Haibun: Shifting Sands

 

black whippet running on a beach

 

The beach is quiet today. It is quiet after the storms. There is a soft bounce in the sand where my toes land in a canter. Small mounds of kick-back leave a trail behind me. Every turn I take leaves a memory until the sea wipes it away again at high tide.

every second
the colours of a new day
in the sand

© Xenia Tran

 

macro shot of soft sand blown over wet sand

 

There is new driftwood on the beach. Washed down by the river and left here by the sea their roots now face the sky. The smells from forests and hills have followed. Sometimes in the distance, we hear a chainsaw when people cut off bigger branches. There is enough time for the wood to dry and keep us warm in Winter.

above the waves
the call of whooper swans
october wind

© Xenia Tran

 

blue whippet on beach at low tide with tree roots and driftwood

 

The beach is quiet today. The sun feels warm now the wind has gone and it is so nice to close our eyes and hear the music. Gulls are waiting for the tide to turn and preen their feathers. We open our eyes and exhale. After the rains in the West it is good to walk and breathe in the sea air.

wet sand stays
where soft sand blows
an autumn leaf

© Xenia Tran

 

macro shot of soft sand blown over autumn leaf on beach

With love from Eivor, Pearl and Xenia xxx

 

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Camera: Panasonic Lumix FZ200, settings: iA, 1/160 s and Action, 1/400 s and 1/600 s.

 

Dutch Goes The Photo Tuesday Photo Challenge: Sand

Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge: Scale

Carpe Diem #1272 – October (Robert Frost)

Carpe Diem #1276 – Tranquil

dVerse Poets Open Link Night #206

dVerse Poets Pub Logo

 

Author: whippetwisdom

The stories, poems and photographs on this blog are the original creative work of Xenia Tran. Inspired by life in the Scottish Highlands and in awe of nature she gives voice to the wisdom of her adopted and fostered whippets.

90 thoughts on “Haibun: Shifting Sands”

    1. Thank you so much for your kind words Cathy 💜 We live on the Moray Coast in the North/North-East which has its own micro-climate. We had a short break in the West recently which was very very wet☔ and it is nice to be home in the dry again. The scenery in the West is amazing and it gets a lot more rain than the East. When the days are longer we sometimes do it in a day trip if the weather forecast is good! 😉💖 xxx

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      1. Yes, it was extremely wet when we visited recently too. We went across to the east to St Andrews one day to have a break from the rain 😄 I keep telling my husband we have to move east – Wales is just as bad! I do want to go further north though, to Skye and Inverness. Maybe next year 🙂 xxx

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      2. Oh dear, so glad you got a break from the rain in St Andrews! Inverness is a lovely city and Skye is meant to be beautiful – we have not been there yet and it is on our list too! 😉💖 xxx

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words Kristjaan. I had not seen your ‘tranquil’ prompt yet and you are right, it would fit very well. I will link it up to this prompt in a minute :o) xxx

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  12. I love the circularity of your haibun, Xenia: starting and ending with ‘The beach is quiet today’ enfolds me in a blanket of calm. There are some wonderful phrases throughout, which give it movement, such as ‘soft bounce in the sand’, and bring it to life, as in:
    ‘the colours of a new day
    in the sand’.
    There is also sound in the chainsaw and the whooper swans. I feel as if I am walking with you and the whippets on the beach. More please!

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    1. Thank you for your kind words Kim and so lovely to have you walking with us here today!😉 It was blissfully quiet on the beach even though the caravan parks and holiday cottages are full for the school holidays ☺💖 xxx

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  14. How odd. Moray, is it? I was just rereading my family crest, family name history. Guess where my early ancestors of my name and its variations came from? Morayshire. Could it be?
    Anyway, lovely photo essay and haikus. Well done.

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  15. A Grain
    Two Grains
    Healing Water
    Holds Hands with Sand
    as Silt comes next to
    Soften Sun Burnt
    Bleached Stretch
    Beach Scorched
    Before Life Rains
    Come now more
    Next.. in Beauty Ease…
    Columbus Day Exploring
    Hard Heeled Shoes Come
    Shore Stamping Out Wild
    Wind
    Birds
    Dance
    Songs
    in Human
    eYes oF Free
    Chains Love No
    Longer Naked
    Clouds Float
    BaLanCinG
    GonE skeYes
    RaiNS TeaRS DARk..
    Human Storms come
    Human Storms go.. Dogs
    Reign Kind Leaves Left Springs
    Fall Winters Summer Dreams CoMe aGaiN
    BacK aS eYeS Dog Love Fur Free Be Now More..
    SMiLes.. mY FriEnd Xenia.. Poetry As Is NoW Holy
    And Sacred Words iN Meaning and Purpose
    oF Life that two or more people share in
    Understanding a Consensual
    Reality of Existential
    Intelligence more..
    Oral Tradition
    First in
    Vowels
    that Sing
    the Music
    of Vocal Chords
    Extending to Musical
    Instruments BRinGinG
    FeeLinGs and SeNses more..
    Lyrics of SouL Notes in Words
    in Every Color of Love and Reds
    in Struggle and Passion more
    Dancing too without words..
    BeYonD iNfiNiTy Symbols
    Changing Music
    Depth
    Beyond
    Time of Being
    Human Now Ocean
    Souls ToGeTHeR SaiLs
    Never Ending Force oF LoVE HiGHeR LiGHT..:)

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      1. WeLL one more Sing and this Dance
        Ends a second way of
        poetic responses
        Flowing sea now
        as communication
        comes in symbols
        more and off to the
        Ocean of Human Made
        Emoticons for Humans will
        Naturally Create Symbols out
        of the Environment whether created
        or used from before to communicate socially
        and reciprocally even more.. Sad it is though now
        When new symbols are locked away from BeinG Creating
        iN Moving Connecting MorEliGHT to share win symbols now..:)

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      1. SMiLes mY FriEnd NoW
        the (A) More i become
        Love as Far as Positive
        Only Energy Flows
        A (The) More
        aLL Fits
        toGeTHeR
        as Rhyme that
        never ends in Holy
        and Sacred Purpose
        and Meaning More
        as Evolving
        Spiral
        oF LiVinG FreE.. NoW..
        sAdly.. so much stress
        in modern cultures takes
        that ability away to see such
        A Masterpiece in Paint of God
        we are as brush and paint and
        Master Peace same with
        so many
        DeLiGHTFuL
        Strokes from
        Abyss DArK
        Through SHaDes
        oF Grey BeYonD RainBoW
        CoLoRs MorE aS TRuLY A WiZarD oF oZ iS ReaL..
        A Place NoWwHeRE Curtains No Longer Cover MaGiC NoW..
        wHeRE
        YeS..
        tHe
        PoT oF GOld iS LoVE..:)

        Liked by 1 person

  18. Pingback: Scale: Clouds – What's (in) the picture?

    1. Thank you so much for your kind words Jules and how lovely to hear you have a lurcher! Our first rescue dog was a lurcher and he still lives on inside our hearts. All our dogs have loved and love the beach and it is such a fabulous place to walk them. Enjoy your approaching Summer! ☺💖 xxx

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words Dolores 💜 I was able to meditate for a while on the beach and the haiku had already found me before I got home and wrote the prose. I love it when that happens – the complete silence before the words is so peaceful too ☺💖 xxx

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  26. Pingback: Tuesday Photo Challenge – Round Up 78 – Dutch goes the Photo!

  30. What a lovely series of haibun, Xenia, and I love the photos that you take. I love driftwood and would be thrilled if I came across a pile of it on the beach! I particularly loved your photo of that lone autumn leaf partially covered in the sand. xo

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