Carpe Diem Tan Renga Wednesday: White Chrysanthemum

White chrysanthemum

I look holding it straight

no dust at all

nothing can remain unchanged

all will become dust in time

~Basho & cie~

notes

The Hokku was written by Matsuo Basho (1644 - 1694). The Ageku was created by me.

Tan Renga Wednesday on Saturday: Cherry Trees in Full Bloom

Image source

springtime is coming

hope to put the longer days

to practical use

shadows become longer

cherry tree in full bloom grows

~Chèvrefeuille & cie~

notes

Once my son and I are done clearing out that blasted mobile home (the one where I lived for 18 years and he lived for close to ten) we will finally be able to concentrate on what we want to do with our new home. I would like to plant a few dwarf fruit trees. I've always loved cherries, both as a fruit and a plant. I try to keep looking to the future, to have aspirations but also keep in mind the need for practicality due to my health issues.

The Ageku of this Renga is © Chèvrefeuille. The Hokku was written by me.

Carpe Diem Tan Renga Wednesday: Wisteria Beans

Image by M W from Pixabay

wisteria beans

let's make that a theme for haikai

a flower fruit 

© Basho (Tr. Jane Reichhold)

the pods hang down like earrings

admire, but don't ever eat

~cie~

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 Tan Renga Wednesday: Winter Chrysanthemum

Image by Marjon Besteman-Horn from Pixabay

Winter chrysanthemum,

Wearing nothing

but its own light

I wear a sweatshirt for warmth

and think about my garden

~Mizuhara Shūōshi & cie~

notes

The Hokku is © Mizuhara Shūōshi (1892-1981). The Ageku was written by yours truly.

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.

Tan Renga Wednesday on Friday: Last Leaf

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a last leaf

swirls on the wind towards the east -

first snow falls gently

the falling snow is pleasant

the icy roads are not so

~Chèvrefeuille & cie~

notes

The Hokku stanza was written by Chevrefeuille. The Ageku was created by me. I do like the snow, but I hate driving on icy roads. I've had a couple incidents when doing so which left me with a bit of PTSD. I tend to tense up when I have to drive on icy roads, which makes doing so a bad idea.

I will try to catch up with the poems over the next few days. I was working on a short story for blog.reedsy.com. If you are looking for a short story contest with no entry fee, they have a weekly contest here. Go to the apps section of the page and choose "story prompt."

Also, if you're looking for help with editing or publishing your book, you can look at what Reedsy has to offer here. Using that link will get you $25 credit on any of Reedsy's services.

I believe I may have had another TIA. There always tends to be a cognitive shift when one of these happens. It's hard to explain. It isn't as if I'm having short term memory issues (well, no worse than I ever did). It's simply that the WAY I think changes. At this point, I find myself needing to be a little more measured in my output. I get tired very easily. It's frustrating because although I've never been a Type A personality by any means, I've always been very productive.

I know that I'm vulnerable to vascular problems because of my diabetes. Well, I'm perfectly happy to keep my blood sugars in check, which I can do if I have, you know, ADEQUATE INSULIN! Which my health care provider and Medicaid seem to be conspiring not to provide me. Going without insulin for weeks at a time is, I don't know, a bad thing when you're diabetic. 

The elite devils in charge of things don't care about that, though. They want the poor and the handicapped dead. Of course, then they won't have anyone to do the menial jobs that they revile, but I wouldn't give them too much credit for being smart.

Yeah, I said "handicapped" instead of the more politically correct "disabled." I honestly don't see what the difference is. I can apply both to my own condition, and I don't find either one offensive. Sometimes people become so busy picking nits that they forget to work on the issues that really matter.

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 Tan Renga Wednesday: Such a Cold Night

Image by Robson Machado from Pixabay

lying down

with quilts over the head

such a cold night

I spent many nights like this

in a trailer with no heat

~cie~

notes

The Hokku stanza was written by Matsuo Basho (1644 - 1694). The Ageku stanza was written by me. It is autobiographical.

Carpe Diem Tan Renga Wednesday: Persimmon

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When I ate a persimmon

The bell rung

The Horyuji temple

sound from another lifetime

calling me to remember

~shiki & cie~

notes

The Hokku was written by Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902). The Ageku was created by me. I do believe that reincarnation is a possibility. I do not reveal this as an invitation to debate, merely as a statement of my thoughts on the matter.

Carpe Diem #1791: Bare Branches

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bare branches

a painting against the blue sky

leaves under my feet

crunch foretelling coming snow

chill breeze blowing through the air

bare branches like claws

reach into the great unknown

hard winter ahead

too little snow or too much

the wind chills me to my bones

the blue sky turns gray

the snow begins to fall down

blown by the cold wind

I retreat inside the house

the cold tries to reach me there

the leaves are long gone

to the earth or raked away

nothing can linger

things that lose their youthful shine

are hidden away from view

unforgiving sky

tells of foul weather to come

thankful for warning

I plan my week according

to the weather prophecy

chill breeze cuts through me

its cruelty refreshing

brutal honesty

the winter shows no mercy

to anything in its path

~Cie~

Notes:

The Hokku of the first verse was written by Yozakura the Unknown Haiku Poet. The rest can be attributed to me.

Carpe Diem Tan Renga Wednesday on Friday: The Old Pond

I like this frog. This frog has a "don't fuck with me" look about it. I resonate with this frog.

old pond

a frog jumps in

sound of water

splashes on my face wake me

bringing me back down to earth

~Basho & Cie~

Notes:

The Hokku stanza of this poem was penned by Matsuo Basho (1644 - 1694). The Ageku stanza is all about me.

Carpe Diem #1786: The Days March On

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

reaching for the sun

lotus flowers blooms from the mud

old pond changes

light comes into the shadows

new life emerging each day

deep silence

even deeper as the nightingale starts to sing

beautiful life

sometimes I feel most alive

at night embraced by darkness

snow falls gently

covers up the autumn fields

faraway sounds

it's too cold to go outside

I remain in with my words

reflections

scattered by autumn leaves

the old pond

I reflect on the year past

one year leads to another

a last leaf

swirls on the wind towards the east -

first snow falls gently

I look outside and wonder

if there are happy people

farewell verse

as I depart from the train station

forget me not

no-one will remember me

I am something best forgot

~Chèvrefeuille & Cie~

Notes:

The Hokku of these Renga were written by Chèvrefeuille. The Ageku can be blamed on me.

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 Tan Renga Wednesday: At Dawn

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at night my sleeping

is hit or miss, either deep

or light and disturbed

at dawn birds start to sing

praising their Creator ... as always

Chèvrefeuille & Cie

Notes:

The Ageku of this Renga was created by Chèvrefeuille. The Hokku can be blamed on me.

Carpe Diem Tan Renga Wednesday #5: White Crane

how I wish to call

a white crane from Fukei,

but for this cold rain.

the crane wisely remains home

safely out of the downpour

Kikaku & Cie

Notes:

The Hokku stanza of this Renga was composed by Takarai Kikaku (1661 - 1707) who was an accomplished disciple of Matsuo Basho. The Ageku stanza was composed by me on behalf of the crane who said: "I ain't goin' out in that downpour, Beeyotch!" Or something like that. 

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 #1774 Renga With Jane Reichhold ... apples for lunch

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dad on high

dropping from his trees

apples for lunch

I walk to the chicken coop

to visit my friends the hens

southern sunset

filling the apple bin

a deeper red

thinking of a time gone by

when the sky was beautiful

applesauce

the cinnamon glow

of a kerosene lamp

we didn't need to have one

my mother liked how it looked

windfall apples

palaces for worms

American pie

I started getting to know

worms eating into my brain

straight falling rain

tiny lakes upon the tree

stem hollows of apples

I have always loved the rain

but it's the snowy season

baskets in a row

overflowing with apples

on one a sweater

was it my mother's or mine?

Dad goes on picking apples

~Jane & Cie~

Notes:

The Hokku stanzas of these Tan Renga were created by Jane Reichhold (1937 - 2016). The Ageku were created by me.

When I was writing my Ageku, I was remembering my childhood in New Mexico between the ages of four and ten.

It wasn't idyllic by any means. We were very poor. But we did have a half-acre of land, and we had chickens and fruit trees and we grew corn and beans.

We also ate a lot of stuff like boiled soybeans and buckwheat groats. I still like buckwheat groats. You could put a bit of butter and honey on them and they tasted good. However, to this day, I loathe boiled soybeans. I would eat my shoe before I would ever eat another boiled soybean.

I knew I was weird and different from a very young age. These days doctors would probably put me on Ritalin and antidepressants. One did try to put me on phenobarbitol when I was a year and a half old because I didn't sleep for crap. My mother said it had the opposite effect and I was awake for three days straight. 

It probably put me into a manic state. It may even have been what triggered the onset of my bipolar disorder. Any doctor who would instruct a parent to give phenobarbitol to a child needs a damn good whacking, and nothing will change my mind about that.

Carpe Diem #1775: Morning Glory!

morning glory!

the well bucket-entangled,

I ask for water

will the demon in the well

be inclined to grant mercy?

~Cie~

Notes:

We were asked to transform the Haiku by Chiyo-Ni into a Tanka. Mine went in a cheeky direction, and I'm so glad it did because a bit of humor was just what I needed. I've been doing NaNoWriMo and am already feeling like I'm creating nothing but soulless word vomit. 

As for the demon in the well, most modern people have been taught that demons are always evil. However, in ancient times, "demon" was simply a word for spirit. Some were evil, some weren't. I envision the demon of the well being an imp--mischievous, but not evil.

Carpe Diem Tan Renga Wednesday (3) + OctPoWriMo 2019: Day 30: Clarity

Image Source

crystal brook

reflects the willow trees

birds sing their song

who I am is clear

where I'm going, not so much

~Yozakura & Cie~

Notes:

The Hokku stanza of this Tan Renga was written by Yozakura, the Unknown Haiku Poet. The Ageku (two-line) stanza was created by me. I married the Carpe Diem prompt and the OctPoWriMo prompt, and this Tan Renga is their baby.