The Lessons of the Scarecrow 30 Days of Haiga 2024

 

Image by Willgard Krause from Pixabay

harmless and straw-stuffed

diabolic rural fiend

what is Scarecrow's truth?

https://chevrefeuillescarpediem.blogspot.com/2012/12/carpe-diem-special-12-busons-scarecrow.html

Image by Holger Grybsch from Pixabay

Sometimes, an image is wonderful, but it isn't the right choice to convey your intent most effectively. This is true for both visual and written work. 

I initially selected the image of the friendly straw dolly-style scarecrow to illustrate my poem because I didn't want to use the stereotypical horror movie scarecrow. However, this image was not the most effective choice. The shadowy scarecrow figure's ambiguity perfectly conveys the poem's message. It's just a harmless old scarecrow hanging in a field--isn't it? The shadows seem malevolent, but that's just a trick of the light. Probably.

The right image at the right time brings power to your work, lending it a lasting impression. There's nothing wrong with the straw dolly. She can be repurposed. In fact, she will be my model for today's etching. She simply didn't bring the most evocative energy to my scarecrow poem.

I once read an essay about writing good Haiku. Unfortunately, the only thing that stuck with me from this article was that it referred to certain of its samples as "bad" rather than simply showing how they could be written more effectively. Nothing discourages aspiring artists, poets, and writers more than the fear that their efforts will be ridiculed. Shame is not an effective motivator. It is more likely to encourage a person to abandon their efforts than to spur positive changes. 

My scarecrow Haiku will never win any prizes. It probably breaks several rules of Haiku perfection. However, my motivation when writing it was not to win any prizes. I wanted to contrast the harmless scarecrow archetype with the horrific version and raise the age-old question: can you judge a book by its cover? Are scarecrows funny, floppy beings, or sinister creatures hiding wicked secrets? At the heart of it, my true motivation was to pair philosophical concepts with a bit of fun, and I believe I succeeded in that goal. 

I'm not going to do a combination post this time. This post will work nicely for my Substack and as a free post for my Ream channel. 

While I am still committed to the 30 Days of Haiga project, not all 30 days will take place in September. Because of other commitments, I am taking the pressure off myself by making this a quarter-long project rather than a month-long one as I've done in years past. If I write the last of my 30 annual Haigas in December, it's fine.

I'm still learning to pace myself rather than beating myself up for being unable to comply with the too-ambitious goals I tend to set for myself. I consider this decision a win. Creativity should be enjoyable rather than feeling like horrible homework. 

~Ornery Owl Has Spoken~

Image by LoneWombatMedia from Pixabay

Scarecrows and I have something in common; we're both outstanding in our field. 

My creations are © 2024. This work is openly licensed via CC BY 4.0.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Follow 30 Days of Haiga and other Fall poetry projects

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https://reamstories.com/naughtynetherworldpress

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Cold Crow and Drab Duck 30 Days of Haiga 2024

 

Image by Alexa from Pixabay

either cold or hot

crow is a dish best not served

choose your words wisely

The prompt put me in a Senryu state of mind.

https://chevrefeuillescarpediem.blogspot.com/2012/12/carpe-diem-71-cold-crow-kangarasu.html

I know this bird is actually a raven. But it makes a nice stand-in for a crow on its nice, snowy background.

Image by Bianca Van Dijk from Pixabay

Mandarin Duck

Image by Yana Vakulina from Pixabay

mandarin she-duck

beautiful in her own way

despite drab feathers

The Prompt:

https://chevrefeuillescarpediem.blogspot.com/2012/12/carpe-diem-72-mandarin-ducks-oshidori.html

Image by eriko okuno from Pixabay

I believe the only place you'll see ducks like these is when taking a trip, and I'm not talking about going for a drive to the local pond in your car.

Do you pity the female Mandarin duck because nobody compliments her drab plumage? I don't. I wish I could be more like her.

When I was younger, I thought I wanted men to be ga-ga over my looks. I was also very conflicted about my body. I hated it when my hips developed but I wished I had bigger breasts. I hated it when gross men whistled or shouted at me from car windows or construction sites, but I wanted the guys my own age to want me. 

I never had the kind of looks that would have made me a sex object. I had a big butt and thighs with a modest chest. My face was "too round" even when my weight was "proportional to my height." I had cosmetic work done on my chin and teeth to make my face more conventionally attractive. 

After having liposuction on my chin, my delightful boss at the airport clothing store told me I should get something done about my "chipmunk cheeks." As she said this, she pinched my cheeks. I was too astounded to say anything. My face was bruised and puffy, I had a compression bandage wrapped around it to help reduce the swelling, and this maniac was pinching my cheeks. This is one of those times where there simply were no words. 

As I got older, I attracted attention because I have the "wrong kind" of body. I have the kind of body where everyone thinks it's their right to tell me how I should change my body. I think it's my right to tell them all to fuck off. 

Unlike my younger self, I don't want to be noticed for my looks in any way, whether it's positive or negative. I look different, so my looks attract attention. I want my creations to get noticed, not me. 

Peter Frampton once said he didn't understand why photographs always focused on his face when it was his hands that made the music. Phil Lynott said that even though he didn't encounter serious racial prejudice (his mother was Irish and his father was from Guyana) he was, nevertheless, aware that he was "other," and it bothered him. 

I resonate with both of these thoughts. What difference does it make if I look like a Playboy centerfold or if I look like a Playhutt centerfold? I'm not a pinup girl, I'm a poet and writer. You don't have to see me to read my words. If you're thinking about me rather than what I've written, either you're a stalker or I need to improve my technique.

As for being "other," I spent decades trying to change my appearance because I thought I looked ugly.

I may never have been beautiful, but I didn't look ugly. I looked like an East European peasant with my round face and stocky body. If that's not your thing, that's fine. I'd never try to force anyone to pretend they think I'm beautiful. 

Here's the thing, though. If you behave like someone not resembling your ideal bed partner is presenting a personal affront to you simply by existing, you, not they, are the problem. Not being attracted to someone is not a reason to treat them like garbage. 

Rather than seeing people's appearances as attractive or ugly, I see them as attractive or neutral. It's a person's behaviors that make them seem ugly, not an asymmetrical face, wonky teeth, the size of their body, or any other external factor.

~Ornery Owl Has Spoken~

My creations are © 2024. This work is openly licensed via CC BY 4.0.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Final Market of the Year and Hawks 30 Days of Haiga 2024

 

Image by G.C. from Pixabay

browsing unique gifts

final market of the year

in a lengthy life

The Prompt:

https://chevrefeuillescarpediem.blogspot.com/2012/12/carpe-diem-69-year-market-toshi-no-ichi.html

I ran the photo through several filters. I really like the stark contrast between the light and shadows. 

Image by Nicky ❤️🌿🐞🌿❤️ from Pixabay

Here's the image I (ahem) DREW inspiration from for today's etching.

I had no idea scratching out a bunch of gnomes and other weird things would take so long. I don't think I'll be etching a hawk today. Maybe tomorrow. 

Red tail hawk by Jim Black on Pixabay

out on the prairie

hawks perching atop fenceposts

watching for a meal

The Prompt:

https://chevrefeuillescarpediem.blogspot.com/2012/12/carpe-diem-70-hawk-taka.html

My creations are © 2024. This work is openly licensed via CC BY 4.0.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Winter Grasses 30 Days of Haiga 2024

 

Image by Agata from Pixabay

grasses gone to sleep

creatures hibernate beneath

winter has arrived

The Prompt:

https://chevrefeuillescarpediem.blogspot.com/2012/12/carpe-diem-68-winter-grasses-fuyu-kusa.html

Here's my first image. From a graphic design standpoint, this is fantastic! The simple lines and bold colors make a strong visual impact, and I tried to ensure that my text art blended in with the feel of the grasses and berries rather than trying to upstage the background.

I'm a graphic design school dropout. I went for one semester in 1998 and never went back. I was hoping to get into video game design. The very first instructor I had took a disliking to me. I really didn't want to go into advertising design, which was her focus, and she seemed to take that personally.

I didn't want to simply copy the above image for my hand-drawn version, so I chose a different picture.

Image by Edyta Stawiarska from Pixabay

Oh boy, it's a horse. I suck at drawing animals. Challenge accepted anyway because the rainbow scratch paper may make my awful rendition charming in spite of itself.

My creations are © 2024. This work is openly licensed via CC BY 4.0.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The Old New Year and Fruitless Blossoms 30 Days of Haiga 2024

 

Image by Manuel Angel Egea from Pixabay

in a time long gone

new year came at harvest end

heralding winter

The Prompt:

https://chevrefeuillescarpediem.blogspot.com/2012/12/carpe-diem-67-new-years-eve-toshi-no-yo.html

Image by Brigitte Werner from Pixabay

days grow warmer now

in time of fruitless blossoms

world awakening

The Prompt:

https://chevrefeuillescarpediem.blogspot.com/2012/12/carpe-diem-special-11-buson-fruitless.html

I'm aware these Haiku have not been transformed into Haiga. The last couple of days have been terribly busy. I prefer to Haiga in a leisurely fashion these days.

My creations are © 2024. This work is openly licensed via CC BY 4.0.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Winter Camellia Warmth 30 Days of Haiga 2024

 

Image by Mirko Stödter from Pixabay

warmth and happiness

from the winter camellia

in a pot of tea

Digital manipulation by Cara Hartley/Ornery Owl created using Pixlr.

Text art by Ornery Owl

Image by Martina Kouřílková from Pixabay

Here is the photo I referenced when making my drawing.

Etching by Cara Hartley/Ornery Owl

Here's my etching with text added in Pixlr.

My creations are © 2024. This work is openly licensed via CC BY 4.0.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Here is the prompt I used for inspiration.

https://chevrefeuillescarpediem.blogspot.com/2012/12/carpe-diem-66-winter-camellia-kantsubaki.html

I'm being cheeky with this Haiku. Camellia sinensis is a shrub with white flowers from which we get tea leaves.

Camellia sinensis. (2024, July 15). In Wikipedia.

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camellia_sinensis

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Sanu_N

Enjoy this wonderful, relaxing music while I tell you about this year’s 30 Days of Haiga project.

https://odysee.com/@qooietly:f/m-i-r-a-g-e-deep-relaxation-ambient:1?r=GTwnGJ4fFBQfzuJgpHVpfKBKaC9b8B16

Haiga is Haiku paired with an image. This year, I have rainbow scratch paper and am challenging myself to create my Haiga with a picture I draw. My drawing talent may be similar to that of a six-year-old using their non-dominant hand, but creating my own picture uses different areas of my brain than creating a Haiga using a photograph and a photo manipulation program. I intend to utilize both techniques this year.

As of this writing, I’ve been participating in the 30 Days of Haiga challenge for ten years. However, the challenge was not my brainchild. As far as I know, it was created by Rick Daddario of the 19 Planets Art Blog.

https://19planets.wordpress.com/

The challenge is very special to me, and I will probably continue doing it until I can’t anymore.  

Enjoy this ambient mix.

https://odysee.com/@SoundAvenueTV:d/ambient-avenue-mix-003-sovande-%28music:b?r=GTwnGJ4fFBQfzuJgpHVpfKBKaC9b8B16

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsDMaSiuI4o

This Halloween ambience is pretty much the best music for writing anything ever.

April PAD Challenge + NaPoWriMo 2024 Day 19

 

Image by Enrique from Pixabay

Hello Poetry People! Here are today's prompts for your poetic pleasure.

https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/2024-april-pad-challenge-day-19

Today's April PAD Challenge prompt invites poets to create an emotion poem.

https://www.napowrimo.net/day-nineteen-9/

The NaPoWriMo prompt suggests the following intriguing idea.

What are you haunted by, or what haunts you? Write a poem responding to this question. Then change the word haunt to hunt.

That certainly sounds like my kind of poem. Adding in the following prompt from Carpe Diem Haiku

https://chevrefeuillescarpediem.blogspot.com/2012/12/carpe-diem-59-withering-wind-kogarashi.html

I went with the quick, hard-hitting approach, creating a two-verse Haiku about being both haunted and hunted by the withering wind. We've had some really wicked winds out here on the Lone Prairie over the past couple of weeks, so the subject matter seemed poignantly appropriate and also appropriately poignant. 

I hope you enjoy creating your own work using one or all of these prompts should the spirit move you.

~Ornery Owl Has Spoken~

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

"You're a flipping penguin, Lennox! I'm the one who should be wearing the rain slicker!"

"It's too big for you, Ornery. It fits me just right, and it looks super snappy on me too."

https://odysee.com/@GamingAmbience:6/destiny-2-the-dreaming-city-bay-of-3:9?r=GTwnGJ4fFBQfzuJgpHVpfKBKaC9b8B16

Enjoy some music and visual inspiration.

April PAD Challenge + NaPoWriMo 2024 Day 17

 

Image by Shafin Al Asad Protic from Pixabay

Hello, Poetry People. Today, I went for brevity and wrote a Haiku for my April PAD Challenge/NaPoWriMo poem.

https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/2024-april-pad-challenge-day-17

The April PAD Challenge prompt asked participants to write a Not Blank poem. I gave my Haiku the title Not In the Mainstream.

https://www.napowrimo.net/day-seventeen-10/

The NaPoWriMo prompt suggests that participants create a poem inspired by a piece of music. For my own part, I chose a timeless classic: the music of nature in the form of the sound of falling rain. 

It's not mainstream pop, to be sure. The unspoken portion of the poem is the fact that it's being written by someone who will never be in the mainstream.

I've learned something about myself that doesn't surprise me in the least. In fact, it explains a lot about my hypersensitivity and how frazzled I feel when my routine is disrupted. It also reinforces my anger and sadness over the way I've been treated like I'm a bad person and/or weak for something that's part of my neurological makeup. I will spend the rest of my life trying to learn not to hate myself and to try and get along in a world that hates people like me. 

Nobody is going to try to understand people like me. I'm used to that. It would be nice, however, if medical professionals were taught to treat all their patients with common decency rather than disdain, even the "difficult" ones. 

I'm not trying to be difficult. It's not like I intentionally decided to have this shit show of a body. Who the hell would choose that? The truth is, I'm fucking terrified of you. I don't want to be here. I can smell the disdain coming off you. You don't try to hide it at all. 

To condense all that, the unspoken message in the Haiku is this:

Working through this shit show of a body and this weirdly wired brain is a soul who loves the sound of rain, just wishes everyone could be happy and live peacefully, and will never be part of the mainstream in any way. I don't want pills, injections, and surgery to force my disobedient body to look like what you have deemed it should look like. (I swear to whatever gods there may be if I type "whould" one more time, I'm gonna cut off my fingers!) 

I don't want pills or shock therapy or surgery to rearrange my brain till I fit into your definition of sane. 

I don't want injections or surgeries or other expensive treatments in a desperate attempt to make myself look younger or closer to what you deem attractive. 

It shouldn't matter if I don't conform to your idea of what the perfect woman looks like or acts like. You should treat me with respect and kindness all the same. You have no idea what I've been through or what it's like to be me.

I'll probably go back to being stoic tomorrow. Today, I felt like this needed to be said. I'm sure all five or six people who read this blog really give a shit anyway.

This was the first day in many months that I woke up without feeling like I was on the verge of a panic attack. Learning what I did recently makes certain things finally make sense.

~Ornery Owl Has Spoken~

Image by c from Pixabay

https://odysee.com/@sayitright77:e/rain-sounds-for-sleeping-13:9?r=GTwnGJ4fFBQfzuJgpHVpfKBKaC9b8B16

I could literally listen to this sort of thing all day.

April PAD Challenge + NaPoWriMo 2024 Day 13 & 14

Image by Diego Ortiz from Pixabay

Image by press 👍 and ⭐ from Pixabay

I created two suites of poetry over the weekend.

The first is the Living World suite.

https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/2024-april-pad-challenge-day-13

The April PAD Challenge prompt called for a living poem.

https://www.napowrimo.net/day-thirteen-10/

The NaPoWriMo prompt asks for participants to play with rhyme.

I opted not to write rhyming poems.

Start by creating a “word bank” of ten simple words. They should only have one or two syllables apiece. Five should correspond to each of the five senses (i.e., one word that is a thing you can see, one word that is a type of sound, one word that is a thing you can taste, etc). Three more should be concrete nouns of whatever character you choose (i.e., “bridge,” “sun,” “airplane,” “cat”), and the last two should be verbs. Now, come up with rhymes for each of your ten words.

I didn't do this exactly. I chose ten subjects using prompts from Carpe Diem Haiku and wrote ten poems in Haiku, Senryu, or Tanka style.

https://chevrefeuillescarpediem.blogspot.com/2012/11/carpe-diem-53-rain-provided-by-bjorn.html

Rain

https://chevrefeuillescarpediem.blogspot.com/2012/11/carpe-diem-54-love.html

Love

https://chevrefeuillescarpediem.blogspot.com/2012/11/carpe-diem-55-sadness.html

Sadness

https://chevrefeuillescarpediem.blogspot.com/2012/11/carpe-diem-56-full-beaver-moon.html

Full beaver moon

https://chevrefeuillescarpediem.blogspot.com/2012/11/carpe-diem-preview-8-look-back-2.html

Jade

Butterfly

Glacier

Flowers

Mist

Heron

Image by press 👍 and ⭐ from Pixabay

Moving on to Sunday, I created my Ekphrastic Gallery of five poems.

https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/2024-april-pad-challenge-day-14

You can find the images I used as my inspiration in the above link.

https://www.napowrimo.net/day-fourteen-11/

Today's NaPoWriMo prompt asks participants write a poem of at least ten lines in which each line begins with the same word (e.g., “Because,” “Forget,” “Not,” “If”). This technique of beginning multiple lines with the same word or phrase is called anaphora, and has long been used to give poems a driving rhythm and/or a sense of puzzlebox mystery.

The five poems I wrote using this technique are as follows:

Stars

Wounds

Sailing

Screams

Strange Vacation

These are five of my favorite poems because they delve into difficult subject matter and have unexpected patterns. This is the kind of poetry I live to write.

I guess that about does it for this ol' session.

~Ornery Owl Has Spoken~

Image by Desiret Aguado from Pixabay

Last Night Flight

 

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

upon my last night

I will take flight into space

becoming a star

notes

https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/2023-november-pad-chapbook-challenge-day-30

Write a last night poem.

I decided against back-dating this one. 

This year I'm writing not one but two remix poems, the first one starting with my first poem from this year's challenge and the second one starting with the last. 

November was a stressful month. I'm not sure December will be much better, but I'll be striving to unfuck some fuckery. 

~Ornery Owl Has Spoken~

Image by Gerry from Pixabay

Free use image by Gordon Johnson on Pixabay

Legal Eagle's Corner

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

 BY: credit must be given to the creator.

 NC: Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted.

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If you want to use this Haiga for commercial purposes, drop a comment with your contact information and I'll contact you.