Monday, May 23, 2016

Haibun: Riverwood

My mind is a blank canvas this afternoon.   No frame, no ceiling, no door.   I gather wildflowers and mushrooms as I hike.   I draw the small birds hiding behind the lush foliage of trees, their bird songs a call to nature.   Here's the baby chipmunk frolicking across the grass.    The water has dried in some parts of the river trails, and a thick wild life has grown, filled with tall wheat stalks and fallen logs.  

I cup the sounds of the river, its rushing tides beguiling all visitors by its bank.    The water is clear, brownish under the late afternoon sun.   I hear the wild trout and salmon sashaying their bodies down the river currents, into another river, into another lake.   The path is endless, and though I can't follow them, I thread their goodwill into my journey.  I collect all of spring blessings - sky's quiet hush, wind's renewing spirit, tree's welcoming brushstrokes.     I return home, my mind filled with a cornucopia of fruits, bursting of ripeness.



yellow buds, serrated leaves
yarrow, flax & white clover bloom-
    casting shadows away  
   



At Riverwood Trails
Grace@Everyday Amazing




Posted for D'verse Poets Pub - Haibun Monday, hosted by Kazensakura.     We went for a walk over the weekend and enjoyed the warmth of spring season.  For the complete details of the prompt, please read the full post when we go live at Monday, 3pm EST.

26 comments:

  1. There is so much to experience and enjoy in nature. Your poem makes me appreciate the stunning beauty of it all over again.

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  2. Lovely--so far we have all found oneness in nature. I suspect it is not a coincidence.

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  3. Oh I do love how you also found the nature relaxing.. especially the reflection on those endless rivers, and how water connect us. To approach nature as a blank canvas has to be the best way, and then let it fill you with it's presence.

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  4. Gorgeous! I like the goodwill you thread into your walk. Blessings on all sides, coming in and going out. We don't have salmon in this area of the country but we have rockfish. sometimes those things sound like children playing in the water. But eagles and osprey. Along part of our river, there are special platofrms constructed for the osprey to build their nests and plenty of strong trees for the sometimes ton heavy nests of the eagles. It is breathtaking to see them soaring over the river, hunting fish. Thank you for this walk. The chipmunks make me smile.

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  5. Yes, to a poet, we all have chosen nature as our panacea; which is wonderfully rife with synchronicity & blessing. Thanks for your sharing, certainly enjoyed this Spring stroll with you; how cool to take a sketch pad with you; more meaningful & personal that photos.

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  6. All of this is so truly beautiful - a couple of the lines that catch my breath are 'cup the sounds of the river' and 'bursting of ripeness.' Thank you for sharing this walk - I breathe more slowly at your river!

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  7. With all our time saving technologies we turn to the simple pleasure of nature to soothe us. We can certainly plug into that for a while! Lovely, Grace!

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  8. WoNder RiVers...
    FoRests.. PoNds..
    LaKes.. BaYs..
    SuGar BeacHes..
    EMerald WaTers..
    SeaGulls SpiRal
    neveR enDinG
    SunnY Days
    oF liGht..
    NatUre's
    spiRit aS
    animaLs
    SingG Free
    As heArt SoUL
    BalanCinG heRe
    noW iN Saint FloWer
    oF Florida wHere
    i liVe iN RosE waY
    peTals Of DreAms
    coMe truE noW..

    i'LL jUst
    aDD..
    iT's HeaVen..:)

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  9. A little blankness can be filled as one takes in the little things.

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  10. "The path is endless, and though I can't follow them, I thread their goodwill into my journey." Your haibun is lovely and as refreshing as nature herself.

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  11. Gayle Walters RoseMay 23, 2016 at 8:15 PM

    A wonderfully restorative commune with nature, Grace. Love your photos and your haiku.

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  12. Lovely description on how nature can calm us down so gently.

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  13. I love this, especially:
    "I collect all of spring blessings"

    I felt this quiet walk, deeply. Especially your interactions with animals. I have always found calm in their presence.

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  14. I love the idea of taking the treasures of nature along with you. My favourite line...."I collect all of spring blessings - sky's quiet hush, wind's renewing spirit, tree's welcoming brushstrokes."

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  15. Being with nature is indeed the best way to rejuvenate the mind...

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  16. Lots of wonderful lines here! Where to start? The fantastic specificity of the haiku, ending in that lovely bit of wordplay (casting shadows away, rather than casting shadows... I adore that) that's subtly handled enough to avoid being too cutesy. Bits like "I collect all of spring's blessings" and "I thread their goodwill into my journey" are great. And then there's "I cup the sounds of the river": probably my favorite image

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  17. filled with a cornucopia of fruits,
    bursting of ripeness.

    Wonderful lines Grace, full of energy!

    Hank

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  18. There are so many beautifully crafted lines in this poem. Just gorgeously peaceful.

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  19. How nature brings out the best in all of us.Beautifully written!

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  20. It's good to read your work again, Grace. Lovely, as always and it's good to thread nature into our daily lives as much as we can.

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  21. That's what I do these days, friend Grace ... marvelling at nature and
    lookin 4 mushrooms ... Love, cat.

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  22. Beautiful words, and pretty photo.
    I wish I can write as poetically as you do.

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  23. That was beautifully written, thanks for taking me there.

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  24. I'm so grateful the spring flowers, green grass, and blooms on the trees are back for us to enjoy. Thanks as always. Have a wonderful weekend.

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  25. Beautifully descriptive words. It takes me there to a place I will never go but still feel like I've been.

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  26. I suppose grace, that I am not to be jealous? We went from a cool forty five degrees to eighty five. Everything here is stunted and not growing normally.

    I think I remember our Spring coming in March for a week or so before it snowed and iced up again for another 6 weeks.

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