Thought Prints

This summer of 2023 has been brutally hot many days.  The excessive heat has been the second highest in recorded history world wide.  Read more here .  The heat at Camp Mabry, the nearest official weather station to me, averaged the following: June 2023     -   97.9℉  36.6℃  (5 days above 100℉)        historical average - 89℉  31.6℃ July 2023      - 103.5℉  39.7℃  (6 days below 100℉)        historical average - 97℉  36.1℃ August 2023 - 104.9℉  40.5℃  (2 days below 100℉)        historical average - 96℉  35.5℃  prisoners  held captive by sun's blaze oil barons parched lips mouth prayers blessed fall © petra domina

  Carpe Diem Haiku Kai inspiration painting: citrus colored clouds glide across the blue sky grapes ripen © petra domina Visit Chèvrefeuille by clicking on the post title.  Watch for new prompts.

  Carpe Diem Haiku Kai, a new episode: flower market After a long absence our wonderful mentor has returned to challenge us novice haiku writers.  If you will click here , you will see the challenge post for this week. depth of a flower flying away with the bee some mystery (C) Jane Reichhold (1937-2016) On the flower market A mysterious woman selling  - Her broken heart (C) Chèvrefeuille - - - - - - - - - - - - moonflower radiates in darkness taste of death © Petra Domina For more beautiful poetry visit  Chèvrefeuille's blog, Carpe Diem Haiku Kai .

Recently I drove 200 miles to my home town to attend the funeral of a friend.  A man who, along with his wife, rode the elevator with my husband, my hours-old son, and me to the maternity ward.  His birthday was that same day, the day of our only child's birth.   Once the funeral was over, hugs and memories shared with his two adult children, I drove out to a house about 7 miles away.  It was our house. Built to our plans and sold when that only child was two years old.  Not sold before it left a mark on our friends and their children.  Leaving that home for another state our friend drifted away as the currents of life pulled us apart. After the visit to our home, I drove back to the house where I spent my teen years.  During the drive an unusual thing happened to my conscience.  I was not driving a car down a road, I was parking the Falcon in my parents garage.  I was walking toward the oh so familiar screen door.  The smells in my...

  Carpe Diem Haiku Kai #1360: New Life New Life, Spring Is Here I am writing this even though the time to join the Kai postings has passed.  Need to get back into my writing habits! pushing from the womb new life emerges  amid the pain © petra domina May the world emerge with new life as many nations suffer the pains of growth.

  Carpe Diem Haiku Kai #1845 Troiku Challenge: Summertime   Today's challenge from our host is to create a troiku using his own haiku for the primary source. at the seashore wind of summer through my hair the shortest night © Chèvrefeuille at the seashore clamoring sound of gulls punctuate the air wind of summer through my hair taste of salt on my tongue soothing warmth of the sand the shortest night daybreak comes all too soon gulls at work again © petra domina Follow this link to see other contributions to the troiku challenge. Thanks to Chèvrefeuille for hosting Carpe Diem Haiku Kai.

Chèvrefeuille is back and I am glad! With a challenge for a new masterpiece on the theme returning back to normal here is my submission. crinkles spreading across faces exposed joy © petra domina   Visit today's post on  Carpe Diem #1844 Returning Back To Normal (I Hope)

Spring storms have passed through the last few days.  Those storms have left behind an abundance of puddles.  Even in the open hallway outside some of the apartments.  The five level parking garage had its share of the puddles.  These puddles are not full of mud though there is plenty of pollen.  Pollen washed from the air and surfaces is just another harbinger of spring. Today is Resurrection Sunday celebrated by Christians.  With the clearing skies and nice breeze my early walk was a celebration of renewed life.  The feeling of childlike joy filled me as I listened to the birds singing.  The feel of the breeze through my hair.  With a Betty Boop face mask I embraced the childlike feelings.  I walked through every puddle that was in my path. spirits splashing in puddles rebirth © petra domina

Carpe Diem #1809 Wedding Bells Today's challenge is to write a choka.  Here is our host's explanation: "The choka can be of almost any length, because its form depends on alternating phrases (or lines) containing either seven of five sound units (onji). The end of the poem is signaled by two lines of seven sounds. So the form is five/seven, five/seven, five seven, .... , seven/seven." when my love is near the sight of him fills my heart my soul is engulfed with the love seen in his eyes my life is better because of his presence now rapture in his finger's touch © petra domina Thank to Chèvrefeuille for his dedication to haiku and this Kai!

Carpe Diem #1804 New Beginnings ... candlelight instantly flaming candles fill the sky a new year instantly warm lips meet melting the cold flaming candles fill the sky smoke fills the air stars obscured a new year corks pop as flutes clink a sea of people © petra domina To anyone who stops by for a read the following was the challenge for today's work: "Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers, Yes ... another episode of our wonderful Kai, because I was late with our Monday episode, "snowdrops". Today I love to challenge you two times. I love to challenge you to create a "fusion-ku" with two given haiku and to create a Troiku with your new "fusion-ku". I have chosen two haiku by Jane Reichhold extracted from her online Saijiki "A Dictionary of Haiku", section New Year. Here are the two haiku to work with: a new year rising from wild seas a few stars filling the glass with candlelight champ...

Carpe Diem #1802 New Beginnings ... without beginning Deathpoem by Shinsui (* - 1769) beginning first steps final breath © petra domian

Carpe Diem's Tan Renga Wednesday #10 such a cold night kazuki fusu futon ya samuki yo ya sugoki lying down with quilts over the head such a cold night © Basho (Tr. Jane Reichhold) curled into his warming hold memories of young love unfold © petra domina

Carpe Diem #1801 New Beginnings ... first cry cold sparrows huddle dream of spring and  building nest hatchling's first cry  © petra domina Chèvrefeuille, our host of the Japanese poetry blog, Carpe Diem Haiku Kai, challenges us with 'first cry'.  Us members of the Kai invite you to join us in learning and writing this wonderful form of poetry.  Click here to visit the blog.

Carpe Diem #1800 New Beginnings ... first leaf falling breezy morn silently first red leaf falls moon set  © petra domina Simply click on the opening line of this post and you can visit the Carpe Diem Haiku Kai challenge of the day.  Home page can be reached here .

Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #112 Transformation ... sketching from life (Shiki's Shasei technique)  WYSIWYG is a computer programming term meaning What You See Is What You Get.  It seems to me that the form of writing Japanese haiku known as Shasei is basically the same thing.  To understand better read the full prompt by clicking here . Our challenge today is to take a haiku written by Shiki in the Shasei technique and make it a tanka. Sketching from life — eggplants are harder to do than pumpkins © Masaoka Shiki (Tr. Burton Watson) orange circle with shaded ribs eggplants, defined by light © petra domina Be sure to join the fun of reading and learning about this wonderful form of Japanese poetry!

Carpe Diem #1799 New Beginnings ... a huge wave (Crossroads feature) "Today I have chosen two haiku written by her ( Jane Reichhold)  and I love to challenge you to create a "fusion-ku" and with that "fusion-ku" a Troiku ... (more on Troiku above in the menu). Here are the two haiku by Jane to work with: a huge wave thundering across the beach my birthday sky-clad the new-born comes wrapped in previous lives © Jane Reichhold (extracted from the online Saijiki "A Dictionary Of Haiku", section "New Year")" pain filled wave the future is now crowned as grandma smiles pain filled wave engulfing all who stand near just breathe the future is now crowned in the pink, chubby fist mom's finger as grandma smiles dreaming of future adventures seeing the past in that face © petra domina As I read the challenge and the two haiku I thought of my husband's birth.  He is in his 80th year.  ...

Carpe Diem #1797 New Beginnings ... First Snow I grew up in an area that was too far south to get snow 99% of the winters.  I would hardly freeze.  Then I met a man who grew up in the hills of Missouri.  Within a few years of our marriage we moved to his home town.  Our first winter there were six weeks where the temperature never reached 32℉, 0℃.  It snowed.  We did not have a sleigh so I used a paint roller pan to pull my two year old son around our yard.  I loved the snow.  Especially the early morning quiet of a snowfall. morning breaks winter's bleakness hidden first snow © petra domina Such a great place to enjoy haiku and other forms of Japanese poetry.  Be sure to visit Chèvrefeuille's Carpe Diem Haiku Kai to see what you can learn about this unique form of poetry.

Carpe Diem #1794 New Beginnings ... new born In our 1999 Jeep Wrangler Hubby, Janer and I were bouncing along the country lane one early spring day.  Top down, enjoying every bit of nature along the way.  Just on the other side of a barbed wire fence we heard a sound.  The momma cow dropped a new baby. tender grass shoots embracing the new born calf tongue's caress © petra domina One of the most inviting and helpful haiku and Japanese Poetry sites on the web is Chèvrefeuille's Carpe Diem Haiku Kai .  Come join the fun and write a few lines yourself!

Carpe Diem #1792 New Beginnings ... New Year's Day © petra domina first sun rises glassful of mulled rice wine  toasting lion dance © petra domina From our Master's original post/challenge: " The theme for this month is New Beginnings and today we start with ... New Year's Day ... Our classical haiku masters wrote a lot of haiku about New Year's Day ... here are a few examples:" it’s play for the cranes flying up to the clouds the year’s first sunrise … © Chiyo-ni the first dream of the year — I keep it a secret and smile to myself © Sho-u New Year’s Day– everything is in blossom! I feel about average. © Issa Year after year on the monkey’s face a monkey’s face © Basho New Year's eve -- through the bare branches the wind as always © Chèvrefeuille Come join in the fun of haiku at the Carpe Diem Haiku Kai .

Tan Renga Wednesday (5) White Crane Today's challenge from our host at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai is to use the following: "The haiku I (Chèvrefeuille our host) have chosen written by Kikaku is one of his most beautiful haiku in my opinion. He wrote it to comfort Basho in his last days of his life:" how I wish to call a white crane from Fukei, but for this cold rain. © Kikaku yet here is one white quill write away death's dark hold © petra domina Thanks to Chèvrefeuille for his consistent faith in us poets.