This Summer Solstice

For DVerse’s Haibun Monday, for which the theme is the summer or winter (depending on which side of the equator you live on) solstice. I’m happy to write for this. 🙂

Will the sun stand still? I'm not ready for the days to start shortening, gradual as is may be. It's scary because I want to stay happy. This past week has been a medical miracle, a blessing, and/or a stroke of luck; but like the solstice it may only be brief. Mood, like time, moves like the waves at the beaches -- which I might like to visit soon.

scorching heat
walking -- grains of sand
salt water

Photo I took while driving (I was a passenger) in Hawaii, 8/2019

Lux in Tenebris

It’s a day late for Fandango’s Flashback Friday, so here I am with “See-it-again Saturday.”  🙂 This time I skimmed through my archives for past Junes, especially for poems written around this same date (June 10th or 11th). I found several good ones, if I can say so myself. This chance to go back and read poems that I’ve forgotten about is quite welcome!I hope you enjoy reading. 😀

First, a tetractys, originally published here:

Have
The key
To my heart:
It wants to be
Loved deeply, for itself, like anyone.

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I was encouraged by Jenna-from-5-years-ago with this one:

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
— John 1:5

Words might be hurtful,
And rejection, might be mine,
But my God redeems it,
Et lux in tenebris lucet.

Will my friends abandon me,
In this Gethsemane?
But God gets me through it,
Et lux in tenebris lucet.

Amidst mean words,
I seek my Shepherd:
My lamp is lit,
Et lux in tenebris lucet.

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Lastly, I wanted to link to this poem here, titled  “Water Is Dry,” which I found intriguing.

The Trees are Swimming

For MLMM’s Photo Challenge #416, Saturday Mix: Opposing Forces, and FOWC: Replaceable.

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The trees are swimming, 
The sky is water --
The floor is the ceiling
It seems, the shelter
Topsy-turvy, 
                       I am 
Exposed to a world unknown,
Unfortunately not replace
-Able with the previous.

photo credit: Lerida

Renewal

For FOWC: Thrifty and MVB: Detergent, I wrote in a form called Juuichi (the Japanese word for 11), but I wrote 2 stanzas because one wasn’t enough. This is possibly cheating, but oh well. 🙂

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Washed —
Not with detergent,
With Christ’s sacrifice,
With waters of
Baptism

But
Not thrifty pricing:
Blood and suffering
To bestow new
Life

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Lego

My one-liner for Wednesday is a Midweek Meme!I found the actual image on Pinterest and added the top part myself.

Revisiting “River” (again)

I have an older poem, even though it’s not Flashback Friday. Today, I was listening to this song, linked by Andrea, and it brought back memories. I’d never heard that guy singing it, but I like the song, and I remembered that I had written a poem about the song on 12/23/2021. So I thought it would be appropriate to share it; thankfully, it was not in one of the poetry notebooks that I gave to my friends, as I wasn’t sure. 

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“Revisiting ‘River'” (12/23/2021)

Here I am, listening again
"I wish I had a river, I could skate away on" --
Not so sad as I was in the past, but
"I wish I had a river, I could skate away on."
That feeling is only momentarily gone
Not sure if it will last 'til Christmas dawn,
Not sure when it comes or goes, or why --
"I'd teach my feet to fly;" 
On that river I can skate away on -- 
Notes of music flowing on and on. 

My brother took this photo a long time ago, and I really like it.

Costanza: May

A pleasant surprise: I was able to finish a Costanza poem for DVerse MTB today! I’d been looking forward to writing this but didn’t expect to finish before the link-up ended. 

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The calendar stands now in May,
And that's not new, but two-thirds done,
The speed of time can sometimes stun.

It is a cold and gloomy day
Going slowly and sadly by,
Yet saying it's bad is a lie. 

Some moments make a shining ray,
Belonging and connection true,
A warmth inside like hearty stew.

"This too will pass." Nothing can stay,
Unrest to peace, peace to unrest
Again, time after time a test.

May this ship find a placid bay
To end its sailing. After tides
Throw this boat up and down -- subside.

The calendar stands now in May,
It is a cold and gloomy day.
Some moments make a shining ray,
"This too will pass." Nothing can stay,
May this ship find a placid bay. 

Photo by Hernan Pauccara on Pexels.com

Some Odd Motivation

It’s Tuesday evening, so you (might) know what that means: Sijo time! Our inspiration this week is high school, a time in my life that I actually really enjoyed — when I wasn’t struggling with crippling mental illness. 🙂 In addition, this day happens to mark 3 years since I graduated from college.

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Graduated from college three years ago, I hardly know how,
High school before that — I never expected either success
Yet here I sit writing, a fountain which refuses to quit.

You all know by now that I am unendingly enthusiastic about writing. I also can’t get enough of cute baby animals, especially ducklings! Figured I’d share a picture from today. A friend rescued me and took me to go see them. ❤️ A world with ducklings in it isn’t all bad.

Seen earlier today. Don’t you love them? 🥰

evaporating

Yesterday was a great day! I got to hang out with friends and even see pictures of one friend’s new kitten and in-person tiny ducklings! This morning was also great, as I got to go to Mass and see people, even my priest’s dog (and he’s also really cool without the dog).

That’s why I can’t figure out why I feel like this:

less than half a day
cuteness and companionship
evaporating —

this is not my will
this is the monster’s bidding,
his chilling fingers

blindfolding my eyes,
blanketing my memory
life’s heat extinguished

descending circles
I am Persephone tricked,
taken to Hades

Photo by Life Of Pix on Pexels.com

Difficulties

As of this moment, around 5 p.m. on Tuesday evening, I have 7 poems started today and space set aside for 2 or 3 others. How many are finished? Two. Yes, I often have difficulty finishing what I’ve started, especially in a timely manner! Most of my poetry is not elegant, but especially after 2 or 3 days I don’t care and just want to write something. Here’s a haiku (or senryu? maybe even zappai??) and a reverse etheree.

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Heaven forever,
Soul lifted to this reward
One catch: No shortcuts.

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So,
Tell me:
Is this the
Life-giving rain,
Little fall making
Flowers grow? Or is it
Opening of the floodgates —
Oh, I know, You promised not to
Send everlasting inundation
Again — none about other destruction.

Photo by ramy Kabalan on Pexels.com