imagination

blogjanuary: rain

This morning we have a few clouds and a very bright autumn sun. It is a bit chilly outside so I declare it to be a pajama day so that I may go on a walk-about through an imaginary landscape.

Today I would color the landscape’s sky…hum…various shades of pink? Yes! A pink sky with lavender clouds that has water vapor made from the calming scent of lavender.

Trees…I would like triangle and round trees in this landscape of pink skies, baby blue grass, dark lavender rivers, and golden mountains. The rectangle and curvy tree trunks gray. The leaves splattered with the colors of garnet, jade, and sapphire.

What colors would you use to create your imaginary landscape?

It would be wonderful to have a rainy day. I image children running about in the lavender rain with green rain boots, red rain coats, and orange rain hats.

Can you imagine us in our rainy day outerwear jumping into lavender water puddles and seeing the water spraying blue and red water drops all about us? Can you picture us collecting small sticks and gravel to build dams in the small streams of water that flow along the sidewalk?

And dragonflies with iridescent wings of blue, green, and purple darting here and there between rain drops? No! No!”They would be saying, “we simply cannot have our wings dampened and dirtied!”

I must say dragonflies are very proud insects.

A rabbit or two would have spots of blue and red rain drops on their white fur. Some of these spots blending together, as rain drops often do, and creating circles and rivulets of different shades of lavender.

Oh what might you say if you saw white rabbits and gray field mice all wet from the rain that colored them with blue, red, and purple spots and rivulets?

When their parents saw them, I imagine they would click their tongues, smile, and join them in rain play? It would, indeed, be a wondrous day!

I picture robins, blue jays, sparrows, and finches gathering and showering in the rain. The crows though are hopping and cawing in celebration of this rain storm while keeping dry under the picnic shelter. Ants, spiders, and worms hear the thumping of the rain drops and feel the quaking of the leaves as the rain drops reached the ground. What a noisy invitation to come out and play!

Shall we put mud pancakes and gritty lavender tea on today’s tea party menu? I heard that gritty tea tickles the tongue. I’m sure the crows would be delighted to have us join them in the picnic shelter.

Who shall we invite for tea?

I hear bees politely excuse themselves from play and tea as they hurry home. The queen sent out a royal order; all worker bees are given a day off from work as they do like to nap during rain storms.

Can you imagine ants, spiders, and worms opening their mouths to drink in the water as they play in the rain? And rows of bees snuggled in fluffy quilts in front of a fireplace?

Hum…that’s a cozy thought.

lens-artists: flights of fancy

passing as I play

a swaying dandelion

on an autumn breeze

let’s take flight of fancy to where the fairies live …

Dearest Gwen,

I head a pigeon’s “coo coo” this morning. She was resting on the chimney. Her voice flew down the chimney, out of the fireplace, and up the stairs.

I can hear you say, “Grandma Brenda voices don’t have wings. They cannot fly.”

Yes, voices don’t have wings. But somehow they do travel from one place to another.

Let us imagine voices having tiny tiny butterfly wings.

Wings like the Western Blue Beauty or Monarch Butterfly. Other voices could be flying through the sky with miniature dragonfly wings.

Or maybe we could draw the “chirp chirp chirp” of the Robin’s song with majestic wings of gold that would glitter in the Spring’s morning sun.

I would like to see a voice’s wings knitted from spider silk. A silverly white that would carry the momentous sound of a distance crane in flight.

Oh our imagination opens us up to wonderful possibilities.

I love you.

Grandma Brenda

Thank you John (Journeys with JohnBo) for this invitation to play, to wander where fairies live, and yes imagine voices having wings.

Have you ever pretended things?

basketballweb

Shadow Basketball

“Why, any one can make up things,” she said. “Have you ever tried?”

She put her hand warningly on Emengarde’s.

“Let us go very quietly to the door,” she whispered, “and then I will open it quite suddenly, perhaps we may catch her.”

She has half laughing, but there was a touch of mysterious hope in her eyes which, fascinated Emengarde, though she had not the remotest idea what it meant, or whom it was she wanted to “catch,” or why she wanted to catch her. Whatsoever she meant, Emengarde was sure it was something delightfully exciting. So, quite thrilled with expectation, she followed her on tiptoe along the passage. They made not the least noise until they reached the door. Then Sara suddenly turned the handle, and threw it wide open. Its opening revealed the room quite neat and quiet, a fire gently burning in the grate, and a wonderful doll sitting in a chair by it, apparently reading a book.

“Oh, she got back to her seat before we could see her?”

Sara exclaimed, “Oh course they always do. They are as quick as lightning.”

Emengarde looked from her to the doll and back again.

“Can she — walk?” she asked breathlessly.

“Yes,” answered Sara. “At least I believe she can. At least I pretend I believe she can. And that makes it seem as if it were true. Have you ever pretended things?”

~Frances Hodgson Burnett, A Little Princess

today is Sunday

Did you see in the shadowy woods

a branch grew, leaves came out

of a girl’s pliant extended arms

and quickly became a tree?

Did you see?

A youth stood by the tree,

took off his deep blue coat,

and in a moment became a dove?

(The telephone keeps ringing, ringing.

No one answers, nobody is there, today is Sunday)

… ~Shinkawa Kazue*

bluebnw

*cited:

Women Poets of Japan

K Rexroth & I Atsumi