Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation: The Cold Night

Image by aalmeidah from Pixabay

spring snow

purifies earth and heaven

the cold night

spring snow

covering flowers and trees

a threatening frost

covering flowers and trees

a spring freeze will destroy buds

a hard summer comes

the cold night

emerging from the dream world

the people awake

~cie~

notes

We were charged with creating a fusion-ku from the following two Haiku and a Troiku from the fusion-ku.

spring snow

purifies earth and heaven

our enemies perish

© Mizuhara Shûôshi

the cold night

comes out of the stones

all morning

© Jim Kacian

Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation: Renga With: Waiting for the Full Moon

Image by Chikai Du from Pixabay

the autumn wind:

thickets and fields also,

Fuha Barrier

© Basho

I look at the turning leaves

see future snow in the clouds

a dandelion

now and then interrupting

the butterfly's dream

© Chiyo-Ni

when I am a butterfly

will I ever dream of you

the thunderstorm having cleared up

the evening sun shines on a tree

where a cicada is chirping 

© Shiki

is there a cool night ahead

or restless humidity

simply trust:

do not also the petals flutter down,

just like that?

© Issa

I have never been the kind

to simply go with the flow

in nooks and corners

cold remains:

flowers of the plum

© Buson

promise of warmer weather

pleasant till scorching heat comes

ancient warriors ghosts

mists over the foreign highlands -

waiting for the full moon

© Chèvrefeuille

will your troubled soul drift in

for another lifelong fight

~cie~

notes

All the Ageku are belong to me.

Everything else has been credited.

Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation: Heart of Stone

Image by Frank Winkler from Pixabay

a stone for a pillow

me, just another cicada ...

so shrill, like crying

how this fits my current mood

sitting broken in the dark

~Bosha & cie~

notes

The Hokku was created by Kawabata Bosha (1897-1941). I am responsible for the Ageku.

Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation: Renga with Friends

I

beach diamonds

a new day crystallized

in sunny surf foam

the taste of salt in the breeze

the smell of salt in the air

~Jane & cie~

II

cold spring breeze

makes the cherry blossom shiver

one heartbeat long

I am thinking of spring rain

the sky opening above

~Chèvrefeuille & cie~

III

The wind from Mt. Fuji

I put it on the fan.

Here, a souvenir from Edo

remembering my childhood

when I learned of Japan

~Basho & cie~

IV

watch birth and death:

the lotus has already

opened its flower.

it waits for me to come home

back to a place without time

~Soseki Natsume & cie~

V

dervishes whirling

- seeking a higher consciousness

third eye opens

I am unsure if I want

to know the enlightenment

~Chèvrefeuille & cie~

VI

flute melodies

across green ocean waves

spring meadows

do you remember our dream

floating away on spring breeze

~Jane & cie~

notes

All of the Hokku were written by the authors indicated.

All of the Ageku were written by me.

Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation: Troiku Hineri: At Dawn

Image by Johannes Plenio from Pixabay

These round hay bales are a common sight where I live

I

at dawn

I wash my feet with dew

the longest day

at dawn

the sun comes through the window

too bright to look at

I wash my feet with dew

perhaps I am still dreaming

I walk to the yard

the longest day

the too-warm sun of summer

I retreat indoors

II
at dawn
the sun comes through the window
too bright to look at

at dawn
much of the world awakens
though some hide away

the sun comes through the window
too bright to remain asleep
burning fiery orb

too bright to look at
I attempt to ignore it
I begin my day

III
I wash my feet with dew
perhaps I am still dreaming
I walk to the yard

I wash my feet with dew
before the sun burns it off
on grass blades still damp

perhaps I am still dreaming
I would be afraid to walk
unshod on this ground

I walk to the yard
trying to plan the future
what will I grow here?

IV
the longest day
the too-warm sun of summer
I retreat indoors

the longest day
I have many things to do
always stay busy

the too-warm sun of summer
makes me hide inside the house
sun scorching the earth

I retreat indoors
maybe when the evening falls
venture out again

~cie~

Visit the Artist

Visit the Artist

Ghost town Grover and Cactus Clem have a poem they want to share too.

A cactus man like Cactus Clem

Thinks the heat just can't be beat

He don't mind when it gets toasty

He even walks around in bare feet

A ghost like Ghost Town Grover

Tends to prefer the shade

He likes to sit underneath the old tree

Just sippin' lemonade

Visit Good Stuff from Grover for more from Grover, Cactus Clem, and the Ornery Old Lady

Visit the Ornery Poetry Blog

notes

The original Haiku for the Troiku Army was written by © Yozakura (1640-1716).

at dawn

I wash my feet with dew

the longest day

Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation: Contentious Eggplant

Image Source

troublesome eggplant

hard to sketch and hard to grow

pumpkins are not so

~cie~

notes

So, the challenge was to rewrite a Haiku by Shiki using the Shasei style and then turn it into a Tanka. Please click the banner to learn more. If I try to explain, it will only end up becoming convoluted.

I am not sure I succeeded at Shasaei-ing, but I did learn that Shiki was a rebel, and this I succeed at. After re-imagining his Haiku about eggplant and pumpkins, I thought that adding the Ageku stanza would overshadow the perfect brevity (and sharp snarkitude) of the resulting Senryu, so I am leaving it Ageku-less.

Here is the Eggplant Haiku by Shiki.

Sketching from life —

eggplants are harder to do

than pumpkins

© Masaoka Shiki (Tr. Burton Watson)

Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #111 Troiku ... New Beginnings ... Lotus starts to bloom

image source

in deep prayer

eyes closed in devotion -

Lotus starts to bloom

in deep prayer

I can't trust what my mind says

it plays tricks on me

eyes closed in devotion -

trying to change my focus

away from my pain

lotus starts to bloom

is the lotus in my mind

real or illusion?

~truth seeker~

notes

The sleigh of the Troiku was created By Chèvrefeuille. The horses were gingerly handled by someone.

Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #110: Bush Warbler

Bush Warbler

A spring warbler casts

A dropping on the rice cakes —

The veranda edge.

I feed rice cakes to the birds

The earth drinking up my tea.

~Cie~

Visit the Artist

Ghost Town Grover Sez:

"I shore don't blame you, Ornery. I wouldn't wanna drink no tea that a bird pooped in neither."

Visit the Artist

Cactus Clem sez:

"Say, Ornery, you know that sun tea you was brewin' on the front porch? Well, I was kinda thirsty after my stroll on the Lone Prairie, and I done drank it all down. I don't think it had no bird poop in it, though, 'cause it had a cover on it and everything.

Visit Ghost Town Grover, Cactus Clem, and the Ornery Old Lady at the Grover Hotel

Read more Ornery Poetry

Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #109 Renga with Basho ... life's journey

Mount Fuji

spring rain

trickling into the wasp's nest

a leaky roof

the roof has been repaired

the wasps eradicated

blooming wildly

among the peach trees

first cherry blossoms

it is my dream to one day

have a few fruit trees growing

butterflies and birds

restlessly they rise up

a cloud of flowers

these are the best things in spring

not so a mind painted black

coming to the eye

especially at this time

May's Mount Fuji

I hoped to visit sometime

must be content with pictures

life's journey

plowing the patch of rice field

back and forth

sometimes best to look forward

to simple things in our lives

the lettuce

leaves are just as green

eggplant soup

I must remember to try

vegetables for cooking

~Basho & Cie~

Notes:

The Hokku stanzas of these Renga were written by Matsuo Basho (1644 - 1694). The Ageku stanzas were whipped up by me.

The Ageku of the third verse references the fact that I experience my worst depressive states in the spring. When the hearts of normal people turn to lurrrrve and all that happy crappy, my psyche turns to a dark tomb while the flowers bloom and the birds sing and I just want to sleep forever but usually don't sleep very well. I tend to get the side-eye from people when I try to talk about spring depression. "What do you mean you get depressed in the spring? Springtime is happy time! Normal depressed people get depressed in the WINTER!"

You see, I don't even know how to do depression right, even though I've been doing it my entire life!

Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #105 + Haiku My Heart: Lost In Time: A Senryu

Image by Reimund Bertrams from Pixabay

when my time has come

will my words be remembered

or fade as i do

~cie~

Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #104: Photoshopping Haiku + Haiku My Heart: Camellia

Image by Beverly Buckley from Pixabay

Unfolding before

the eyes of a little bird

a bright camellia

~Cie~

Here is the original Haiku by Yosa Buson (1716 - 1784)

Unfolding at the

hand of the glass polisher:

a camellia!

Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #103: Start of Autumn

Image Source

in autumn I find

a friend who brings new stories

as leaves change and fall

~Cie~

Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #102 Renga With Basho ... ancient times

Japanese morning glory

flood waters

stars too will go to sleep

on top of a rock

the flood which came in that year

followed by a falling star

still summer

the harvest moon too hot

to enjoy the coolness

we never minded so much

when the moon looked upon us

morning glories

in the daytime a lock lowered

on the gate

if a flower could escape

where do you think it would go?

chrysanthemum flowers

bloom at the stonemason's

between stones

flowers are adaptable

I wish it was my nature

warriors

the bitterness of pickles

in the talk

warmongers talk a good game

when far from the battlefield

plum blossom scent

since ancient times the word

has been sorrowful

yet every day people say

cheer up, everything is good

~Basho & Cie~

Notes:

The Hokku (three-line) stanzas of these poems were written by Matsuo Basho (1644 - 1694). The Akegu (two-line) stanzas were created by me.

Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #98: Choka: Angels and Birds in Flight

Image by Christine Sponchia from Pixabay

soar and drift away

spread your wings and float away

flutter high in air

lifting up for bird's eye view

glide on the current

take off and rise up so high

hover overhead

levitate, luff, and then dive

flap and float about the sky

~Cie~

Daily Prompts Tumblr

Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #97: Depth of a Flower

Wildflower Bouquet

I

windy weather

calling the flowers by name

each nods

windy weather
inspiring too much thinking 
melancholy thoughts

calling the flowers by name
the flowers in a graveyard
have names of the lost

each nods
no fight when the time has come
blowing away home

II

depth of a flower

flying away with the bee

some mystery

depth of a flower
what hides deep inside beauty
mystery within

flying away with the bee
nectar feeds tomorrow's child
hope for the future

some mystery
can spark curiosity
or can drive one mad

Jane & Cie

Notes:

The "sleighs" of these two Troiku were created by Jane Reichhold (1937 - 2016). The Six Horses of the Apocalypse escaped from my unstable stables.

Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation: Goat and Sunflowers

Image Source

I drive past a house

Little goat stretches through fence

Munches sunflower

~Cie~

Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #94: Crow

Photographer Unknown

as evening comes on

a crow pauses on a branch

contemplating night

~Cie~

Inspired by Matsuo Basho 

Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #92: The Sun's Rays

Image Source

The sun's rays shrouded

Behind gathering storm clouds

Welcome summer rain

~Cie~

D'Verse Poets Open Link Night #246 + Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #91 Renga With (hineri) Sonora Desert

Beach Mouse

1. 

among dune grass

silver bleached logs

and a perfect day

among dune grass

if you blink, you will miss it

mouse peers from its home

silver bleached logs

blasted by sand, wind, and rain

beauty in harshness

and a perfect day

if perfection does exist

found in solitude

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

2. 

overcoming rocks

a stream of cacti

slowly spreading

overcoming rocks
taking root in barren soil
resilient plants

a stream of cacti

clandestine water vessels

ride the desert wave

slowly spreading
seeds take root across the dunes
carried on the wind

Teddy Bear Cholla

3. 

desert ways

branching all over

cholla cactus

desert ways
arid, harsh, unforgiving
to some, blessed home

branching up to the sky
reaching up to greet the sun
rooted deep in earth

cholla cactus
spines sparkling like gems in sun
don't try to pick me

Image by Mike Goad from Pixabay

4. 
alone and asking
to be touched
teddy bear cholla

alone and asking
thirsty for the rain to fall
the sun still beats down

to be touched
is a desire that ceases
when touch is cruel

teddy bear cholla
with spines that appear silky
not truly cuddly

Image by katja from Pixabay

5. 
writing
desert poems
pencil cholla

writing
salvation or damnation
release, obsession

desert poems
love the look of the desert
but can't stand the heat

pencil cholla
plucking a spine for a nib
words scrawled with my blood

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

6. 
desert sunset
cholla cactus sticks
to the light

desert sunset
with night comes blessed coolness
nighttime desert song

cholla cactus sticks
daring passerby to touch
its tempting needles

to the light
shining from the moon above
nighttime creatures sing

~Jane & Cie~

Notes:

The "sleighs" of the Troiku in this Troiku Hineri were written by Jane Reichhold (1937 - 2016). The spiky Horses of the Apocalypse were wrangled by me.
I've been doing Troiku all month. These were supposed to be Renga. Yes, I know, I am bad at following instructions and I suck at my job. In other news, water is wet.