Winter Approaches

 

End of the World by Rajarshi Badhra on Unsplash

odd violet sky

a halo around the moon

days growing shorter

notes

I used the following prompts to create a straightforward Haiga about winter.

https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/2023-november-pad-chapbook-challenge-day-11

Write an odd poem.

https://chevrefeuillescarpediem.blogspot.com/2012/11/carpe-diem-41-violet.html

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

~Ornery Owl Has Spoken~

Image by Ralph from Pixabay

https://odysee.com/@MichaelGhelfi:c/1-hour-of-dramatic-music-weeping-willow:4?r=GTwnGJ4fFBQfzuJgpHVpfKBKaC9b8B16

Storms Predicted

 

Gold Creek Pond by Adam Chung on Unsplash

bad storms predicted

cold winds blowing from the north

meet warm southern air

notes

https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/2023-november-pad-chapbook-challenge-day-9

Write a direction poem.

I was checking out the weather and saw that harsh storms are being predicted, particularly in Texas, as unseasonably warm air from the South runs into cold air coming from the North. 

As someone whose poetry, in my younger years, tended to run into epic saga territory and the longer the saga the worse the poetry became, I needed to hone the fine art of brevity. I appreciate Haiku's "just the facts" nature for this reason.

In days of yore, I occasionally participated in an online poetry group that called it quits a few years back and probably should have done so sooner. There was far too much drama going on at the end. One of the hosts had a vehement hatred of Haiku, insisting that no one write a Haiku in response to their prompts. This always made me want to write a Haiku in response to the prompt.

As is almost always the case, I added text art and effects to the base image using Pixlr to create my Haiga. You are welcome to share the result, but please credit Cara Hartley/Ornery Owl if you do. A link back to this blog would also be appreciated.

~Ornery Owl Has Spoken~

Image by Tantrum from Pixabay

Better Not Walk Into the Blizzard

 

North Cascades in Washington by Dave Hoefler on Unsplash

Better not walk into the blizzard, though it seems like snow would be the easy way out in a life where it feels like everyone but me is getting a piece of the pie in the sky.

It hasn’t been easy living with a mind full of beautiful dreams in a body straight out of a nightmare.

It hasn’t been easy always being the one belittled while others are praised.

It hasn’t been easy feeling like I must have been dropped off on the wrong planet.

It hasn’t been easy feeling like the breath is being wrung from my throat by invisible hands.

I mainly remain here out of defiance.

I celebrate the tiny triumphs and hold on.

Even though it seems like snow would be the easy way out.

the night can't be stopped

when the sky turns indigo

gold fading to black

notes

https://chevrefeuillescarpediem.blogspot.com/2012/11/carpe-diem-40-indigo.html

This prompt inspired the Haiku. 

https://dversepoets.com/2023/11/06/november-for-beginners/

It’s time to write Prosery, the very short piece of prose that tells a story with a beginning, a middle and an end, in any genre of your choice. It’s flash fiction, with a limit of 144 words and an additional challenge is to hit 144 exactly. The special thing about Prosery is that we give you a complete line or two from a poem, which must be included somewhere in your story, within the 144-word limit.

write a story that includes the following line(s) from November For Beginners: 

‘Snow would be the easy way out’

You can read the complete poem here.

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/55630/november-for-beginners-56d2376810b48

If my non-fiction Haibun flouts the rules of the prompt too much, the organizers are welcome to remove my entry with my apologies.

https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/2023-november-pad-chapbook-challenge-day-6

Write a Better (blank) poem. This piece is called Better Not Walk Into the Blizzard, and it contains that line.

We do get blizzards where I live, and when they come I can reckon on not going to any of the cities for quite some time. Fortunately, we have a general store in town, and I don't tend to get severe cabin fever because I'm an introvert anyway. 

I added text art and effects to the base image using Pixlr. You are welcome to share the image, but please credit Cara Hartley/Ornery Owl if you do. A link back to this blog would also be appreciated.

~Ornery Owl Has Spoken~

Image by Alexa from Pixabay

Carpe Diem Tan Renga Wednesday: Winter Chrysanthemum

Image by Marjon Besteman-Horn from Pixabay

Winter chrysanthemum,

Wearing nothing

but its own light

I wear a sweatshirt for warmth

and think about my garden

~Mizuhara Shūōshi & cie~

notes

The Hokku is © Mizuhara Shūōshi (1892-1981). The Ageku was written by yours truly.

Carpe Diem Tan Renga Wednesday: Such a Cold Night

Image by Robson Machado from Pixabay

lying down

with quilts over the head

such a cold night

I spent many nights like this

in a trailer with no heat

~cie~

notes

The Hokku stanza was written by Matsuo Basho (1644 - 1694). The Ageku stanza was written by me. It is autobiographical.

Carpe Diem New Beginnings: First Snow

Image by JL G from Pixabay

the first snow crept in

one windy October night

teeth biting through bone

~cie~

Haikai Challenge #116 + Haiku My Heart: Cold Moon

the cold moon looks down

on a quiet little town

as the year runs out

~Cie~

Notes:

The Haiga and the Haikai Challenge logo were both created using stock images and the free Pixlr online photo editor. If you share the Haiga, please credit me. Please feel free to use the Haikai Challenge logo, no credit necessary.

Carpe Diem #1791: Bare Branches

Image Source

bare branches

a painting against the blue sky

leaves under my feet

crunch foretelling coming snow

chill breeze blowing through the air

bare branches like claws

reach into the great unknown

hard winter ahead

too little snow or too much

the wind chills me to my bones

the blue sky turns gray

the snow begins to fall down

blown by the cold wind

I retreat inside the house

the cold tries to reach me there

the leaves are long gone

to the earth or raked away

nothing can linger

things that lose their youthful shine

are hidden away from view

unforgiving sky

tells of foul weather to come

thankful for warning

I plan my week according

to the weather prophecy

chill breeze cuts through me

its cruelty refreshing

brutal honesty

the winter shows no mercy

to anything in its path

~Cie~

Notes:

The Hokku of the first verse was written by Yozakura the Unknown Haiku Poet. The rest can be attributed to me.

Carpe Diem #1778: Moonlight Rail

Image by Myriam Zilles from Pixabay

flying in moonlight

trains travel the winter night

father sings his tale

~Cie~

Notes:

Today we were asked to revise a Haiku by Masaoka Shiki (14 October 1867 - 19 September 1902). I believe my verse is more an interpretation inspired by Shiki's original poem than a revision. In a time gone by nearly 50 years ago now, my father (31 May 1936 - 28 November 2010) would play his guitar and sing old railway and folk songs. The ninth anniversary of my father's passing is tomorrow and I wrote this poem to honor him.

the wild geese take flight

low along the railroad tracks

in the moonlit night

© Masaoka Shiki

Carpe Diem #1785: Hoarfrost

Image Source

an hoarfrost morning

the ghosts of my ancestors

drifting on chill winds

~Cie~

Notes:

I'm not entirely sure that this Haiku entirely plays by the classical rules. It doesn't lose its meaning for me when I flip the first and third lines, which is always the litmus test. However, for me the most important aspect of poetry is expressing the thought, not adhering to exact rules, so--you know me.

Carpe Diem #1781: Dead Leaves

the leaves falling down

colorless on the cold wind

my heart breaks like ice

~Cie~

Notes:

I guess I came close to following the traditional Haiku rules, but if not, you can tell me that I suck and should go die in a fire like the trash poet (and excuse for a human being) that I am. For me, the expression is always more important than the rules, and it's difficult to teach a very old and stupid dog new tricks.

Tan Renga Challenge 2019: Day 10: Icicles

Image Source

muffled and silenced

the snap of an icicle

engulfed by fresh snow

in summer it seems a dream

a few months from now, common

Kim & Cie

Notes:

The Hokku (Haiku) stanza was written by Kim Russell. The Ageku (closing) stanza was created by me.