Red amongst red

 

Tis been a hectic year, actually the last two have been years from Hades and finally, o so finally I’m in a place of such peace. I feel free to finally say FU to demands and am working an almost normal schedule.

I never lost my camera and my love of capturing life, especially in my garden. That will never happen. And so reviewing a lot of photos I am catching up with my posts.

Now this wee red rodent was a bane in me backside. The feeder was empty and so he decided to spend his time in one of the Begonia’s which was soon trashed from his digging.

Salvaged as it was I trimmed it and it’s now residing sleeping in the basement. Will it survive? Of course! I am a believer after all.

winter creek - haiku

 

the creeks mid-current

maintains its flow during freeze

soon a skating trail

the lost battle

 

the battle between old man winter
and the goddess of the harvest
has ended, he being the victor,
her cloak of vibrant golds
now lay broken and soon
to be tossed into compost piles,
at least her remnants of life
will be renewed in spring
while his will be scorned and cursed
throughout the months to come.

Decembers Arrival

December has arrived,

the month of blinding white

and colourful lights,

heralding the silly season.

After the first snow fall

rain began turning the landscape

to a dirt brown,

reflecting the sky in its dreariness.

Though there is hope

with neighbours dressing their trees,

stringing multicoloured lights

the old kind, huge incandescent bulbs.

My planters are stuffed with boughs

of pine, spruce, cedar, and hemlock

grown in local fields,

their green brilliance remains.

Sprigs of red berries, red Dogwood,

and golden balls and pine-cones

intertwined with dried floral garland ,

full fill the arrangements.

Even though it may be a long winter,

and while we need colour, we also need life,

thus the planters will see me through

them being a harbinger of spring.

Christmas Tree Reused

This is what do ya do with a 25 year old faux Christmas tree gathering dust in the basement?  Well ya haul it up, wrap it in every outdoor light of the same vintage you can find,  drag it into the middle of the garden, weigh the base down with boulders and wait for the white shite to arrive. We all need sparkle in our lives now more than ever.

autumn crime scene - haiku

 

killer frost leaves stains

of spent blooms upon the floor

an autumn crime scene

Cheers to the Season

 

Cheers to the season

while the garden of greens

faded to hues of honey

and carmel, the final sweetness.

Cheers to the season,

the Pond remained covered

in lotus and lettuce

protected by my forest.

Cheers to the season,

as winter birds moved in,

caroling their happy songs

scouting newly set bird feeders.

Cheers to the season,

Gus the Asparagus fern

continues his growth residing

in his winter residence.

Cheers to the season,

now a memory

and dreams of spring

banish thoughts of winter.

Colours of life

 

first flakes of snow

cling to leaves of red

tis a warning 

of winter soon to arrive,

for now I smile at the colours

the colours of life,

then soon sadness will descent

when colours fade into death

Field of Stars

 

I relish in their lights

this night of chill.

Oliver Schroer is reverberating

through my home

capturing the wonderment

of celestial life.

I miss our missives,

as I do so many lost friends

but the chorus of his violin

from an ancient sanctuary

provides me solace...

Shall we dance...

 

Shall we dance

you and I.

I see your

sideways glances

when we pass.

With lowered eyes,

are you reflecting

when we share

thoughts of life;

are you reflecting

on what could be

a peaceful life;

are you reflecting

on the now, the future,

our lives together.

You’ve made

your intentions known

and yet I waver,

are they for me

or an excuse

validating your

leaving someone else

for reasons known

only to yourself.

Shall we dance

you and I,

Shall we dance...

autumns coronation

autumns coronation has begun

as maple, walnut and oak

are crowned in gold, rubies and copper;

their patchwork cloaks are

donning slowly, the richness

of summer emerald greens

surrender to the alchemy of autumn,

exploding into vermilion, umber and citrine

completing their transformation

before they fade, fall and form

into botanical skeletons

before the freeze of winter

paints its dismal landscape 

puckered - haiku

 

puckered Hosta leaves

countless delicate stitches

in natures patterns

tree frogs - haiku

this night air is filled

with the chorus of tree frogs,

their songs give me sleep

Allow

Allow this cool breeze

to sweep over me as a silk scarf

tickled my warm skin

and I smile, once I loved

Allow this brilliant sun

to shine through trees

while loosing their leaves

only to find me in its spotlight

Allow the clear north air

to blow out its dampness

and allow my lungs

to inhale its freshness

Allow squirrels of grey, red and black

to chase each other and

fallen walnuts without spending

the day splayed upon fence-tops

Allow these tired eyes

watch light play in the garden

highlighting this and that

while earth revolves

Allow my ears to enjoy the chimes

stroked softly by the breeze

without interference of mowers and saws,

all I ask

is to hear their calming notes

frog song - haiku

the chorus begins

I have yearned to hear voices

singing in the night

At last the frog song has begun...

Grandmother Toad

She arrived weeks ago

a slim, speckled, creature

hopping about, surveying her domain.

Her appearance was willy-nilly

days without once a sighting,

then evenings with just a glimpse.

Today was an off day

and spent it in the garden

trimming and transplanting.

The Pond needed topping off

thrilled to see Grandmother Toad

washing up on to the frog dock.

Rest of the day was spent

from the Pond and the garden.

O such a wiley one is she.

Patrolling for bugs, savouring slugs

returning for one last supper

then disappearing in to the garden.

heritage garden - haiku

phlox and hollyhocks
cabbage roses and lilies
heritage garden

Yellow Trillium

I have coddled you for years

in anticipation of your bloom

O yellow one, a sign, any sign of life

This year you presented yourself,

and what I yearned for most,

a blossom, a bloom, a Hello!

I adore your ethereal colour

transparent in sunlight, amongst violets,

above your earthly spotted leaves

Do not feel so alone Jaune,

two kin now share your shady home,

for me teach them how to bloom next year

Flower Full Moon

In the garden I stand shivering

while sleep escapes me,

I stare at the full moon.

Its purity of colour reflects

upon still water of the Pond,

and calmness surrounds me.

Once again I burrow

under warmed ancient quilts

and I surrender to dreams.

Seeking solace

What does one write in this time of strife. Do I write about the garden wakening in hues of blue and yellow? Of the earth warming as sprouts of Bloodroot and Bleeding Hearts break through reminding me there will be spring; buds on maples, lilacs, and apples while I seek solace in my garden; it grounds me and I feel a genuine part of life.

Now more than ever I need that solace. I need sun, sprouts, and birdsong. I need those, while taking calls from employees totally lost, seeking someone to guide them. I didn’t sign up for that and could say “it’s not my job” but I can’t. That’s not whom I am. And so I talk and listen to their crying and do my best to help them. But it takes a toll.

Life is cruel at this moment but honestly, it’s been a long time coming. We, humans, have poisoned the earth for hundreds of years, and I believe it’s pay back time. Governments and big business have waved aside the consequences of neglect for decades. I pity children and what they will need to endure in the following decades. It won’t be pleasant.

This is about political as I will ever post. ~sigh~ my mind can’t format haiku or sonnets, or even a bright post. My paints lay, abandoned. Scribblings remain unfinished in the journal. My focus is unfocused. I have faith that this will too pass while I putter in the earth...

silence

there is a silence upon the earth,

families are sheltered in homes

not daring to step out

unless a need for provisions.

education is left to parents

reviewing letters and numbers,

over and over, how to sign your name,

pencil scribbling between lines.

walkers and runners step forth

on my street, gauging the 6’ distance

while waving and nodding

those brave to exit their safe net.

us “essential services” employees

attend work, ready to give the hex sign

of back off at a moments notice,

tis tiring being ever alert.

my brain is vacant, as is my body,

while I feel for those without a daily job

to attend to, do they feel the same

for us keeping the lines open?

I enjoy this silence, lack of traffic

in my town, allowing me to travel

from home to work to home

in record time, in silence...

March Full Moon

leaving before sunrise

the full moon of March

silenced my steps,

with a charcoal grey sky

as a back-drop, the moon

o that glorious moon

shimmered in gold,

its roundness softened

blending into the sky

I gasped not just at the view

but the morning sky in its

ominous tone...

and then freezing rain fell

Robin of Red-breast

Your early morning song

greeted me the past week,

such a heart warming

to the start of the day.

Today in brilliant sunshine

I watched you in the apple tree

serenading the neighbourhood

with your song of spring.

Sing on Robin of Red-breast

lighten the day with joy

as we struggle with winters end

which can’t come too soon.

wild water - haiku

wild water giggles

while its blanket of ice thaws

warming in sunshine

Fluffle

Well before the day wakes

I follow tracks across the front yard,

paw prints back and forth

create a trail over snowbanks

onto mine and neighbours property.

The o so familiar pattern broken

by dropped berries makes me smile,

already aware of the den under the veranda,

yet I worry for them as I’ve seen their enemies

seeking substance before light of day.

In darkness I leave for work

the cars headlights shine on movement

hopping across the street

not one, not two, but three!

the fluffle of bunnies are alive and well.

Snow Full Moon

Snow Full Moon rises over the river

its glow illuminates my home,

her bitter cold causes freshly fallen snow

to appear as sharply cut diamonds

creating an other-worldly sparkle

upon the landscape where soft flakes

once fell in silence and now

the crispness of the night echos underfoot

while the lone walker breaths

in her own silence of wonderment

while gazing at heavens presence on earth

Month end - Haiku

three days balancing,

such time wasted when five years

past, ink will have faded

A different subject from traditional haiku but this week has been nasty. O Calgon take me away and let me create again. We put such burden on ourselves to have a balanced month end but in reality, will it matter in five years. I doubt that but I continue to push myself to have those cells neatly fill themselves and smile when the pluses equate to the negatives.

Canvas - Haiku

another weekend

smothered in white shite and ice

lends to ponderings

ponderings in paint

white banished from the canvas

while I swirled pigments

pigments born from earth

green, cream, auburn, gold and grey

relive gardens life

Encrusted - Haiku

free flowing water

in a snow encrusted creek

carves own formation 

Bitter north winds blow

Bitter north winds blow

scattering the cloak of clouds,

revealing night skies

gown of cosmic crystals

Hhmmm, I could have written a more ethereal verse but for the phone calls.

A quiet night with Celtic radio turned low, wrapped in warm clothes and a steaming nutty tea. Soon after curling into my favourite chair it was evident there would be no peace from outside disturbances.

First off Det. Michael Cooper from CRA warning me I was about to be arrested for a “compromised number”. After his pre-recorded threats outlining the penalties of not calling his number and providing government issued ID, he had the gaul to wish me a *blessed day*. Seriously? How do people fall for such a scam.

After the blue air cleared from cursing I settled once more and not 20 minutes later, the phone rang. ~sigh~ Who knows someone may have passed so I answered with *speak! * Laughter on the other end saying “having a bad day” drew me back to earth. He knows me too well.

So I will revisit this missive and have another go once my head has cleared.