Mist coils sleeping pines
From their shadows, bats take flight
Dark shapes in moonlight
It’s been a bit since I’ve taken on one of Colleen’s Tanka Tuesday challenges (which is now: Colleen’s Weekly Poetry Challenge). Things have changed. More forms are included: Haiku / Tanka / Haibun / Cinquain / Senryu. Check it out and challenge yourself.
I’ve chosen a haiku. This week’s prompt is to write a poem with the words ‘mist’ & ‘shape’ in it.
Usually, men carrying axes were unwelcome in the woods.
But Armo was a different sort of man. He respected nature, cherished it even, and the trees knew him.
The day she died, he was there, ax in hand.
He arrived shortly after dawn, telling them he couldn’t bear the thought of her body decaying and asking permission to alter the natural order of things.
They looked into his heart.
They nodded.
They watched as he worked throughout the day, well into the night, until the next morning, not stopping for food or drink.
They marveled at the care he took.
Nothing drew his attention from her form, first cutting her down, then carving her into a smooth, wooden bed.
The Dryads admired their sister’s final resting place.
Tuulikki was gone. She would not be crumbling and returning to the woods but remaining there in a mix of man’s and nature’s peaceful slumber.
My #writephoto, a weekly writing prompt for poetry/flash/short stories hosted by Sue Vincent
(Note: This week’s photo shows a bed with a pillow, all carved from a single tree trunk and left in a wood.)
Snowflakes drifting down
Nestling between pine needles
Dusting robin’s wings
Sugar-coated berries charm
Breaking stillness, birds take flight
I’ve taken on another of Colleen’s Tanka Tuesday challenge. This week’s challenge is to write a Tanka poem (5/7/5/7/7) with the words ‘charm’ & ‘touch’ in it. (I didn’t cheat. 🙂 You can use synonyms and, in this case, I used “nestle” in place of “touch”.)
The death of nature
Brings such beauty to our world
Earth regenerates
Leaves change, decorate Autumn
Give way to Winter’s frosting
I’ve taken on another of Colleen’s Tanka Tuesday challenge. My first of the new year. This week’s challenge is to write a Tanka poem (5/7/5/7/7) with the words ‘change’ & ‘beauty’ in it.
The trees remember.
They think about when their sisters covered the valley, standing tall and proud.
Glossy, green foliage waving in summer breezes. Bare trunks frosted in winter snow. Branches reaching out, grasping hands, dancing in moonlight.
Now the few who remain nod to each other across empty fields studded with stumps of their sisters.
Their shadows stretch along barren land, soil cracked and dry.
Tufts of brown-tinged grass pretend they are a lush carpet of healthy green, turning from the truth.
The trees know better.
They are wise and no longer hold on to hope for the earth.
Flash Fiction Challenge over at Carrot Ranch
November 9, 2016 prompt: The End – In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story about an ending.
Anxiety
My mind spins, eyes close,
Heart beats. Wrong. Too fast. Can’t breathe.
Look up. Perspective.
I’ve been nominated by the lovely Norah Colvin in a Five Photos, Five Stories (in five days) challenge. And I accept. So here is my Day 1 photo, “Look Up”, with its accompanying haiku. Thanks, Norah, for giving me a wonderful way to use my creativity while I get back on my feet. I nominate AJ Prince to take on this fun photo challenge. I might have to send Dracula after her to, um, motivate her but that’s okay. He owes me a favor and she won’t mind.
The “rules” of the Five Photos, Five Stories Challenge are:
1) Post a photo each day for five consecutive days.
2) Attach a story to the photo. It can be fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or a short paragraph. It’s entirely up to the individual.
3) Nominate another blogger to carry on the challenge. Your nominee is free to accept or decline the invitation. Just have fun.
Lemon Shark Reef 