posting poetic prose
18 Nov 2015 6 Comments
in tanka Tags: dawn, peace, shalom, war
pray in darkest hour
clouds gather on winds of war
await dawn’s faint light
as shalom reigns in heaven
may Your peace rain down on earth
__________________
This episode of CDHWT takes you to the “as is above, as below” (a very explicit religious proverb) in haiku…
13 Nov 2015 3 Comments
in tan renga Tags: bamboo, panda, raindrops
ID 55999282 © Neydtstock | Dreamstime.com
raindrops on bamboo
shimmer in the sunlight
little diamonds
© Chèvrefeuille
giant panda sniffs jewels
her cubs feast on fresh green shoots
lynn__
My response to tan renga challenge at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai…
11 Nov 2015 14 Comments
in nonet Tags: november, rain, trees, weather
nonet: stanza(s) of nine lines, each with increasing # of syllables (1-9) dVerse poetics
warm
days of
november
probably past
colder times ahead
forecast fog, wet grey rain
free- zing an- ti- ci- pa- tion
smell of manure spread on bare fields
trees’ silhouettes swallowed by swift night
photo by lynn
10 Nov 2015 Leave a comment
in tanka Tags: diwali, India, light, lotus
paint lotus with sand
taste sweet treats, ooh-aahh fireworks
darkness held at bay
_____
India’s bright tradition
begging real Light of the world
ID 59700129 © Nah Ting Feng | Dreamstime.com
Traditional clay diya lamp lit during Diwali
09 Nov 2015 7 Comments
in tanka Tags: autumn, burning bush, Creator, glory
carnelian leaves
bow awed in holy presence
burning bush aflame
_______
foliage re-lit each autumn
reveal Creator’s glory
Japanese-style garden, Texas ID 35761236 © Dfikar | Dreamstime.com
06 Nov 2015 21 Comments
in enjambment, free verse, story Tags: accident, hay, horse
Linking to De’s prompt at dVerse on enjambment…
(Enjambment occurs when a phrase carries over a line-break without a major pause)
If i remember right,
his grandfather told
story of when
they were filling
barn loft with
hay crop of
rectangular bales in
clutches of six, hung
from clawed
bale hook swung
from hay wagon up, up, up
in-to
loft’s massive open
door,
slide creeeaking toward back of
loft and released with a
jerkkk
when close to position of men stacking
bales (by hand) inside barn.
Metal framed hooks hung from
pulley on cable while entire
mechanism was
operated by horse power; this day’s
chosen
beast of burden was
neighbor’s loyal work horse, well-trained to
obey master’s voice commands.
They had un-loaded
a few clutches of hay bales when some-
thing terrible, when some-
thing went terribly
wrong…
The horse, wearing blinders,
un-expectedly sidestepped, shying
in fear from un-certain threat, whether
dog barked, kitten scampered, or
barn swallow
swooped,
that horse jumped off path, over low curb of wide
shallow well, covered by light lumber;
the now terrified animal’s weight
broke through
boards…
men watched helplessly as it
f
e
l
l
down into
the w
e
l
l
and drowned.
04 Nov 2015 11 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: bear, campfire, camping, RV, tent
Coddiwomple (v.): to travel in a purposeful manner towards a vague destination.
Linking to dVerse tangled traveler’s heart prompt
oh, camping is the life for me!
drive to the mountains, woods or sea
go anywhere you’d rather be
set up campsite, then go biking
find a new trailhead for hiking
before dark, a campfire striking
to eat outdoors whets appetite
pancakes in morning, fish at night
roast a marshmallow (toast just right)
mosquitoes bite so do beware
and never argue with a bear;
don’t follow cougar prints to lair
go south for winter, north in spring
migrate with birds to hear them sing
wanderlust is seasonal fling
no matter how far one may roam
you’ll always find the way back home
(with GPS on “smart” cellphone)
take photos of each memory
living in tents (or big RV)
yes, camping is the life for me!
03 Nov 2015 22 Comments
in haibun Tags: spirit, van gogh
Linking to dVerse where Bjorn is serving fresh haibuns…
View of the Church of St. Paul de Mausole by Van Gogh
The artist’s brush expresses what ears may not hear and tongue cannot say…
“After he took him aside away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. He looked up into heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, ‘Ephphatha!’ (which means, ‘Be opened!’). At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue loosened and he began to speak plainly.” (Mark 7:33-35)
Is the one who inspired the colors of Vincent’s art the same spirit who illuminated Mark to write good news? Perhaps today, Christ’s spirit sighs for us “to listen” to his loving whispers…or he may be prompting us “to speak” his message of peace. Hearts and minds, like church windows of the soul, need to be opened to let in the fresh breeze of the Holy Spirit. If only Vincent had found healing in this life.
02 Nov 2015 5 Comments
in scripture, tanka Tags: Ava, death, God, grass
-with prayers for family of Ava Dieleman
why four-year-olds die?
life brittle as frosted grass
bleak october day
God listens to our lament
frozen tears in his bottle
_______
“Surely the people are grass.
The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8
photo credit: Carpe Diem Haiku Kai
31 Oct 2015 4 Comments
in haibun Tags: leaves, rain, soil, trees
This haiku writing technique is often given poet Masaoka Shiki’s term Shasei (sketch from life) or Shajitsu (reality). The poetic principle is “to depict the thing just as it is”. Shiki favored the quiet simplicity of just stating what he saw without anything else happening in the haiku. He found the greatest beauty in the common sight, simply reported exactly as it was seen, and ninety-nine percent of his haiku was written in this style. Many people still feel he was right; there are some moments that are perhaps best said as simply as possible.
(above text taken from Carpe Diem Haiku Kai)
I.
thin rain mists the ground
wet leaves from denuded trees
black soil’s damp compost
II.
sun rays between trees
light cast upon maple limbs
golden leaves tremble
(photos by lynn)
28 Oct 2015 4 Comments
in haiku Tags: moon, sword, tiger
ID 15459790 © Fotosutra | Dreamstime.com
27 Oct 2015 2 Comments
in haibun Tags: blood, martyrs, religion
Sept. 23, 2015 – Festival of the Sacrifice: ISIS videotapes shootings of three men executed for crime of being Christians. The victims were part of a group of 250 Syrians abducted in February during Islamic State attacks on 35 villages along the Khabur River in Hasakah province. Their captors threaten same fate to rest of group if $12 million ransom is not paid. Negotiations “have been suspended due to the unbearable demands of the terror group,” says Osama Edward, director of Assyrian Human Rights Network (based in Stockholm, Sweden).*
blood of the martyrs
Christian families destitute
bullet to the head
false religion instills hate
come quickly, Lord Jesus, come!
*WORLD magazine, 10-31-15, p. 40, “Fallen and Forsaken” by Mindy Belz
a poem in my pocket 
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