Driving along the boulevard, she noticed trees with leaves! When did they grow so fast? The rain and warm spells must have helped. And then she passed a house with cherry blossoms…she wanted to stop and take a photo but decided to keep the image more perfect in her memory. She sighed wishing she lived closer to this house and then she saw a magnolia tree! Well, now, this was a lovely drive filled with promise. These beauties could certainly tie her over until the apple blossoms expected in the next three weeks.
blossoms
all worth the wait
nature’s promise
She remembers, as a child, in June asking her grandmother when the lilacs will be ready. Such a fragrant gift to share…
nature’s promise
yet, just a hope
scents of lilacs
mid-June treasures
picked by teacher’s pet
Fleeting memories keep her in a state of grace…calm and content, such a lovely escape.
In the past few years she has been altering her way of meditating. Rather than consciously searching for a quiet place to tune out for a few minutes, writing waka (Japanese poetry) has entered her life and added to another way of musing.
Her thoughts and feelings about a day, an event and especially about nature has become welcoming moments of contemplation. It is also a wonderful way to detach from the busyness of a day and look more carefully under a few layers and truly reflect within. Nature seems to have that effect in bringing out those hidden layers and connecting with nature.
Check out her beautiful piece at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai where she writes about ‘the poet’s craft'” and creates a series of beautiful haiku and tanka. For this meme, the theme she leaves us with is to reflect on our own experiences as haiku and tanka poets.
Aw, finally spring is really here! She loves May for many reasons…budding blossoms giving hope, lilac trees burgeon and tulips reaching to the sky in so many brilliant colours. She remembers as a young child in primary school, the month of May meant she was allowed to go out on a school night. She would put on her Mary Jane’s that her mother had brought from the shoemaker. The taps had been added on the tip and heels. They said it was to prevent the wearing of the shoes. But she just loved to hear the clickety click when walking on the sidewalk to church. She would change into something pretty, bring a sweater for the walk back home and of course place her rosary in her little purse.
Clickety click, and on she went but entering the church the clicks echoed so loudly, even tip-toeing made heads turn. Old ladies with thin lips and silly hats frowned disapprovingly but there were always one or two that knew her mother or grandmaman and nodded approving her presence to recite the evening rosary to Mother Mary.
I had not read the meme properly and just realized we were to write a tan renga…since it is May 1st, I can’t help keeping the same theme as my daily thoughts.
Time seems to loiter
slowly crawling uphill
each laboured breath
wheezing to the top
mayhem starts to enter
idol pandemonium
down, down, down
spiralling carelessly
or so it seems to me
twists and turns
clutching by the sides
hurling anecdotes
of a drawn-out past
settles in the present
warning for the future
unless…
mastering these moods
feelings and obssessions
hurdles that care less
dealt once in the past
habit keeps them near
patterns that have settled
trick me into believing
how powerless am I
and yet…
given it some thought
rational and real
oh! silly do I feel
preoccupied with naught
then…
praying to the universe
chanting consciously
feeling the absurdity
lifting and disappear
now…
how I must be mindful
when time does unravel
effort downhill travel
with an intense speed
settling’s just a habit
how I do know better
and I have discovered
this long-awaited gift
spirituality and me,
chanting passionately
gently brings me back
to virtual reality
Walking through the thicket, the woman stops a moment to admire wild daisies. It is mid-day and the sun is commanding nature to acquiesce to her splendid rays. Birds perched in the shade of their home are silent as they embrace their afternoon siesta except for a few chirps from fledglings resisting their nap. And then, the concert begins…from tree to tree sopranos tell their story while another group sing the refrain…piercing sounds mesmerize and finally the last of the fledglings give in to their lullaby.
spellbound cicadas take centre stage nature listens
The woman crouches slowly, taking a picture of her subjects; she smiles at the effect the soft wind has on the flowers. It appears the daisies are waving and smiling with their golden centres boasting towards the sun. And then, she freezes…
At Carpe Diem Haiku Kai, our host and mentor, Chèvrefeuille gives us a spiritual meme where we can choose among four photographs for our inspiration. They are A young mountain monk, Laughter, Time Flies and Tranquility. The image of a clock depicting how time flies is what inspired my haibun/troibun but more than just time flies…how a split second experience can imprint forever in my mind. The blue butterfly visited me from April to November, 2015 following the death of my mother December 2014. I have never seen such a constant presence as this beauty before or after. I know, deep down, she was helping me in my grief.
I feel such laughter in my heart, imagining the daisies also chortling…like the monks in the photo our host has given us. By the time I had completed the troiku(a new form of haiku created also by Chèvrefeuille), I felt my whole being washed with a sense of tranquilty. So, I suppose I was influenced by all four photos and left with a lingering sense of wellbeing.
When I looked up Haiku Horizons this week’s prompt had not been posted yet but I mistook “drop” last week’s as this week. Oh dear! But adjusting my last line made it all work out (smiles)
That time of day where words are not required…silence carries a life of its own. The homeless man whose weary feet, too heavy to continue, marks a spot to rest an hour or five. The rush hour street car groans its morning tune…his lullaby.
Heros of the night who keep watch for those where pain and suffering visit at two in the morning..nursing homes, hospitals, police stations, helplines…winding down their long day seeing flashes of their comfy bed mingled with the trauma they just witnessed. No words…just thoughts, visions…turning into a steady hum.
Stray cats seek a dry abode, giving chirping critters the eye that says it all. Birds chant their morning praise, feeling lucky to be alive… singing melodies of joy, hoping to see that worm raise its lovely head…
Bakeries and coffee shops are already ready to help mankind jump-start the day.
Mornings are such a foreign thing to her. So, this is how the other half lives …some starting their day and others winding down. She, falls in between …feels as if she is always trying to catch up…
Our host, Chèvrefeuille, at 
Tournesol dans un Jardin 