Adagio–dVerse Haibun Monday

Photo: David Slotto, Cedar Wax Wing in Our Ornamental Pear Tree

Adagio
No Ko Me—Tree Buds
A Haibun

Outside my office window, on the second floor of our home, an ornamental pear tree shares the seasons with me. In summer, her leaves are full and green, offering their shade in the southwest, yet still allowing a view of the setting sun as he hops over the Sierra Nevada. A robin perches in her fluffy nest.

Autumn paints my landscape in glorious tones of gold and orange and crimson…a final shout-out before the now-brown leaves let go, returning to nourish the earth, revealing the tiny, inedible fruit that appears to be a berry. An influx of migrating cedar wax wings stop by to eat of her offerings, along with an occasional chickadee.

But it is in spring that promises pop out on all the gnarly little branches and as I wait for them to open, the return of wrens and finches fill the room with poetic song. This is the first movement of another year’s symphonic beauty.

adagio—buds
brace themselves, appear anew
soon, a crescendo

Today, I’m hosting the Monday Haibun at dVerse. The prompt Kigo is No Ko Me–Tree Buds. To learn more and to join in HERE is the link.

The Sounds of Summer–dVerse Haibun

The Sounds of Summer
a Haibun

Last night, for the first time this year, we heard crickets’ song. Not that it hasn’t been hot. We are in the midst of record-breaking heat—37 days’ worth of temperatures in the upper 90’s or 100’s. My guess, though, is that smoke from the many wild fires in our area was subduing them. Or, more likely, until now, we couldn’t hear them because we couldn’t open our windows.

This morning I was greeted by the raucous sound of blue jays, asserting their command over the suet feeder in the pear tree. Robins sang counterpoint, defying stridency and filling the air with melody. The forlorn call of a dove echoed in the background. With thunderstorms predicted this afternoon, I pray there will be no lightning-induced wildfires. Open windows bring joy.

crickets sing freely
summer’s joy resounds above
deer flee raging flames

So happy to welcome Toni back to the pub with her wide-open haibun prompt. I chose to go with a situation that we are currently facing here in Northern Nevada. You have all week to join in!

Photo: afec.af
Labeled for non-commercial resuse.

Ocean Bathing

Coastline Ocean Cliff –Labeled for Free Usage

Ocean Bathing

It may be in the middle of massive chaos, but all I ask—a few moments alone, closed eyes and the ability to dip into my bucket of memories and ladle out the balm of serenity.

Today, I’m sitting on that hunk of driftwood, a mere half mile from my home in Half Moon Bay. The scent of ocean air and steady roar of breakers crashing in upon the beach beneath my cliff, compete with squawking seagulls.

In spirit, I toss the detritus of today’s rough schedule and testy interactions into the ebbing tide, figuratively sending negativity out to sea. Cleansing, soothing, healing. The years collapse and though it’s been a lifetime since I walked those shores each day, the purity of those moments is distilled into a purifying bath and I emerge refreshed.

many years have passed
healing waters purify
winter doldrums flee

Today for dVerse Haibun Monday, Toni invites us to forest bathe, to go into nature to find healing and peace. I find that I have an archive of memories that enable me to do just that wherever and whenever I choose. When I worked a very intense job, setting up a designated unit to care for AIDS patients in San Francisco in the late 80’s, early 90’s, I had the blessing of living near the ocean. Many, many days, after work, I walked to the beach to let go of the burden of the day.