color me rich

cottonwood tree sheds,

gilding sidewalk with gold leaf

autumn’s treasure hunt

big blue

Etheree form: unrhymed without meter, one stanza of 10 lines, graduating from 1 to 10 syllables (Laura adds lines 11 & 12 with just 2 syllables each to give shape of Christmas tree). Linking to dverse poets

see
a spruce
in backyard
of childhood home
reaches for the clouds
shelter for nesting birds
hide-away for brown squirrels
branches thick and full to tree top
rises as blue neighborhood landmark
until it plays the part of lightning rod
and falls
blackened

fatal question

Play online here: https://play.magneticpoetry.com/poem/Nature/kit/

point of reference

Happy to join Kristjaan at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai in an ekphrastic prompt!

in surreal dream scene

mysterious smoke signals

above lonely tree

is this a call to battle

or full moon celebration?

stark silhouette

Screen Shot 2019-05-29 at 5.24.27 AM

 


Another game of magnetic poetry online describing a dead tree standing in neighbor’s ditch; stripped bare of bark, stark white silhouette…

sakuranohanabira

Linking to Carpe Diem Haiku Kai with “cherry petals” kigo challenge…


 

cherry petals float

gentle from tree to kiss earth

scent of pink snowflakes

 

blooming-blossom-flora-92933

free image- pexels

waiting for Christmas

As newlyweds, we’d spent our money on the wedding and honeymoon so our budget was limited. We found an artificial tree on sale and put it up together. I had a few simple ornaments I had made in years past which we used to decorate the branches. We had no gifts under the tree but were happy celebrating our first Christmas together.

When our sons were little boys, they could hardly wait for St. Nick’s Day when we’d open our stockings…what gifts would be inside?  I hung them high, out of reach from eager eyes and curious fingers. Our neighbor bought the boys each an Advent calendar. They opened a window every day to find a little chocolate treat inside; counting down the days until Christmas.

Now that we’re older, we enjoy the waiting…listening to music, looking at light displays, attending grandchildren’s programs. The season of Advent is a special time of holiday concerts and worship services, culminating in the celebration of Christmas Day. We don’t really need any gifts except the presence of Emmanuel, God with us.

anticipation

waiting for return of king

our advent journey

 

_______

 

A traditional haiku refers to a season and nature so here’s another…

 

small creatures waiting

under snow’s winter mantle

for coming of spring

 

 

Linking to Imelda’s haibun prompt of “waiting” at dVerse Poets Pub

 

 

 

 

fuyu no tsuki

shifting-clouds-mask-moon

 

winter moon shining

framed by silhouette of tree

caught in cold night’s web

 

Linking to Frank Tassone‘s prompt on classical “winter moon” kigo…

ominous chill

My attempt at “fusion” prompt (see CDHK) to fuse two haiku into one new one.

504126702

free image

 

the crow has flown away:

swaying in the evening sun,

a leafless tree.

 

over the wintry

forest, winds howl in rage

with no leaves to blow.

© Soseki Natsume

 

raucous wind stirs crows

black “leaves” clinging to bare tree

murderous caws rise

© lynn__

 

 

logo-napowrimo

 

 

planting poet-tree

 

time to plant a poet-tree

gently dig a loamy hole

water roots creatively

fertilize with wit and soul

 

nurtured by attentive love

sapling poet-tree will grow

spread out branches, shelter dove

harvest of ripe fruits bestow

 

 

 


The tanaga form is part of an oral tradition going back to the early 16th century (eg. Twinkle, twinkle little star). It comes in stanzas of four lines with seven syllables per line. It often rhymes, even rhyming each line of a stanza on the same rhyme sound, but it can have variable rhyme patterns. It can also have more than one stanza. Frank hosts tanaga prompt at dVerse Poets.

rooted faith

 

tiny mustard seed

birds find shade in its branches

surprising kingdom

grows into life-spreading tree

from minuscule beginnings

 

 

 

Luke 13:18 & 19

cold that purifies

 

bare tree silhouettes

world iced in dazzling white

winter’s elegance

 

“Elegance is the correct posture if the writing is to be perfect. It’s the same with life: when all superfluous things have been discarded, we discover simplicity and concentration. The simpler and more sober the posture, the more beautiful it will be, even though, at first, it may seem uncomfortable.”         – Paulo Coelho

Quote taken from Chevre’s prompt on Carpe Diem Haiku Kai

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