that’s a bear,
i said to myself....hey,
that’s a brown bear!
171. that’s a bear!
170. the pacer
eyes on the road ahead
zigging stones and twigs and mud
my friend....pacing me
—sometimes in life, help comes from unexpected friends....keep your sights open 👀
169. for today
i may not live
another day, let me be grateful
for today
167. saturday’s leaves
waiting for her
to take the picture....shadow
and saturday’s leaves
166. a good soldier
in the mirror
seeing my mother’s face—
satisfied
*
she was my hero:
wise, down-to-earth, tender
yet tough as old boots
—The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hasek. This Czech classic was my mother’s favorite book. I longed to know my mother but she wouldn’t talk much about her life. She wanted me to read the book in the hope I might understand her better. Later, near the end, I asked my mother how she felt about her life....”Well, Mimmy, I’m pretty well satisfied.” I hope I will feel the same.
165. poised
morning comes
and waiting to lift off
the twelve disciples
—when things get you down, as sometimes they must, just go outside and look up at the sky, look at the flowers, the trees....and listen to the birds who go on singing no matter what.
164. tiny treasures
whiskers and nose
black gold, nickles, and dimes
8-years-old again
161. follow your nose
lost sight of your path?
don’t give up, go step by step
and follow your nose
160. the tightrope walker
feeling off-center?
let yourself wobble
make it....no big deal
*
turn it around
when things get you down
make it....no big deal
—Pema Chodron, an American Buddhist teacher, reminds us to not let our thoughts spin out and throw us off our center, to simply say to ourselves “no big deal.” {It works, though you may have to say it over and over....and over. :-) }
159. girl meets boy
he tells her he likes
women with red hair....smitten
she dyes her hair red
—a new twist on an old story
158. pandemic fallout #2
interest rates
at an all-time low....
saving their “2 cents”
—spontaneity is important, though sometimes it’s better to think things out before speaking out. “Do you have the patience to wait until your mud settles and the water is clear?”—Lao Tzu
155. welcome graffiti
facing the sky
track after track of silence
feeling the distance
*
i bow my head
in acceptance
it’s all i can do
*
at the side
of the rails, just what i need:
a friendly “hi”
154. from the heart
feeling
more and more creative
making funny faces
153. pandemic fallout #1
oh, the monotony....
dreading the same old routines
trying to escape!
152. dancing in the street
wildflowers everywhere—
dancing in the street
—weeds are wildflowers, wildflowers are weeds....get out and dance, let your spirit grow
150. let’s go!
spring is in the air
time to get the old bike out
and go for a ride!
—nothing like riding a bike to feel free and light again!
149. a symbol?
a symbol?
or just a balloon tangled up
on the beach
—the faculty of the mind to imagine and wonder, devil or divine?
148. three chickens
three chickens
two white and one orangey-red....
made me hungry
for eggs
—I once lived in a big city neighborhood with closely set houses, where I seldom saw animals in my daily walks. One time, though, walking along the sidewalk, I heard some unusual clattering of sound behind a tall fence. I got up on my toes and peered down onto three chickens....clucking and strutting their chicken dance. Fun!
147. the sky is blue
out there
above all our rigamarole
the sky is blue
*
the sun keeps rising
even if we can’t see it
and the sky is blue
—Life doesn’t worry about anything down here. The sun rises up in the sky and rolls around heaven all day. Remembering this can be a comfort.
146. the family goose
at the sound of sirens
she runs for the shelter
with the goose!
—During the war in Europe when the air raid sirens wailed warning people of imminent danger, everyone right away ran to bomb shelters. My mother’s task in those times was to carry the goose, a family treasure, to safety. I’m sure it wasn’t easy.
145. getting dressed
cold, cold morning
warming my clothes
in the clothes dryer....toasty!
—yesterday morning, replying to an early morning comment from a friend, i’d intended to text, “that’s a great idea!,” but my phone’s auto-correct typed in, “that’s a great haiku!”—Now that’s another sort of a haiku moment. I immediately set my hands to find a good way to picture his comments using origami. These finished clothes are all 3” or smaller and all but one are folded from a square of paper .
144. all terrain hike
snow, ice, slush, and mud
underground tunnels* laid bare
trying to get home
*this and many other tunnels were likely created by field mice (moles or voles) burrowing their way under weeks of deep snow.
—Today’s hike was stimulating though a bit grueling. All along the way, yak-trax and hiking polls sinking and sticking in snow and ice and slush and mud. Interestingly, the meadow was mostly clear under a bright warming sun, both of us taking off vests and rolling up sleeves. Nearing the end of our hike we were searching for a less difficult way back home, just wanting to settle down and relax. I wonder if the field mice were doing the same.
143. at the thrift store
one fishing pole
and four kids bikes, in reserve—
waiting ‘til spring
—I guess you could say that all of America, and the whole world, has been put on reserve, on hold and waiting for things to open up again. As for me when i can’t do what i used to do, i go out looking for something new. So here i am now....with a blog and on social media, writing haiku with pictures—and having a new kind of fun.
141. time out
flagged
not once but twice!
seeing red
—I finally got up the gumption to get on social media to share my art and connect with a wider audience.... and on my second day out, my post got flagged and removed, not once but twice. At first dismayed, my heat soon heated up and I considered quitting. I thought about it and said “no.” It’s just energy, turn it around and use it, don’t hold on to it. The other side of anger is resolve. Make art not war!
(BTW those two posts are back on—there may have been some misunderstanding.)
140. round and round
between heaven and earth
spring, summer, fall, winter....
and spring
—“Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring” is title to a simple, elegant Korean film. It tells a Buddhist fable that follows the seasons of a man’s life from childhood to maturity.