This week Colleen says. :”Here we are at the end of April! Where did the month go? As NaPoWritMo winds down, I hope you’ll write some syllabic poetry with me.
This week for #TankaTuesday we’re in the second week of the season of Grain Rain as we follow the 24 Seasons of Japan. The dates are based off of the lunisolar calendar, often called an agricultural calendar. The traditional Chinese and Japanese lunisolar calendar divides a year into 24 solar terms.“
Our Invitation:
I’ll give you the hokku portion for the Northern & Southern Hemispheres, and you write the wakiku portion. (I’ll add the kigo words to the hokku). See below ⬇️
BONUS: After you write the wakiku in reply to my hokku, please add your own hokku (haiku) on your post. In the comments on your post, I’ll add the wakiku portion.
Colleen’s Hokku “an empty attic the sound of April showers thunderous rumblings”
My Wakiku”I sit wrapped in a blanket mother made from summer stars.’
My Hokku“night sky was red spring is waining, summer waits dawn omens bode well .”
Colleen’s Wakiku “from the shoreline, a wolf howls welcoming in a new day”
Linda arrived on my mail box this morning and daid. “The first Friday of April is here! And so am I with your Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt. It’s been a rough week here in the Hill household. Winston is sick with tummy issues. I have all the meds and the special diet now, so hopefully he’ll be on the mend soon. Here’s this week’s prompt:
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “express.” Use it as a noun, verb, adverb, or adjective. Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!“
All aboard the train.
Photo by Pexel2013 at Pixabay.com
What a sight, even on a dark wet night. The express pulled in to the station .The hiss as she braked was deafening. Mason scanned the passengers as they disembarked filling the place with bustle. The news papers and the mail bags were exchanged, among them The Daily Expressand letters arrived and those leaving for express delivery.
Tipping his hat down an turning his collar against the rain he wandered how he was going to express himself to Maddie when he saw her. Would she accept his apology for his behaviour, he hoped so.
Picking up his suitcase he boarded the midnight express . Taking his seat he sat and thought of Maddie, a deep expression of hope on his face as he was born towards his future on the express train.
After all he told himself her throwing him out was just her way to express her feelings… wasn’t I
The 24 Seasons Syllabic Poetry challenge for #TankaTuesday welcomed writers to create poetry using kigo phrases for different hemispheres. Participants were invited to select a form and incorporate specific kigo words into their poems.
Below are three kigo phrases for the Northern. Use one kigo phrase in each of your three poems in whatever order you’d like.
Colleen our host and mentor said : “This week’s challenge is a taste of what our new challenge will be like starting September 26th, when we start our 8th year of Tanka Tuesday. We will explore the 24 Seasons of the Japanese Year and apply it to where we live. My goal is to create our own Saijiki (Kigo word list based off of our own locations). The 24 Seasons and the kigo word lists will be the inspiration for our poetry.We’ll work with 24 syllabic forms (some new and old forms). This year, I’ll continue to leave the option to write freestyle poetry as long as you include one syllabic form.I’ll share more when we get closer to the end of September. How exciting!”
I decided to write a quartet of Haiku trying to use more of our trigger words. I have tried to catch the feelings of an ageing August using time, weather, crops nature and finally myself as subjects.
August, slow to rise Summer’s tired, she’s almost spent Yet she burns brightest
Harvests are ready Time to gather in barley To reap earth’s bounty
Damp rivulets run And dance, patterns on the screen Rain clouds hang heavy.
I feel like August Almost spent but shining still My gifts harvested.
Our host Colleen Chesebro brings us a photo prompt for here Tuesday Tanka Challenge, she said: “This week’s challenge is a photo prompt. This year, I’ve asked my friend, and photographer, Terri Webster Schrandt, from secondwindleisure.com to share her photos with us for inspiration. Terri runs a weekly photo challenge called Sunday Stills. Check it out HERE.”
Sunflowers 🌻 are one of my favourite flowers so smiley and bright.
You’ve drunk deep the sun Now the fruits of your labours At your heart flourish Seeds of life your bountious Gifts, bestowed to birds and man.
This week Lauren has asked us about our memories and feelings about our childhood experiences with fireworks.
1) What are your earliest memories of watching fireworks?
I think I was probably three and I can remember being carried around by my eldest sister. I was wrapped in a blanket, I remember the light and heat from the huge bonfire. The noise and the pretty lights. I remember feeling warm and safe and tomato soup hot and warming.
2) Were you more afraid or excited at the time?
I was excited but mainly I was tired but I remember good feelings.
3) What occasions were celebrated with watching fireworks?
When I was a child it was only Guy Fawkes night Nov 5th ….one of my bothers got married on that date I guess it was a good way of never forgetting his Anniversary!
4) Did you travel to fireworks shows, or did your family have their own, safe and sane explosives?
I don’t remember the family ever traveling to a display. We had a small back garden but our nextdoor neighbours had a huge garden that ran down to the Cemetery…it was huge. Most years we had a party there with a big bonfire that neighbours and friends would spend a couple of days building. There were always lots of people there . Everyone brought fireworks but it was the duty of about four of the men to be in sole charge of the display. There were always jacket potatoes and tomato soup and usually a pudding too.
5) Did you ever light off illegal fireworks?
I don’t remember ever doing so but I was a scary cat! I remember my brothers would throw “jumping jacks ” around and ‘bangers’ too and that used scare me . I know of several people who were maimed or blinded my rogue fireworks or misshandled usage.
6) Did you typically have a family celebration before the nighttime display? What did it include?
We always had a gathering before we all went next door and often afterwards too. Usually some food, alcohol and drinks for the adults. It was always impromptu and when I was old enough to join in fun!
7) As you grew older, did your feelings about fireworks change?
No, not at all they are fine at a distance and properly organised. I am not keen on big displays …I don’t like, crowds or noise . As our boys got old enough to enjoy fireworks we always, if hubby was around or on my own if he was working, went to the Guy Fawkes night parade from our town centre up to the big field where a bonfire was lit by the Mayor. There was always a fun fair and food and drink stalls. The boys loved it. I was always exhausted when we got back because I had had to pretend it had been fun!
8) Now the thinker: Many places are restricting fireworks now because of the trauma it can cause to pets, young children, and sensitive adults. How do you feel about restricting fireworks?
I totally agree, they should not be on general sale. If you want fireworks you should go to a properly organised display. All too often these days people let fireworks off for birthdays, weddings, parties, New Year’s any old excuse. Unfortunately these days fireworks sound like guns and bombs and are very unsettling for pets, nervous people and children alike. There is a new reason too we have many Ukrainian refugees staying in the UK there some staying near to us , I doubt they want to hear them a odd times..
This challenge explores Ekphrastic writing inspired by visual art (photographs). Annette Rochelle Aben from last month’s challenge has provided the photo for this month’s challenge. Remember, it’s not so much about describing what’s in the photo. Look beyond the obvious to find new meaning.
Image Credit: Annette Rochelle Aben.
such hidden treasure kept secure under the waves my deepest secrets.
This time I have chosen a simple longer Haiku, I am trying to express the depths of my feelings.
Monday is here and with the start of the workweek we have the 20th prompt for Just Jot it January 2020. Today’s prompt comes to us compliments of Sadje. Thank you so much, Sadje! Please be sure to visit her blog to read her post and say hello. And follow her while you’re there!.
Your prompt for JusJoJan January 20th, 2020, is “humor.” Use the word “humor” any way you’d like. Enjoy!
Humour, well you see I am English and we spell some of our words differently, and that can lead to humour on occasion.
Below is an article I found on the ancient theory of The Humours.
The four humours and their corresponding qualities.
Humoral theory, also known as humorism or the theory of the four humours, was a model for the workings of the human body. It was systemised in Ancient Greece, although its origins may go back further still. The theory was central to the teachings of Hippocrates and Galen and it became the dominant theory in Europe for many centuries. It remained a major influence on medical practice and teaching until well into the 1800s.
In this theory, humours existed as liquids within the body and were identified as blood, phlegm, black bile and yellow bile. These were in turn associated with the fundamental elements of air, water, earth and fire. It was further proposed that each of the humours was associated with a particular season of the year, during which too much of the corresponding humour could exist in the body – blood, for example, was associated with spring. A good balance between the four humours was essential to retain a healthy body and mind, as imbalance could result in disease. Such notions of internal balance have parallels in other medical traditions, notably Ayurveda, Unani Tibb and Traditional Chinese Medicine.
The treatments for disease within humoral theory were concerned with restoring balance. These could be relatively benign and focused on changes in dietary habits, exercise and herbal medicines. But other treatments could involve more aggressive attempts to re-establish balance. As well as having the body purged with laxatives and emetics, or the skin blistered with hot iron, individuals already weakened by disease might be subjected to bloodletting because practitioners mistakenly believed that their bodies contained an excess of blood. You can find this article, for which I own no credit here.
Well that was a jolly article not much humour there. Let’s have some music.
Andrew John Hozier-Byrne (born 17 March 1990), known professionally as Hozier is an Irish musician, singer, and songwriter from County Wicklow. Isn’t he gorgeous and Oh! That voice! He certainly raises my humour.
Now we all know that there are other meanings to the word, you can be in a good or bad humour, meaning your mood. You can be accused of having no sense of humour, or you can be a laugh and have a good sense of humour. It’s all relative really.
Humour is big business we have comedians male and female who all have vastly different ideas of humour. Here is one of my favourite comedians Peter Kay.
And here is my favourite comedienne of all time Victoria Woods who is sadly no longer with us singing one of her comic songs.
There is also Ricky Gervais who has a dark sense of humour, he writes dark sitcoms, he has been in films and is also he is a great stand up comedian…but an acquired taste. Here he is at the Hollywood Golden Globes ripping the Glitterate and Establishment apart. He is only telling the truth! I like him😜 Not everyone’s sense of humour.
Well I think that’s enough humour for today, have a good one everyone 💜
Urshanabi leads Gilgamesh to the Deep Underworld. And so for nine hours Gilgamesh has to out run the sun.
And he does out run the sun, though how I do not know.
Continued
After nine exhausting hours with the sun hot on his heels Gilgamesh emerges from the underworld into the garden of the Gods.
The garden is a place that even, the mighty King of Uruk has never seen the like of. He was dazzled by trees and plants that have flowers and blossom of precious and semi precious stones and gems. It was quite amazing.
Then Gilgamesh is confronted by an ordinary man, Utanpishtim. The king of Uruk is surprised he was expecting a God that he would have to fight.
Weaponless Gilgamesh has to talk to Utanpishtim who asks him why he looks so tired and wan. Gilgamesh tells him how he has spent his last nine hours outrunning the sun. He also tells of the loss of his dear brother Enkidu and how he King of Girt – Walled – Uruk wants Immortality for himself and his people .
Utanpishtim says he has wasted his time venturing to these shores and all he has done is bring himself one day closer to death.
You can run but you cannot hide
Death reachs across the divide.
Immortals and men do not mix
All men die it’s written in stone, fixed.
Now Enlil had gathered the Gods together after the Flood and granted Utanpishtim and his wife Shiduri immortality. The question now arose who would grant this to Gilgamesh, what deeds would he do to gain his goal.
Utanpishtim set Gilgamesh the task that he must stay awake for seven days and nights with no sleep. The big ego that is Gilgamesh agreed to this blindly.
The task is set
Gilgamesh accepts and yet
In seconds he is asleep
Unable to his boastful words to keep.
He will lie says Utanpishtim
He is man as duplicitous as all his kin.
Shiduri will bake for everyday he sleeps a loaf.
He will lie, for all his mighty ways he’s just an oaf.
Shiduri bakes a loaf each day for the seven day and lays them infront of the sleeping Gilgamesh when the seventh day arrives Utanpishtim wakes Gilgamesh.
Of course he lies and tells Utanpishtim and Shiduri that he had not slept a wink.
He does not fool the wise couple who knew the outcome would always be a fail compounded by a lie. Shiduri shows Gilgamesh the seven loaves and gets him to feel the rock hard first and the soft warm last one.
Death around Gilgamesh creeps
Fear and failure into his soul seeps.
Lies from his mouth have made him fail
The useless the efforts of his travail
Will he be banished empty handed.
As a hopeless fool branded.
To be continued….
The story of Gilgamesh is one older than time and one that is repeated in all ancient and modern religious books and stories ..though the names and places change the stories do not.
Here is a clip from one of a trilogy of films called The Chronicles of Riddick. The characters in the clip have to outrun the sun, which waits for no man.
As I am nearing the end of my account of my feelings and experiences at The Silent Eye Spring Workshop I find I want to linger with the memories and stop time.
Photo by Pexel2013 at Pixabay.com
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