Bones (senryû)

Originally posted at my blogspot at Tournesol dans un jardin, Bones

Bones

wildflowers
emerald blankets covering
beds of bones

beds of bones
sounds of wailing children
haunting the night

haunting the night
smell of death and venom
barbarians’ breath

Couples (Carpe Diem – Tan Renga Challenge #47 “How rare the sight”

This prompt is a tan renga challenge. Our host, Chèvrefeuille at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai, has chosen a haiku written by Magical Mystical Teacher (MMT).

It was her response on this haiku by Basho:

how rare!
on leaving the mountain
the first eggplant

MMT’s response haiku was the following:

how rare the sight—
yellow blossoms brushing
the sky with light

now we are to write a tan renga two lines of 7 syllables to this haiku. Our host`s tan renga is here:

how rare the sight—
yellow blossoms brushing
the sky with light (MMT)
I always will love her
underneath the Laburnum (Chèvrefeuille)

I struggled with various responses because I had several images of “yellow blossoms” from my personal life. So I broke it down to two and here they are:

Across the street from the church at my hometown, there is a small garden by the river, with various flowers. I remember taking a picture in June of the lovely yellow lilies and wished I could come back later in the summer to catch the flora at its peak in blossoming. Well, I did not but here is snapshots from June.

how rare the sight—
yellow blossoms brushing
the sky with light (MMT)
Across the church, newly weds
yellow lilies cheer them on.
(c) Tournesol ’14

Of course there are also lovely daisies and sun roots in my friend’s garden in Bromont facing several mountains. This is where we went to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary last Sunday. A huge tent was pitched next to the Willow tree…what a lovely day celebrating such a lovely couple. To this day, I have never met a loving couple like these two people. You can feel the love they share. They still cuddle and always hold hands sitting close together.

how rare the sight—
yellow blossoms brushing
the sky with light (MMT)
Underneath the Willow tree
sun roots scan the mountains.
(c) Tournesol ’14

Originally posted at Tournesol dans un Jardin

Carpe Diem Tan Renga Challenge #47, MMT’s “how rare the sight”

Early worm catches the fruit (haiga)

Anticipation

ripened fruit awaits, but

worm beat me

Originally posted by Cheryl-Lynn at Tournesol dans un jardin

Mirror (haiga)

http://tracesofthesoul.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/2013-07-20-23-24-26.png — (c) Clr ’14 Looking in the Mirror

communicating
I can see me smiling
mirrored in their face

+

curse or G-d’s joke
reflection says I am so old
ignores inner child

Originally Posted by Cheryl-Lynn Roberts ’14/08/17 at Tournesol dans un jardin

Carpe Diem Family Shadow #6 “Mirror”

little creatures (haibun)

The prompt today is about small creatures. Our host presents us with Issa`s Giddy Grasshopper as our first inspiration:

giddy grasshopper
take care…do not leap and crush
these pearls of dewdrop
© Issa (source)

then Basho`s haiku here is another inspiration; I am quite partial to this one.

how pitiful!
underneath the helmet
a cricket chirping.
© Basho (Tr. Ueda)

The goal of this new feature is to write haiku about little creatures and more importantly to take notice of your surroundings.

Our host has written “Little Creatures” haiku:

deep silence
this lazy summer evening –
song of a cricket
© Chèvrefeuille

Young children seem so fascinated by nature`s tiny creatures. My son would look at ants working busily for hours…one tiny ant hill and he would cry inconsolably if someone stepped on that hill or any insect. I love how children teach us adults or many times remind us of what we once found important in life.

I remember as a young child spending hours in the field behind my house searching for grasshoppers. My mother was a hairdresser and she would put me outside to play which sure was better than going for a nap. Even in those days as a young child I hated going to bed.

I would jump, startled, if one jumped by me, then I would follow it, chasing it like a hunter. It would tease me regularly, keeping me busy most of the afternoon. Once I caught it, I would cup it in my two hands to make sure it would not get away and ask it to give me molasses. Okay, I had no clue at 4 and 5 years old what the darn thing did but either it was scared and it pooped out of fear or it had no problems of “irregularity” (see me chuckle here. Almost every summer afternoon, I would spend hours searching, under the hot sun accompanied by the piercing sound of crickets.

–

afternoon quest
child stoops low in the field
grasshopper jumps

–

grasshopper jumps
she holds it gingerly
whispering
“give me some molasses
come on grasshopper friend.”

–

she giggles
grasshopper tickles her hand
ooops,it jumps away

–

rests under the elm
mother nature’s lullaby,
crickets chirrup

Posted originally by Cheryl-Lynn at Tournesol dans un Jardin 2014/08/17

Submitted for Carpe Diem’s Little Creatures #1 Issa’s “giddy grasshopper”

river critters (Carpe Diem Tackle it Tuesday)

Photobucket

I used to love spending time at my GrandMaman’s house who lived by the river. I would spend mornings and afternoons on the dock, lying on my tummy watching the minnows swirling in circles and catfish jumping up now and then. I could never eat a catfish because they were like friends…pets to me. And the minnows would tickle my hand in the water and my ankles if I dared put my feet in the water. I say dare, because we were not allowed to venture in the water without an adult. I don’t ever remember disobeying that rule either. When I think of the freedom we had then that most children do not have today, I was pretty lucky to spend all that time alone with these little critters.