Rose of Sharon
wore crown of thorns
as he stretched out arms to die
…for me
A Rose Amongst the Thorns by Reaper xxiv
unboxing day
08 Nov 2018 31 Comments
in free verse, question poem Tags: boxes, cats, holiday, humans, labels, stuffed
why shove live people into boxes?
for ease of handling:
tape flaps shut
apply (libel) labels
stack, shelve, and ship
boxes help us to:
stratify society
control communication
justify judgementalism
but humans are fluid (57-60% water)
leaking out of boxes, eluding labels with:
nuances of personality
unique life history
flow of opinions and
distilled philosophy
(even cats, who adore boxes, should not be forced inside
but rather choose which box to curl up in and when to exit)
considering final insult we sustain as body is finally laid in a box,
let us celebrate un-boxing holiday
let people out of cramped boxes
we’ve assembled and stuffed them in
in fact, let’s get rid of the boxes altogether!
Linking to dVerse metaphor/figure of speech prompt.
late bloomers
07 Nov 2018 3 Comments
in tanka Tags: chrysanthemums, cornstalks, granddaughters, leaves, mums
Join in Carpe Diem Haiku Kai’s chrysanthemum prompt.
dead leaves fall from trees
cornstalks decay in field as
chrysanthemums bloom!
granddaughters delight in mums
colorful caterpillar 🙂
photo by lynn
aki no koe
06 Nov 2018 7 Comments
in haiga Tags: autumn, corn leaves, decaying, stalks, wind
Linking to Carpe Diem Haiku Kai… “aki no koe” is a Japanese kigo, seasonal word, that refers to autumn’s voice, the sound of wind through decaying leaves.
wary of winks
05 Nov 2018 19 Comments
in quadrille Tags: blink, drink, fink, stink, wink
was that an itch
or political twitch?
it was deliberate wink, i think
first, they get our vote; then play turn coat
offer girl drugged drinks, prey with flirty hi-jinks
mark cards to win, gamble with sin
sly one-eyed blink… all cheaters stink!
Linking to dVerse with 44-word “wink” quadrille…
river of sustenance
03 Nov 2018 2 Comments
in renga Tags: cicada, heron, house, lonely, moon, river, water
at the gate of a deserted house,
a cicada is crying in the rays
of the evening sun © Shiki
neighbors left hot summer house
allow insects to move in
pressing sushi;
after a while,
a feeling of loneliness © Buson
parents and children are gone
eating alone so quiet
the coolness
of the sound of water at night,
falling back into the well © Issa
overfilling my bucket
splashing on path back to hut
autumn’s bright moon,
however far I walked, still afar off
in an unknown sky © Chiyo-Ni
harvest moon is calling me
reflections on dark water
all my years
floating in the river
a childish heart © J. Reichhold
living half my life on our
family’s wooden sampan
a flash of lightning:
the screech of a night-heron
flying in the darkness © Basho
monsoon rains and avian
wildlife are my companions
wikipedia
Italicized “renga” responses © lynn. Linking to Carpe Diem Haiku Kai .
write time to renga
02 Nov 2018 Leave a comment
in renga, Uncategorized Tags: magnolia, moths, peach tree, snail, sparrows, sun
A challenge to write Renga With Richard Wright: given six haiku, choose your own line-up and add your two-lined stanzas. (Richard’s original haiku in regular type, italic lines are my response stanzas.)
Make up your mind, Snail!
You are half inside your house,
And halfway out!
indecisive character
slugs reluctantly forward
I am nobody:
A red sinking autumn sun
Took my name away.
identity lost in awe
of sky’s changing expanse
Keep straight down this block,
Then turn right where you will find
A peach tree blooming.
remember, somewhere is spring;
hope’s sweet promises renew
One magnolia
Landed upon another
In the dew-wet grass.
end of summer, last blossoms
reveal time’s passing beauty
All right, You Sparrows;
The sun has set and you can now
Stop your chattering!
settle, winter is coming;
seasons advance through harvest
You moths must leave now;
I am turning out the light
And going to sleep.
body desires peaceful rest;
premonition of death’s kiss
© Richard Wright
© lynn
“Temuchin!”
30 Oct 2018 13 Comments
in free verse Tags: ginger, mountain, ponies, steppe, stew, yurt
Linking to dVerse poetics and Lillian’s prompt to write “once upon a …”
once upon a yurt…
out on the barren steppe
below snowy mountain peak
where mongolian ponies gallop
beside smoky cow-dung fire ring
stirring pot of seasoned beef stew
aromas of ginger and garlic wafting
tickle nose of almond-eyed baby boy
who sneezes mightily into shadows of
future as conqueror-to-be, Genghis Khan
breathe after dusk
30 Oct 2018 Leave a comment
in magnetic Tags: dusk, earth, forest, harmony, prairie, river, sanctuary
make mine vanilla
29 Oct 2018 Leave a comment
in tanka Tags: cappuccino, chai, coffeecake, flavor, rhubarb, vanilla
Joining Kristjaan’s “vanilla” prompt at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai
french vanilla creme
once flavored cappuccino;
now stirred in my chai
mix teaspoon of vanilla
into rhubarb coffeecake
seasoned habitat
29 Oct 2018 Leave a comment
in Uncategorized Tags: butterflies, flowers, golden, mountain, pheasant
A “fusion” haiku for Carpe Diem Haiku Kai‘s Crossroads Challenge…
a strange flower
for birds and butterflies
the autumn sky
© Basho
the pheasant cries
as if it just noticed
the mountain
© Issa
autumn on mountain
butterflies and flowers gone
pheasant’s golden cry
© lynn
pixabay free image
sabbath lament
28 Oct 2018 12 Comments
In sympathy with families of Jewish victims at Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh
worshipers struck down—
husband/wife
brothers
doctor
how long, O Lord?
madman with weapons—
radicalized
paranoid
hateful
how long, O Lord?
anti-semitic violence—
old testament
middle ages
world war
how long, O Lord?
__________
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted…” (Psalm 34:18a)
a poem in my pocket 
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