fêtons en hiver
avec le Bonhomme Carnaval
dansant dans la rue
tendres bisous dans la nuit
gourde de vin les réchauffe
© Tournesol’16/01/08
Bonhomme Carnaval (tanka)
love child (haibun)
Her mother was due but in spring and yet, here she was feeling her child pushing and shoving, making her way to thy kingdom come…Arriving at her mother’s home, a midwife by chance, she settled in the family bed letting nature take its course…un enfant d’amour.
a birth in haste
tumbling in the family berth
their winter rose
© Tournesol’16/01/08
compassion’s desires (haibun)
To scratch an itch is certainly a need although one may feel wanting, filled with the urge to scratch. If you’ve ever had chicken pox, measles or hives, you will get my drift here (smiles) But what changes a want to a need? I am sure the answer is quite subjective as I think of my past desire to meet the famous hugging saint, Amma, (Mata Amritanandamayi) but once I did experience her warm embrace at a retreat, it did change me more than I had ever imagined.
wanting heart,
a saint’s embrace kissed my soul
my needs fulfilled
As I ponder on this “needs/wants” discussion, I can’t help but contemplate on Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl. Love being the basic need to survive and thrive.
We also hear that there is no greater love than love for self. I find I love myself more and more when I love others, when I can help others. There must be some meaning in this for look at anyone in the world who lives a life of serving. I am far from such a person, being still selfish in many ways and content with my North American comforts. But look around at anyone who you’ve seen helping others. The smile of compassion and satisfaction is ever present on their faces. The image of Amma comes to mind again when I see her smiling at her devotees, even after sixteen hours in a crowded room.
compassion’s longings
serving yields such precious gems
intrinsic needs met
© Tournesol ’16/01/08
Written for Challenge for growth prompts: Needs vs wants at LivingLearningandLettingGo
Daily Moments – Jan. 8/2016 Hasty Dawn (Haibun)
Once winter’s solstice has passed, life seems more promising. In spite of the short days, dark mornings and early dusk, we know that each day there will be a slight change…baby steps but still, It is encouraging. This morning, she notices dawn was five minutes earlier than a few days ago. Sunset is fifteen minutes earlier than Christmas day. Each extra moment of daylight counts as one looks forward to spring.
despite sub-zeros
luminosity hastens
dawn stirs hope
© Tournesol ’16/01/08
Daily Moments
Daily Moments Jan 7 2016 (Shame on you! -haibun)
Does greed alone rule the world? Must one make money on the sufferings of others? This is not a statement about being politically correct…no indeed! It is a cry of frustration and disappointment that, yet again, the greedy vulturesw takes over common sense, compassion and savoir vivre.
shame on you
worst kind of selfish vultures
make a fast buck
no concern for those hurting
seeking only their own gain
© Tournesol ‘16/01/07
Read more: StigmaHurtsEveryone and here CBC News
finding comfort (haiku)
after months at sea
docking home at last
finds his true love
ragoût et tourtière
souvenirs de ma grand-mère
bien-être retrouvé
saisie par l’arôme
cannelle et chaussons aux pommes
souvenirs de son passé
scents cast memories
apple pie and cinnamon
found from her past
© Tournesol’16/01/06
Daily Moments – Jan 6’16 (haibun)
She sits draped in fleece admiring a nature’s morning splendour. The eye could capture only hundreds of shades and nuances…a human lens shooting in slow motion. She smiles with pride. One must witness the slightest changes to appreciate the glory of it all; she felt lured, this frigid morning, by an omnipresence. In reverent silence, she recites her mantra before this sacred panorama.
O mystical one
rise above the horizon
shine on me
© Tournesol’16/01/06
Daily Moments
les petits joies dans la vie (haiku)
Written to Carpe Diem’s Joy of living:
she and I
in front of the fireplace
enjoying life
© Chèvrefeuille
les joies de vivre
sunset promenade
walking hand in hand
muted applause
~
butterfly wings
flutter on his hand
they shudder
~
baby’s first steps
proud parents cheer,
tears in their eyes
© Tournesol’16/01/05
Daily moments Jan 5 2016- Morning Glory ( Haibun )
Watching the sun rise at 7:30 she notices a seamless grey surround the sun. She sighs at this beauty despite the grey backdrop only accentuates the splendour of that golden sphere. After settling at her desk with a fresh cup of java, she notices the heavy grey is lifting and white patches of curvy billows and large splashes of blue appear in the sky. She marvels as the The artist paints a series of images on heavenly canvas.
morning glory
transformations of beauty
I bow my head
© Tournesol’16/01/05
après ski (haibun)
They skied all day on Mont Tremblant. The slopes had crusty patches from the thaw and freeze during les fêtes, and they laughed together as they tumbled more than once. Later that evening, in their chalet, they clink their glasses of warm sweet wine.
on bearskin rug
less cold, sipping caribou
après ski
© Tournesol ’16/01/04
Tournesol dans un Jardin 