Happy Lunar New Year!
Early on, when I learned what the animal is for this year, I misread Horse for Hose, and Year of the Fire Hose seemed somehow quite appropriate. Made me giggle. Still does.
Thanks you, Jone, for organizing the New Year postcard exchange again! I had intended to carve, print, and hand-color an image again this year, but some tendon/joint/nerve issues in my right arm caused me to take a different direction. I chose the above image from my photos of our trip to Norway in September 2025 and wrote the series of haiku I’m sharing here. Each recipient got one of the haiku, but I thought y’all might like to see all four. And for those of you who didn’t partake in the joys of the exchange…here is your virtual postcard!
Robyn has this week’s Poetry Friday roundup at Life on the Deckle Edge.
A(nother) Year of Reading 
Thank you for including all the haiku, Mary Lee! I love how they all connect and lead from one to the other. Thank you for my postcard, too!
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Strong lines connecting together–I hope they yield us some important truths. Thanks for sharing your multi-layered poem and gorgeous pic! Sending healing thoughts for your hand, ❤️🩹
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Mary Lee, this luminous silky image your made makes me want to melt into the water [but for freezing…] And I’m tickled with something I find my eyes tricking me about – misreadings. I especially feel moved by… “still, they connect.” Wishing yu & your hubby a sweet & serene weekend!
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I think I got the mirror haiku which I love. How you wove the words and poems together into a whole is inspiring. Thanks for sharing the whole poem. Hope your arm issues are improving. So often our bodies just scream out rest and we must listen.
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still they connect – YES! We are all one…thank you. xo
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Thank you, Mary Lee, it was delightful reading all four haiku and seeing how the photo goes with each. Thank you. The Year of the Fire Hose does seem like a good one. I am convinced in 2026 we will see the work of the fire hose beginning to put out the dumpster fire of this past decade. Here’s to that!
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I feel as if I received a bonus, all four with a postcard picture, too, and wisdom to remember! Yes, “still they connect”. Hope your arm issues clear up, Mary Lee!
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Reflect on the line–I might never see another line in nature without thinking of your line. 🙂
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Gorgeous photo — enjoyed all the haiku. I think the last one is my favorite. 🙂 Also will chime in with others who like the Year of the Fire Hose. Apropos beyond measure . . .
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Neat-O! I love all four together here. Your line that so neatly connects clarity and blur is beautiful. Thanks for the whole picture.
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Mesmerized when mountains become mirrors! Thank you for the postcard, Mary Lee!
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I love seeing the lines you sent me nestled in with all the others. So grateful for this Jone-inspired/Jone-engineered poetry postcard exchange!
And I, too, found “Year of the Fire Hose” to be perfectly appropriate, lol! (We laugh so as not to cry, right?)
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(Cracking up at the fire hose confusion; the last year-plus has been nothing but a fire hose for sure.) Gorgeous photo and lovely haiku, Mary Lee – where two sides meet is always a rich place to ponder.
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Mary Lee, like Linda B, I am happy for your gift of poetry. I am reflecting on “visions emerging”. Thank you friend for newness that will come to be.
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The last one is my favorite, Mary Lee! 😍 I’m sorry about your arm issues. How are you doing? (Comfrey cream/oil is my go-to for that sort of injury. Have you tried it? YMMV.)
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I’ll try anything at this point! Thanks for the suggestion!
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