autumn playground (senryu)

crunch underfoot
autumn’s trampoline
giggling children play

©Tournesol’17/09/25

Daily moments September 25,2017  autumn playground 

river roars (troiku)

© Clr’16 Rivière Richelieu, Chambly, Qc.

on the river
lights float to the horizon
the dead rejoice © Basho

on the river
rapids roar
listen to their tales

lights float to the horizon
a hundred white sales
a cortege

the dead rejoice
even the children celebrate
All Hollows’ Eve

©Tournesol’17/09/24

CDHK – Meditation on the river

honouring family (troiku)

Image may contain: indoor
©Clr’17

on the credenza
the images of ancestors
lighted by a candle
© Chèvrefeuille

on the credenza
painted on porcelain
our coat of arms

the images of ancestors
reminding me
who I am

lighted by a candle
thirteen tea lights glow
GrandMaman’s birthday

©Tournesol’17/09/24

https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2015/10/17/13/52/church-992550_960_720.jpg

CDHK- meditation on the river

autumn colours (troiku)

(c) Clr ’13

amber leaves
on my balcony
colour my world

amber leaves
on a muddy path
turn to mulch

on my balcony
last butterfly
says goodbye

colour my world
one leaf pressed
in my journal

©Tournesol’17/09/24

Heeding Haiku with Chevrefeuille at MindLoveMiserysMenagerie

secrets of the soul (haibun)

This week at Dungeon prompt we are asked to write about one of the more wilder things we’ve done in our life that looks a little out of place when put up next to the rest of our life’s journey. Or take it in another direction and write about our monsters, or demons.

boul St Laurent Montréal Street art, ’17

I think the worse monster I may have is self-doubt and questioning my own self-worth. That is not something that family and friends close to me know…more or less. It has its strengths and its weaknesses. In strength it emits humility. In weakness it chips away at my spirt and elicits inertia.

Some things, however, are best left unsaid. Have you ever held on to a deep dark secret for years and finally share one day out of sheer vulnerability? Perhaps you were tired or experiencing too many layers and layers of stresses in your life that that last drop made you spill some of it over. Maybe you were so raw and drunk with grief, it trickled out, only to discover later it may not have been the right person to dump on.

Maybe a priest, a therapist, a minister, a rabbi or a guru are appropriate recipients but is a friend the same? Is a spiritual guide better? Some things seem worse spoken out loud. Don’t they? Fantasies may be harmless until some are shared or acted upon. What about secrets deep inside that may shock your friend(s) or family? We all have demons, don’t we?

rarely share
secrets of the soul
hidden deep inside

life
all its dips and rises
every single day

always try to share
power of your faith
fullness of the heart

rarely share
secrets of the soul
hidden deep inside

most don’t really care
too busy with their dole

mornings
start in darkness
brighten thru the day

ups and downs
a fact of life
taken all in stride

caring is so easy
giving also pleasing
looking outwards

feeling all their pain
comfort and appease them
letting go of  self

never  share
secrets of the soul
hidden deep inside

dare not to confide
mysteries that confuse
merely cause unease

only wish they’d ask – instead,
keep my thoughts confined

death awaits us all
patient – unassuming
dark before the light

death awaits us all
some may rather choose
not to wait

patient and unassuming
spirits of the night
floating orbs invite

dark before the light
lasting and forbidding
demon of the night

demon of the night
asks not for forgiveness – lures
with empty promise

lasting and forbidding
clinging to the fabric
ripping at the soul

mending seems so futile
hopelessness a trend

dark before the light
demons sweeten my demise
cravings of an end

never  ever share
secrets of the soul
hidden deep inside

life
like a valley
days bump in the night

darkness seems forever
climbing insurmountable

never ever share
secrets of the soul
hidden deep inside

praying lifts the soul
defying troubled times
builds protective shields

praying lifts the soul
demons kept at bay
harmless deep inside

defying troubled times
teasing Satan with his fire
smothering it with faith

builds protective shields
containing scents of weakness
fragrance of despair

writing keeps me sane
faith puts out the fires
praying is the same

never ever share
secrets of the soul
hidden deep inside

misunderstood,
hasty revelations may
alienate and scare

judge and jury
etched upon their faces

I shall never share
some secrets of the soul
hidden deep inside

some things
better left unsaid
only He can see

healing with His love
waiting for that moment

drying all my tears
opening my eyes – finally
see His blessed light

best to never share
secrets of the soul
unless through your prayers

© Tournesol’17/09/23

Daily moments ~ My grain simmers September 23/17 (Troiku + Senryu)

© CLR 2016

(Troiku)

Time lingers
Caterpillar crawl
My Head hurts

Time lingers
Thunderbolts in my head
Sunshine mocks me

Caterpillar crawl
Patiently waits
My heart quickens

My head hurts
Waiting for the storm to pass
A fog settles

(Senryu)

Finally relief
wraps me in a bed of comfort –
GrandMaman’s arms

GrandMaman’s arms
soothed me as a child
pacifier

pacifier
GrandMaman’s faith numbed my pain,
softened my sobs

Feel so giddy now
pain is just a memory
storm has come and gone

feeling silly
childlike
and free…

but oh, so tired
such power given
that inner storm.

Saturday ends
sun no longer mocks me
until dawn

until dawn
hoping for a peaceful night
rising to a fresh start

(c) Tournesol’17/09/23

enduring time (troibun)

Dungeon Prompt – No Matter Time nor Place

Which truth do you hold no matter the time nor place? This isn’t a prompt about whether you believe in God or not, or in science or not. This is a morality question. For example, most of us can say that we believe in the commandment, thou shalt not kill, regardless of religion, but would you be able to stick with that even while witnessing your mother or sister being raped? Would you feel that it was wrong if another person, in that kind of situation, killed an attacker to save someone else? So the question here is, which of your values do you hold so strongly that it wouldn’t matter the time or place? Explain.

Here is my response I have made into a haibun.

This will be a 2 part  response to the Dungeon’s  prompt. It was the only way I could be truthful to myself.

1- Which truth do I hold no matter the time nor place?

I still believe that God loves everyone no matter what they may have done. I think about really evil people who murder, rape and destroy families and communities and still I am sure God still loves them. Why? Because we learned as a young child, that God is perfect and God is love. I found that difficult to believe as a young child and yet now, I find that comforting to know that even if I behave like a total badass, God will forgive me even if I don’t.

I struggle with forgiving myself more than anyone even someone who has greatly hurt me. They say forgiving is letting go and so it is actually liberating to do so; and still, I struggle forgiving myself. That is probably another story or prompt…loving myself enough to forgive.

2- Which value or values still hold true no matter what?

I will not list the commandments but I know I have broken a lot of them…let’s see, swearing, yep…especially in French and Quebec French uses many religious words when swearing and they have a whole list to choose from compared to the English language, which basically uses mostly the F word. There are so many that they just roll off the tongue especially when driving and getting cut off, I may spew out three or four words in one shot…to give you an example translated word for word I might say “Tabernacle, chalice, host, pyx, sacrament.” Now doesn’t that sound silly? But said in French sounds very different.

This was the hard part of the prompt; I still believe killing is wrong yet, I struggle trying to imagine if my children or grandson’s lives depended on me killing another person, I think that is a no brainer. But is it killing if it is self-defence…defending the lives of innocent people? Still, taking another life even under that circumstance, must be a mix of relief for my loved ones, yet eerie feeling to take another life.

If someone had tortured, assaulted or killed my children, would I want to kill him or her? That I would hope I could let go and let God deal with that person. I hope I would not be the judge and crucifier. I don’t believe killing would relieve me for my loss. How could it? But in the heat of the moment would I react differently? Would you? Who knows really, in moments of crazed anguish.

And then there are those who kill for sport…

hunting season
ducks follow the leader
a killer sport

hunting season
killers toast their kill
trophies hang on walls

ducks follow the leader
if only they would stop
quacking

a killer sport
if the game feeds families
nature may forgive

©Tournesol’17/09/21

un jardin (troiku)

in my garden
starflowers bloom
come and see
© Chiyo-Ni (age 6)

in my garden
a butterfly
lifts my spirit

starflowers bloom
spilling over
like a new poem

come and see
Tournesol
dans un jardin

(c)Tournesol’17-09-20

CDHK

kindred spirits

© Clr’17

As children and teens they were very close sisters.  And then they grew up and life happened.   Now they are rebuilding anew since their mother passed filling the gap despite the physical distance between them.   Certainly, their mother has a hand in this…

on a park bench
a cool breeze kisses her face
last minute blossoms

a woman walks her dog
butterfly lands on her cheek

both women smile
knowingly
Mom’s paid a visit

©Tournesol’17/09/19

Haiku Horizons: Land

remembering summers (troiku)

reminiscing
chubby little fingers
building castles

reminiscing
summers in Maine
long ago

chubby little fingers
sifting
magic fairy dust

building castles
make believe kings and queens
in the sand

©Tournesol’17/09/19

CDHK – Grains of Sand