Missing them already (haibun)

I love traveling by rail and do as often as I can. The trek Montreal to Toronto by car can take about 5 to 6 hours and by train if I am lucky and get the express which only stops at 3 places, it takes 4 and a half hours. Some other trains can take up to 7 hours and the bus takes 6 hours and costs anywhere from $18 to $50. Just fuel to get there one way costs me $70. Now if I am really lucky, I try to book a few days before departing and can get on business class for one-third of the price. That means, I get longer leg room, can get a seat alone by the window and am paying the economy class price.

© CLR 2014 First Class Via Rail
© CLR 2014 First Class Via Rail

At business class, we get a 3-course meal with all the before dinner drinks, wine, and after dinner drinks you want. Well, I stick to a glass or two of wine but there are some who can sure pack it in. I would be crawling off the train if I tried to keep up. Last winter we were stalled for an extra two hours due to the cold weather, the tracks were iced and they could not switch tracks. So we waited for all the trains to pass on one particular track as a safety measure. I sure was glad I was in the business class…nice and roomy, blogging away on my laptop.

© CLR 2014 Lake Ontario Via Rail
© CLR 2014 Lake Ontario Via Rail

I visit once or twice a year to see my family now. I rarely go see my friends as there is not enough time but to catch a lot of my friends and colleagues, I pick up a shift in Toronto since it’s the national office of where I work. Every time I leave, I feel homesick barely a few miles out of the city. I have two places I call home since 1997 and it is with mixed feelings I leave each time.

© CLR 2014 Via Rail
© CLR 2014 Via Rail

train slows down
nearing a crossing by the lake
echoes on the beach

~

picking up speed
whizzing by lakes and farmland
my heart aches

© CLR 2014  Via Rail

© CLR 2014/7/07

Submitted for: Carpe Diem Haiku Kai   #507, Shiki, Smoke Whirls

Hazy Day (Tanka) ~ Heeding Haiku With HA

The prompt at Heeding Haiku With HA this week is rather unique.  No guidelines on nature or emotions…This week, HA would like you to analyze everything that you can at this very moment of time and write a haiku or tanka or both to commemorate these few moments of this day of your life. Write/Right NOW!

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Here is my moment described on the

Hazy Day (Tanka)

 

My first day back at work today and the weather was still quite hot and humidity still high. Walking slowly to the Mall to renew my bus pass, I stopped by my favourite sushi bar to say hello to Angela. We’ve become friends after only two or three visits. We are quite friendly with merchants here in Quebec especially outside the city. She and I both agreed we missed Ontario. I moved to Ontario for work for thirteen years and fell in love with it. She emigrated from Japan to Ontario and also enjoyed her experience there. We both came back to be closer to our immediate family in Quebec. I can tell she is struggling adjusting and I empathized her pain. She asked me how I was when I purchased my shrimp Spring Roll and I mentioned my disgust with our health care system here compared to Ontario and she nodded in sympathy. So few words were shared and yet I felt a connection and as she wrapped my rolls with peanut sauce, I knew my lunch was somehow blessed.

Walking to the bus terminal very slowly, I noticed my bus leaving. I can’t run anymore with my bad leg, so I just took a deep breath and told myself, “Breathe, take your time, you’ll only get all hot and sweaty.”
The next bus arrived within less then ten minutes. I took a seat near a window but no air was moving. The bus filled up and finally we were moving. A faint breeze came in but nothing to write home about.
Finally we crossed the bridge and I could feel that nice cool breeze…not cold but still it was refreshing and I noticed the woman next to me closing her eyes and enjoying the feeling. I closed my eyes and let soaked up the moment for as long as it lasted…

This is how I felt a few moments after the bus pulled out on our trip to Montreal. I scribbled these in my notebook to remember that feeling.

© CLR  St-Lawrence River  2014
© CLR St-Lawrence River 2014

hot sticky bus
open windows bring relief
river breeze
eyes closed I relish the moment
puffs off the St-Lawrence

© Cheryl-Lynn 2014/07/02

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General guidelines:

  • English Haiku is a three-line poem structured in syllable count of 5-7-5. It visualizes an image, an expression or experience, including a season word or kigo. It is a small ode to nature.
  • English Tanka is a five-line poem structured in syllable pattern of  5-7-5-7-7. The first two lines and the last two lines picture images and the third line is a pivotal line i.e. it signifies a grammatically correct meaning and completes the image either when paired with the first two lines or when paired with the last two lines.
  • Most importantly, feel free and write, do not be burdened by the rules or guidelines. Enjoy crafting a haiku or tanka. And after when you have made the post, you can submit the links to your posts in the linking widget below at this link here at MindLoveMiserysMenagerie.

Harmony (haibun)

cool-surreal-paintings-13

Robert Dowling

She looked up at the sky and saw only grey clouds.  “Again, only grey poop on” she muttered.  That’s what she thought of those grey clouds…pooping on her life, her mood, her heart and her soul. There was no longer any light in her life.  She sighed, giving herself a bigger push to swing higher. “Maybe if I swing high enough, I’ll be able to kick one of those clouds and see rain that will wash away all the bleakness in this land.”

“Watch it, little one! You may fall and you sure as heck don’t want to fall way down there!!”squawked the black crow  above, settling on a dried up tree…no leaves, just branches..

Elaina looked up at her friend. He had become her friend in the past year.He had given her the idea to braid long strips of cotton to hang from the twig that was her only seat outside her birdcage.  She now had a swing which gave her a sense of freedom.

She had been disgusted by this huge black crow, at first when she was brought here by “him” but she realized over time, that Cornelius was a product of “his” master plan.  Anyone who defied him or tried to escape only fell into the den of désespérance or Des-Spa as Cornelius jokingly called it.  It was the bottomless pit that lay below…a sort of limbo but Elaina felt it was a hell created by “him”.

“I suppose you’re right, Cornelius, even if you are not a wise old owl,” she giggled and for a brief moment, the clouds separated and a hint of glow shone from the skies.  Whenever Elaina sang or laughed, this occurred.  But it never seemed to last more than 2 to 3 seconds.

Somehow, somewhere far above there was a positive force of goodness and beauty that was trying to communicate to Elaina. She felt it in the soles of her feet. Well, not really soles but she had been stripped of all her clothes.   She had made herself a make-shift dress from the veils that covered her cage/home and with the long strips leftover, braided it as per instructions from daring Cornelius.

“He” had stripped her of her clothes but had the decency to jail her in a veiled insulated cage she could use as bedding or blanket on cooler nights.  She didn’t mind sleeping without bedding.  She felt less trapped this way.  And Cornelius could keep her company when she was lonely and spread his wings to keep her warm on cooler nights. He always enjoyed her giggling and especially her singing in her soft soprano voice.  She sounded like an angel in a celestial choir.  Perhaps that is why the clouds separated briefly…maybe angels thought she was a lost sister.

Somehow she knew if she could sing long enough or the right harmony, the skies would be unlocked…finally breathe hope and compassion…she would just have to be patient.

The Celestial Order

patience unlocks skies

heavens unleash goodness

beauty of the soul.

© Cheryl-Lynn 2014/04/01

Written for MindLoveMiserysmenagerie Photo Challenge #15 – birdhouse

Happy Canada Day – Bonne Fête Canada

Happy Canada Day Canadians

I am proud to be part of such a country

that offers so much variety in climate,

language, culture and nature.

We have the Rockies,

Mont Tremblant, Les Laurentides,

The Cabot Trail, Magnetic Hill,

Calgary Stampede, and so much more,

Lake Louise, North West Territories

Northern lights where spirits

soothe us reminding us that

there is an after life

and it IS beautiful;

We have oceans from coast to coast

abundance of lakes

rivers, hills and more mountains

we have two official languages

and to me being Canadian is being bilingual

it means being proud of our roots

grateful to First Nations People for being

our teachers and mentors

despite our stubbornness and slow learning

without them where would we be?

Let us embrace our diversity

what a great country filled with

love and festivities

in Montreal the Jazz festival

is well under way

Earth Wind and Fire

and Bob MacMarlane

are performing tonight

on the eve of Canada Day.

Bonne Fête Canada

Happy Birthday Canada

© Cheryl-Lynn 2014/06/30

les retrouvailles

Emotes to manhood (haibun) (SoCS)

The drama teacher told us the other  day that the boys do not emote enough and asked me and Francine to give examples. Is she kidding?  I am a bundle of emotions. My soul and heart are like a bunch of elastics that pile one on to the other building a ball bigger than a golf ball.  Each elastic can snap at the knowledge of sadness, pain and suffering.  An elastic or two will snap if there is hatred and bitterness.    I am the most ridiculous example of someone you should NOT be like. But these guys need examples, she said.

Well, I beg to differ, Mrs. Messier!  These boys know how to emote alright.  They did it just fine when they were babies, even as toddlers but when they got to nursery school at the ripe OLD age of 3 and 4, they were laughed at for showing emotions.  If they dared show any signs that remotely looked or sounded like a kid with a sad face or wanting to cry…well, the boys would call them sissy.  The girls were allowed to cry if someone called them stupid or told them, “I hate you!”   A boy had to cross his arms, pout, scrunch up his nose and narrow his gaze with eyebrows trained to make a high V.  That was how they emote alright. The hid it in their hearts and sometimes it got too big, it slipped into their fist especially if they felt a tear escaping…

So how can I show these 16-year-old boys how to emote tomorrow in drama class?

Hmmm, I think I will tell them a story about a little boy going off in the forest to hunt deer with his father, grandfather and uncles.  And suddenly it starts raining and thundering. And then lightning strikes and hits a tree and falls on his uncles, striking them dead!   Lightening did not let up, yet, though, no sirree!  Lightening hit his father and his grandfather and all he had left was his little rifle and a knife and a deer that was off to the side staring at him with those big doe eyes!  He stared back…he bit his lips, he scrunched his nose, he narrowed his gaze and the dear gently sauntered up closer to him and nudged him with its nose.  The doe had also lost her mom and dad and brothers. The boy understood right there.  He put down his rifle and knife and knelt next to the deer and hugged it and cried… he wept with it in his arms until nightfall.

When the moon came out from behind the clouds, he could see his way back home.  He had an apple in his rucksack and gave it to the deer and whispered to it, “Run and hide, dear one. Thank you for healing my heart. I have become a man today. I am not afraid to cry and to show compassion.”

Deviant Art-Boy and Deer

robbed of his loved ones

nature teaches him how

becoming a man.

© Cheryl-Lynn 2014/06/30

Submitted for LindaGHill’s Friday Reminder SoCS – Prompt “Emote”

A bit late but life got in the way …again.

These are Linda’s instructions and it’s a fun prompt…just let it go, write until your thoughts stop, then you’ve reached the end, then publish.

 

Linda says: 
This week’s prompt word is “emote.” Feel free to add a suffix to it, or not, and just let it flow.
After you’ve written your Saturday post tomorrow, please link it here at the prompt page in the comments so others can find it and see your awesome Stream of Consciousness post. Don’t hesitate to join in!
Here are the rules:
1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing, (typos can be fixed) and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.
2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.
3. There will be a prompt every week. I will post the prompt here on my blog on Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” or “Begin with the word ‘The’.”
4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people will come and read your post! The way to ping back, is to just copy and paste the URL of my post somewhere on your post. Then your URL will show up in my comments, for everyone to see. For example, in your post you can copy and paste the following: This post is part of SoCS:http://lindaghill.wordpress.com/2014/06/27/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-june-2814/  The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top.
5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read everyone’s! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later, or go to the previous week, by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find right below the “Like” button on my post.
6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!
7. Have fun!

River listened, made me smile

I spoke to the river,
it listened to my sorrow
a gust made lilies quiver
I then looked on below
a fountain did cascade
the sound of water sprayed
I couldn’t help but smile
feeling better all the while.

© Cheryl-Lynn 2014/06/30

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Submitted for: Bastet’s Pixelventures using Apps, June 23, 2014 at WeDrinkBecauseWe’rePoets 

Kittens (haiku-shuukan-11)

Cutearoo.com

innocent kittens

climbing’s easy up up up,

stuck 

playful kittens

delightful furry things,

full of life

© Cheryl-Lynn 2014/06/29

haiku-shuukan-11-kitten

 

 

 

A fallen flower (CP Tan Renga Challenge #41)

Carpe Diem Tan Renga Challenge #41, ”a fallen flower” by Moritake

This week’s Tan Renga Challenge is a beautiful haiku written by Arakida Moritake (1473-1549), a Japanese poet who also wrote haiku (in his time it was called haikai or hokku). This is a Dutch translation of a wonderful haiku written by Moritake.

a fallen flower

flew back to its perch

a  butterfly

© Moritake

 

 

a fallen flower

flew back to its perch

a  butterfly     © Moritake

wings shining with dew’s presence

trying out its new freedom.        

© Cheryl-Lynn 

Submitted for: Carpe Diem tan renga Challenge /41 

© Cheryl-Lynn 2014/06/28

Killer Tree (Friday Fictioneers June 27, 2014)

Photo Prompt:  © Madison Woods

 

Simone went berry picking with her cousin who had been after her for a week.  She finally gave in. It had been the first time in five years  she had ventured into these woods. Nicole was nattering about mon oncle Ovid and his eccentric ways. Simone half listened, dodging gnats and wishing she were home with a good book. Suddenly she heard Nicole call out to her. “Look there’s a pond here. Viens vite!” Simone got to the other side of the bushes and stopped suddenly noticing the tree by the pond, where she’d lost her son.

© Cheryl-Lynn 2014/06/27

Written for: Friday Fictioneers June 27 2014, Photo prompt

 

Metamorphism ~ Poetry Prompt 58 unlikely haiku

Ego Alterego

Metamorphism

reddish spot

swells,  ripens, turns white

zit spits!

astringent

cleansing, moisturizing

beautifying

foundation

eyelids shaded, traced

lips painted.

hair conditioned

ironed, teased, tousled,

uncombed look.

 ~

silver choker,

pearl studs, friendship ring

bracelets jangle

skin-tight dress

no undies, black stilettos

ready to party.

~

men drooling

crowds admiring

mission accomplished.

 

© Cheryl-Lynn 2014/06/27

Written for:  Pooky Poetry Prompt #58 Unlikely Haiku