Haiku – A(nother) Year of Reading

Slice of Life: Wordle-ing

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write and share.

I used to start each Wordle game with the same word (adieu) to check for vowels. I also used to care deeply about my streak. Dialing back the time I spend on my phone, mostly thanks to the hellscape known as the news, has cured me of the need to Wordle every single day.

I’ve also learned from Molly the joy of starting every day with a different word, a set-the-tone word, or a hopeful word, or a just plain random word. Last Friday, I opened the blind on the east window in my office, the one to the right of my desk, and was greeted with yet another gorgeous sunrise.

First try: OPENS, and I get the P yellow and the E green. Hmm…let’s try P as the first letter and a blend…PL would work. Then the E, and let’s check another vowel…PLEA…can’t be please, that’s too long. How about PLEAD?

Whelp, the P is correct as the first letter, and I still have E in the middle spot. What other vowels could I use? PIE…what starts with PIE? I know the Wordle puzzle makers often like to try to trick us with two of the same letter, so what starts with PIE and ends with E? PIECE?

YES! I got it in three. I don’t always write a Wordle poem, but if I solve it in three tries, a haiku is mandatory.

battered heart opens
pleads for a brief respite
piece of joy arrives

Poetry Friday: Classified Ad Haiku

Funny thing happens when family visits for the week: suddenly it’s Friday and you haven’t even begun the Poetry Sisters challenge! Luckily, this is the month we chose classified ad haiku/senryu.

These poems could also work for Ada Limon’s #youarehere project, because they give two glimpses of our back yard: three kinds of milkweed, empty again this year of monarchs, and a back porch covered with acorn litter. The tree next door, which overhangs our yard, is heading into a mast year — the branches are heavy with clumps of acorns that look like bunches of tan grapes. Lots have begun to fall and get nibbled by the resident squirrels and chipmunks, along with the hickory nuts from neighbor’s OTHER overhanging tree.

I’m not sure who’s in for this month’s challenge, but here are the Poetry Sister links just in case:

Liz @ Liz Garton Scanlon
Tanita @ {fiction, instead of lies}
Laura @ Laura Purdie Salas
Sara @ Read Write Believe
Tricia @ The Miss Rumphius Effect

Marcie has this week’s Poetry Friday Roundup.

Slices of Life

Slices of life —

onionskin thin
just as fragrant — redolent
tantalizing

back porch eclipse watch
astronomical magic
transformed our world

reading Jane Hirschfield
before my own pencil moves —
aspirational

Louder Than Hunger*
Jake silences The Voice
claims self-worth

*If you haven’t read this book yet, move it to the top of your TBR.

“The Best Words in the Best Order” Friday

I gave the Inklings their challenge this month. I asked them to “Write a haiku sequence that talks about poetry without mentioning it by name. Here is your mentor text.”

I initially approached the challenge in an entirely left-brained way. Not surprisingly, my attempt fell flat. Once I got that out of my system, I was able to write poetically about writing poetry.

Here’s how the rest of the Inklings met my challenge:

Catherine @Reading to the Core
Heidi @my juicy little universe
Linda @A Word Edgewise
Molly @Nix the Comfort Zone
Margaret @Reflections on the Teche

Irene has this week’s Poetry (aka “The best words in the best order.” –Samuel Coleridge) Friday roundup at Live Your Poem.

Slice of Life: Deluge

Too. Much. Rain.

We had probably 1.5″ yesterday, and so far this morning 1.75″ with more forecast for today, tomorrow…all the way through to Friday, with a brief respite before it clouds up again on Monday for the eclipse.

“Lake Easement” has engulfed both back beds…

…but our neighbor has it worse.

Here’s my haiku for today:

aftermath
robin song signals respite
it won’t last