Waiting at the Side of the Pond–dVerse Haibun

Photo: donjd2 on Flickr
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Waiting at the Side of the Pond

I watch as he waits for death–his white body crouched over, shoulders hunched, still as the death he is about to impose. Of a sudden, he springs from his crouch, snatches his prey and soars on high, a flash of silver squirming in his beak.

Not long ago, I also watched for death—not the kind I would inflict, but one that would afflict me. And so did a friend across the pond, the big one. And, now, one across the continent. Its coming is inevitable, whether anticipated with hope or dread. It is inevitable.

early morning watch
egret fleeing winter climes
feeds on silver hope

Today is Haibun Monday at dVerse Poets and the theme is waiting. Hope to see you there.

white egret rising

white egret rising

in the middle of nowhere
i wait
in utter new moon darkness

a distant light
shines on rippling waters
from which the rustle of wings
the call of a loon
disrupts the silence

a blur of silver
ascends
blazes
white on black
amid late summer torpor

still
i wait

Photo: Dwight2007 via Flickr

Today for Poetics over at dVerse we are invited to use the Moon as a theme. Thursday’s New Moon approaches and it is said that this is a time for new beginnings. The pub will  be open today, Tuesday, at 1500 EDT. Please join us. The moon is such a great poetic inspiration.

Desert Sunrise–17 X 7

Today at dVerse Poetics, Brian Miller invites us to embrace anarchy and break the rules of form poetry. I chosen to play with a hybrid of Haiku and the American Sentence by writing 7 17-syllable 2-line stanzas that flow from one another, on a connected topic. I love the brevity of the original form, so why not knit them together?!

Desert Sunrise

Circling slowly, egret rises—
greeting morning sun’s awakening.

Helios smiles on him, backlights his dance
with the silver glow of grace.

Bird lands beside a quiet pond,
drinking in the stillness of placid waters,

wraps his wings around his body like a shroud—
a hooded monk in prayer.

Sun splashes desert rose
upon the canvas of the Santa Rosa’s

casting deep shadows on her creviced face,
pouring into our valley

I know that at day’s end, when darkness falls,
some wait for morning in vain.

Photo: schmoker.com

Dawn

Early pale-pink dawn
egret rests at water’s edge
in shut-eyed prayer perhaps
contemplating pleasures
of inviolate freedom.
Of a sudden, flinging
white wings wide-open
he soars into the freshness
of a flawless new beginning.

Photo: Graham Owen

Over at dVerse Poetics, Brian Miller invites us to write a poems using random words offered by a friend or chosen from pages of a book. I chose mine from the poetry of Mary Oliver. I cannot get enough of her work.

The words I happened upon: Nouns–pleasures, egret; Verbs–fly, fling; Adjectives–pale-pink, unviolated; Random–prayer, edge. This is a wonderfully creative prompt. I hope you will join us! They fit a scenario I witnessed this morning!

Egret–SiS’ Daily Haiku Challenge

Image via Wikipedia

Submitted to SiS’ Daily Haiku Challenge: http://pendownmythought.blogspot.com/2011/01/haiku-challenge-28-days-28-haikus-game.html

Egret

Sun skips on water,
teases a wayward egret
looking for his mate.

Today’s prompt was freestyle. I chose the egret because we have a few down here that live on the golf course. Sunday, one of them was sitting right where I wanted to aim my ball. Of course, I chose an alternate route and ended up in the water. At least I had an excuse for a change.

Thank you, SiS, for hosting this challenge.