April skies (haibun)

As soon as the alarm went off, she jumped out of bed and pulled the curtain in her bedroom.

“Oh boy! she said, “The snow has melted everywhere!”

She shuffles towards the kitchen, screaming, “MAMA!!, can I wear my new Easter shoes to school to day…pretty please!!”

Her mother is packing her daughter’s lunch and turns her head towards the kitchen window.

“Well love, you know the earth is still frozen, it may be too cold…I don’t know…” her voice trails as she looks at the thermometer outside by the window sill.”

Ah Mama, puleeeze, I promise to wear my thick tights. Come on, Mama, it skips better in shoes,” she whines preparing to pout, “I’m brining my skipping rope to school for recess…pretty please!!” she raises her baby blues pleading to her mother…

“Oh, alright”, her heart melts at those blue liquid eyes.

April skies beckon
walking in her brand new shoes
blossoms await

Photo actually taken at five in the afternoon April 16, 2015.

Last slow breath (haibun)

Le “cordonier mal chaussé” is often what her peers call her teasingly. When a young person calls her crisis line and is having a panic attack, she asks him to put one hand on his belly, then walks him through mindful breathing and eventually a guided imagery. Breathing in, the belly inflates like a balloon, breathing out, the belly flattens.

So many youths and adults tend to label themselves as suffering from some form of anxiety; however, there are also many youths who hear this “term” but have not been properly diagnosed. Living in a society of information overload it is no wonder many practice “googlism” as they surf the internet.

A young person may call for help with anxiety. The counsellor shakes her head when the youth answers her question to “Where did you get that diagnosis?” and it is “Oh, I googled it.” She shakes her head in dismay as she listens to the youth through her earpiece.

This counsellor, too must learn to practice some form of mindful breathing in order to find balance in her life. She chants daily on her walks or when she is upset; and so many times when her mind won’t shut off and slowly it reduces her breathing and she is able to finally be in control of her breath.

Sitting in a park or garden, she connects with an inner peace hearing only her breath and faint chirps. Her ultimate reward is sitting on the rooftop witnessing that giant golden star slip beneath the horizon and she is thankful to be alive and be part of this universe.

final brush strokes
transform hues on canvas
last slow breath

last slow breath
at one with the heavens
life’s cycle

Carpe Diem “Pranayana – Controlled breath”

Le “cordonier mal chaussé” literal translation, shoemaker with bad shoes, meaning not practicing what one preaches.

Mom’s morning routine (Solo Renga)

Photo credits: VavoomyVintage blog

new dawn chirps
neighbour’s hound barks at sparrows
infant wails

gulls squawk broadcasts new day
Ah!! last gasps of espresso

eager suckling
mama coos at precious babe
creaking rocker soothes

Heeding Haiku with HA at MindLoveMiserysMenagerie

leaving the nest (haibun)

At Carpe Diem, we are asked to write a haibun to the haiku written by Kala Ramesh., Taking Flight. The narrative and haiku must not be more thatn 150 words. Here is my narrative.

*******************************

Her mother told her she was her “baton de veillesse”. Every birthday, her mother repeated the story that she was conceived on a Sunday afternoon. “You were planned. You are special.”

She knew what her mother meant with those innuendos and guilt trips, “after all I did for you.” When she finished college, she had to return home to help her parents support her three younger siblings.

“Is this my calling?” she often asked the Great Spirit. She felt this responsibility getting heavier each year. Once the youngest sibling had fled the nest to marry, she too decided it was time.

One June night, she left in the wee hours of the morning never looking back.

Cher Maman & Papa,
Merci de me donner la vie; maintenant je vais la vivre.
Votre fille, bien aimée xx

taking flight –
a butterfly shrugs off
its shadow
© Kala Ramesh

(147 words)

Baton de viellesse is a French expression meaning that child has a duty to take care of her parents when they age. It was probably often used before pensions or social security existed.

delusions (haiku)

April showers
Mother Nature spring-cleaning
false impression

our planet cries
bury our heads in the sand
defend delusions

Carpe Diem Delusions

journey embraced (haibun)

Living in solitude, eating lightly, controlling the thought, word, and deed; ever absorbed in yoga of meditation, and taking refuge in detachment. Bhagavad Gita

I used to travel by train, bus or car Montreal to Toronto which was about a 5 hour trip; I kept counting how many kilometers I had left to get to my destination. Now I rather take the train and enjoy the scenery…I try to stay awake to enjoy sites I missed all those years when I was in a hurry. That vast Lake Ontario, the farmlands, trees and so many quaint towns we pass along the way now capture my attention. No longer am I attached to time and destination…the journey is part of the trip.

caterpillar rests
embracing tranquility
butterfly flutters

Carpe Diem Detaching

nouvelle vie (haiku)

feuille novice
inspirant nouvelle vie
regarde! larmes de joie!

fledgling leaf
breathing new life
Look! tears of joy!

Loyal Friend (Haibun)

This was inspired by a Choka I wrote previously, here, when contemplating on the wren.

The woman would sit on the cold concrete during her fifteen minute break. She was wrapped in woolen coat, toque and scarf, shielded by cement pillars. That cold winter, ten years ago, sat in mourning contemplation by a bed of frozen dirt, was once a garden. Twelve months went by as she sat day by day, accompanied by her faithful wren.