Haibun: August Moon

close up profile shot of a blue and white whippet in a purple harness
segments from A Man in Assynt by Norman MacCaig engraved in a slap, with wet pawprints from two dogs

The path winds its way between sedge grass, the first blooms of heather. A scent of all things new that Summer brings, fills the air. We pause by a few lines borrowed from a famous poem by Norman MacCaig, engraved in granite. The large question mark enables us to ask his questions once more. Who owns this landscape? Who owns our beautiful planet? In our view too, it can only be master-less. For the short time that we’re here, we immerse ourselves in its beauty. We do our best to care for what we find, leaving nothing but our footprints, and our gratitude behind.

august moon
the words of our ancestors
still feel true

© Xenia Tran

cotton wool clouds in a blue sky over Knockan Crag

The segment engraved in the stone is taken from A Man in Assynt, a long poem Norman MacCaig (1910-1996) wrote in 1967 to accompany a BBC documentary.

Wishing you all a very happy Monday and a wonderful new week,

with love from Eivor, Pearl and Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Settings: f/2.8 – 1/500 s – ISO 100, f/4 – 1/640 s – ISO 100 and f/4 – 1/1000 s – ISO 200.

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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.

36 thoughts on “Haibun: August Moon”

  4. I love the passage and the fact it’s carved in granite. It would be lovely if everyone was of the same mind. Beautiful photos, as always, Xenia 💖 Hope your week is off to a good start, much love to you all 🤗🐕xxx

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  6. Lovely post, ideas, and photos in response to this challenge, Xenia. I especially love your last landscape shot. The colors are stunning. I totally agree with your statement: “We do our best to care for what we find, leaving nothing but our footprints, and our gratitude behind.” Have a wonderful week, Xenia.

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  7. It’s said that natives of North America felt no one could own the Earth.
    You may establish a territory, a range. You may defend it.
    But the Earth belongs only to itself and the Great Cosmos.
    As do we all.

    Seek peace,

    Paz

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  10. Beautiful photos and poem.

    One must agree, “master-less”.

    But, i ask, do we really care? If we had there would not be global warming. Or litter on the streets as a simple example .
    The earth is master-lesx but respect for it is not as ir should be. And then division of countries and fighting proves we dont think it to be masterless.

    But if we did think it masterless, and see ourself as guests on this earth would we respected it as we should?

    Great post Xenia, it got me thinking. And i love how the poem is written on the slate to be read in nature, it is quite a powerful statement.

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words dear Bella and your thoughtful questions 💜 I agree that respect for the earth is not as it should be and the levels of respect can vary from one person or organisation to the next. Thankfully there are also many thoughtful souls who walk kindly on this earth and want to leave it as pure as they found it. The reasons for them doing so can vary and for me personally it feels like the most natural way for my spirit to be whilst here in this life 🙂💜🕊 xxx

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words dear Annabelle 🙂💜 Pearl and Eivor have their teeth brushed every night at ‘toofy-time’ and it works a treat. We use Virbac brushes and toothpaste and they love it. If Pearl Greyhound isn’t keen on having her teeth brushed you can try anti-plaque wipes. Hope this helps and much love to you both from all of us here 😁🐾💖🐾 xxx

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      1. Pearl is very naughty about having her teeth cleaned – even though she doesn’t have many left, she still tries to bite me if I bring a brush near her mouth. I hadn’t heard of anti-plaque wipes, I will look into that. Thank you for the tip! 🙂 xxx ❤ ❤

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  14. Pingback: #Haikai Challenge #100 (8/17/19): Milky Way (amanogawa). Lit. ‘River of Heaven’ #Haiku #Senryu #haibun #tanka #haiga #renga – Frank J. Tassone

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