Tag Archives: Trentino-Alto Adige

Haibun – COVID-19 – March 30, 2020

Posted on by
7

Santa Chiara di Trento, Italy

Haibun – COVID-19

Reading news reports of the horror that is COVID-19 can is chilling.  And although the horror of what is happening is wounding to the heart, in these times, there are those narcissists who spread false and horrifying news reports on the Social Media pages. Of course no one requires us to read them or look at what’s on the news.

raging storm
sleeping in my soft bed
safe and warm

The COVID-19 pandemic which has hit our world, they said wouldn’t be as bad as the annual flu season.  Because in our age, we have an influenza season.  I guess because influenza is endemic?  Some say only those with  weak immunological systems and the very old will probably die.  The young are safe, they are strong … no children under 16 have been affected.  And then, today, it’s an official news report, an infant dies of COVID-19.  Many shutter.

age of miricles
instant infodemia
no news

It happened so fast.  Just a few short weeks ago everyone was sitting back in their comfortable homes, watching their TVs.  The news commentators  tut-tutted on how inefficient the Chinese government was in getting the illness under control.  Commenting on the lock downs in Wuhan and Hubei province with condescension .  Then as it seemed that things might calm down, only for it to reach Italy.  The European nations looked on as  she was caught in the maelstrom.  They looked on, sometimes cruelly joking about the situation, not preparing.  It took a week or so and other European nations began to succumb, first one or two cases then hundreds and finally thousands. The United States began to report deaths in Washington state. The WHO proclaimed that COVID-19was a pandemic. Finally the United Kingdom capitulated and their Prime Minister tested positive to the virus.  Many more nations are being adding to the lists of those who have entered the brave new world of COVID-19.  Crematoriums are consuming the dead.

lost in smoke
ravens fly in droves
cawing
© gsk’20

Ducks – A “Wildlife” Sketch in Six Sentences – March 24, 2016

Posted on by
15

ducks in a pond

Ducks … they’re one of the major attractions of Lake Garda and are with us all year around, having found the climate warm enough for them to avoid the long winter haul to the south.  Our “wild” variety are mallards and they’ve sometime mixed with domestic ducks creating some interesting new liveries.  This time of the year, spring, is always fun where ducks are concerned.  The males begin to search out their ladies love stalking the poor dears in groups until she gets exasperated and flies off with a “qua, qua, qua” that sounds almost like a disdainful laugh.  By June though the couples will have been formed and the chicks hatched.  The tourists arrive with their children, delighted by the families of ducks scooting along the beach and sand.

© G.s.k. ‘16

 

  • WELCOME!

  • the cue this week is DUCK
  • six sentences, no more, no less
  • any genre
  • use that cue any way you like
  • come back and link up
  • hop around and read some more

Just a Note – February 10, 2016

Posted on by
9

Park Bench - Riva del Garda

Hello everyone!

Some people have expressed their worry because I’ve not been posting as much as usual and wonder if I’m alright.  I’ve also been grumpy and have said I might just close the blogs down.  But there’s nothing to worry about, I’m alright – it just seems that February is determined to be a rather hectic month and I’m feeling a bit flapped.  I’ve been going to bed later than usual because of social affairs and have had early morning appointments .. which means that some mornings I have just the time necessary to fulfill my self-set obligations of writing a haiku for “No Five-Seven-Five”‘s NaHaiWriMo and my personal One Month of Haiga.  I’m a morning person, and if I don’t write the first couple of hours in the morning I risk not writing at all.

I’m overcoming my nicotine drug habit, but one of the side-effects (which is thankfully wearing off) is a certain lack of concentration.  So as I count one-month and one week cigarette free today, a few of the symptoms of underneath craving still make themselves felt.  But by giving up caffeine and keeping a close watch on my diet, I’ve at least avoided other problems like insomnia and gaining weight. Usually people take one step at a time … they stop smoking then worry about losing weight.  That didn’t seem like a wise solution for me – I prefer to workout the symptoms all at once.

Anyway … not to worry.  I’m fine and all I need to do is find a way of focusing while relaxing.  I hope to do some recouping this weekend  and I certainly hope that March will have be calmer in the mornings, che sarà sarà!

Hope you’re all doing fine too!

Ciao for now,  Bastet

Mountain Walking – Haibun – January 15, 2016

Posted on by
9

Olive Grove in Campo

to the olive grove
ten minutes as a crow flies
fond memories

When you’re fit climbing up the side of a mountain is paradise.  The very air seems to help you up, your heart of course increases its beat and maybe your breath comes quicker and soon dopamine starts pumping through your veins. If the hike up is a real challenge finally adrenaline joins the cocktail of hormones and whatever else is making that walk fun, is it a wonder that walking can become addictive. Time flashes by as you fall into your own breath, feel your leg muscles flexing and elongating, hear the sound around you sort of muffled but very much alive.  Before you know it, you’ve reached your goal, maybe a lodge where you’ll spend the night, or a land-mark, like an abandoned village or a cross on a hill-top and you think how quickly time flies by when you’re having fun.

imagination
dishes up fond memories
back in training

© G.s.k. ‘16

Heeding Haiku With Chèvrefeuille, January 13th 2016

Winter 2015 – Haibun – December 30, 2015

Posted on by
26

bare tree

No snow has fallen yet and this winter the weather is so warm it feels like early spring.  The trees aren’t fooled though by the deceptive day-time temperatures, because they drops below 0° C at night.  The blackbirds are quiet too, in fact, everything says winter, except for the hot sun shiny days.

On the weather channel we’ve been warned that today is the last day of this long autumn.  Everyone’s waiting for the cold snap, some with joy other’s with trepidation, worried that winter will decide to stay into the summer.

untimely spring
decorating their bare trees
persimmons

© G.s.k. ‘15

§§§§

Heeding Haiku With Chèvrefeuille December 30th 2015

Just a Note and some tanka – November 13, 2015

Posted on by
10

park benches

Hello World!

I was a bit busy yesterday so I wasn’t able to post and today I’ll be posting in the evening (Italian time so I guess that’d be somewhere between afternoon and tomorrow depending if you are reading me in the Americas or Asia/Australia).

In the meantime a couple of  tanka:

sinking sun
all along the lakefront
empty benches
too tired to just sit and think
ah – these splendid autumn days

the quiet predawn
silence and star-lit skies
[moonless]
a caterwauling cat
sings to his autumn lovers

© G.s.k. ‘15

A Lone Swan – Haiku – November 11, 2015

Posted on by
13

swan

a lone swan –
searching for its partner
choppy waters

© G.s.k. ‘15

Inspired by: Carpe Diem Special #181 “a maple leaf” Ese’s second haiku 

a maple leaf –
I search for life line
in my palm

© Ese of Ese’s Voice