Showing posts with label India. Show all posts
Showing posts with label India. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 05, 2021

2687





IT'S DAY TWELVE - FESTIVAL END
The Thirteenth year celebrating, The Twelve Days Of Christmas here at Lunch Break; since this celebration is collaborative, i will be updating posts throughout the day

The theme of this year's celebration is "Deck The Halls"

Haiku and images remain the copyright of individual writers

much love
gillena


❧✿❧

taking down
the nativity scene-
the angel's broken wing
--Bekki Reese


Every year
Baby Jesus newly born
Where is sin
-- Otteri SelvaKumar


christmas shopping-
we buy him a gift
anyway
--Judith Gorgone



the wind might blow
it might rain, snow or sleet...
yet, we'll party

twelve days have once come
and twelve days have gone 'til then...
fa la la la la
--Pat Geyer



again and again
in each season of Christmas
finding joy
--gillena cox


❧✿❧



Thanks  for celebrating with me these 12 days:
 Adelaide Shaw, USA
Bekki Reese, USA
 Brendon Kent, UK
Christine L. Villa, Philippines
 Florin Golban, Romania
Janice Garey, USA
 Judith Gorgone, USA 
Mary Davila.USA
 Otteri Selva Kumar, India
Pat Geyer, USA
Vasanth Kumarup, India

❧✿❧






REVISIT
5 January 2020
5 January 2019
5 January 2018



❧✿❧





 




Today's post linked to







Monday, January 04, 2021

2686





IT'S DAY ELEVEN
Welcome to the Thirteenth year celebrating  The Twelve Days Of Christmas here at Lunch Break; since this celebration is collaborative, i will be updating posts throughout the day

The theme of this year's celebration is "Deck The Halls"

Haiku and images remain the copyright of individual writers

much love
gillena


❧✿❧


how I long
to embrace Baby Jesus . . .
my bursting heart
--Mary Davila


singing
all together...
the joy
--Pat Geyer


Little Star
Waiting for homes
Little Jesus
-- Otteri SelvaKumar


christmas parade
twinkling
their eyes
--Judith Gorgone


wrapping up Christmas -
in our hearts the longing
for next season
--gillena cox







❧✿❧






REVISIT
4 January 2020
4 January 2019
4 January 2018



❧✿❧






Friday, January 01, 2021

2683





IT'S DAY EIGHT
Welcome to the Thirteenth year celebrating  The Twelve Days Of Christmas here at Lunch Break; since this celebration is collaborative, i will be updating posts throughout the day

The theme of this year's celebration is "Deck The Halls"

Haiku and images remain the copyright of individual writers

much love
gillena

❧✿❧

as the yuletide dawns..
i tell you 'bout the rose bloom
under the cold moon
--Pat Geyer


New Years Day -
i gather a few words to
spread good cheer
--gillena cox

winter wasteland outside the window - New Years Day --Florin Golban

❧✿❧




REVISIT
1 January 2020
1 January 2019
1 January 2018

❧✿❧





Thursday, February 14, 2013

1116



Remembering love, sweet and young, shared with my husband (Anthony Cox); and, with the sharings on love, of some of my haijin friends; A Happy St Valentine's Day to all Lunch Break visitors;
revisit Valentine's Day 2012


red rose buds...
the "i love you" in
his shy silence

--gillena cox
first published at NaHaiWriMo


I forgave him in the night
a flower crushed
rises fragrantly a wind

--Diane Dehler


passing from
flower to flower--
a smell of love

--Vibeke Laier


her brown eyes
suddenly my turn
to talk

--Michael Baribeau


Valentine's Day--
she reminds me
to fasten my seatbelt

--Michael Dylan Welch


snowy road
closed daffodils
on her kitchen table

--Ralf Bröker


Ah ! expectation -
bunch of flowers in hand
the heart on the watch.

--Patrick Fetu


a deep breath
handing over
the paper heart

-- Christina Nguyen


red heart nebula
in cassiopeia...
a queen's valentine

--pat geyer


flowers is she
she is flower with flower
see the smiles

--Otteri Selvakumar


First spring day
without you this murky sky
over cherry blossoms

--Magdalena Dale


Valentine's night
working a shift
at the VD clinic

--Susan Delphine Delaney


Poems remain the copyright of individual writers
Hope you enjoyed this year's Valentine's Day party, wishing all Much Love...


Thanks for allowing me to share your work here at Lunch Break-:
Christina Nguyen, USA (A Wish For The Sky)
Diane Dehler, USA
Magdalena Dale, Romania
Michael Baribeau, USA
Michael Dylan Welch, USA
Otteri Selvakumar, India
Pat Geyer, USA
Patrick Fetu, France (Saint-Valentin)
Ralf Bröker, Germany
Susan Delphine Delaney, USA
--Vibeke Laier, Denmark


SmileyCentral.com

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Renku Saturday 26

sunlit memories
i remember the hymn
that you crooned
while pollinating my
garden full of aster

--Linda Ashok, India


in heat shimmers
paper fan spread wide
he sleeps

--Issa, 1815


at the tips of branches
hot pink bougainvillea

--gillena cox


You're lost
follow my scent
I have to leave

Lorraine


revisitRenku Saturday 25

Join in the Renku email me or post a COMMENT

Sunday, June 03, 2012

Sunday Savvy 28

After the work week, or the school week, and weekend chores of Saturday, Sunday is a nice day to pack in some leisure hours; and this Sunday the community of St James affords its populace such a treat since the annual 'we beat' festival started June 1st and ends June 9th this year

Sunday savvy -
the 'we beat' stage draped
red white and black

--gillena cox


Sunday Smiles


tag 1...Rambles With A Camera - June 3rd 2012

tag 2...Flow And Stuff L - June 3rd 2012

tag 3...Feathers 1092


Why not share a lil Sunday something of yours with me: COMMENT or email me

revisit Sunday Savvy 27


Sunday . . .
how quickly
the long day passes

--Bill, US


Sunday morning
tickseed flowers brighter
than the sun

--Cara, US


picnic on the porch
the fragrance of peonies
with the ham and cheese

--Adelaide, US


I remember when I was a child:

Sunday clatter
coins in the passing tin
fresh milk


My Grandmother Magyar always wispered as the collection dish went by, "A less hungry child."
--_m, US


old age home---
wait for her son
on sunday morning

--Kash poet, IN


Sundays I never liked
I yearn for Mondays

--Lorraine, CA



Tuesday, May 01, 2012

sunny day -
yellow poui resplendent
on the mountain
--gillena cox, April 2012

ਧੁਪੀਲਾ ਦਿਨ -
ਪਰਬਤ ਉੱਤੇ ਚਮਕੇ
ਪੀਲੀ ਬਸੰਤ ਰਾਣੀ
--Punjabi translation by Sandip Sital Chauhan, April 2012

Thursday, April 26, 2012

A Poem In Your Pocket 2012


image from google used for this haiga
Join the celebration at Lunch break; Poem In Your Pocket 2012; COMMENT or email me a poem i'll post it today. Poems remain the copyright of individual writers


also left hanging
in the pine
the farmer's paper fan
-- Issa 1823

April showers -
a soggy kite held erstwhile
in tree branches
--gillena cox


monday morning walk...
sun bathes the lake in warm light
cormorants smile
turtles rest on floating logs
and leaves leisurely float by
--Pat Geyer, US

beautiful blond boy
posed in his communion suit
ever in my heart.
rosary, bow, cross and smile
old photo of my father.
--Pat Geyer, US


the asphalt
covered with cherry petals;
tracks of my car
--Taro Kunugi, JP




image share from Ralf Bröker,

walking the Royal Mile
with eyes
on my now
--Ralf Bröker, DE

cherry blossoms
fall from my scrapbook
he loved me then
--Pris Campbell, US


first light
another bird voice
joins the choir
--Cara Holman, US


early morning breeze
a hummingbird flies
into my dream
--Stevie Strang, US


lingering dream
of tears and loss...
awakening to rain
--Dianne Borsenik, US


--haiga by Robert Johnston, NZ



gypsy girl -
the golden tooth shines
as she smiles
--Gurwinder Singh Sidhu(a sharing from Surmeet Maavi, IN)



rain soothes parched desert
plants thrive umbrellas open
cactus flowers bloom
--Michelle Angelini, US



a halo
of budding leaves
the old oak tree
--Michael Baribeau, US



an icy wind
sweeps across the mountain top...
a sentinel rainbow
--Keith Simmonds, TT



Butterfly Effect
dare to fly
brave wings
seize each moment
the destiny of the world
awaits your
your timing
--Reason A. Poteet,US



Poetry by Pablo Neruda
And it was at that age ... Poetry arrived
in search of me. I don't know, I don't know where
it came from, from winter or a river.
I don't know how or when,
no, they were not voices, they were not
words, nor silence,
but from a street I was summoned,
frm the branches of night,
abruptly from others,
among violent fires
or returning alone,
there I was without a face
and it touched me.
I did not know what to say, my mouth
had no way
with names,
my eyes were blind,
and something started in my soul,
fever or forgotten wings,
and I made my own way,
deciphering
that fire,
and I wrote the firts faint line,
faint, without substance, pure
nonsense,
pure wisdom
of someone who knows nothing,
and suddenly I saw
the heavens
unfastened
and open,
planets,
palpitating plantations,
shadow perforated,
riddled
with arrows, fire and flowers,
the winding night, the universe.

And I, infitesimal being,
drunk with the great starry
void,
likeness, image of
mystery,
for myself a pure part of the abyss,
I wheeled with the stars,
my heart broke loose on the wind.
(Translated from the Spanish by Alastair Reid)


2010's celebration can be seen here

'Poem In Your Pocket'- history here
THANKS TO ALL POETS FOR TODAY'S COLLABORATION
much love
gillena

SmileyCentral.com

Saturday, April 30, 2011

The Easter Parade 2011 ends


internet image from...

Oh what beautiful kisses

Yesterday April 29th the world witnessed the union of Kate Middleton to (a son of the Late Princess Diana), Prince William;
and now, (drum roll..........) The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge; all Gods blessings


spring wedding -
the sun shines on
the royal couple
--gillena cox, T&T



image, cropped from a greeting card i received

unfurling
greetings
Easter Blessings
--gillena cox, T&T


The Easter Parade 2011 has come to an end, Thanks to Devika Jyothi, India; Diane Mayr, USA; Gheorghe Postelnicu, Romania; Keith A. Simmonds, T & T; Lorraine Renaud, Canada; Patricia Lidia, Romania; Taro Kunugi, Japan; and Tatjana Debeljacki, Serbia. Poem copyright remains with the individual writers

much love
gillena



SmileyCentral.com

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

The Easter Parade 2011 #2


opening haiga
--Diane Mayr, USA


fasting after feast
new wine
in old wineskins
--Devika Jyothi, India


note to self –
chocolate eggs
not laid by hens
--Patricia Lidia, Romania


the egg yolk speckled
with black pepper; Easter morning
breakfast
--gillena cox, T&T


now there's also'easter eggs' tech talk click to read more

The Easter Parade 2011 continues to April 30th
much love
gillena

SmileyCentral.com

Wednesday, January 05, 2011

The Twelve Days of Christmas 2010-2011


HOPE YOU HAD A MERRY CHRISTMAS; WISHING YOU A YEAR FULL OF LOVE AND POETRY

×♥ .•**•.¸(¯`•.¸ *..**♫** .* ¸.•´¯)¸.•**•. ♥

The Twelve Days of Christmas Click here to Listen to the carol...

Many researchers agree that "The Twelve Days of Christmas," was written as a kind of secret catechism and can be taken at two levels of interpretation. There is a surface meaning, and also, the hidden meaning known only to the Christians involved; where each element is a code word for a religious truth CLICK to read more...

This has been the third year's celebration (2010-2011) of The 'Twelve Days of Christmas' here at Lunch Break;

Thanks for making this celebration a success:Tomislav Maretic, Croatia; Cindy Tebo, USA; Tatjana Debeljacki, Serbia; Diane Mayr, USA; Juhani Tikkanen, Finland; Cristina-Monica Moldoveanu, Romania; Melissa Allen, Wisconsin, USA; Vasile Moldovan, Romania; Keith Simmonds, T&T;
Quentin Clingerman, USA; Devika Jyothi, India

×♥ .•**•.¸(¯`•.¸ *..**♫** .* ¸.•´¯)¸.•**•. ♥

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me Twelve Drummers Drumming

--Internet image from


Twelve Drummers Drumming-The twelve points of doctrine in the Apostles' Creed: 1. I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. 2. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. 3. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. 4. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell [the grave]. 5. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 6. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. 7. I believe in the Holy Spirit, 8. the holy catholic Church, 9. the communion of saints, 10. the forgiveness of sins, 11. the resurrection of the body, 12. and life everlasting.


yesterday’s eclipse-
was it the ‘grinch’ who took
a bite of the moon
--gillena cox


Nativity scene
packing away the miracle
for next year
--Melissa Allen


Frozen river-
parents and children wait for
the Twelfths Day
--Vasile Moldovan


strains of music
from a distant panyard...
carnival fever
--Keith Simmonds


×♥ .•**•.¸(¯`•.¸ *..**♫** .* ¸.•´¯)¸.•**•. ♥

Eleven Pipers Piping

the poui trees rest
clustered in greenery pending
easter’s outburst
--gillena cox


After the holidays
the dust bin is full
of naked fir trees
--Vasile Moldovan


jubilant voices
blowing in the wind...
family day
--Keith Simmonds

×♥ .•**•.¸(¯`•.¸ *..**♫** .* ¸.•´¯)¸.•**•. ♥

Ten Lords A-leaping

gathering birdsong--
first Monday
of the new year
--gillena cox


First shadows
on the way home-
New Year moon
--Vasile Moldovan


little children
going back to school...
new beginnings
--Keith Simmonds


New Year's snow -
last night's cinders
fill the fireplace
--Cristina-Monica Moldoveanu

×♥ .•**•.¸(¯`•.¸ *..**♫** .* ¸.•´¯)¸.•**•. ♥

Nine Ladies Dancing

new year
first Sunday --
a gentle rain



the second decade
of this new millennium --
sip of coffee
--gillena cox


holiday rush
the only smile today
from the bellringer
-- Diane Mayr...


First dream of the year:
peace and quiet
in the whole world
--Vasile Moldovan


worshippers
flowing out of church ~
warm wishes for peace
--Keith Simmonds


sipping tea
i listen to
"Coffee talk"
--Devika

×♥ .•**•.¸(¯`•.¸ *..**♫** .* ¸.•´¯)¸.•**•. ♥

SmileyCentral.com

Eight Maids A-Milking

glorious mysteries--
a new decade begins
1-1-11



the ixora shrub
mass of greenery--
a white butterfly
--gillena cox


shadowless
falling snowflakes --
deepening peace
--Juhani Tikkanen


Peace Rally

-- Diane Mayr...


All of a sudden,
the night watcher stops to look
at the workfire
--Vasile Moldovan


fireworks
at the midnight hour ~
birth of a new year
--Keith Simmonds

×♥ .•**•.¸(¯`•.¸ *..**♫** .* ¸.•´¯)¸.•**•. ♥

Seven Swans A-swimming

The Salvation bell ringer
there yesterday and again
today
--gillena cox


hospital corridor –
patients decorating
a Christmas tree
--Tom


THE CABIN IN THE BAY
NEW YEAR’S EVE WALZING
OF TWO TRAVELLERS.
--Tatjana Debeljacki


The last leaf
of this tired year...
a new calendar
-- Vasile Moldovan


heavy clouds
move over the mountain...
the old year dwindles
--Keith Simmonds


New Year Eve-
the early bird
goes to sleep early
--devika

×♥ .•**•.¸(¯`•.¸ *..**♫** .* ¸.•´¯)¸.•**•. ♥

Six Geese A-laying

Santa Relaxes

--gillena cox


macaroni necklace
around grandma's neck
her face radiant
-- Diane Mayr...


Between the feasts
the snowfall covers
all the dirts
--Vasile Moldovan


Cold penetrates the body
But not the soul
Christmas lights twinkle brightly
--Quentin Clingerman


a vagrant
wearing a Santa Claus hat
and a broad grin
--Keith Simmonds

×♥ .•**•.¸(¯`•.¸ *..**♫** .* ¸.•´¯)¸.•**•. ♥× ×♥ .•**•.¸(¯`•.¸ *..**♫** .* ¸.•´¯)¸.•**•. ♥×♥

Five Gold Rings
a strutting rooster
its already morning
his silence
--gillena cox


a snow globe
filled with the world
feeling shaken
--Melissa Allen


Santa Claus costume
lying on the pavement...
puddles of water
--Keith Simmonds

×♥ .•**•.¸(¯`•.¸ *..**♫** .* ¸.•´¯)¸.•**•. ♥

Four Calling Birds

overcast cloud
banded outstretched wings
of low flying hawks
--gillena cox


cookies for santa
the outlines of stars
left on the parchment paper
--Cindy


a basket full of
ham, turkey, drinks, cake...
outing on the beach
--Keith Simmonds

×♥ .•**•.¸(¯`•.¸ *..**♫** .* ¸.•´¯)¸.•**•. ♥

Three French Hens

Transition

--gillena cox


AROMA OF THE FIR TREE
TROUGH THE WOODS AND FIELDS
WHITE COVERING CLOTH..
--Tatjana Debeljacki


the week after Christmas
enough faith left
to get on the airplane
--Melissa Allen


loud carols with
the odour of baked ham
from my neighbour's home
--Keith Simmonds

×♥ .•**•.¸(¯`•.¸ *..**♫** .* ¸.•´¯)¸.•**•. ♥

Two Turtledoves

blue skies
two doves on the wall preen
in synchronicity
--gillena cox


LIGHTENING BALLS
ARE TWINKLING THE MAGIC
IMAGINATON OF CHILD.
--Tatjana Debeljacki


Star of Betlehem -
turtledove's empty nest
hangs in the fir tree
--Cristina-Monica Moldoveanu


after Christmas
jealous of what
I gave away
--Melissa Allen


paranderos
dancing and singing
from house to house
--Keith Simmonds

×♥ .•**•.¸(¯`•.¸ *..**♫** .* ¸.•´¯)¸.•**•. ♥×♥ .•**•.¸(¯`•.¸ *..**♫** .* ¸.•´¯)¸.•**•. ♥×♥ .•**•.¸(¯`•.¸ *..**♫** .* ¸.•´¯)¸.•**•. ♥

And a partridge in a pear tree

a fish scale day moon
watching over
day's clearing



blue sky
much like yesterday except
for Christmas day hugs
--gillena cox


December Snow

-- Diane Mayr...


Christmas rain
the child plays
with Noah's ark
--Melissa Allen


Christmas morning...
wide-eyed children playing
by the Christmas tree
--Keith Simmonds


Poems remain the copyright of the individual writers and should not be used without permission


Thanks everyone for being part of this celebration.
--gillena cox; coordinator - The Twelve Days of Christmas at Lunch Break


Digital Nativity Story…

SmileyCentral.com

Auld Lang Syne - The Baron (Trinidad and Tobago Soca)

Monday, January 03, 2011

The Twelve Days of Christmas 2010-2011


DAY TEN

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A BRIGHT AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR

Welcome to the third year's celebration (2010-2011) of The 'Twelve Days of Christmas' here at Lunch Break

On the 10th day of Christmas my true love gave to me Ten Lords A-leaping


gathering birdsong--
first Monday
of the new year
--gillena cox


First shadows
on the way home-
New Year moon
-- Vasile Moldovan


New Year's snow -
last night's cinders
fill the fireplace
--Cristina-Monica Moldoveanu


New Year Eve-
the early bird
goes to sleep early
--devika



little children
going back to school...
new beginnings
--Keith Simmonds




Ten Lords A-leaping - The ten commandments: You shall have no other gods before me; Do not make an idol; Do not take God's name in vain; Remember the Sabbath Day; Honor your father and mother; Do not murder; Do not commit adultery; Do not steal; Do not bear false witness; 0 Do not covet. CLICK to read more...


image from...


MORE CHRISTMAS MUSIC
The Christmas Can-Can(Animated Version)
Byron Lee -Christmas Soca Party(Caribbean)



Poems remain the copyright of the individual writers and should not be used without permission


×♥ .•**•.¸(¯`•.¸ *..**♫** .* ¸.•´¯)¸.•**•. ♥

Sunday, January 02, 2011

The Twelve Days of Christmas 2010-2011


DAY NINE

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A BRIGHT AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR

Welcome to the third year's celebration (2010-2011) of The 'Twelve Days of Christmas' here at Lunch Break

On the 9th day of Christmas my true love gave to me Nine Ladies Dancing

the second decade
of this new millennium --
sip of coffee
--gillena cox


holiday rush
the only smile today
from the bellringer
-- Diane Mayr...



First dream of the year:
peace and quiet
in the whole world
-- Vasile Moldovan


worshippers
flowing out of church ~
warm wishes for peace
--Keith Simmonds


sipping tea
i listen to
"Coffee talk"
--Devika


The nine Fruit of the Holy Spirit:love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
CLICK to read more...

image from...


MORE CHRISTMAS MUSIC
Hildegard of Bingen, Spiritus Sanctus
On the set for Christmas Time in the City - (Steel Pan Trinidad and Tobago)


Poems remain the copyright of the individual writers and should not be used without permission


×♥ .•**•.¸(¯`•.¸ *..**♫** .* ¸.•´¯)¸.•**•. ♥

Thursday, April 29, 2010

A Poem In Your Pocket 2010


All the poems in this posting remain the copyright of the individual writers and should not be used without their permission

Thanks: Dianne, Leroy, Goeffrey, Pris, Vidur, William, Cara, Keith, Lorraine, Sandy, Stevie, Reason, Joseph; Vic; Jay and Ralf (Deep bow to the Bard--William Shakespeare)
much love
gillena



shopping list
I love the way
you write
-- Ralf Bbroeker; DE
[received and added May 3rd]


This Ice

we saw it together
snow growing like mold
on the green street sign
< elevation a giant beanstalk >
higher than this shredding rope
can loop the dying sun
and the < icy road > in yellow
where cars and crows skidded
pointilist congeniality in gray
slipping to monochromatic light
we stared at the blurred areas
bypassing a cabin at the turn
transparent warmth at the fireside
till our nose froze under the lake.
--Jay Coral; US
[received and added Apr 3oth]


for a moment
all worldly cares
are forgotten
amidst wildflowers
in Fish Canyon trail
--Vic Gendrano; PH


bayou, swamp and beach
shrimp,oysters,krill - overkill
Gulf oil spill
--Joseph B. Connolly; US


THE OPEN DOOR
So many locks; so many keys
just one Door holds hope securely.
Seek, knock and ask until you find
the Key that unlocks that Open Door.
--Reason A. Poteet; USA & IN


Petals

Petals fall
from blossoms
to earth
and rest
in sweet nectar
beside the seed
of its womb
to nourish
and strive
in the sand
for another life
of splendor
and breath

surviving only
for the sake of
beauty, truth
and the fragrance
of a flower.
Stevie Strang; California, US


In Stitches

music blossoms through
the eye of the needle
used to mend my heart
covered with patches
of sorrow and joy
use
abuse
disuse
abandonment
and love
dark and light
patterned and plain
it then becomes
a patchwork of art
and emotions
alive and beating
the rhythms
of my life
--© 2010 Sandy Vrooman;CA & US


Pockets full of sins
I carry silently
Its voice louder
Than mine could ever be
--Lorraine Renaud; CA


Earth Day
a blue-green marble
on a track unseen
--Cara Holman; US


Mother Earth

See Mother Earth, our primal provider,
Perturbed, polluted, plundered and raped,
Panting in the pangs of human avarice!
Ominous clouds of conflict keep rising
Perniciously from her beleaguered abdomen
As petty man impudently unleashes his
Unholy inhumanity upon mankind!

Mother Earth burns frenetically now
With shame and disgust too,
Shuddering and quaking with contempt
For her thoughtless, incestuous children.

Her violated virginity vies now for
Justice and regeneration in unprecedented,
Violent and vehement vindication!
--Keith Simmonds; TT


from the outlook
of suicide bridge
the eagle's rock
it was there
they ground my teeth
into dust
carried away
by shining winds
to drift forever
never to rest
to have no place
in this world
--William Sorlien; US


unfathomed stillness
rolling out
waves after waves
shadows on the sands
appearing and dissolving
between moonrise and the sunrise
the unseen lovers
set the horizon aglow
yet again and again
from silence to the lyrics
and to silence again
nowhere does the caravan halt
--Vidur Jyoti; IN


Sara Discovers Norman

Sara is flash lightning,
a loose wire,
her current not quite
touching ground.
She got a tattoo once,
pierced her belly button,
sewed roses all over her
size six baggy jeans.
She wishes she'd known
Janis Joplin, Martin Luther King,
and The Chicago Seven; she admires
people who walk outside circling wagons.
She's attracted to Norman.
In his Lands' End pressed slacks
and tailored shirts, he almost
blends in, but his shoes
are as scuffed as hers.
--Pris Campbell; US (from The Nature of Attraction a collaboration between Pris Campbell and Scott Owens, published by Main Street Rag Press)


A Prayer for my Children

When you find yourself in a far away land
surrounded by men, animals that mutter strange
sounds, do not be afraid: neither you, your parents,

nor your ancestors have ever been alone.
So trust the earth to bear you up, follow
the wind as it leads you through valleys

clustered with trees heavy with fruit--
some that seem familiar enough to eat,
but you still aren't sure they are the same

as the ones you left on the other side
of the river that you've now forgotten.
Eat. Feast on the bounty. Feed the fire

that burns away the knot in your stomach,
sets ablaze the horizon, all that your eyes
can see--that has been promised

to you since your cry pierced the morning air:
your parents bathed you with kisses,
baptized you with caresses,

swaddled you in care before you uttered
your first words to the moon, sun, stars,
wobbled your first steps into unknowing--

all the while rising into your inheritance.
And if you awaken under the branches of a cotton
tree, cradled in its roots, draw a circle around

yourself and all those whom you love, cross
yourself three times before you step over
the threshold. Welcome the ancestors,

all the kindly spirits who have followed you,
your parents across many seas, oceans,
and deserts; entertain them with strong drink

and soft food: rice, yams, bananas, the ever
present rum to bless the hands that have lifted
you up, and sanctified the place you now call home.
--Geoffrey Philp; JM(from his forthcoming collection, Dub Wise)


"Kissed your breasts with lips that are Potter's Hands
To reshape their ancient gold...
Held your head in my palms as a Sun among trees,
Eye whispered to God:
Oh, Taste of endless Fruit, be mine!
--LeRoy Clarke; TT


LOVECHILD
make incense from the flowers
dance naked in the light
weave a blanket
fringed with stars
to cover you at night
breathe kisses to the morning
braid songs into your hair
blow wishes on
the feathered spores
that surf the curls of air
and if a storm should hurt you
pour honey on the pain
chase the clouds
and catch them
then laugh!
and drink the rain
-- Dianne Borsenik; US


funeral wreath
some of the flower buds
still to be opened
--gillena cox; TT


All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first, the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slippered pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
--William Shakespeare (1564-1616)


Join the celebration at Lunch break; Poem In Your Pocket 2010; if you
email me a poem i'll post it today. Last years celebration can be seen here


'Poem In Your Pocket' its origin here

Thursday, August 06, 2009

Ekphrastic Poetry Challenge


Picasso's Tomato Plant image is from Pablo Picasso Gallery Paintings(1941-73)
Between the third and twelfth days of August 1944 Picasso painted
nine pictures of a tomato plant
perched on a window sill, all on identically sized canvases
Ekphrasis: writing that comments upon another art form, for instance a poem about a photograph or a novel about a film. Keats' "Ode on a Grecian Urn" is a prime example of this type of writing, since the entire poem concerns the appearance and meaning of an ancient piece of pottery Ekphrastic Poetry Examples
How does one approach this poetry form? Become physically comfortable and committed to a long period of time in front of the art. If possible sit in front of the work and attempt to become one with it. If you have permission, take a photograph of it and carry it with you or prop it in front of your computer, especially for the revision process. Since while writing poetry “it all depends on the questions that you ask,” ask yourself and ask the painting about the movement in the piece. What is going where? Ask about color, light, shape/form, subject/items, geometry/direction/balance, relationship/tension, taste, sound. Is anything here making noise? Is anyone/anything speaking? Can you create dialogue? Monologue? If you can’t take a photo of a museum piece, try a “naive poet’s sketch” of the piece just to remind yourself of the elements of the painting, its flow, and relationship of the subjects. Elastic Ekphrastic; Another Way Toward Poetry

Should you accept this challenge E-mail me OR add your poem at COMMENTS

If Picasso
Late summer,
Bold strokes celebrate
Pablo's harvest;
Sunny day,
The tomato plant
Looks happier;
The phone rings,
A plant paperweights
A few haiku scribbles;
This could very well
Have happened,
If Picasso was a haijin;
--gillena cox; TT

Tomato
Pablo knew that was one ugly pot.
Broken, pieced together from one, two, three
Different shards, bright shining pieces
Fashioned together with dull, with red,
With white from birth, a hand held enough
Soil to cover its bottom, to cover a seed
So tiny it was amazing the crop.
A green, then red crop, a child to mature adult.
Pasta was on his mind, pasta covered rich and thick,
Red sauce clotted with ripeness, basil and onion,
Sweet peppers, olive oil dripping rich from hot buns.
Pablo knew, it begged for wine.
--Donald Rhodes; South Carolina

The Eternal
In the tomato plant
In a broken pot
Picasso scores the
Shades of four seasons,
In a single canvas
The brushstrokes
In blue and yellow
Hides a sky and sun
Nurturing the plant for
Time eternal
--Devika Jyothi; New Delhi,IN

briefly punctuating
summer at its height
the tomato period
--Cindy Tebo; Catawissa,US

Amidst the cubes
you are the living structure.
Amongst the grey
you are my red and green.
And after all this daily dust and dumbness
you promise me a viral meal.
--Ralf Bröker, Germany


The poems in this Ekphrastic Poetry Challenge remain the property of each individual author and should not be used without permission

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Mother's Day Musings 2009

Hi----
before i make my introductions, i'm going to spill the beans a little. I grew up in Chaguanas with both my parents, siblings, and my paternal grandmother; i have been living in St James since 1972.
About my mother, well, she was always hitting me - with a belt, a cup, a pot spoon, wet clothes while she was washing, you name it, she'd use it to hit on me.
"Mum that wasn't very nice"
Needless to say i opted not to discipline my children in that fashion.
Okay, so moving along. I'm not one of those people who idealize Mum. Growing up, what i liked about my mum was her cooking. Now don't get me wrong people, i never disrespected or ill treated my mother; thats the truth.

My favourite people are my children and my husband; now thats not to say therein only sweetness and no bitterness are, but read on people.

Let me introduce you
Meet my Mom her name is Mary; and my Children -: daughter Yanda and son Khama.


My father is deceased, 1999; his name - Job.
My husband Anthony, reneged on his responsibility to me and the children when in 1978 he left us to go to New York-USA to study, never returning to our home.

So that makes me what? a deserted woman since we were never divorced; or maybe, a woman who rose to meet her challanges with faith? -------------------

Well, i'll let you fill in the blanks.

As a child i always prayed that i would be financially independent, I sometimes use that as a yardstick when i affirm "Yes God answers prayers."

Well being a married mum, with an absentee husband was very challenging, but i love being a mom to my kids, who were the perfect kids - naughty and nice; until they left home and mutated into two people i'm striving each day to know better.

dinner plate auralia your leaves
the same and yet different




SO; HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL YOU MOMS OUT THERE

revisit Mother's Day 2008

Do leave a comment, Tell me something about you, your Mom, your kids, someone you think is an outstanding Mom;
if you e-mail me your mother's day musings, be it bitter or sweet i'll edit this post and add it. MUCH LOVE
--gillena

A tribute to my mother: She was not faultless, tended to be negative toward life on Earth, was very judgmental as to our depaortment, and complained about my father too much. BUT, that is a big word which covered whatever faults there were. She loved us, was always there for us (there was a void when she wasn't home when we got home from school), taught us right from wrong, read the Bible with us and always had her private daily devotions (I recall her praying for us--she often prayed out loud), laughed and cried with us, saw that we were regularly in church, set an example of piety before us. That is a rich heritage I shall always remember. She has been gone some twenty years but her legacy remains strong. I thank God for my godly mother.
--Quentin Clingerman; US


As far as Mother's Day went... My focus this year was more on what kind of a mother I have been to my two grown daughters. There are lots of contentedly good memories mixed in with regret for mistakes I have made. If I could have children now at age 49 rather than at age 19 as I had done...I would do things a whole lot different! Ah! the wisdom of age. But, gratefully I have close, honest, loving relationships with each of them. When I find myself criticizing my mother and aspects of my childhood I remember her undying love and the fact that she was young once too.
sweetness
with the thorns
mother's day
--Robin Beshers; US


just my love and me
strolling down a country road
wildflowers in bloom
--Nan Forehand; US


mother's day -
some black locust petals
on her grave
--Tomislav Maretic; Croatia


My mother; she is the one with whom I open my heart fully without fear of being misunderstood...
--Devika; and others have posted their musings directly to COMMENTS

Monday, October 20, 2008

Sculptured Bamboo


Sculptured Bamboo

a few days to new moon sculptured bamboo for the festival of lights/gc
past midnight the sounds of our steps bounce off the buildings/mr
the girl with saddle shoes and braids gets tensies school playground /lmp
by the tennis court a waiting tray of cool drinks and refreshments/ mlm
noonday sun a stone temple seems to sway in the waves of heat /sm
winter clouds the plane's shadow travels up its wing / kr
awake the heaven's river flows from thought to thought! / kr

*
'Sculptured Bamboo' a stellarenga from 'basho-beatniks Yahoo Group'
Start Date: 8th November 2007; End date: 23th November 2007
'Sculptured Bamboo' is shared here at Lunchbreak, with the permission of all participating writers.
*
gc--GILLENA COX - TT
mr--MICHAEL REHLING - US
lmp--LINDA PAPANICOLAOU - US
mlm--MARY LEE MCCLURE - US
sm--SHANNA BALDWIN MOORE - US
kr-- KALA RAMESH - IN


*

(A Stellarenga is a seven-link poem containing only one-liners. The first and last links mention a cosmic body, e.g., a planet, a star or one of the luminaries. Renga style linkage means that each link stands separately yet relates to the preceding and following ku either by theme, wordplay, or twist of idea. A line-space is generally placed between each ku; a stellarenga is really a set of poems. As in all renga poems a straight or tell-all narrative should be avoided. A Stellarenga can be done solo or partnered.The Stellarenga was created by Alexis K. Rotella in March 1997)

*

Photo: bamboo with *deyas (*Divali Lights) St James, Trinidad

Photo by gillena cox
more Divali photos
Divali also spelt Diwali 2008 is October 28th

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Remembering 9/11


September 11th
seasons and cycles
wilting caladiums
-Gillena Cox; TT


September eleven
The car radio was on
Twin towers were hit
-Quentin Clingerman; US


this unhappy day
the drops of water, they fall
cannot be undone
-kouji; PH


freedom
for those gone
not for the survivors
-Kitsune Miko; US


shorn birds
fall from the sky
9/11
-Pris Campbell; US


We speak
of everything except her son--
9/11
-Linda Papanicolaou; US



Áþ¤·¤ß¤Îº£¤â²Ì¤Æ¤Ê¤·¶å·î11Æü

nikushimi no ima mo hatenashi kugatu jyuitiniti

endless hate
still going now
September 11th
-sakuo; JP



in a heartbeat...
our whole world
transformed
-Linda Pilarski; CA



our village is small
9/11
it became smaller
-Carol Raisfeld; US



Seven years gone
Rebuild it all
All except hope
- Famida Basheer; IN



i used to want
to be a fireman --
buildings crumbled
-Tyrone McDonald; US



ground zero --
a sparrow hopping
beside the black pit

***

to the black pit --
a dog in safety shoes
searching for life

***

ground zero --
blackened sweat drips from mask
of the life-saver

***

September morning
on the cup with broken handle
Twin Towers

***

September 11 ...
gusty wind in the pines
with a hint of smoke

***

September 11 --
in line at the blood station
bandannas and skullcaps

***

September 11 --
the World Wide Web covered
with all kinds of dust

***

September 11th --
after seven years, still
incomprehensible
-Origa; US
more of Origa's 9/11


dust gathers
at the corners of her eyes
autumn leaves
*
dark figures
cartwheeling across the sky
maple seeds
-Trish Shields; CA


September storm
the green leaves that fall
before their time
-Bette Norcross Wappner (b'oki); US


September 11th
a new start
for the Autumn
**
September 11th
same moon
different heart
-Moussia; IT


renku editor gillena cox