Haiku: Ancient Rocks

close up of a smiling brindle whippet in a black jacket by exposed rocks on the tidal sands

salted by tides
like they always have
– ancient rocks

© Xenia Tran

rocks, seaweed and pools on the tidal sands by the sea

Wishing you all a happy Thursday and a peaceful rest of the week,

with love from Misty and Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Thursday’s Special: Pick a Word in May 2023 (fibrous, mottled, natural)

CMMC: May Alphabet – Any Word with an i (whippet, herring gull, sail)

Word of the Day Challenge: Gradual

Haibun: River of Love

a smiling whippet in a yellow jacket standing in the shallows of a mountain stream

The rain has stopped and small drops twinkle on the pine and bare branches. We follow the trail as it winds down the hill, passing the place where a young hind once stood between the trees like a statue, without any of our dogs noticing.

Misty looks at me as I remember, sees the pictures I am making. She smiles her loving smile, and I treasure the new memories we make together.

feet in the shallows –
we feel the surge
of a deeper flow

© Xenia Tran

a mountain stream with shallows and currents flowing between the trees

Wishing you all a happy Thursday and a peaceful rest of the week,

with love from Misty and Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Jez Braithwaite’s Water Water Everywhere #162

Thursday’s Special: Pick a Word in January 2023 (Perspective)

Tanka: Stag’s Roar

close up of a brindle whippet peering over a dry stone wall

smooth moss
covers the stones
within sight
a stag roars near the
sunny side of the mountain

© Xenia Tran

a hill in the distance with late heather in bloom

Wishing you all a happy Thursday and a peaceful rest of the week,

with love from Misty and Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

CFFC: Smooth

Thursday’s Special: Pick a Word in September 2022 (bounded)

Tanka: Low-Tide Treasures

a smiling brindle whippet running across the beach

fleeting world –
gulls and oystercatchers feed
in the lagoon
there are treasures to be found
at this special hour

© Xenia Tran

oystercatchers and gulls feeding in a tidal lagoon

Wishing you all a happy Monday and a peaceful new week,

with love from Misty and Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Jez Braithwaite’s Water Water Everywhere #141

Thursday’s Special: Pick a Word in August 2022 – Lagoon, Shoreward

Tanka: Sea Lace

an elderly brindle whippet in a red jacket climbing lichen-covered rocks

sea lace
the first step
so small
nobody knew
the size of the ocean

© Xenia Tran

Ribbons, Spring/Summer 2022: Volume 18, Number 2

lichen-covered rocks on the beach with the sea behind them

Wishing you all a blessed Thursday and a peaceful rest of the week,

with love from Misty and Xenia xxx

Jez Braithwaite’s Water Water Everywhere #131

CFFC: Landscapes or Seascapes

Thursday’s Specials: Pick a Word in June 2022 (Bouldery, Perched, Surging)

Tanka: Stone Spirits

a blue and white whippet carefully stepping across shingle and rocks on a tidal beach

precious earth –
each stone its own
aura
our souls so closely aligned
with all that we see

© Xenia Tran

close up of a senior blue and white whippet bending down to sniff stones on the beach

Wishing you all a happy Thursday and a blessed Earth Day tomorrow,

with love from Eivor, Pearl and Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Tanka Thursday: Aura

Thurday’s Special: Pick a Word in April 2022 (Salient)

Word of the Day Challenge: Unusual

Haiku: Eyes so Blue

two whippets in black jackets walking onto the beach from the dunes

eyes so blue
the child’s first glimpse
of the sea

© Xenia Tran

Presence #72, March 2022

shingle and dunes in the foreground above the beach and water

Wishing you all a happy Monday and a peaceful new week,

with love from Eivor, Pearl and Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

We are delighted that the above haiku has subsequently been included in Dawn Returns, Haiku Society of America Members’ Anthology 2022.

Dawn Returns Haiku Anthology

Word of the Day Challenge: Jubilant

Thursday’s Special: Pick a Word – March 2022 (asperous, effusive)

Haibun: The Day After

a blue and white whippet in a winter jacket standing on the seashore covered in seafoam

The sleet shower has passed and we wrap up warm for a walk towards the shore. A few people are already there, surveying the damage. Some rocks from the seawall have been washed away, there are creels resting in strange places.

Seafoam floats in rockpools and hides the tidal sands. The dogs are sure-footed, leading the way. It is as if they remember the shape of every dip and outcrop.

beach combing
a curl of wood smoke
through the salt air

© Xenia Tran

close up of seafoam floating in rockpools and resting on tidal sands

Our thoughts are with everyone affected by Storm Arwen and we hope you are all safe and well.

Wishing you a blessed Monday and a peaceful week ahead,

with love from Eivor, Pearl and Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

PI Poetry Prompt: Float

Thursday’s Special: Pick a Word November 2021 (Surrounded)

Word of the Day Challenge: Sure

Puente Poetry: Voices in the Rain

Loch Beinn a’ Mheadhain

a black whippet in a raincoat looking alert among scattered autumn leaves in the forest

All the songs are living ghosts and long for a living voice.
Brendan Kennelly (17.04.1936 – 17.10.2021)

***

... high in the rafters I hear the bell of her laughter, silvered and beautiful.
Máire Mhac an tSaoi (04.04.1922 – 16.10.2021)

a blue and white whippet in a raincoat on a hilly forest trail

rain falls in golden leaves, in the dark,
deep water of Loch Beinn a’ Mheadhain
the colours of pine, birch and fir are reflected

~ in the beginnings of new-found peace ~

a voice tells us the rain will stop when
we climb the steep hill while the sky clears
to hear poets and spirits mingle

© Xenia Tran

Loch Beinn a' Mheadhain in autumn

Though we live in a world that dreams of ending
that always seems about to give in
something that will not acknowledge conclusion
insists that we forever begin.

Brendan Kennelly

We were very sad to hear of the passing of Irish poets Máire Mhac an tSaoi and Brendan Kennelly over the weekend and our thoughts and prayers are with their family, friends, colleagues and students at this difficult time.

Both leave behind a rich body of work and their gift to the world is treasured by many.

Wishing you all a blessed Monday and a peaceful week ahead,

with love from Eivor, Pearl and Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

PI Prompt: Voice

Thursday’s Special: Pick a Word in October 2021 (Transcoloured)

Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge: Hillside

Haiku: Pilgrim’s Way

Loch Beinn a’ Mheadhain

a blue and white whippet climbing stone steps to a mountain view point

pilgrim’s way
a glimpse of light to see
what we pray for

© Xenia Tran

view over Loch Beinn a' Mheadhain in autumn

Wishing you all a blessed Thursday and a peaceful rest of the week,

with love from Eivor, Pearl and Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Rag Tag Daily Prompt: Current

Thursday’s Special: Pick a Word October 2021 (Sky High, Sanctuary)