Morning Waka and Haiku – November 26, 2015

on a pendulum
called time – swinging to and fro
like life – jazz

outside my snow globe
the sun didn’t rise today
and the moon wanes
children still play in the parks
somewhere a raven – sings

snow globes and clocks
illusions of time and space
until the snow falls

© G.s.k. ‘15

Sometimes I write a tanka or haiku in my comments to a post … this morning the first haiku (which should be called American Haiku) was written for Chris at “The Muscleheaded Blog” for his lovely quote by Jack Kerouac … the second for was written a great poem created by Randy Maize at –  “The Writer’s Village”,

And As The Sun Sets – The Twenty Eight – November 21, 2015

and as the sun sets – boldly
conquering this wide valley
in shades of red and purple
the moment seems so holy

oh light and dark
woven together
in unity –
the here and now
universal
eternity
of light and dark

as sun sets
the beauty of life
expands me
beyond death
now –  the star-lit sky opens
unto transcendence

© G.s.k. ‘15

I’m writing this post inspired by Paloma’s B&P’s Shadorma & Beyond – The Twenty-Eight  who was inspired by the poet, J Lapis  who can be found at  DarkLight Harbor and a wonderful blogger and friend Chris creator and coordinator of The Muscleheaded Blog where he introduced Maxfield Parrish, illustrator and painter, this week – the painting above is his.

[The Twenty Eight – Poetry Form

Four lines with seven syllables each;
end-rhyme the first and fourth line (optional).

Alternate Form

Seven lines with four syllables each.]

 

Swift Fiery Season

Copper’d flames fast-burnt, fallen;

Leaf carpet, ember’d pathway

‘Neath November’s pewter rain…

Swift fiery season ashen.

© J Lapis, 2015

Just for Fun … and a hug to Chris – September 10, 2015

Chris, known to us as the Muscleheaded Blogger, told me he’s a water-rat … but likes rapids. Now when you consider that this is a dude that likes to ride a motorcycle (and what a motorcycle it is!  … well you can see where the rapids might come into the story … so I wrote a haiku for him … and he said that he often felt like the leaf in the haiku … so I made the haiku become a tanka and then I remembered Arlo Guthrie’s Motorcycle song … :

Vincent Black Shadow 1950 found at ‘The Muscleheaded Blog’

white water roaring
that leaf caught up in the flow
tumbling to the sea
but he roars down the fast lane
feeling like a tumbling leaf …

© G.s.k. ‘15

Have a peek at The Muscleheaded Blog if you’re in the need of a good laugh btw … it’ll be worth your while. And you can see him here … on his home page … motorcycle and all!

 

A Quote, A Wordle, A Poem – August 1, 2015

” You live out the confusions, until they become clear. ” Anaïs Nin*

Poor soul!
He lagged behind us in Death Valley
and you could see,
just a thin vein of anger
trickling out of his soul
born from that extravagant
nonsensical person
who went by the name of Joy.

He contemplated
the thunderheads within:
they announced
that the last silver lining
was now blackly tarnished,
advising him
to chalk up
yet another loss
in his five-year diary.

The topmost thought
in his weary feverish brain
was how to clear – up
the inevitable confusion
of his now, once again, non-existent
love-life.

© G.s.k. ‘15

THIS WEEK’S WORDS come from “Whether” by Alfred Corn: anger, lagging, stride, vein, silver, thunderheads, nonsense, extravagant, joy, chalk, topmost, clear

* The Quote is linked to “The Muscleheaded Blog”

Faith with Fangs – Didactic Poem – July 23, 2015

Buddha being shielded by the naga Mucalinda

Wisdom and knowledge
Slither through time
In the guise of a serpent
Silver or gold
Auryn to some
Symbol of universal renewal …
The only creature to defeat the proud dragon
In Chinese mythology …
The full cycle of re-incarnation
Guardian of the mysteries of birth
The God of Medicine
Carried on a staff …
Rainbow-god of the Ashanti
and to the Aborigine …
Symbol of fertility
And sexual desire
Sacred Kundalini …
Umbilical cord that joins all
That live to the Great Mother Earth
But to some
A symbol of trickery and spite
The most subtle beast of the field
The rod of Moses
That led his people to freedom …
To the first Christians
Symbol of salvation and eternal life
And yet now, the symbol of Satan …
So many names
So many qualities
I could go on and on …
From the beginning of time
The snake
Has walked close to mankind …

© G.s.k. ‘15

The other day I read a great article at  The Muscleheaded Blog about snake worshipping among some Christians in the United States … the article was really very informative and went beyond the oddity of that specific Christian sect and touched upon snake symbols throughout history and in different cultures … I mentioned that it would be interesting to write a poem about that subject, a stuck my foot in it as it were … so I decided to write a brief Didactic Poem about Faith with Fangs … the title of Chris’ original post.

From Green Tea and Life for Reflection – July 4, 2015

Walking down the pier under the first rays of moonlight their hands not quite touching.  The wind came off of the water refreshing the air.  The moon reflected off the water and in the distance music could be heard from a nearby “balera“. They moved towards a cluster of trees.

His hand touched hers … a spark leapt from his fingers to her hand.  A shiver ran down her spine. Like shadows they united in the darkness among the trees, they began to caress each other.  Each kiss inviting another, their hands hungry to search out and discover the recesses of their intimacy.

Pearls of sweat trickled down her body creating a small stream between her breasts with a tug her kaftan fell from her shoulders gathering around her feet.  She stood naked in the shadows as he drank the sweat from her body, like a parched Bedouin.

Then he too removed his robe and using it as a blanket he helped her lay upon the ground … cool and inviting. The sweet smell of flowers mixed with the acrid smell of fresh-cut grass mixed with the smell of his passion.

“Margaret, have you finished your essay yet?” Miss Grinitch asked impatiently seeing her student lost in one of her day dreams again.

“Ah … Oh … just about there.” Margaret stuttered suddenly returning from the distant shore she’d created and the vision of making love with the young man she’d been attracted to as walking down the subway corridor that morning.  His deep green eyes in his perfectly tanned face, the slender fingers on his well formed pianist’s hands … she sighed.

“Well, you’ve still got half an hour … let’s see if you finish your  piece on George Eliot today!” the teacher grumbled.

George Eliot …

Jessica read what she’d just written wondering if her characters seemed real enough.  Was there enough pathos … would Margaret finish her essay, would she meet the man in the subway … she scratched her head wondering where to take the story … could she add something that would grab the reader?

“Oh dear, she’s stuck again!” thought Margaret. “If she’d stop thinking and start writing …”

© G.s.k. ‘15

§§§§§§§§§§

Following is a conversation that I’ve been having with Chris from the Muscleheaded blog  who commented on my Green Tea and Life …

The Muscleheaded Blog on June 30, 2015 at 11:10 said:Edit

Where would we be without such books ?

Reply ↓

• Basteton July 1, 2015 at 17:08 said:Edit

  In someone’s dream?

  Reply ↓
  • The Muscleheaded Blogon July 2, 2015 at 06:39 said:Edit

    Interesting idea — what happens to us when they wake up?

    Reply ↓
    • Basteton July 2, 2015 at 18:13 said:Edit

      Now THAT is an interesting philosophical question … I once read a book where the people were characters in a book and didn’t know that they were …

      Reply ↓
  • The Muscleheaded Blogon July 3, 2015 at 06:39 said:Edit

    I think there’s some potentially interesting variants on that theme, for sure. 🙂

    • Basteton July 4, 2015 at 07:58 said:Edit

      It could be something cool to write about actually … 🙂

  • The Muscleheaded Blogon July 4, 2015 at 10:13 said:Edit

    🙂 Absolutely right !!!! 🙂

  So, I’ve written this for Chris … a variant on the theme 😉

Reflections on Marriage gleaned from Samuel Coleridge – Wordle – June 27, 2015

Elsewhere in time
Records play our favourite songs
Hands meet
We kiss sitting in shadows –
Our eyes lost in each other’s soul
Searching for an idea
As we walk the way of love.

Letters were written
Never seeing a mailbox
But creating the book
That is our relationship …
Until the sympathy ran out
Leaving us only with our love
And the battle that is marriage.

© G.s.k. ‘15

Sympathy constitutes friendship;
but in love there is a sort of antipathy, or opposing passion.
Each strives to be the other,
…. and both together make up one whole.  Samuel Coleridge

I found this quote at The Muscleheaded Blog and decided to use it to “Wordle” a poem ….

For:

Sunday Whirligig 13

For Chris – A Moto Guzzi – May 23, 2015

 

This is for Muscleheaded Blog … Hope you like it Chris!

Friday the 13th – The Champ’s Cat – March 13, 2015

 welter weight champion
callused and cusséd
scripturient poet
when not in the ring
had an iconic good luck charm
a grisly old poster
from a now defunct
insurance co.

into his dressing room
he went that Friday morn
and grew hoarse
with a dark anguished moan …
his poster’d been stolen
or so he thought
there on the wall was just a white spot
where it had once hung
not so long ago.

he went into a panic
he let out a shout
and from his heart’s serrated wound –
his voice seemed to bleed out:
“where’s my cat gone!”
he nearly wept as he pleaded
“I can’t fight tonight
unless it comes home!”

Mary Magee,
ran through the door
with a rectangular package
under her arm
tsk tsking the champion
in pretty bright tones:
“you silly big oaf,
what are you ever about?
no one’s stolen your cat
it’s a framed him I’ve done!”

now  it’s all urban history
about the champ’s fateful Friday,
he won that year’s title,
was successfully published
and became happily married
all that same day …
May 13th, 1938.

© G.s.k. ‘15

Chris from The Muscleheaded Blog loaned me this lovely poster .. which I gave to the champ, framed  😉

Also linked to Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie

1. Welter (to roll, toss, wallow, writhe)
2. Callus
3. Plead
4. Bottle
5. Scripturient (desire to write)
6. Hoarse
7. Anguish
8. Iconic
9. Grisly
10. Panic
11. Urban
12. Serrate

Morning Haiku and Waka – Visiting – February 13, 2015

For kazen sakura’s Two Winter Haiku:

as wood smoke swirls
mixing with winter ice fog
I see spring mirages
blooming in my mind and heart
fields of poppies and daisies

For my dear friend Jen in her loss:

each passing moment
memories and loss like rain
fill the western sky
yet winter passes and spring
blooms brightly another day

For Chris … and Roby Burns:

delicate beauties
so frail and so short-lived
poppies and snow

For a lovely haiku by Freya Pickard, a renga (go to her site for the hokku)

shaking pink cherry blossoms
blooming too early this year

like rain petals fall
though the sun’s now very bright
hoarfrost blooms at dawn

G.s.k. ’15

Sometimes I comment in haiku or renga or tanka … and then forget what I’ve left like forgotten leaves all over cyber-space … I thought I’d publish these on my blog too … first of all so as not to lose them and secondly so you may go and visit the posts that inspired the comments.  I took this photo last night … it’s a blooming fruit tree … in February!  😉