Poetry Monday :: Two Minute Sketch

Poetry Monday is a blogging game invented long ago. Mimi of Messymimi's Meanderings and I are keeping it alive until Diane @ On the Border returns home from her break of health and relaxation, travelling the world with her husband as far as we can tell.

We just hope she's going to take back over once she returns home.

The prompts now come from 365 Days of Drawing Prompts and other Arts group. This is a Facebook group with a prompt for each day of the year, but no worries, the prompts will still be here and at Mimi's blog.

Today's prompt is: 2 Minute Sketch

And as usual, when I'm busy and my brain is balky, I go for small is beautiful. Today a Haiku.

A Two Minute Sketch
is too short a drawing
Life is short, art long.

- - - - - - - - - - Coming Themes  - - - - - -

taken from the 365 Days of Drawing Prompts and other Arts group.

June 15 - Cobweb with Dewdrops
Jun 22 - Lily
Jun 29 - Northern light
Jul July 5 - Moody
July 12 - Bonsai tree
July 19 - Telescope
July 26 - Anemone.

Poetry Monday on a Tuesday :: Også på dansk :: And not using the Topic :: Bring

Every Monday is Poetry Monday.

Mimi of Messymimi's Meanderings and I have taken over the hosting duties, mostly the supplying of the prompts - only temporarily we hope - while Diane at On the Border is taking a break for health and relaxation, travelling the world with her husband as far as we can tell.
 
We just hope she's going to take back over once she returns home.

  I have something to ask of you: If you read this and the poetry of others via the links, would you please leave a comment.
  Half - if not more - the fun of these challenges is receiving the responses of others.

  -- 🌸 --

Hver mandag er det tid for at skrive et vers. Det gjorde jeg da også på vej til København i toget. Jeg kiggede ud gennem vinduet og så millioner af anemoner i skovbunden. Senere så jeg et enkelt blomstrende kirsebærtræ. Så skrev jeg hele to små vers. Et elfje på engelsk og et dansk haiku.

Sakura vi ser,
rejser langt og længe, men
hvad med anemoner?

Jeg fik aldrig lagt digtene op i går. Da vi endelig nåede hjem igen, var der tid til en enkelt kop the og så i seng.
 

  -- 🌸 --

I wrote a poem yesterday, riding the train to Copenhagen, but when I returned home, all I wanted was a cup of tea and my bed.
Yesterday, from the train windows, I saw a sea of Anemoner covering the woods. Then I saw a single blossoming cherry tree and made this elfje:

Sakura,
we travel
far to celebrate.
In local woods, forgotten
Anemoner!

Picture of Sakura:

Picture of Anemoner:

 - - - - - -

Elfje:
An Elfje contains five lines and 11 Words.
First line is one word, (this word is a colour or feature.), second line is two words, (something or someone with this colour or feature), third line, three words (gives more information about the person or the object). Fourth line, four words (tell about yourself in relation to the person or the object. This sentence is your conclusion). Fifth line is again one word. This word is called the ‘Bomb.’ It is the essence of the poem.

 - - - - - - -

Up and coming:
April 14: Bring (today)
April 21: Free
April 28: Jam
May 5: Competition
May 12: Shape
May 19: Stem
May 26: Lead

Poetry Monday Catchup

Every Monday is Poetry Monday. Mimi of Messymimi's Meanderings and I have taken over the hosting duties, mostly the supplying of the prompts - only temporarily we hope - while Diane at On the Border is taking a break for health reasons.

  I have something more to ask of you: If you read this and the poetry of others, would you please leave a comment. Half - if not more - the fun of these challenges is receiving the responses of others.

     I have been slacking, with blogging as with almost everything else (all due to good reasons) but now I'm trying to catch up. These last two days has been better, busy and still cloudy and windy, but NO RAIN!
     Only due to no church and yet a birthday celebration, I suffered from the delusion that yesterday was Sunday! Of course it was not, and I am a day late with Poetry Monday. To make up for this, I also add a small haiku for the topic of last Monday, Conclusion.
     As I normally resort writing one of the short, very regulated verse forms when I'm busy -- either a Haiku or an Elfje -- this is what I have done these last Mondays.

Monday July 22nd: Conclusion
A wise man told me
That a conclusion simply
Is a posh ending.

Monday, July 29th: Holiday
Holiday
A time
With fun relaxation.
We are longing for
Sunshine.

 - - - - -

And for the coming Mondays we have these topics:
Aug. 5 Honey
Aug. 12 Cabinet
Aug. 19 Market
Aug. 26 Instrument

Poetry Monday :: The Future

Today's theme for Poetry Monday is The Future. Poetry Monday is a challenge, hosted by Diane at On the Border. But today, January 1, 2024 is Diane's last time hosting Poetry Monday, for the time being, as she's taking a break due to health issues. Messymimi and I have conspired to keep the chair warm for her. We will each set the topics for one month, I begin with January, Mimi is gong to tackle February, and so on until Diane returns.

I wrote two short poems for today. One Elfje and one Haiku. Both touching the uncertainty of the future.

Future?
Tomorrow and
The next day
A long, long row.
Uncertain!

The future is filled
With hope and anxiety.
Let us live today!

- - - - - -

For January the topics are as follows:

January 8: Winner
January 15: Requirement
January 22: Teacher
January 29: Flight

Poetry Monday on a Tuesday

Yesterday was Monday - Poetry Monday. I did not write any poetry. Instead I visited an optometrist who had some good news for me. My good eye is a bit better, and my bad eye no worse. No injections of any substance in either eye required, see you in four months!

Happy MotherOwl!

And now, for Poetry Monday, I composed a short Haiku. I'm not happy with it. In my head I wrote a better one during the train ride home, but it was forgotten in the hustle and bustle of family life and joy in the late afternoon. I had to make a new one with the same contents, but the wording is not as good.

The topic is Grandma's Kitchen.

My Grandma's kitchen
Now lost to the mists of time
Yummy smells and love.

- - - - -

Next Monday: The Bus.

Poetry Monday :: Chocolate Milk Shake

It is Poetry Monday!
 Diane - who has taken over the hosting of  this challenge - and Mimi of Messymimi's Meanderings - who supplies us with many of the topics - are also writing wonderful, funny, thought-provoking, ingenious and honestly well written verse. Go and read them!
  Karen of Baking in a Tornado has joined us in this crazy pursuit, and promises us at least a poem a month!
  SpikesBestMate often publishes a nice verse in the comments.
  Jenny at Procrastinating Donkey who has been a faithful participant, is slowly returning to blogging after her husband's passing from this world. Let's continue to send warm thoughts, good energy, and lots of prayers her way, now that her mum's health is in need of a prayer too. But still we dare hope that she will join Poetry Monday again.

Today we do Chokolate Milk Shakes!  Which I understand comes from a machine in cafeterias and such. The garden is keeping me busy, but I cannot not write a poem for toady.

Chocolate milk shake?
A couple of haiku
to talk about that.

I never had them,
But steaming hot chocolate
came from our machine.

And in my hurry
I often scalded my tongue
on the concoction.

But in the winter
It was thawing my fingers,
and warming my bones.

Therefore I give thanks
to this plain drink. Forsaking
Chocolate Milk Shake.

 - - - - -

Next Monday again
We'll meet and write poetry:
Pirate Talk's the theme.

Poetry Monday :: The Birthday Song

Because it's Poetry Monday today,  Diane - who has taken over the hosting of  this challenge - and Mimi of Messymimi's Meanderings - who supplies us with many of the topics - are also writing wonderful, funny, thought-provoking, ingenious and honestly well written verse. Go and read them!
  Karen of Baking in a Tornado has joined us in this crazy pursuit, and promises us at least a poem a month!
  SpikesBestMate often publishes a nice verse in the comments.
  Jenny at Procrastinating Donkey who has been a faithful participant, is slowly returning to blogging after her husband's passing from this world. Let's continue to send warm thoughts, good energy, and lots of prayers her way, now her mum needs a serious prayer too. But still we dare hope that she will join Poetry Monday again.

Todays topic is The Happy Birthday Song. Apart from a Danish birthday sone,  we also sing this one for birthdays in Denmark, and we sing it in English. We learn it in school, and we sing these two birthday songs for everybody, children and grown-ups alike - and even the queen - on their birthday.

But today is not my birthday, nor is it the birthday of anyone I know. Ergo most of us are probably celebrating our unbirthdays today.
All I can do today is a Haiku:


Happy Birthady song
Is for that one, special day
Today - Unbirthday song.


 - - - - -

Next Mondays topic is a two-in-one: Independence Day (US) or Sidewalk egg-frying day.

Poetry Monday :: Opposite Day

If you want to read some better  poetry,  Diane - who has taken over the hosting of  this challenge - and Mimi of Messymimi's Meanderings - who also supplies us with topics - are writing wonderful, funny, thought-provoking, ingenious and honestly well written verse. Go and read.

  Karen of Baking in a Tornado has joined us in this crazy pursuit, and promises us at least a poem a month - may  we hope for more!

  SpikesBestMate often publishes a nice verse in the comments.

  Jenny at Procrastinating Donkey who has been a faithful participant, is slowly returning to blogging after her husband's passing from this world. Let's continue to send warm thoughts, good energy, and lots of prayers her way. And dare we hope that she will join Poetry Monday again.

- - - - -

Omvendtdagen fejres i morgen, den 25. januar, men nogle eksperter siger, at vi bør fejre den hver den 25. Det er Uglemor helt med på! Omvendt er sundt! Det er sundt at gøre ting omvendt, med den anden hånd eller fod eller mens man står på hovedet. Ligesom uglerne herunder, som også har fået vendt farverne om.

-- Ⓞ --

 

The Opposite Day is observed on January 25. Other experts believe that it is to be celebrated every month of the year on the 25th day. I go for every 25th as I always forget to celebrate, and this is bad, as opposite is good for you! Doing things the other way around, with the other hand or foot, or while standing on your head is good for you! Just like those owls, who also had their colours inverted. 

Men på denne omvendtdag har Uglemor ondt i nakke og skuldermuskler og har ikke lyst til at sidde og skrive lange, omvendte digte, hvilket ellers var planen; så hun nøjes med et lille wannabe-Haiku.
     Også denne dag
     er omvendt hvis vi vil det.
     Lad os stoppe nu.

-- Ⓞ --

 

But on this opposite day MotherOwl's neck and shoulder muscles are tense and causing dizziness and bad vision. Not the right thing for making long, intricate verses, which she planned in the wee, sleepless hours of the morning.
A short wannabe-Haiku is all for today.
     Today we can be
     opposite if we want to.
     Let us stop right now!

- - - - -

Next Mondays topic: Typos or funny Autocorrect mistakes.

Poetry Monday :: Favourite Breakfast

If you want to read some good poetry,  Diane - who has taken over the hosting of  this challenge - and Mimi of Messymimi's Meanderings - who also supplies us with topics - are writing wonderful, funny, thought-provoking, ingenious and honestly well written verse. Go and read.

  Karen of Baking in a Tornado has joined us in this crazy pursuit, and promises us at least a poem a month - may  we hope for more!
  SpikesBestMate often publishes a nice verse in the comments.

  Jenny at Procrastinating Donkey who has been a faithful participant, is taking a break due to her husband's passing from this world. Let's continue to send warm thoughts, good energy, and lots of prayers her way.

I have something more to ask of you: If you read this and the poetry of others, would you please leave a comment. Half - if not more - the fun of these challenges is receiving the responses of others.

Illegal hobbit?
My favourite breakfast is
the second one

- - - - - - - - - -

Topics coming up:
Memorial Day (May 31)
Best Friends Day (from June 8) (June 7)
Monkey Around Day (June 14)
Fathers (June 21)
Bubbles (June 28)

Poetry Monday :: Leaves

  Leaves - the theme for this Poetry Monday from Diane of On the Border where she and  Jenny of Procrastinating Donkey are taking turns supplying us with a theme and crafty poems - reminded me of an old joke.
  Mimi of Messymimi's Meanderings also writes a poem for us to enjoy.

  And here's another crazy haiku to go with the photo and the joke.

Yet another photo from the visit to the Zoo.

Punctuation can
pose great danger to our health.
Don't be ignorant!

  A panda walks into a café. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air.
    "Why?" asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.
    "I'm a panda," he says at the door. "Look it up."
    The waiter turns to the relevant entry in the manual and, sure enough, finds an explanation.
    "Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves."


The clue for next Monday is: Masks.  

Poetry Monday :: Ants

  Diane of On the Border and Jenny of Procrastinating Donkey are taking turns hosting Poetry Monday, supplying us with a theme and crafty poems, they are open for suggestions.
  Mimi of Messymimi's Meanderings also writes a poem for us to enjoy.
  This Monday Jenny Red has given us Ants.  

I made an oxymoron. A rhyming haiku. 
Disclaimer. This is not a true haiku, This  is a crazy haiku.

When the small green ants
get into your garden pants.
It's time to buy plants.


Next Monday's topic is Leaves, thank you Diane.

Poetry Monday :: Bridges - Updated

  Sorry ... because of Pentecostal mini-holidays MotherOwl forgot to write a poem. Hopefully she'll catch up later today or in the week to come.
  Also she is not going to read the poems from the usual suspects, as this will influence her writing. See you later co-poetrists.  
  Diane of On the Border and Jenny of Procrastinating Donkey and Mimi of Messymimi's Meanderings.

Today a haiku must suffice.

Bridges

Old bridges or new,
Don't burn'em, do cross'em.
But not before time.

The theme for next week is: The Antics of Pets. 


And a funny. Messymimi informs us that today is early bird day. Ergo: 

Source

Haiku Day

  Today is the International Haiku Day, the Australian Haiku Society is celebrating International Haiku Poetry Day by holding a String on the theme of ‘Solitude’. "By sharing our haiku we can connect with each other, even in these days of social distancing, self-isolation and working and studying from home," they say on their home page - link provided me by the Danish Haiku Group.

  I am afraid I cannot be pessimistic for long even though time and subject call for it. 
  Here are my haiku and a Danish rewording: 


Flowers are blooming
Gardening things calling
I must stay inside.

Through my big window,
I greet my neighbours and smile,
We share a cuppa.

Teddies everywhere
for children to seek and find
Bear necessity.


   --  はいく  -- 

Blomsterne spirer
Haveredskaber kalder,
jeg bliver inde.

Gennem vinduet
ser jeg mine naboer,
Vi løfter koppen.

Bamser overalt
Børn, der leder og finder
Ét er nødvendigt.

Verdenspoesidagen

World Poetry Day

  I dag er der verndenspoesidagen, og som medlem af det danske haikunetværk bliver jeg nok nødt til at fejre dagen med et haiku. Det er ikke hverken særligt dybsindigt eller filosofisk. Jeg har vist set for meget UgleTV.

Uglemor ruger,
vi er med på en kigger.
Hvor er uglefar?

--  -- 🦉 - 🦉 --  --

  Today is World Poetry Day and as I am a member of the Danish Haiku Society I just have to celebrate the day with a haiku. Not very deep or surprising, but suiting this photo. I have been watching (too much) OwlTV.

Brooding MotherOwl
we're all having a peek.
Where is DaddyOwl?

Nattebillede fra UgleTV  -- Night photo from OwlTV

Genjuan Habun Contest - 2017

And finally my contrubution from 2017. Winners can be seen here.

-- はいぶん --

Visions
  I see a mountain. Tall, triangular, looming in the horizon. I don't know it. I wonder. Is this Kilinmanjaro, Matterhorn, Sagarmatha? No. At first I am confused. Then a voice whispers in my mind. "Bow your head. This is the mountain of poetry. This is Ishizuchi-san." My mind repeats the strange syllables I-chi-zu-chi-san.
  Still guided by that strange voice, I go into a park.

Reading a kuhi
Ishizuchi towering
I am in Japan.

  Then I board a train. Open waters and bustling cities pass by. I get off and on trains several times. Still guided by that voice. Cities pass by: Otsu. Kyoto. Osaka. I buy and eat an eki-ben somewhere between the two lasts stops. I get off, walk for a long time, my legs seem to know the way all by themselves, but still guided by the friendly voice.
  It is a new place. Everything looks a bit strange, the smells are unexpected. Even the Sun shines in a new way. New, yet strangely familiar. I reach a cottage by a lake.
  I wake up. It's New Year's morning.

Genjuan Haibun Contest - 2013

 My contribution for 2013. Winners to be found here.

-- はいぶん --

Autumn
 Summer was meant to be forever. And now I see white hairs in the mirror. I see wrinkles. My joints are stiff in the morning.
 I go for a walk in my garden. Its never changing perfection is depressing. The tick tock of the deer chaser ticking the time away. Never an awry tuft of grass to remind us of life, of what it's like to be human.
 I sit by the pond, watching the frogs jumping in. Faraway music reach my ears, someone is practising the same few stanzas over and over again. A late bee is buzzing, seeking nectar in the wilted flowers.
 Night comes.

Harvest moon hanging
turning leaves white as my hair.
Summer has ended

 My wife is calling from the open door. Tea is ready. The fire is crackling. We sit by the fire. The tea is hot and strong the heat soothing to my senses.

Haiku in my mind.
Old logs give off joy and warmth.
Bountiful autumn.

Genjuan Haibun Contest - 2016

 Haibun for Genjuan contest 2016. Winners here.

-- はいぶん --

Thursday Night
After the procession everything is stripped bare. The flowers are carried away by whiteclad servants. Then the books, the candles, the clothing, even the ornaments and the chairs.
The crowd is watching; slightly incredulous, yet bowing to the inevitable.
Then the lamentations begin. Sometimes a voice raises over the others, the crowd joining in. But mostly there's silence in the dark.

Candles deep in prayer
Around the Lord's resting place.
Touched by red light.

Genjuan Haibun contest - 2018

  Some time ago, I received an invitation to the annual Genjuan haibun contest. I have participated for a couple of years, but as I was unable to see the literary qualities in the winning pieces, as compared to the contribitions of the non-winners, I just stopped sending in anything. As Lissa so aply writes on her blog:  

The few writing contests that I was involved in all had the one thing in common - all the winning stories are boring. I am not saying they shouldn't win, I'm saying why does the most boring story wins? Maybe these stories aren't boring, maybe they are for a more sophisticated audience so I can't understand them and that's why I think they are boring. They just seems to lack something exciting or meaningful to me. I don't know. I just don't understand it.

Now I try publishing my pieces here one at a time. Please tell me what you think.
Maybe I'm just exposing my own naiveté, then so be it.

-- はいぶん --

This was my entry for 2018. The winners and honourable menitonings can be found here.

Speciesism?
    Finally reaching the bus stop; burden placed squarely at a conveniently placed electricity box. The few minutes until the bus arrived was best spent relaxing my arms and catching my breath.

Red-brown across road,
A tabby cat closely follows.
Safety in heights.

  Suddenly, tired lungs forgotten, parcels left at the bus stop, I found myself running, clapping my hands and yelling. Of course siding with the poor squirrel confronted by ferocious claws and jaws. Wouldn't we all do the same?

  Arriving at my home stop, once again picking up my parcels. An old man stands at the bus stop looknig confused, consulting time table and wrist watch again and agin.
 "I'm suffering from de ... erm ...dem ..."
 "Dementia,"  I kindly asked. On his nodding, I proceeded to explain the time table and telling him the time. He seemed to know where and why to go, only the intricate skills of relating a time table to a watch eluded him. I was not afraid to leave him on his own.

  Finally lifting my burden, I plodded on; ignoring the yells from inside the gym: "Bloody Hell, can't you ever stop doing that?"

Squirrels and old men,
Sunshine on heavy parcels
Sorry for children.

Poetry Monday :: Paper

This Monday's theme is Paper, courtesy of Jenny of Procrastinating Donkey.

Inspired by that same lady, I dug into my old Haiku and found this one. It is the only haiku, I ever wrote in French, and that is why you get first the French original, then an English and a Danish rewrite of it - I won't call it translations as poetry in my mind is not translated, but rather re-created in another language. 

La neige tombait.
Blanche comme papier virginal.
Qui y peut écrire?

World covered in snow
As white as unused paper.
Where is the writer?

Sneen dækker alt
Hvid som det tomme papir
Hvem skriver tekster?


The English and Danish versions have been published in: Danish Haiku Today 2012. 
Next Monday's theme is Our Bucket List given by Diane. 

Ⓐ - Ⓩ 17. april - Ⓟ - Projekter

Ⓟ er for projekter.
     Uglemor har som altid gang i mange projekter. Havelågerne er et af dem. I Ⓘ for ideer kan man se Uglemors idé. Her kommer første del af projektet plus et par stykker til.

- Ⓐ - Ⓩ -

Ⓟis for projects.
In Ⓘ for ideas we heard about some of MotherOwl's wild plans. Here's the first step plus some other projects being finished.

Lågen. Den er ikke blå, men ellers ser den rigtig ud.  

- - -

The gate. It is not blue. But it looks like the idea. 

- Ⓐ - Ⓩ -

Men en låge var ikke nok. Der mangler lige en mere.

- - - 

One gate was not enough. We were missing one more. 

Et hul der mangler en låge. -- En låge på vej

Den grønne låge på sin plads. -- En grøn stopklods

A missing gate.  --  A gate in the making

The green gate is in place. -- A green stopper. 

 Purløgene her blev trængt af både tulipaner og oregano. Nu har de fået egen krukke. 

- - -

The chives were crowded by tulips and marjoram. Now they have their own pot to grow in.

Løvstikken er blevet luget og har fået fjernet alle sidste års gamle, hule stængler. De små påskeliljer i midten er næsten afblomstret, men det passer fint. 

- - - 

The Lovage has been weeded and had all the old, hollow stems removed. It looks so nice now. The small daffodils in the middle have almost finished flowering. That is good timing.

Mariarelieffet er ikke blevet vasket endnu i år. Men blomstervasen har fået en holder, så den ikke hele tiden dratter ned. 

Næste projekt må være at vaske relieffet og male hele hylden!

- - -

This cast Iron Mary has not yet had its annual washing. But the vase has had a new holder, much appreciated, as the vase was always falling off the shelf. 

Next project: A washing, and white paint for all of the shelf!  

-- はいく --

I dag er det den internationale Haiku-dag. Det må fejres.
- - -
Today is the International Haiku Poetry Day. We have to celebrate.

-- はいく -- 

Så mange ideer,
så få timer med solskin.
Uglemor har travlt.

          はいく

So many projects
For so few sunlit monments.
Busy MotherOwl.

-- oo 00 WfW 00 oo --

Og ja, Uglemor ved godt, at det er onsdag. Men onsdagsordene må vente et par dage denne gang.

- - -

MotherOwl do know that today is Wednesday. But the Words for Wednesday just have to wait.