HAIKU
Rising from the mud
wide blooms floating in calmness
pure lotus beauty
…as in purity of body, mind and heart…
LIKE A BUTTERFLY
HAIKU
Seize the mind’s impulse
write quick as a butterfly
before it disappears
“Write injuries in sand, kindness in marble.”
A French Proverb
MIND GLANCING
Flowers by Gwen John
HAIKU
Eyes seeing beauty
The gentle breeze caressing
mind glancing wildflowers
*
…that is what beautiful art does to me…
HOLY WEEDS
Image of Renown Japanese Conservationist – Nobue Kai
HAIKU
They spread plentiful
these weeds so precious to God
as men battle them…in every season
…Nobue Kai admires the crabgrass, flea bane, kudzu and more…
IN A SAFE PLACE
OFF THE CUFF Writing
Every Friday I rush to my ‘safe place.’ There, I feel Eastertide still lingering over the lacey altar linen as the tapered candles get closer to the brass holders. What seems like a few minutes of rest turns out to be an hour of sweet refuge as I wave in and out of sacredness.
Lord, help me to see everything and everyone with eyes of faith,
to better imagine the different rooms prepared for all of us in heaven,
to capture a glimpse of us at the royal banquet of the throne of God,
to see all of our ancestors and friends gone before us
and to see our death as a happy day of rejoicing for all eternity.
Lord, help me to see everything with eyes of faith.
EXOTIC STRAIN
OFF THE CUFF Writing
When someone sent me this unusual image which is Hindu Kush, I had to find out about it. Research tells of its medicinal properties for those who suffer chronic stress and insomnia taken in the form of cannabis oil. My heart and prayers go out to anyone struggling against these conditions.
HAIKU
Fighting anxiety
Hoping for a good night’s sleep
Grateful for relief
‘PORTRAITS OF TIME’
HAIBUN
Beth Moon is an American photographer who for the past 14 years has captured on film the strangest, most ancient trees in the world and depicts them in books. Some of these rare trees are over thousands of years old. Many of them have survived only because they exist in remote uncivilized regions. It took 3 years for her to visit this Shebehon Forest in Yemen. As she puts it, her efforts “celebrate the wonders of nature that have survived throughout the centuries.”
HAIKU
Ancient majesties
surviving time’s ravages
photographic wonders
…thanks to Beth Moon’s passion for ancient exotic trees…
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“I cannot imagine a better way to commemorate the lives of the world’s most dramatic trees, many of which are in danger of destruction, than by exhibiting their portraits.”
