William Heritage Winery
Workday chores set down,
the sun sinks low, birds take wing,
stars soon appear to glimmer and sing
songs drifting over gleaming river
and sleepy town
to me and you, the sound
of nature, moon hums a chorus–
and so, night passes before us.
I’m hosting dVerse today. We’re writing quadrilles, using the word, “set.” Come join us!
Hubble Space Telescope-Image of Supernova 1994D (SN1994D) in galaxy NGC 4526 (SN 1994D is the bright spot on the lower left). NASA/ESA, The Hubble Key Project Team and The High-Z Supernova Search Team
Twinkle, bang—a star explodes, sending its dust into space. We’re made of that dust, ephemeral and eternal. Everything connected, nothing ever truly extinct. Listen—
stars shimmer and sing
treble and bass symphony,
bestowing beauty
in bright notes of stellar light
tumbling into space
At dVerse, Linda has asked us to use the word “extinction” (or some form of the word) in a quadrille, a poem of 44 words. The extra challenge is not to discuss climate change.
This is a haibun tanka quadrille. Maybe a haibun tanka is not a thing, but oh well. I’ve also used synonyms for fall and give for Colleen’s Tanka Tuesday challenge. I was joking with someone about stars “singing,” but here’s an article about the sounds they make.
I look at the painting. Is it a lesson about hubris? Or that children must make their own mistakes? All I see is father and son, horror and grief.
and now your feathers
nicked and torn, you soared too close
bewitched by the sun
A haibun quadrille (a poem of 44 words) for dVerse, where De has asked us to use the word “nick.” And also, for Colleen’s Tanka Tuesday, using synonyms for enchant and fly.
“Earthrise” Taken by Apollo 8 crewmember Bill Anders on December 24, 1968
A sea
but no water,
a desert place,
a silvered space–
could it ever feel tranquil?
In solitude, we kick
no dust
no cloud forming
no sunrise warming
but the blue planet
dawning
over a curved horizon–
surprising, stirring,
yet insignificant—
except to us.
Lillian has asked us to write a quadrille (a poem of 44 words) using the word tranquility or some form of the word for dVerse. I love the word, though I haven’t felt too much tranquility lately. Yesterday afternoon, the Oracle whispered “Sea of Tranquility” to me.
My mother’s voice is soft now. Her words slur and drift off in a breeze. But today she laughs, and the sparrows twitter and chirp, carrying that laugh up to the sky.
Dawn rises giggling
rose-tipped clouds streak summer sky—
shadows dance on ground
For dVerse, where De has asked us to write a quadrille (a poem of 44 words, any style) using the word voice.
Cape May—a “girls’ weekend” on a summery-spring day. We delight in the warmth, and later watch the sun fire the bay. Overnight, the weather turns and rages, but we laugh and have brunch.
April nor’easter,
tom-catting deck chairs scatter–
inside, fond hearts glow
For dVerse, a haibun quadrille. Grace has asked us to use the word sun.
Once a child in wonder
saw a dragon flying by
breathing clouds of dragon-mist
in swirling twists
of white across the bluest sky.
And there he lay on grassy slope
pondering, wondering why–
only he saw a dragon there,
high up in the sky.
A little wisp of a poem, a quadrille for dVerse. De has asked us to use the prompt, “dragon.”
For some reason, I was hearing the song “Circle Game” in my head. I was thinking the song doesn’t mention dragons, but then I realized it does mention a dragonfly. Weird how the mind works! Here’s Tom Rush’s version of the Joni Mitchell song. I heard him sing this song in concert recently. He sounds so young here.
I don’t need a yacht or rings–
or bling—
only enough wealth
to pay bills, to manage health,
the everyday decisions,
not star-struck visions
(think of
Richard Cory, richer than a king. . .)
but listen to the mockingbird sing—
riches the world brings
This is a quadrille for dVerse, where Kim has asked us to use the word “rich.” For some reason, the poem, “Richard Cory” popped into my mind. You can read it here.
Caspar David Friedrich, “Drifting Clouds,”[Public Domain], Wikipedia Commons
and watched the clouds flying
like time
on feathered wings,
I flew along,
eager for what it’d bring,
asking why–
finding when
happens then
again, and time the thing
like clouds
that drifts up, away, sighing.
Taking a work break! This is a quadrille for De’s prompt on dVerse using the word “up,” and for my dVerse prompt on theories.
And some music, Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now”–from her Clouds album.
Sapling from the Theresienstadt Tree, Philadelphia Holocaust Memorial Plaza
“There are times when dreams sustain us more than facts. To read a book and surrender to a story is to keep our very humanity alive.”
—Helen Fagin, from a letter recounting the clandestine school she set up in the Warsaw Ghetto. The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising began April 19, 1943, on the eve of Passover.
From the ghetto,
we rose strengthened by dreams,
bolstered and braced by
possibilities,
we escaped
through stories of hope
and love
determined
to rise.
We fought
for survival
We fought
for our humanity.
We fought
to keep magic alive–
but remembering always
the ghosts.
This is a quadrille for my dVerse prompt, using the word rise. The Theresienstadt Tree seemed a good symbol, especially on Earth Day.
