After reading Georgia’s offering to this prompt, I was interested in reading her post. What a joy to read and see the photos she added of these fruit trees that grow in northern Italy as well as in Japan. Chèvrefeuille has certainly given us a challenging prompt.
At first I thought of not being capable of writing anything but Georgia’s lovely introduction describing Italy’s fruit trees and how these fruits do not conserve as well as our apples , I am piggybacking a bit on her story (hope that’s okay, Cara) and her photos that inspired me to write this:
Well, I am so far behind, I’m breathless trying to catch up. Chèvrefeuille has started a WordPress blog called CarpeDiemHaikuKaiFamily. Well, this is already Prompt #4 Sunflower, so better late than never.
Here is Chèvrefeuille’s offering:
after the thunderstorm the sunflowers in the backyard have broken
My sister grew sunflowers in her country home and that was the first time I saw such huge, tall flowers towering over ME and I`m tall! One summer in 1995, I planted a variety of seeds of wild flowers late in June. That was the summer I was trying for an English Garden and we had such a nice property in the back of the house with a huge field, small stream and further a wooded area. It was heaven in the back and civilization in the front of our home.
By the end of June, no sign of growths, end of July only mere foot tall lanky, thin stems. But by September, whoa! these were giant fellas alright!! They almost touched the roof of the garden shed. It was pretty in the daytime but in the night, if I had to go out back, their shadows were a bit daunting…no creepy!
Yesterday marked one week that a friend and colleague died, Sunday morning, July 20th. I wrote a series of haiku/senryû, last week with the vivid image of Bruno when I last saw him mid May of this year. He had been battling pancreatic cancer for well over a year at that time and still accepted that I visit him and he posed for a book that was being compiled to give to another colleague who is battling breast cancer. Bruno believed in thinking positive at ALL times. He believed in the fight and never gave up, nor did he stop encouraging our friend who is still under treatment and we KNOW she will rise above this insidious disease. She is the loving and most generous person (much like Bruno) who phoned me to give me the sad news that our friend had passed. I feel so blessed to have heard from you, Leslie, you have no idea how much it meant to me.
Here is the series I wrote the day I learned of his passing…
Care Bear Hugs
I’ll miss that smile soothing presence like balm Care Bear hugs. * those innuendos making me feel young and sexy twinkle in your {lie} eye * they’ll all split their wings you’ll have them laughing so hard angels in heaven
Today it is raining. It is grey and my mood is morose. I called in sick today as my body would not respond and seemed to be listening to my soul…I feel as if I am 99 today…a time to rest. In the shower I weep tears of grief and let the water wash them away. I have written in another post how I asked, “Why not take me? I am older, my family is raised, even my grandson is older than Bruno’s son. Why not take me?” The world is a mystery and the Great Spirit acts in mysterious ways. What do I know? Who am I in this vast sea of souls? But I do know that Bruno was a mind, heart, soul and body of pure essence filled with compassion and love. Anyone who has had the chance to meet him even if briefly, is blessed having been touched by an angel.
Reading Bruno’s orbituary in the Montreal Gazette, minutes ago, here at Second Cup, I am sad and yet could not help but smile when I read that his blood type was B Positive! Of course, what else could it have been? This reading along with Chèvrefeuille’s prompt on writing with the theme “A departed Soul”, has stirred up the following lines…
Departed Soul
dawn smiled
clouds made way
an angel
*
an angel
soars over sad hearts
begging for smiles
*
begging for smiles
his loud roar thundered
B positive
*
B positive
his lifetime message
gift
