Written several weeks ago while I was taking some days away at a cabin.
Scattered
Pine needles scattered
Latticework beneath the trees
Draped on everything
Poetry Reveals All Kinds of Things–Marital Strife is Nothing New
I like to read poetry now and then. It brings some peace and satisfaction to my mind. But I am reluctant to act like a true poetry enthusiast. I am not good at reading or finishing longer, epic poems. Maybe some day I will grow up. But for now, with my short attention span, I enjoy bite size verse. So I found this cheap kindle book of short poems. The poem below is a good example of how to write a beautiful poem about a dark subject. It reminded me that strife in marriage is an old game.
A Reasonable Affliction
Matthew Prior (1664—1721)
On his death-bed poor Lubin lies:
His spouse is in despair;
With frequent cries, and mutual sighs,
They both express their care.
“A different cause,” says Parson Sly,
“The same effect may give:
Poor Lubin fears that he may die;
His wife, that he may live.”
Haiku 8.3.15
Haven’t had as much time for poetry lately. Here are a few offerings.
Study Abroad
A video call
Daughter in London, good times
Retold taste better
Patio
August in Fresno
Finally a cool morning
A rare summer treat
Essentials
Downsizing our home
Hard, but good in many ways
Unclutter my life
Birthday Haiku
It was my birthday yesterday. The effect of having so many dozens of friends say happy birthday is wonderful. And so many of these friends are from long ago, and from all over the place… wow. Thanks
So, here is your free gift, a Haiku:
Another birthday.
Facebook sends greetings my way
From friends far and near.
Monday Morning Haiku- Mountain Cabin
Warmth
Cool mountain morning,
Threaded sunlight through branches
lifts the morning chill
-mtroupe 2015
Obviously, the poem below is not a haiku. Enjoy it anyway…
Time
The cabin rests beneath the trees
As passing seasons roll
The living wood is fresh and green
The cabin wood grows old.
-mtroupe 2015
Monday Morning Haiku- Friendship
I wrote these after our son unexpected stopped by our home. He attends a nearby university and we hadn’t seen him in a little while (about a week, I know that is not long, but it still feels long when you enjoy your children). Our conversation volleyed back and forth like a good tennis match. These poems are as much about conversation as friendship. Is there really much of a difference?
Haiku 3.23.15
Together Again
Conversation flows
Between friends after a break
Catching up on life.
-mtroupe 2015
Conversation
Words share life and love
Friends speak of things that moved them
While they were apart.
-mtroupe 2015
Soul Food
Stories delight us
Nourishing the souls of friends
Bringing joy to life.
-mtroupe 2015
Edited photo used by permission of Kathleen Conklin. Some rights reserved
Monday Morning Haiku- Power Outage
Haiku 3.16.15
The power was out at our house for 3-4 hours last night, starting at dusk. Even our cell internet connection was affected. We sat and read together and it was enjoyable. But it was a reminder of how completely dependent we are on technology, and how that even impacts our relationships.
What Now?
A power outage
Darkness. No lights. No Wi-Fi
Candles lit the room
-mtroupe 2015
Together
The power went out
We sat together and read
Candlelight glowing
-mtroupe 2015
Memory
Ancient people lived
Without electricity
But we forgot how
-mtroupe 2015
Design
Without light, dusk brings
An end to the work of Day
Now rest, talk, and sleep
-mtroupe 2015
Monday Morning Haiku Springtime March 9, 2015
More offerings for your enjoyment. Today is a sunny spring day with still enough cool to make pants enjoyable.
Dance Floor
Gentle breezes blow
Small twigs like a metronome
Shadows dance beneath
-mtroupe 2015
Resurrection
Even a dry spring
Wakens the blossoms to life
And tunes the bird songs
-mtroupe 2015
Disappointment
On a cool spring day
Distant lawn care machines roar
Drowning out the birds.
-mtroupe 2015
Monday Morning Haiku on Rest
More amateur poetry offerings. In the last year I have been writing more haiku. Today I am taking a day off and wrestling with the benefits and difficulties of rest when it is both needed and difficult. I am a workaholic and have been learning that rest is a form of both worship and repentance. It is a way to confess that I am not God, and that it doesn’t all depend on me. It is also a way to express my trust that he will take care of “business” while I enjoy some time of restoration. Enjoy.
Poem on Envy
I love this poem. It is so easy to deceive ourselves. I first read it in high school and it left a deep impression. I have come back to it so many times when looking at favorite poems. And by the way, YOU MUST REVISIT FAVORITE POEMS!
Richard Cory
Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
We people on the pavement looked at him:
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean-favoured and imperially slim.
And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
“Good Morning!” and he glittered when he walked.
And he was rich, yes, richer than a king,
And admirably schooled in every grace:
In fine — we thought that he was everything
To make us wish that we were in his place.
So on we worked and waited for the light,
And went without the meat and cursed the bread,
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet in his head.
Edwin Arlington Robinson
.Photo Used by permission Bruce Fingerhood. Some rights reserved
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