moments August 17, 2017
Departure #28 night traveller (Troibun)
(troiku)
traveling all night
pleasant leisure distractions
eyes flutter
travelling all night
so many strange places
yet, familiar
pleasant leisure distractions
finally worries
take a backseat
eyes flutter
taking in every scene
my movie screen
Such an offensive shrill pulls me aggressively from my dream. Keeping my eyes closed trying with all my might, to slip back on that journey. I put on my eye mask filling my eyes with darkness…hoping, waiting for the train to pass.
©Tournesol’17/08/16
A troiku is a new form of haiku created by Chevrefeuille at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai and this troibun was written for Carpe Diem’s August Retreat 2017 and the theme is “Departure”
Departure #29 last embrace (tanka)
sun rising
in its splendour
blossoms
dusk hastens light of day
nighttime’s last embrace
(c) Tournesol’17
Departure #30
necessary endings (haibun)
Endings can be so difficult. No one wants to say goodbye to frolicking in an open field, making sand castles on a sunny beach or walking along a park in open sandals. One just feels so much lighter! It tastes like freedom. Moreover, despite the rich blankets of gold and amber, it is so darn hard to let go of this period. Just like the child that says, “Just five more minutes, please!” so he can say up a little bit later, resisting the end of a day.
carefree summer
soon comes to an end
sombreness lingers
less time to play
shorter days
walking home alone
path filled with fallen leaves
winter’s calling me
© Tournesol ’17
At Carpe Diem Haiku Kai, Chévrefeuille has created an Autum Retreat from July 15th to August 15th…30 days – theme is departure These are my last three entries.
nature’s serenade Troibun (Departure #27)
Looking out over the river by her late mother’s house, she hears a bird whistling loudly. She goes under the tree and speaks softly, “Where are you? You sing so beautifully…”
by the riverside
stirred from her dream
serenading
by the riverside
recalling times past
daydreaming
stirred from her dream
singing happily from a tree
she smiles
serenading
consoling her lovingly
a cardinal sings
©Tournesol’17/08/15
This troiku is a new form of haiku created by Chevrefeuille and this is written for August Retreat 2017 – theme is “departure”at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai
I don’t think I appreciated August as much as I have for the past few decades. Summer was a time to play, unwind and of course be out of school. Once August came around the corner, winds picked up, thunder storms increased and the temperatures became a bit cooler especially the nights. I remember as a child and teenager, thinking that school would be starting soon and that brought me down. I enjoyed school but not getting up early in the morning. I think I have always been a night owl.
Even as a mother, I did not like August because I knew there would be less free time to just chill with the kids…that I would not have to be more disciplined and organized, making sure the children got off to school before I went to work. All the stores had sales on school supplies and schools were sending in their required list for the new year. Spending time in stores to get new clothes as well and not knowing if the children will want to wear them by October if it is not trendy enough for their peers.
Once the children were out of school and working, August changed…it was as if summer was lasting a lot longer…I could enjoy the summer until September 22nd!! And then looking forward to the burst of autumn colours! What is depressing about that?! No, I really seem to have missed on appreciating this time of year but no more.
(troiku)
midsummer blues
August bursts with such wonder
embrace the present!
midsummer blues
thinking of tomorrow
visions of decay
August bursts with such wonder
flowers at their peak
still so much to see
embrace the present!
worrying about tomorrow
robs you of today
(c) Tournesol’17
A troiku is a new form of haiku created by Chèvrefeuille at CDHK
Written for August Retreat 2017 “Departure” at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai
At Heeding haiku with Chèvrefeuille at MindLoveMiserysMenagerie, our host asks us to write a haibun (prose with a haiku or tanka) inspired by the sculpture below. I looked up the artist, Matteo Pugliese and discovered the name of this piece is La Promessa…
I discovered a new form of poetry last month called The Cherita at Celestine’s blog Reading Pleasure, a gifted Haiku poetess; the Cherita was created by al li. Rather than using prose, I am telling my story with two Cherita followed by a Troiku which is a new form of haiku created by Chèvrefeuille. I name my haibun a troibun since troiku is the core.
The hidden promise (Troibun)
aggravation started bubbling unexpectedly
all those hopes and fantasies
never seeing the dawn of day
sadness and self-pity
wrapped inside a duvet
used to comfort her
pointing fingers and blaming life is so less painful
staying up late at night
wishing upon a star
waking up dismayed
feeding on crestfallen
crunching on uncertainty
©Tournesol’17/08/05
captive
all those years – stalling
prisoner of self-doubt
captive
wall of hidden truths
fooled to feel helpless
all those years –stalling
that prince of fairy tales
held inside a web
prisoner of self-doubt
unrequited promises
trapped inside her soul
©Tournesol’17/08/05
Some eat raspberries and some wear them in full season like a fashion statement. She chuckles at her sense of humour trying to make fun of her summer hives. So much easier to digest when humour sweetens even the most bitter lemon.
succulent raspberries
sweet and juicy
running down her chin
succulent raspberries
filling her whole being
pink spotted legs
sweet and juicy
crunch of the seeds
stuck between her teeth
running down her chin
with a quick flick of the tongue
good to the last drop
©Tournesol`17/07/20
When she thinks of beach, today, memories of long ago walking along a sandy beach in Maine resurfaces. It was dusk…the tide was up, so she, her family and friends could not walk on the wet sand like they did in the afternoon. She was only eleven; he was fifteen. But they were almost the same height. He may have thought she was more mature in “that sense”.
The wind picked up as they stared out onto the ocean; they walked slightly away from the family both quiet in thought, as if they were in different worlds. She was so young and naïve, he was a romantic and a vibrant adolescent. He was so handsome, she remembers, and spoke little English. For some reason, his words in French were so poetic.
high tide waves
impressive yet cold
bare foot in the sand
high tide waves
bold and calculating
startling splash rouses
impressive yet cold
warmth of his hand rubs gently
on innocent hand
bare foot in the sand
watching life go by in the sea
dreaming different tales
She remembers the softness of his the back of hand gently stoking her hand. It felt so natural like holding hands with her sister or her best friend…comforting, endearing. Thinking about this in her tent that night, she wondered if he felt something different than she…after all he was so much older than she. That summer of 1963 where innocence is still a nice safe place to be.
©Tournesol’17/07/19
Written for Carpe Diem Haiku Kai : Beach
“Today, I visualize myself at peace.”
Misperceptions, misinterpretations and seeing what is not there can lead to confusion and inner turmoil. Listening and being led to the chaos mindsets of others is harmful to inner growth. It feels like living in limbo and never finding an outlet.
Today she is trying to visualize herself at peace. Closing her eyes, she chants her mantra and meditates…
jolt of white light
stir her innards
tranquil repose
©Tournesol’17/07/18
Tournesol dans un Jardin 