steer back to midnight

 

farmer at salebarn

hoping steers go for good price

wife at home pays bills

 

has daily-ness forgotten

the nights as moonlight lovers?

 

 


Tanka for MLMM & Chevrefeuille’s “heeding haiku” prompt: moonlight lovers

sweat & muscle

Rambling of a Writer prompt (work & horse) in shadorma form (3-5-3-3-7-5). 


 

red horse barn

farmer who lived large

worked his team

draft belgians

cutting hay, riding parade

black and silver tack

 

workhorse

 

In memory of Rus V.Z. and Harold V.K.   (Image from trustworkz.com)

 

 

learn to work/work to learn

“One bun” (one line haibun) written for CDHK on “apprentice” theme.


 

I taught our sons how to learn and my husband taught them how to work.

 

apprenticed five sons

teacher married a farmer

schooling family style

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

logo-napowrimo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

cinquain in pain

A cinquain is a five line poem with first line as title and final line restates it. Syllable count: 2-4-6-8-2.logo-napowrimo

 

 

calving

farmer midwife

gets up at night to check

first time heifers need help birthing

spring push

 

IMG_3532

photo by lynn

seven summer series

 

farmer mowing grass

nesting killdeer scold and swoop

wild roses blush pink

 *   *   *

humidity soars

spirals of corn reaching up

thunder rumbles rain

*   *   *

smell of fresh cut hay

cattle swishing tails at flies

farm wife hoes garden

*   *   *

camping in state park

birdsong floats on morning breeze

cotton flies from trees

*   *   *

biking lakefront trail

past fishermen on pier

slow goose crosses path

*   *   *

evening slowly fades

lamps illuminate old bridge

reflect on river

*   *   *

daylight awakens

glad summer sunday morning

voices raise in praise

“great expectations”

IMG_3929

man of the soil

formed of elements
found in dirt

humble dust
on torn tee shirt

patient farmer
works fertile soil

all year harvesting
hope for toil

plant every spring,
gather in fall

watch crops grow
green, all stand tall

by sweat of brow
coax life from sod

till soul returns
to soil’s God.


We’re playing in the dirt with Bjorn for dVerse poetics this week…

delirium in dirt

Not sure if this would be considered haiku (nature)or senryu (human nature).

 

moonlight stirs crazy

work late against chance of rain

farmer digs darkness

 

IMG_7414

photo by lynn

broken cliches

A nonet (1st line of 9 syllables, then 8…) written while waiting for dear patient.

 

to listen, absorb doctor’s orders

recovery will try patience

hard to keep a good man down

week of farmer’s birthday

why should cow kick him?

broken left arm

surgery

husband

heal

.

 

 

 

make hay, as they say

 

Today, Boncho’s haiku (below) inspired mine. The smell of cut alfalfa is a wonderful aroma! Another season of haying will soon begin with our first cutting here in Iowa. It’s pleasant to drive tractor for baling hay, if not too windy and dusty.

 

farmer works up sweat

bales hay on summer evening

to feed hungry cows

-lynn

how cool cut hay smells

when carried through the farm gate

as the sun comes up!

-Boncho

 

IMG_5658

photo by lynn

 

Nozawa Boncho was a Japanese poet born c.1640. He spent most of his life  working as a doctor in Kyoto. Boncho was one of Matsuo Bashō’s followers and wrote many famous haiku in his day. This is my response to Carpe Diem Haiku Kai: Utabukuro.

shimmer of life

 

flashlight searches cattle herd

shines on curly white forehead

 

newborn calf, wet in moonlight

cow’s warm tongue licking clean

 

baby rides shiny cart to barn

gleam of mama’s watchful eyes

 

colostrum drips from suckled teat

sheen of pitchforked straw

 

farmer’s smile shimmers thankful pride

 


Joining dVerse poets for Victoria’s quadrille (44 word) “shimmer” challenge.

time is a friend

 

time ripens good seed

farmer waits ever patient

harvest fruit will come

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