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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Ornery Owl's Ream Stories

https://reamstories.com/naughtynetherworldpress

Ornery Owl's Substack

https://naughtynetherworldpress.substack.com/

The Demiurge Laughs

 

By Dominique Signoret (signodom.club.fr) - Dominique Signoret (signodom.club.fr), CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1003233

What if I'm just the butt of a cosmic joke?

What if God is the cruelest bully of all,

Having a laugh as my dreams go up in smoke,

Loving to see me feeling two foot small?

Which is worse when everything is said and done;

A spiteful creator or oblivion?

A universe that's mean and arbitrary

Constructed by a deity uncaring.

notes

Here's the prompt for today's poem. I loosely interpreted the instructions. 

https://experiencewriting.com/2023/10/13/oct-13-prompts-stirring-the-ashes/

The form is a Rispetto.

http://www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/rispetto.html

The rhyme scheme for a Rispetto is abab ccdd. It's supposed to be written in iambic tetrameter, but I have no idea how well I did with that. Most lines in the examples I saw were eleven syllables, so I think of it as Elevensies, and that gets the job done.

Now for a little ornery philosophy. Or Cthulhu Mythos geekery. Or Lovecraftian fangirling. Whatever.

Azathoth really isn't a good example of a demiurge. He's primordial chaos. Nyarlathotep is closer to a demiurge, but  this poem isn't about him because he's not, in fact, a cosmic bully. He only messes with people who are asking for it, like megalomaniac wizards or power-hungry politicians.

I wrote a poem about Nyarlathotep that I'm pretty proud of. I really dig the image I included with it too.

https://poetryofthenetherworld.blogspot.com/2021/03/sympathy-for-nyarlathotep.html

I still have more to do today, so I think I'll leave it at that. If you'd like to go further down the Demiurge's rabbit hole, here's your entrance.

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

~Ornery Owl Has Philosophized, Geeked Out, and Fangirled~

Image by Vogue0987 from Pixabay

"Do not ask me to choose between Tales From the Dreamlands One and Two, Owl! I will not have one without the other! Then again, The Quest for Captain Sammy's Treasure is a treasure unto itself! Of course, the short and sweet tale of Nyarlathotep's star-crossed love with Queen Nathicana always brings a briny tear to my eye. 'Tis an impossible choice!"

Free use image from Pixabay

"You've still got tentacles to spare, Squid Mage. Why not take 'em all?"

Shameless Self-Promotion:

If you like weird Lovecraftian fantasy with a touch of comedy and that certain je ne sais quoi, be sure to check out all the stories in the Tales From the Dreamlands series. All except The Quest for Captain Sammy's Treasure are free with Kindle Unlimited.

Nyarlathotep's Journey

https://bit.ly/NyJourneyAZ

This 3000-word story reveals the origins of the ancient cosmic sorceress Yadira Root, daughter of the Outer God Nyarlathotep, and Queen Nathicana of the doomed world of Zaïs. It provides a unique interpretation of Nyarlathotep, the most nuanced and intelligent of H.P. Lovecraft's Outer Gods.

Ketil and Yitzy's Adventure in the Xura Dream House

https://amzn.to/2ZHmryK

In this fix-up novella, the fate of the Cosmos rests in the hands of an unlikely team of unusual friends. Will an exiled member of an ancient extraterrestrial race, a human ghost, and two ghouls be able to outfox an ancient evil and beat Nyarlathotep at his game before time runs out? This buddy story is the first in a series of New Cthulhu Mythos cliffhangers.

The Quest For the Wizard's Key

https://amzn.to/3ZtZ09w

352 pages

The Wizard's Key is the second book in a series of New Cthulhu Mythos tales. This fix-up novel features a fascinating cast of outcasts on a quest to save the Cosmos from destruction by malevolent forces. Join them on their madcap journey.

This fix-up novel follows the events that transpired in Ketil and Yitzy’s Adventure in the Xura Dream House. The book can be read as a standalone, but for a better understanding of the characters and events, it is suggested that Ketil and Yitzy’s Adventure in the Xura Dream House should be read first. It is a fun, fast-paced buddy story with plenty of creepy, crazy twists and turns.

Once you have read Ketil and Yitzy’s Adventure, you will be In the Know so you can be In with the In Crowd! Then you can join us at the Kewl Eldritch Horrors table.

The Quest for Captain Sammy's Treasure

http://books2read.com/PirateGold

This Lovecraftian fantasy adventure is one of the tales featured in the Pirate Gold anthology from Dragon Soul Press.

Five centuries ago, Captain Sammy buried his treasure in an unlikely location before letting the sun burn his body to ash to avoid becoming a vampire. Now the spectral pirate is back in the Jungle of Kled to reclaim his treasure, accompanied by two unusual friends. 

Rilpu is a young sorceress born as a serpent but transformed into a humanoid female by a spell. The wizard Zkauba hails from the doomed world of Yaddith. They are soon joined by an impressive companion: Yadira, the daughter of Nyarlathotep. However, it is possible that even Nyarlathotep's daughter may not be able to defeat the abomination standing in the blighted clearing upon the pedestal where Captain Sammy's treasure is hidden. 

Do the ghostly pirate captain and his friends have a chance of reclaiming the treasure and continuing their mission to save the Cosmos from destruction or are they destined to fail?

🌠🌠🌠

If you've read this far, thank you! Remember, the best way to support independent and small press authors (including the delinquents at Naughty Netherworld Press) is to talk about independent and small press authors. Don't keep us a secret--spread the word!

Rituals

 

In Holy Smoke by Chinh Le Duc

I miss my rituals

though I am unsure

they amounted to anything.

I miss having something to believe in

but I can't accept

rigid dogma

notes

Today's Haiga-esque creation was inspired by the following prompt.

https://experiencewriting.com/2023/10/02/oct-2-prompts-what-are-your-creative-rituals/

I'm not following these prompts to the letter. You can if you wish, but I'm not up to it. 

Text art and effects were added to the base image using Pixlr. You are welcome to share my Haiga thing, but please credit Cara Hartley/Ornery Owl if you do. A link back to this blog would also be nice.

Most of the time I let my poetry speak for itself, but sometimes I've got to pop off. This is one of those times.

You're welcome to believe, not believe, or not be sure of what you believe. I have no interest in making others be or think like me. We have all experienced different things both in this life and potentially whatever lives we had before. You are not me and I am not you.

I wouldn't wish some of the things I've gone through on my worst enemy. I understand that other people's experiences may not have been as contentious so they may not get where I'm coming from. I don't ask you to agree with me, I ask you to try and understand rather than attacking or arguing.

I'm not interested in debating you. If your beliefs serve you well, good on you. Don't try to convince me that I must believe as you do. I don't take well to proselytizing. Conversely, I'm also not keen for acerbic atheism. By this I mean I don't much care for those who mock anyone with spiritual beliefs.

I'm a devout agnostic. I've seen some shit, and most of the time I think there is something of ourselves that continues after the death of the body. I have no irrefutable proof of this, but the idea of absolute nothingness and the idea of a punitive paternal figure who sends anyone who doesn't worship him properly to eternal hell are both incredibly depressing. Since moderate depression is my baseline state, I find it's better if I have something to sort of believe in, and it's best if that thing isn't a sadistic parental figure.

I was a devout Catholic until I turned 18. After that, I fell into New Age philosophy for about 25 years. I found no peace there because I discovered that New Ageism holds to the same old my way or the highway philosophy as other major religions, it just puts an esoteric spin on the dogma. 

During my New Age phase, I spent thousands of dollars to end up feeling worse about myself. The movement is rife with toxic positivity and victim blaming. New Ageism is poison for anyone with a history of trauma as well as for those living with chronic health issues. 

New Age thinking postulates that people bring all their problems on themselves by sending out the wrong energy or not believing in themselves enough. This is just prosperity gospel repackaged. Prosperity gospel preaches that bad things happen to people who don't pray the right way or tithe enough of their earnings to their local megachurch, Joel Osteen, or whoever the latest shiny veneered grinning face of prosperity gospel may be.

I recommend following @JoelDongsteen on Twitter--excuse me, X. At least you'll get a good laugh during this lifetime, and the joviality you feel may even follow you into the afterlife.

~Ornery Owl Has Spoken~

Image by Oberholster Venita from Pixabay

November PAD Challenge 2022: Day 30: And That's All

 

Image by Mystic Art Design from Pixabay

ashes to ashes

does something precious remain

the day the end comes?

~ornery owl has spoken~

Image by Mystic Art Design from Pixabay

notes and prompts used

https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/2022-november-pad-chapbook-challenge-day-30

For today's prompt, take the phrase "And (blank)," replace the blanks with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem.

https://imprompt.wordpress.com/2022/11/30/day-30/

Write a small piece about a small thing worth more than its monetary value.

It's a bit obscure, but I actually did this. Few things have less monetary value than an ash.

Today's Playlist

https://odysee.com/@ambiencealchemy:2/cosy-christmas-ambience-snow-storm-and:5?r=GTwnGJ4fFBQfzuJgpHVpfKBKaC9b8B16

"Well, that's a bit fucking FESTIVE after that gloomy philosophical shite, Ornery."

Yeah, I know. It's how I roll. I like to mix things up a bit.

Pooh Bear is My Hero: A Quadrille and Sort of a Sijo

 

Would you believe that I am trying to be more like Pooh?

That willy-nilly silly old bear is my real hero.

Because he’s good-natured even when he’s bothered.

Because he believes that things can get better even when they’re bad.

I love you, Pooh.

~cie~

Day 18: Write an Ekphrastic poem.

https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/2021-april-pad-challenge-day-18

The picture of Pooh at the top of the poem is a true work of art.

Day 19: Write a poem with an animal in the title.

https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/2021-april-pad-challenge-day-19

Pooh is a bear, and the word "bear" appears in the title.

Day 20: Write a love poem and/or an anti-love poem.

https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/2021-april-pad-challenge-day-20

I heart Pooh Bear.

Write a Quadrille (44-word poem) using some form of the word "bother."

https://dversepoets.com/2021/04/19/quadrille-126-come-bother-up-a-poem/

I did.

Day 18: Write a poem using the title of another poem or book chapter.

https://www.napowrimo.net/day-eighteen-7/

I didn't do this.

Day 19: Write a humorous rant.

https://www.napowrimo.net/day-nineteen-6/

A lot of things grind my gears, but I didn't write about them. I wrote about wanting to be more like Pooh, who has a healthier approach to being bothered than I do.

Day 20: Write a Sijo.

https://www.napowrimo.net/day-twenty-8/

A Sijo is a Korean poetry form. Like the haiku, it has three lines, but the lines are much longer. Typically, they are 14-16 syllables, and optimally each line will consist of two parts – like two sentences, or a sentence of two clauses divided by a comma. In terms of overall structure, a sijo functions like an abbreviated sonnet, in that the first line sets up an inquiry or discussion, the second line continues the discussion, and the third line resolves it with a “twist” or surprise.

Well...

All of my lines except for the last one have between 14 and 16 syllables. The lines don't have two parts and there are five lines. So, this is sort of a Sijo but probably not really.

This is something that's neither here nor there, and I never thought the day would come when I'd hear myself say it, but I kind of like getting up early. I was always a "crack of noon" person in my earlier life, which is why I tended to work night shifts. Maybe no longer being a slave to a time clock has something to do with it.

The Icky, Sticky, Nit-Picky Legalese If You Please (Or Don't Please)

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Carpe Diem New Beginnings + Haiku My Heart: Without Beginning

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

all begins somewhere

when one is in the middle

beginning is lost

~cie~

Tan Renga Challenge 2019: Day 12: Miscanthus Bud

Image Source

the Dutchmen, too,

kneel before His Lordship --

spring under His reign.

inevitable forces

to which all must bow someday

by my new banana plant

the first sign of something I loathe --

a miscanthus bud!

all things must have their season

even those things undesired

another year is gone

a traveler's shade on my head,

straw sandals at my feet

straw soon replaced by leather

weatherproof boots are a must

now then, let's go out

to enjoy the snow ... until

I slip and fall!

not such a big deal in youth

in old age a bone may break

Basho & Cie

Notes:

All Hokku stanzas were created by Matsuo Basho (1644 - 1694). All Ageku (closing) stanzas were written by me.

I would like to dedicate this set of poems to my mother's and my late father's friend Richard, who passed away yesterday from complications stemming from ALS. I hope that one day a cure is found for this terrible, debilitating disease.

NaPoWriMo 2019 Day 30 + Poems in April 2019 Day 30: Thank You Jimi

Copyright Nico van der Stam

I want to thank you

For some much-needed wisdom

Across many years

~Cie~

Notes:

I watched the Jimi Hendrix documentary, Voodoo Child, this evening. 

I didn't really become a Jimi Hendrix fan until I was in my teens. He died when I was only five years old. I saw a documentary about him when I was eighteen or nineteen, and it was good, but this documentary reveals more of his personal thoughts. He was brilliant and he left a lot of wisdom for the world. 

The wisdom he imparted to me today is to stop looking for adulation and approval from others. This is something that I've struggled with my entire life.

When asked how it felt to receive so many compliments about his work, Jimi said that he really didn't care about compliments, in fact, he found that they distracted him from what was important: creation.

I think that's what it really means to be secure in oneself. Not so much thinking that one is flawless, but to be able to see the worth of one's goals and actions regardless of the opinions of the masses. 

Lots of views and comments stroke the needy ego of the insecure and wounded child that remains within the crusty, curmudgeonly, and likely not at all tasty exterior shell which houses my soul. 

This becomes a distraction to the creator. I start wanting to please my visitors rather than express myself through my words.

Next time I get stuck in that unharmonious groove, I need to remember Jimi's wise thoughts on the matter.

I will always be a fan of Jimi Hendrix the musician. 

Perhaps most people won't understand this, but that doesn't matter.

I also appreciate Jimi Hendrix the philosopher, and I'm grateful for the wisdom and works that he left behind.

(Don't move: this has been a Haibun!)

NaPoWriMo 2019: What's Done is Done

Image by Peter H from Pixabay

There is not

A single thing that

Can be done

To change then

We can only change today

We only live now

~Cie~

30 Days of Haiga 2017 Day 24 + OctPoWriMo 2017 Day 8: Box of Truth

Original background image link

Words and text manipulation by The Real Cie

30 Days of Haiga 2017: Day 16: Crushed to Dust

Original background:

Copyright: geraldas / 123RF Stock Photo

Verse by Gem Moondreamer and The Real Cie

Text manipulation by The Real Cie

NaPoWriMo 2015: Day 14: Suffering: A Conversation Between Me and the Cosmos

Suffering:

A Conversation Between Me and the Cosmos

"Why do you allow us to suffer?" I cried

To any deity or angel or demon

To any ascended master

To any spirit high or low

To any elemental being

To any ghost

Or speck of dust

Or invading microbe

Or molecule, atom, electron, proton or neutron

Which might chance to hear me

"Why do you create things of beauty only to allow them to be destroyed?" I demanded

"I want to know who is responsible for this!" I declared

I wondered aloud how something so magnificent as this cosmos could come to be

Without even an iota of divine intervention

I decided that it could not

But the creator thereof must long ago have pissed off

To any rate, this is the only thing I can imagine to be true

For as I gazed up into the night sky

At the myriad of stars

I was as alone as ever

Having, as always, no answer to the question

Of why we are born

To suffer

~Opal~

Notes:

Like Ellie yesterday, I deviated from the prompt. The prompt was to create a poem which includes a conversation. Technically, mine does, although it is a one-sided conversation!

Healing the Wounds Afflicted by Reason

Healing the Wounds Afflicted by Reason

Image Source

I

Let the unknowable touch the buckle of my spine

Having to know the essence of everything

Takes away its beauty

Let it be what it is

Let yourself feel what you feel

Don’t overanalyze everything

It is what is

You are what you are

We are the product of our yesterdays

We are becoming our tomorrows

Don’t be so quick to discount what can’t be put into words

Let it be enough to let it be

Copyright: tuvi / 123RF Stock Photo

II

In the end, everything dies

Stars become stardust

The most beautiful blooms fade

Their petals drop away

In the end what matters most

Is the sustenance they gave to their fellow beings

Counting the bread and wine by autumn’s gain

Is the best of measures

Image Source

III

“O, know, sweet love, I always write of you”

These words were already written in your heart, my friend

Digging in with golden talons

As you tried to deny that which was tattooed upon your soul

An offer of kindness

Became a desire for kisses

What you deem wicked

What you decry as x-rated

Is only the expression

Of your heart’s zeal

To heal

The beautiful, broken being

Left crushed against the rocks of time

~Wanda~

199 Words

Prompts:

Let the unknowable touch the buckle of my spine 

–

 Little Summer Poem Touching the Subject of Faith by Mary Oliver

*************

Counting the bread and wine by autumn’s gain 

– 

Poppies on the Wheat by Helen Hunt Jackson

**************

O, know, sweet love, I always write of you 

– 

Sonnet 76 by William Shakespeare