Category Archives: Nature

Spirit of Music

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I loved her even before I saw her, heard her, held her in my arms. Sure, it was because I met one like her, an older, more imposing, different one, just similar enough to help me name what I was looking for.

Yet I had to wait. Money was one problem; time was another. I didn’t have the right amount of either. But she waited, too, and I saved. When at last money and time came together, I called her, sight unseen, sound unheard.

When that one special, rightly chosen ukulele came into my open hands, my open heart responded. She is Brio, meaning spirit, enthusiasm, animation, dynamism (I like that!), verve. And with that Spirit, we create beautiful music together.

Love is the Lifeforce
Demanding seasons align
Waiting turns to bliss

—
Today Toni tends the pub at
dVerse,
presenting the task of composing a romantic haibun. There are 2 things I consciously hesitate to do here… 1) I try not to write much Japanese poetry like haiku or haibun, because I feel mine always fall short. 2) Romance? Uh, no. But I could not in good conscience totally blow off the prompt, especially not after reading the other poets’ beautiful contributions! And so, with trembling fingers I offer up the closest thing to romance I can muster. I hope it’s not too cheesy. 😮

And have a listen to Brio,
’cause the music flows freely around here!

Season of Headache

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Celebrating is the last thing I feel like doing.
The first thing is sleep.
The second is coffee, but I’ve already had too much.
That leads to the third,
A terminal headache…
But this, too, shall pass
As I journey onward
To celebrate
Again!

—
Grace hosts today’s first of five anniversary features over at
DVerse.
The Quadrille has become a favorite of mine, and this one should contain the word “journey”. I am journeying indeed, but not celebrating… yet.

Wounds

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Ouch! How the thorns of life impress their mark;
Impacting like a traitor in the dark!
A bleeding wound that never seems to heal;
With all the replays, blood cannot congeal.
Too overwhelmed, forgetful in the pain..;
Take heart! The roses always bloom again!

—
I’ve come to enjoy this, the Quadrille at
dVerse,
where Björn is hosting, and today’s word is “rose”!

Earth Blessing

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A blessing song for our Mother Earth and her many inhabitants. May we live in harmony here, and with all beings everywhere!

Instrument: Brio – Red Cedar Concert Ukulele

Refrain:
Earth we know
Earth we love
As below
So above.
Earth we take
Earth we give
We awake
As one to live!

1. May compassion be our guide,
Seeing all that you provide.
May our knowledge come to show
Wisdom as we change and grow.
Refrain:

2. May we give to you our best,
Loving kindness, peace, and rest.
Harmony is One in All,
Shaping land and waterfall.
Refrain:

3. God above and on the earth
Lives through every death and birth.
Planet of the Spirit, too,
May we handle you with Truth!
Refrain:

Summer Colonnade

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A colonnade, oasis, place to rest
From Summer heat, a visitor obsessed.

It hasn’t been here long but plans to stay
Until the Autumn sighs with cooler days.

Awating temperature’s more temperate fall,
I make this colonnade my port of call!

—
This one follows Walter’s prompt at
dVerse,
inspired by this line from T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land”:
“With a shower of rain; we stopped in the colonnade (…)”

But a Summer Colonnade sounds like a dance to me! Or a refreshing drink!

Rain – Haibun

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Happy Solstice and a brilliant full moon here in the Northern hemisphere tonight!

This poem does not fit the prompt. We’re supposed to pick a Japanese word for “rain”. But these words are very specific, and I don’t speak Japanese. I’ve always been warned not to use words I don’t truly understand. So, I cannot choose a Japanese word for “rain” as a title. No, I have enough trouble raining on me when I write haiku or haibun, not English forms of poetry, although Heaven knows we commandeer everything as our own sooner or later! All I can say, in my native tongue of not-the-Queen’s-English, is let the rains fall where they may, and here is the haiku that is unfit, unprompted, but not unappreciated!

Pouring, cursed, bless-ed
Four seasons, with more in life
Stirring rains of change

—
Written in a nonconformist way for
dVerse.

Smiles

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Smiles spilling all around,
Saturating driest ground,
Calming down with softest light
Every fiery word that bites;
Laying in a bed of peace
Where Hope blooms with gentle ease.
And in the morning glow of Dawn,
We look and find new smiles have grown!

—
Another for
dVerse,
with thanks to Grace for her inspiration!

Songbird Sing

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Instrument: Tempo – Seagull Excursion Folk Acoustic Guitar
(capo 4)

Soaring high above the clouds
Of chaos in my mind,
I know there is a song to sing
With words I cannot find.

I hunt and peck and try in vain
To force the music out
And feel the pangs of harsh regret
That feed the fire of doubt.

The time has come to let it go
And set the songbird free!
For only when the spirit soars
Can any songbird sing!

I learn to find the hidden nest
Of peace within my mind,
Where love consoles and lifts me over
All the thoughts that bind.

There are no words to look for here,
No melody to sing;
The music of this sacred place
The Spirit plays within.

So, take the time to let it go
And set the songbird free!
For only when the spirit soars
Can you, the songbird, sing!

Download Mp3

Right click this link and choose “Save target as…” or similar to download. Feel free to share for noncommercial purposes only, please.
Songbird Sing Mp3.

—
“Poetics – The Music in You” is today’s prompt over at
dVerse.

Basically the exercise, for poets, is to write a song lyric instead of a poem. Read the post–I totally agree with the part about poems beaing “heard” in a speaking voice, while lyrics are not!

Most of you know by now that I’m a songwriter. However, this one is a song written more like a poem! It has melody, harmony, rhythm, and honestly, I think it turned out well! But you’ll notice it does not have a refrain or chorus. And it’s written in quatrains, those stanzas/verses of 4 lines. They rhyme, as most (all?) of my songs do. But it can be either read alone, listened to as a song, or both.

I hope you enjoy this. I couldn’t resist writing to this prompt, but the result is not what I expected! No, it is much better!

Also published in
Vision through Words

Weather – Haibun

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The weather affects me, whether I like it – or not. What else can truly tell me how to dress for the day? Anything but the weather itself is just someone else’s opinion. What else dictates whether I spend time outside? And if so, doing what? Playing an instrument? Riding a bike? Sledding? Only the weather can tell me; only the weather whethers the changing days.

Waking atmosphere
Bringing in the morning light
Wordless, shaping day.

My first Haibun (prose and Haiku) for
dVerse.