poetry

thursday’s special: vernal

just being alive

I

and the poppy

~Issa (www.haikuguy.com)

poppiesthree

“We humans have talented artist, but how can our paintings compare to your masterpiece of the four seasons? How could we ever paint such a compelling dawn or create a more radiant dust? We have great composers, but how can our music compare to your celestial harmony with the Sun and planets-or to the sound of the rising tide? We have great heroes and heroines who have endured wars, hardship, and dangerous voyages, but how can their bravery compare to your great forbearance and patience…” ~Thich Nhat Hanh, Love Letter to the Earth

submitted in response to Lost in Translation’s photo challenge.

black and white sunday: imperfect

A back-yard chrysanthemum

looked at the setting sun

and faded. ~ Kaen (Y Hoffmann, Japanese Death Poems)

When I revisit this (imperfect) image of a section of an Ireland cemetery,  I  find myself being emotionally touched by how the statue seems to speak of life’s aloneness and a yearning for that which will lead us away from suffering.

turning-away

Image submitted in response to Lost in Translation’s photo challenge: imperfect