sometimes my mind’s stuck–
dusty old machinery
squeaks thru cobwebbed paths
thankful, though gears of mind are
well-used, still serviceable
photo by lynn
cluttered operations
19 Oct 2018 5 Comments
in senryu, tanka Tags: cobwebs, dusty, gears, machinery, mind
remembrances
15 Oct 2018 1 Comment
in haiku, haiku series, troiku Tags: brook, jasmine, love, memories, trout, vines
Challenge at CDHK to create an original “fusion” haiku from two classics and then use each line to write a “troiku” series of three more haiku. Here’s my attempt…
crystal brook
reflects the willow trees
birds sing their song
sweet perfume
memories of a loved one
Jasmine blossom
© Yozakura
brook’s crystal waters
reflect sweet jasmine blossoms
scented memories
© lynn
brook’s crystal waters
brace trout swimming upstream
bait hook with fly lure
sweet jasmine blossoms
speak white-petaled wisdom’s way
nurture tender vines
scented memories
of father and mother’s love
listen to bird song
least resistance
14 Oct 2018 2 Comments
in question poem, tanka Tags: creek, floodwaters, rains, snow melt, toads, water
Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it.
-Lao Tzu
creek overflows banks
floodwaters rise with fall rains
toads tired of swimming
what is softer than snow melt?
what is stronger than water?
Quote and inspiration from Carpe Diem Haiku Kai.
forecast blues
13 Oct 2018 7 Comments
in rhyming verse, rubaiyat Tags: cornstalks, farmers, harvest, soybeans, weather, wet
stuck weather pattern only brings more rain
while farmers ripe to harvest feel the strain
soybeans swell fat, cornstalks rot wet
without a crop, families grow debt
we hope and pray for sun to shine again!
(oh no, could that be snow?!)
Linking to dVerse poets’ pub where Frank is toasting iambic pentameter…
hope grows green
10 Oct 2018 11 Comments
in haiga, haiku Tags: darkness, green, hope, leafy, life, light
yuck-a-muck
08 Oct 2018 18 Comments
in rhyming verse Tags: boots, cows, farm, manure, rural
De at dVerse asked for this when she suggested a quadrille about “yuck”!
you may not be a fan-ure
because it stinks like sin
but maybe it’s called “man-ure”
‘cause men keep falling in!
if you come visit our farm
be sure to bring your boots
remember here in cow town
“bull sh__” has rural roots!
word of the day
pregnant pause
07 Oct 2018 4 Comments
in tan renga Tags: begonia, flowers, fullness, summer, watermelon
Tan renga with Basho weekend meditation at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai…
begonia flowers
blooming in the colors
of a watermelon
© Basho (Tr. Jane Reichhold)
deep red, variegated green
savor late summer’s fullness
© lynn__
image from pixabay
revenge of the dolls
04 Oct 2018 18 Comments
in sonnet Tags: bed, daughter, doll, evil, mannequins
A sinister sonnet…not my usual genre but we all have a dark side.
last night i lay upon inn’s guest room bed
where host’s mute daughter slept long years ago
alas, young girl was found mysteriously dead
in bloodied sheets which stains too well i’d know
her childhood room preserved in musty pink
suspicious dolls stare down from shelf by crib
false alibis reveal dark murderous link
they point toy dagger tip against my rib
“what evil lurks?” i scream in pulsing fear
but mannequins no mercy feel for flesh
not even ragged ann would shed a tear
berserk and vicious furies of knife flash
in morning, landlord spies fresh doll on shelf
that plastic face, i’d recognize… myself!
the nose knows
03 Oct 2018 20 Comments
in rhyming verse Tags: alfalfa, breeze, coffee, laundry, mother, skin, wood shavings
this poet followed nose to see
all the smells that comfort me:
new mown hay… alfalfa, please
fresh laundry dried on gentle breeze
strong coffee brew drips into pot
wood shavings piled under knot
just bathed baby’s silken skin (the
top of head where hair grows thin)
lilacs, idyllic of childhood play and
an orchid corsage on Mothers Day
pancake breakfast with bacon frying
crunchy leaves when geese go flying
salty spray froth-whipped by boat or
wrapped warm in mother’s worn coat.
Link to dVerse where poets explore comforting smells…
Basho revisited
01 Oct 2018 5 Comments
in haiku, senryu Tags: cherry blossoms, friend, memories, moon
First haiku by Basho, second a revision by me…linked to Carpe Diem Haiku Kai
samazama no koto omoidasu sakura kana
how many, many things
they call to mind
these cherry-blossoms!
recall, my friend, those
cherry blossom memories!
…many moons ago
Photo by Joel Neff on Unsplash
wild, wet ‘n wooly
27 Sep 2018 16 Comments
in free verse, poem for children Tags: caterpillar, grandson, hike, pond, swim, woolie
A small story poem of 115 words linked to dVerse where Bjorn and friends are writing narrative poetry. Also inspired by Sarah’s earlier “mindfulness” prompt!
brave-heart caterpillar
three centimeters long
weighs all of a gram
spiky brown-black fur
humping along unaware
crosses grandson’s path
who grasps stray fuzzball
tickly in palm of hand
gently carried on hike
until trail ends at pier
where insect pupa is
plopped into pond
as fish bait—but wait,
does it know to swim?
fur floats, frantically
w-w-w-wiggles body
up/down like ripples
across water’s surface
until grandma, empathic,
fishes live catkin out
woolie happy at rescue
dries in sunshine and
casts an intimidating
spiked shadow across
pier’s knotted plank
grandson decides to
return him to tall grass
so newly cool cat can
retell adventures to his
sheltered larval friends
photo by lynn
autumn bounty
26 Sep 2018 6 Comments
in tanka Tags: autumn, cornfield, deer, harvest, orange, pheasant, seasons
harvest harmonized
pheasant struts from ripe cornfield
deer leaps pumpkin patch
culmination of seasons
color life deep rich orange
photo by lynn
My tanka response to Ramblings of a Writer’s prompt: seasons, harmonized.
a poem in my pocket 
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