HAIKU HOMESTEAD

2011-12-29T19:33:00.001Z

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NEW - for 2012 - NEW

beginning Sunday 1st January

A DROP OF SCOTCH
A miscellany of things Scottish
http://adropofscotch.blogspot.com

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2011-10-14T19:45:00.000+01:00

Now online - - - THE VISUAL IMAGE SITE - - - Now online

http://thevisualimagesite.blogspot.com

Now online - - - THE VISUAL IMAGE SITE - - - Now online

2011-08-26T13:46:00.000+01:00

New - beginning Monday 29th August - New
POETRY FOR PLEASURE
Every week-day a poem, a ballad, humorous verses or song lyrics - in fact anything that rhymes!
http://poetryforpleasure.blogspot.com

2010-03-09T21:22:00.002Z

I’ve decided not to continue with this blog and the reason is - I’ve completely run out of ideas!

So here’s the final selection -

among Mother’s things
an envelope containing
a lock of my hair

at the roadside caff
the lorry driver’s dog
in the driving seat

the morning after
breakfast room silence
only the caged birds talking

peep through the curtains
rain again - the day
can start without me

the Hall of Mirrors
my images multiply
ad infinitum

the smooth feel
of a pebble
a million years old

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2010-03-02T19:20:00.002Z

at the marina
the wind plays sad tunes
in the rigging

an old piano
in the outhouse - the worn keys
can still play chopsticks

abandoned stables
above the stalls SAVANNAH
DUTCHESS, JOKER, PRINCE

at the refuse dump
an escort of seagulls
for the cleansing truck

after the big match
the statues have traffic cones
on their heads

moonless night
winter darkness captures
the trees till morning

[Thanks to Freefoto for the marina photo]

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2010-02-23T18:41:00.008Z

sunset on the loch
the sound of a motor boat
disturbs the calm

in the little pool
tiny white pebbles sparkle
early morning sun

looking for minnows
in the flowing stream
my face keeps changing

motionless
under the hedge
a cat……..waiting

at the level crossing
the day comes to a halt
an endless goods train

finding a tear
in that special dress
shedding a tear

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2010-02-16T19:36:00.006Z

early signs of spring
starlings check out an old nest
under the eaves

tiny flecks of white
against the dull grey
snowdrops at last

on the branch a gull
cleans its beak - on the ground
a tiny eggshell

a distant tall tree
green over the grey rooftops
spring sunshine

purple yellow white
a cluster of crocuses
on the compost heap

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and something quite different -

The law locks up the man or woman
Who steals the goose from off the common;
But lets the greater felon loose
Who steals the common from the goose. (Anon)

How a minority
Reaching majority
Seizing authority
Hates a minority (Leonard H. Robbins)

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2010-02-09T19:49:00.004Z

after the downpour
steam rises from the cattle
in the morning sun

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…..a few memories of last summer -

rifle shots somewhere
straining at her lead, the dog
drags me home

the silver willow
damaged in the storm
slightly lopsided

at the service-station
the men from the tour bus
all head the same way

among the houseboats
paintwork peeling, torn curtains
the “Lovely Lady”

held up at roadworks
how lovely! a field yellow
with buttercups

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2010-01-26T22:41:00.000Z

field after field
the redness of the poppies
on and on and on…..

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RANDOM THOUGHTS

a long sermon
again counting the angels
on the stained-glass window

the climb gets steeper
pausing to admire the view
oftener now

fog clings
to the cliff top path - we cling
to each other

sudden downpour
the bouncy castle empties
and fills with puddles

at the check-out
without looking up
have a nice day

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2010-01-19T21:28:00.004Z

SHADOWS

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market day
at sunrise long shadows
fill the empty stalls

spring sunshine
the kitten and her shadow
lie down together

summer afternoon
the weather cock's shadow
on the hen house roof

late evening sunlight
the shadow of the boathouse
crosses the canal

shadows lengthening
the colours of day
fade into dusk

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2010-01-12T19:30:00.003Z

suddenly
the garden birds vanish -
a sparrow hawk

at our store of nuts
for the birds, a tiny field mouse
scurries away

same time, same place
the waterfowl wait
for the bread lady

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Kikaku was a student of the celebrated haiku poet Matsuo Basho. One day, very pleased with himself, he approached Basho with a haiku he had just composed, and he read -

pulling off
the wings of a dragonfly
a red pepper

Basho shook his head and said -

adding wings
to the red pepper
a dragonfly

Kikaku had realised that a big red Japanese dragonfly without wings would look very much like a red pepper.

But the Japanese haiku poets held everything in reverence, all human beings, all creatures, indeed all nature, and so Basho had found his student’s verse unacceptable.

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2010-01-06T09:40:00.001Z

at the bus shelter
a Christmas tree
complete with baubles

after a night
of heavy snow, opening
the door to silence

bitter cold morning
the sparrows on the clothes line
have no necks

at the market square
a snowman in the stocks
wears a baseball cap

in the soft snow
tracks of a fox and a cat
side by side

in the freezing fog
shadowy figures
quickening footsteps

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2009-12-30T10:42:00.001Z

January first
the pure white pages
of my diary

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A few weeks ago I wrote a piece in my 80 PLUS blog about haiku, and I thought that the following might be appropriate here.

Many books have been written about haiku, and the internet has a huge number of websites dealing with the subject.

At its simplest, haiku is an unrhymed Japanese poem of 3 lines which describes in as few words as possible the essence of a moment in time experienced by the writer. It usually consists of 17 jion (Japanese symbol-sounds) - 5 in the first line, 7 in the second and 5 in the third.

When haiku came to the West, poets here followed that pattern, but since our syllables and the Japanese jion are not the same thing, many have abandoned the 5-7-5 rule.

There’s usually some aspect of nature in the haiku and very often it contains a “season” word which indicates when the incident took place.

Among the many definitions of the word haiku this one by R. H. Blyth is worth quoting - “the expression of a temporary enlightenment, in which we see into the life of things.”

Obviously some of my haiku don’t fit in with that definition. I’m thinking about those which are not so serious. In fact those are really senryu - but that’s another story………

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Something different now -

Here are 3 haiku composed by French writers in the 1920s, the first by Jean Baucomont -

the train was coming
I had a kiss all ready
the train left - - -

And those by René Maublanc -

after the fair
the little wooden horses
crowd together

black sky
red noses
and snow

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WISHING EVERYONE A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR

2009-12-23T10:20:00.001Z

waiting in Santa’s
grotto, the little girl hides
behind her mum

wrapping presents
again I lose the end
of the sellotape

let there be light!
before switching on
a tense moment

Christmas eve
happy faces except our dog
in a Santa hat

moonlight
through a chink in the curtains
carol singing

Christmas night
amidst noisy revelry
silent night

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WISHING EVERYONE A HAPPY CHRISTMAS

2009-12-16T13:56:00.001Z

Japanese garden
only the soft sound
of running water

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quiet Sunday morning
my reflection follows me
round the boating pond

feathery white
a spider’s web
coated with frost

bitter cold morning
a lone heron
scans the bay

outside the pub
s-h-i-v-e-r-i-n-g
in a cloud of smoke

frosty morning
one tiny sparrow
at the bird feeder

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2009-12-09T10:01:00.002Z

each lily
in its own private space
peaceful pond

among the reeds
waving in the wind
the long necks of the geese

winter winds
whirling round the patio
autumn leaves

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December clouds
in a great hurry
morning rush hour

morning rush hour
a chevron of geese follows
the motorway

motorway delay
long lines of tail lights
into the darkness

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Thanks to FreeFoto for the image

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2009-12-01T22:05:00.000Z

taking a short cut
a fox and I
surprise each other

taking a short cut
then face to face
the farmer and his gun

taking a short cut
the cows escort us
to the other side

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frosty night
in the rippling pool
the moon shivers

full moon
the whiteness
of the frozen pond

frosty morning
on the sycamore
still a few leaves cling

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From now on HAIKU HOMESTEAD will be updated every week, normally on Wednesdays

Finally, a reminder of who started it all -

Haiku had their beginnings in the work of the Japanese poet Matsuo Basho 1644-1684. This is his most famous verse -

old pond
a frog leaps into
the sound of water

For those who are VERY keen, 31 English translations of that haiku can be found at -
http://www.bopsecrets.org/gateway/passages/basho-frog.htm

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2009-10-28T09:17:00.005Z

summer on Dartmoor
the wild ponies gather
at the ice-cream van

a leaf floating on
the pond has a passenger -
a tiny frog

evening at the wharf -
tied-up rowing boats gently
nudging each other

the touch of her hands -
struggling to keep from giggling
at the foot clinic

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Edmund Clerihew Bentley (1875-1956) was an English writer who invented the clerihew, a humorous verse of 4 lines with the rhyming structure AABB. The first line usually consists of a well-known person’s name, and the lines can be of varying lengths for comic effect.

Here are two of his clerihews -

Sir Humphrey Davy
Abominated gravy,
He lived in the odium
Of having discovered sodium.

Sir Christopher Wren
Said “I’m going to dine with some men.
If anyone calls,
Say I’m designing St. Paul’s.

Finally, this one has been attributed to the American author/poet Louis Untermeyer (1885-1977)

Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Lived upon venison,
Not cheap, I fear,
Because venison’s dear.

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I’m making some changes to my blogs. Beginning at Hallowe’en, on Saturday first, I’m introducing a new site -
SCOTTISH TALES FROM THE OTHER WORLD
http://scottishtalesfromtheotherworld.blogspot.com

And from next week onwards, HAIKU HOMESTEAD will be included in the EIGHTY PLUS blog.

http://80plus.blogspot.com

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2009-10-21T11:17:00.000+01:00

SUNRISE - SUNSET

stillness at sunrise -
a crow landing on a branch
sets off the wind-chimes

early morning sun -
a gentle breeze and birdsong,
the smell of wet grass

green fields at sunrise
a spattering of yellow -
tiny buttercups

sunset at the pier
just the creaking of timbers -
wind in the rigging

late evening sunshine
the shadow of the boathouse
crosses the canal

sunset on the links
long shadows following us
to the nineteenth hole

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Now, here's something different - I like these.

How odd
Of God
To choose
The Jews (William Norman Ewer)

But not so odd
As those who choose
A Jewish God
But spurn the Jews (Cecil Browne)

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Finally, you might be interested in a new website which I’m preparing. It begins appropriately on Hallowe’en 31st October -

SCOTTISH TALES FROM THE OTHER WORLD

http://scottishtalesfromtheotherworld.blogspot.com

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2009-10-14T10:55:00.001+01:00

Some time ago I read an article which gave suggestions of how to practise writing haiku. One idea was to choose a subject and compose as many haiku as possible on that subject.

I decided on “stepping stones” and produced those -

on the stepping stones
a cat cautiously picks her way
across the stream

the stepping stones lost
under the swollen stream -
we take the long way round

on the stepping stones
the priest loses his balance
and his dignity

half-way across
panic sets in - one stepping
stone is missing. HELP!

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Those three haiku are only loosely connected -

dawn walk by the sea
smooth damp sand stretching ahead -
only my footprints

early morning breeze -
a beach ball bounces along
the deserted shore

re-living my youth
I’d forgotten the feeling
of wet feet on sand

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2009-10-07T09:48:00.003+01:00

taking a short cut
the squirrel hurries home on
the telephone wire

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QUESTION - When is a haiku not a haiku?

ANSWER - When it’s a senryu.

Both have 3 lines with the 5-7-5 distribution of syllables, but the senryu is usually humorous.

Someone has said that haiku is concerned with the relationship between human nature and nature itself, but senryu deals mainly with human nature.

So you’ll see that the following 5 verses are examples of the senryu -

FEAR OF FLYING

first time in a plane -
shocked by the unexpected
acceleration

the air hostess shows
what we must do if we crash -
I want to leave now

she fixes my seat-belt
and tucks away my bag -
I feel like a child

sudden turbulence
my life flashes before me
this must be THE END

a perfect landing
I step on to solid ground -
let’s do it again!

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Kobayashi Issa 1763-1828 was one of the Big Four of Japanese haiku writers, and to finish this week’s blog here is one of his -

once back in the box
each one of them is equal -
the chess pieces

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2009-09-30T14:40:00.006+01:00

Some miscellaneous haiku today -

the call of a stag
from the depths of the forest
the sound of a gun

trailing in the stream
the willow branches gently
sway in the current

around the ruin
the purple heather threatens
to swamp the gravestones

countless stars above -
on the western sky
disappearing day

the highland cattle
resting - a magpie perches
on the old bull’s horn

across the still loch
strains of a pibroch lament -
farewell to summer

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Art students learn a lot by copying paintings of the old masters, and in the same way it’s a great help for writers of haiku to study the verses of the Japanese poets.

Sometimes, if inspiration is lacking, an idea from one of those old haiku can suggest a possible theme, and this has happened to me frequently.

Matsuo Basho 1644-1694 wrote this -

if I could gather
Fuji’s breezes back to town -
what a souvenir!

And I came up with -

Oh, what joy, what bliss!
if I could transport Loch Fyne
to my back garden

Three weeks ago I included Basho’s famous haiku here -

at the old pond
a frog jumps in -
the sound of water

That gave me an idea and I wrote -

silent pond
suddenly alive
sound of frogs

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Next week - when is a haiku not a haiku?

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FRIDAY 25TH SEPTEMBER

2009-09-24T14:25:00.006+01:00

CATERPILLARS AND BUTTERFLIES

all the stems bent low
in the wind, clinging to one -
a caterpillar

the caterpillar
slowly climbs a blade of grass
and all the way down

a gentle prison -
this caterpillar caught fast
in a spider’s web

morning coffee break
a butterfly alights on
the rim of my cup

two tiny fairies
dancing among the branches -
white butterflies

at the traffic lights
a butterfly settles down
on the road roller

perfect camouflage -
among the fallen blossom
a butterfly

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This is a photo of a haijin at work.

Yes, a haijin is someone who composes haiku.

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Perhaps you noticed that in two of the above haiku the 3rd line has 4 syllables instead of 5.

If you have a look at haiku sites on the internet, you’ll find that a great many don’t obey the 5-7-5 rule. I find it’s a good discipline to follow, but there are times when departing from the rule improves the haiku.

Recently I wrote -

the skies overcast -
once again the Campsie Hills
are hidden by clouds (5-7-5)

I much prefer this -

the skies overcast -
another day
without the Campsies (5-4-5)

Sometimes a haiku can be improved visually, as in this example -

yesterday
admiring a butterfly -
today
killing a moth

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This week EIGHTY PLUS includes a painting “Tam O’Shanter and the Witches” and a video clip of Barbara Dickson singing “The Skye Boat Song”
http://80plus.blogspot.com

This week at JOHN’S QUIET CORNER the subject is Nature
http://john-quietcorner.blogspot.com

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FRIDAY 18TH SEPTEMBER

2009-09-16T14:53:00.007+01:00

AUTUMN REVERIE

first days of autumn -
among our mail this morning
a seed catalogue

mirrored in the pond
the whiteness of the wild geese
and the autumn sky

last night house-martins
were still swooping round the yard -
today they’ve gone

autumn comes early -
the ivy leaves shivering
in the pale sunshine

evening on the loch
much quieter, now that the geese
have taken their leave

roses in autumn -
their beauty far surpasses
roses in June

Thanks to FreeFoto.com for this photograph.

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What exactly is a haiku?

The definition I give at the top of the blog is fairly straightforward, but, for people who want to investigate further, there are countless books and websites on the subject.

Faubion Bowers in The Classic Tradition of Haiku (Dover Publications) says that haiku “tell a story and paint a vivid picture, leaving it up to the reader or listener to draw the meanings out and complete them in the mind’s eye.”

I like how Lonnie Hull DuPont explains it - “The poet writes about a moment that defines some emotion, and the poem pulls the reader into that moment.” (From Footprints in the Snow published by Journey Editions)

This from A. C. Missias, “Each haiku captures a moment of experience - an instant when the ordinary suddenly reveals its inner nature and makes us take a second look at the event, at human nature, at life.”

Matsuo Basho, whose frog in the pond haiku I quoted last week, said that a haiku is “just what is happening in this place right now.”

On a lighter note, A.A. Gill of the Sunday Times once asked “Haiku? Aren’t they just limericks that don’t make you laugh?”

And I sympathise with John Cooper Clark the punk poet from Salford whose attempt at haiku resulted in -

writing a poem
in seventeen syllables
is very diffic

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Any comments and suggestions will be welcome. They can be made by clicking on “comments” below.

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FRIDAY 11TH SEPTEMBER

2009-09-09T18:08:00.011+01:00

HELLO AGAIN!

After a break of three months I’m working again with haiku and I plan to update HAIKU HOMESTEAD every Friday.

The format and style has been changed slightly but I’m hoping it will meet with the approval of the small band of haiku lovers.

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Thanks to FreeFoto.com for the picture

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SUMMER HAIKU

held up by road works
I notice for the first time
the colour of corn

summer afternoon
in the park - a toddler tries
to lose his shadow

at the river bank
a flash of bright blue - there goes
the kingfisher

summer afternoon -
an old dog moves around with
the steeple’s shadow

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THE ORIGINS of the haiku (pronounced "high-coo" with equal emphasis on each syllable) go back to the 12th century in Japan, where poets, often in groups, would improvise verses which would eventually create very long poems.

It wasn’t till the 16th century that ordinary Japanese folk became interested in the arts, and it was Matsuo Basho (1644-1694) who is credited with developing and making popular the little poems which later became known as haiku.

This is his most famous one -

at the old pond
a frog jumps in -
the sound of water

When Basho was alive, there were thousands of poems about frogs, and the vast majority of them were about the singing of the frogs. (Today in Japan people can distinguish between the songs of different frogs, in the same way as many of us can recognise the songs of our garden birds).

However, in Basho’s haiku it’s not the song he’s interested in, it’s the sound of the frog as it plops into the water.

This is a drawing of Basho by Sugiyama Sanpu (1647-1732)

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Any comments and suggestions will be welcome. They can be made by clicking on “comments” below.

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2009-05-24T08:00:00.000+01:00

passing the temple
the marchers shout for vengeance
the buddha looks down

2009-05-23T08:00:00.000+01:00

in a horse-shoe shape
the lino worn away in
the old barber's shop

2009-05-22T08:00:00.000+01:00

twisted roots criss-cross
the forest floor - overhead
entwining branches

2009-05-21T08:00:00.000+01:00

in the narrow space
between the buildings
a pink sunset

2009-05-20T08:00:00.000+01:00

evening on the loch
my hand joins its reflection
in the clear water

2009-05-19T08:00:00.000+01:00

after the garden
party, appreciating
the garden

2009-05-18T08:00:00.000+01:00

again bright sunshine
and clear skies - still we wrap up
against the East wind

2009-05-17T08:00:00.001+01:00

Sunday morning -
scattered around the duck pond
last night's empty cans

2009-05-16T08:00:00.000+01:00

bright spring afternoon -
fish dart among fleecy clouds
in the lily pond

2009-05-15T08:00:00.000+01:00

framed in the skylight
the full moon, pink-haloed, bright
against the darkness

2009-05-14T08:00:00.001+01:00

after the strong winds
die away, a gentler song
from the wind-chimes

2009-05-13T08:00:00.000+01:00

thinking no-one sees,
the old lady skips over
the hopscotch chalk marks

2009-05-12T08:00:00.000+01:00

suddenly a deer!
from the depths of the forest
the whine of a saw

2009-05-11T08:00:00.000+01:00

sparkling with dewdrops
a cobweb's broken strands hang
from the garden gate

2009-05-10T08:00:00.000+01:00

purple, yellow, white,
a cluster of crocuses
brightens the grass verge

2009-05-09T08:00:00.001+01:00

after the downpour
hundreds of small wriggling worms
litter the pavement

2009-05-08T08:00:00.000+01:00

footsteps behind me
stop when I do
start when I do
in the cavern

2009-05-07T08:00:00.000+01:00

before the roller
coaster has even started
the girls are screaming

2009-05-06T08:00:00.000+01:00

in the noon sunlight
the goldfish and their shadows
overcrowd the pond

2009-05-05T08:00:00.001+01:00

spring morning shower
a cardinal finds shelter
in the chapel porch

[the cardinal here is a cardinal-beetle]

2009-05-04T08:00:00.000+01:00

travelling by night
a full moon in a clear sky
following me home

2009-05-03T08:00:00.000+01:00

at the dolls' party
we sit on the floor drinking
invisible tea

2009-05-02T08:00:00.002+01:00

in stable darkness
a thin ray of sunlight falls
on dusty tackle

2009-05-01T08:00:00.000+01:00

evening shadows creep
over the pond - the ducks leave
one
by
one
by
one

2009-04-30T08:00:00.000+01:00

the children worried
by Grandma's clock, the cuckoo
has lost its "koo"

2009-04-29T08:00:00.000+01:00

sky, clouds, you and I,
reflections in the river
shattered by a stone

2009-04-28T08:00:00.000+01:00

through the bare branches
of the sycamore
a full moon

2009-04-27T08:00:00.000+01:00

after the downpour
a flurry of sparrows splashing
in the puddles

2009-04-26T08:00:00.000+01:00

cattle find shelter
where the faithful once found peace -
the ruined chapel

2009-04-25T08:00:00.001+01:00

the torch singer takes
seven verses to tell us
how he done her wrong

2009-04-24T08:00:00.000+01:00

rainstorm on the moor
we share a workman's shelter
with a wild pony

2009-04-23T08:00:00.001+01:00

the little girl keeps
turning back to the Bad Witch
in the pop-up book

2009-04-22T08:00:00.000+01:00

the climb gets steeper -
we stop to admire the view
more frequently now

2009-04-21T08:00:00.000+01:00

spring morning shining
on the meadow - one small patch
gold with buttercups

2009-04-20T08:00:00.001+01:00

by the sycamore
I stop to listen
the song flies way

2009-04-19T08:00:00.003+01:00

in the cracked mirror
my distorted face looking
like a Picasso

2009-04-18T08:00:00.000+01:00

sheltered from the wind
a family of ducklings hide
among the tall reeds

2009-04-17T08:00:00.000+01:00

a frosty morning
the old tortoise emerges
and changes his mind

2009-04-16T08:00:00.000+01:00

nearer and nearer
comes the chainsaw - the birds
keep building their nests

2009-04-15T08:00:00.000+01:00

cold April morning -
turning over, I escape
back into my dream

2009-04-14T08:00:00.000+01:00

Hey, butterfly!
you're not safe inside
the temple bell

2009-04-13T08:00:00.001+01:00

my long lie disturbed
starlings scratching in the eaves -
a sure sign of spring

2009-04-12T08:00:00.001+01:00

Easter Sunday
bacon and chocolate eggs
for breakfast

2009-04-11T08:00:00.000+01:00

walking on the links -
the grass of the dunes almost
flat in the March winds

2009-04-10T08:00:00.001+01:00

on those stepping stones
the old priest lost his balance
and his dignity

2009-04-09T08:00:00.000+01:00

bright spring morning
under the hedge
a dead sparrow

2009-04-08T08:00:00.001+01:00

a spot of yellow
on the rich green of the field -
one lone daffodil

2009-04-07T08:00:00.000+01:00

March winds having fun -
garments on the washing line
do the can-can

2009-04-06T08:00:00.000+01:00

a grey spring morning
little dashes of colour
from the crocuses

[with thanks to FreeFoto.com]

2009-04-05T08:00:00.000+01:00

a cat on the prowl -
angry chatter of magpies
alert the sparrows

2009-04-04T08:00:00.000+01:00

after the rainstorm
the wind quietening - honking
of geese on the loch

2009-04-03T08:00:00.000+01:00

hailstones drumming on
the conservatory roof -
our dog runs to hide

2009-04-02T08:00:00.000+01:00

in the swollen stream
a leaf caught in an eddy
whirls round and round

2009-04-01T08:00:00.000+01:00

absentmindedly
hoeing - what happened to the
little crocuses?

2009-03-31T08:00:00.001+01:00

in the old cottage
the big loom stands neglected -
only spiders weave

2009-03-30T08:00:00.000+01:00

threatening skies -
just me and a hoodie
in the bus station

2009-03-29T08:00:00.000+01:00

a flood of sunlight
piercing the thick canopy
lights the forest path

2009-03-28T08:00:00.000Z

a crow on the bird
feeder does acrobatics
to reach the suet

2009-03-27T08:00:00.000Z

a few withered leaves
still clinging - in the dusk I
mistake them for birds

2009-03-26T08:00:00.000Z

the night perfect for
stargazing - cotton wool clouds
in the western sky

2009-03-25T08:00:00.000Z

on the village green
daffodils swaying gently
in the morning breeze

2009-03-24T08:00:00.000Z

claiming the same pitch
the flower girl and the news
vendor trade insults

2009-03-23T08:00:00.000Z

at the bird feeder
the starlings dominate
till magpies appear

2009-03-22T08:00:00.001Z

bitter cold morning
the windows frosted over
in the empty house

2009-03-21T08:00:00.004Z

quiet stroll by the sea
until the dog's bark raises
a cloud of seagulls

2009-03-20T08:00:00.000Z

caught - the youngest one
wears Mummy's high heels, make-up
and a guilty smile

2009-03-19T08:00:00.000Z

this winter morning
no music in the garden -
the wind-chimes frozen

2009-03-18T08:00:00.000Z

outside my window
hoar-frost on the spider's web
drapes the bird-bath

2009-03-17T08:00:00.001Z

out of the dusk
the last pigeon
checks in

2009-03-16T08:00:00.000Z

stars dot the night sky,
one falls, I make a wish - still
that empty feeling

2009-03-15T08:00:00.000Z

silence of the snow -
somewhere the sound of a spade
clearing a driveway

2009-03-14T08:00:00.001Z

sun on the water -
shimmering reflections dance
on the harbour wall

2009-03-13T08:00:00.000Z

Friday the thirteenth
nothing goes right - the little
buddha keeps smiling

2009-03-12T08:00:00.000Z

at the wishing well
I throw in a coin
shattering my face

2009-03-11T08:00:00.000Z

after the snowfall
just a pair of bright eyes
where the white cat waits