Poetry ~ Waka
autumn gusts
shudder ripples
on the river
~
rafales d’automne
frémissent des risées
sur le fleuve
seasonal rains
turn muddy paths into
frozen puddles
~
heading home last night
my cane slips on a patch,
leaves had turned to mulch
© Tournesol ’14
Carpe Diem Ghost Writer #33, Richard Wright on Autumn by Jen of Blog It Or Lose It
© Tournesol ’14
To follow the mood of this prompt at Carpe Diem, our host has discussed the symbiosis of the birch tree and the mistletoe. Of course when one thinks of mistletoe, we are reminded of kissing during the Christmas holidays.
dew fresh mistletoe
her sweet scent warms my heart
my first kiss
© Chèvrefeuille
Here is my attempt of joining 2 separate things that form a synergy of sorts.
© Tournesol ‘14
In another slant thinking of emotional symbiosis, the mother and child attachment… the symbiotic connection.
*******
© Tournesol ‘14
There are many myths about the how Big Bear and Little Bear who were apparently hoisted in the sky forever to be together. I like this Greek myth. Callisto, a follower of Artemis, virgin huntress and goddess of the crescent moon. Zeus, king of gods, fell in love with her; he disguised himself as Artemis (Diana) to gain her confidence. Having tricked her, she gave birth to his son, Arcas.
Hera, Zeus wife and queen of the gods, discovered the affair and was known to be very jealous and vindictive. It is said that she is the goddess of marriages and protects women. She turned Callisto into a bear. Sixteen years later this bear came upon her son and stood on her hind legs to greet him. Arcas was about to kill the bear and Zeus interfered to save his love and turned Arcas into a small bear. Grabbing both bears by their tails, Zeus hurled them into the safety of the sky to roam forever, together in the sky. Hera enraged that her attempt had failed, appealed to Oceanus that the two might never meet his waters, hence explaining their circumpolar positions.
There are more myths that contradict this such as Arcas became king of Arcadia, but being a mom, I like the idea of mother and son together forever. So here is my haiku with the photo of the grizzly in mind.
© Tournesol ’14
Carpe Diem “Time glass” Big Bear
If you would like to read further:
With snow-filled sidewalks, I’m forced to walk home on the street. Snow plows were only clearing main arteries and our bus skidded a few times across le Pont Champlain. Challenging snow drifts made me only appreciate more, the crunch crunch underfoot upon virgin snow.
© Tournesol ’14
Carpe Diem Special Thomas Transtromer
Oak trees and the moon.
Light and mute constellations.
And the frigid sea
© Tomas Tranströmer
These two shots were taken on my way to my mother’s place last November. I stopped my car on the highway to take a shot on my left, this is the moon and on my right the sun was setting in splendour…cold evening but stayed out long enough to get a few shots.
Early moon rise
salutes shimmering star
through naked trees
© Tournesol ’14
A slight change to place “through” at the last line. Thank you, Kristjaan:) It flows smoothly.
At Carpe Diem the prompt is Chinese Bellflower (or Kikyo)
In researching a bit on the powers of the roots, I found that it is a perennial herb with saponins, the root of which is a bronchodilator and expectorant; it is used for abdominal pain, bronchitis, chest pain, colds, cough, diarrhea, oral abscesses, sore throat, tonsillitis. I can see how it is a sacred autumn flower with such properties as to cure many winter colds and bronchial infections. It truly is a beautiful flower, bell- shaped.
angels ring
bells of blue flora, reaping
herbal tonics
herbal tonics
bred from roots of bellflower
breath of fresh air
© Tournesol ’14/11/08
I reread this beautiful early morning haiku and felt bad that I had not written a more classical haiku with a softer ending that makes you think…a little. I don’t know the names of many birds, most flower and trees. So honestly, Carpe Diem DOES keep me on my toes…haha…and even before that reading many of Georgia’s poems has taught me a little more each day.
I looked at that photo Chèvrefeuille posted with those lovely shiny droplets hanging from the branch and wrote another completion. The only thing I was missing was the name of a bird that IS still here in Quebec, Canada during late autumn and winter months. So I searched again and found this lovely video about winter backyard birds in Canada. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. Well, I actually learned a think or two…again (grins).
early morning
silence before the rising sun
raindrops on a branch © Georgia
early morning
silence before the rising sun
raindrops on a branch
last night’s jeweled remnants
goldfinch stirs from its dream
sky gently
comes to life
daybreak
© Tournesol ’14/11/08
What an opportunity I am often faced with at Carpe Diem to learn more about nature. I am interested in herbal medicine and when I see such pretty flowers that have these qualities, my curiosity gets the better of me. Searching a bit further I wanted to find places closer to home or at least in North America. I was pleased to discover that many have named this Boneset Eupatorium japonicum flower after an American from New England, Joe-Pye who used the plant medicinally for helping people with typhus fever. In addition to its medicinal properties, both the flowers and seeds have been used in producing pink or red dye for textiles.
It is a lovely addition to any garden especially if you want to attract butterflies who love the sweet nectar of these flowers. They grow from 3 to 10 feet tall! If you want to read more click here. I found that remark about butterflies fascinating and found many photos of that exquisite meeting of butterflies and these flowers. Imagine butterflies gathering together to savour this gourmet gala!
blue clusters
flora stretching tall
high heavens
~
gourmet gala
monarch butterflies drunk,
nature’s nectar
© Tournesol ’14/11/07
yawning blossoms sigh
whisper tender lullaby
through an autumn wind
fairies chant
chorus of yellow flora
sweeten pleasant dreams
~
fleurs béantes soupirent
chuchotent une douce berceuse
par un vent d’automne
fées chantent
refrain des fleurs jaunes
sirotent des beaux rêves
© Tournesol 2014/11/07
Tournesol dans un Jardin 
