HAIKU

A Gila Woodpecker
sways and sips at the feeder
for the hummingbird

    Can you imagine a big, heavy woodpecker, swaying and dipping his long beak into the sweet water?  He is so much bigger than the tiny hummingbird, it almost seems unfair.  Like stealing food from a baby.  But my finches love it.  When the gila woodpecker flies off, they dart over and catch the drops on the bottom of the feeder that have splashed out in the swaying.  This is all part of the rich tapestry of life outside my office window.  What do you observe outside your window?  Can you write a poem about that?  Have fun observing.

haiku

gila woodpecker
on the feeder, hummingbird
awaits the quelling

     When the gila woodpecker sits on the hummingbird feeder, he is so heavy that it radically tilts the feeder and when the bird flies away it leaves the feeder swinging.  I saw two hummingbirds sitting in the mesquite tree watching the gila woodpecker at their feeder.   That happens to me sometimes too, I have to wait for the big guys before I can have my turn.  Have you ever had to wait before you get a turn?  Can you write a poem about that today?  Have fun writing.  

Haiku

black chin hummingbird
comes again to talk to me--
three mornings running

    I'll bet you are busy today.  Can you find time to write a quick haiku, or an acrostic poem?  If that doesn't work for you, try writing a list poem and include all the emblems of the Fourth of July.  Have fun writing.

SUMMER 2014

Summer arrives
and it's HOT.
Leaves wilt,
Saguaro blossoms
last less than a day.

The doves, pigeons
and the quail
scope out swimming pools
to watch and drink.

The gila woodpecker
takes his fill
and the hummingbird feeder.

Lizards laze on walls
and even search for cracks
in the doors to catch
a cool breeze
from the air conditioning.


     It is 108 degrees today.  We're all counting the length of triple digit days.  This is a free verse poem that describes life in the desert.  Can you write your own poem about what the weather is like in your part of the world?  Do have fun writing.
    I've been having fun making poetry boxes this week.  I'll explain tomorrow.  I also read that tomorrow in National Doughnut Day, so I'd better work on a poem for that.  Yum!  I'm hungry just thinking about it.

haiku

Paloverde trees
in high winds drop their flowers
hummingbird flutters



The winds have been blowing and the trees look like they are caught in a washing machine with the branches swirling in all directions.  The winds are really strong and the little hummingbird who came to my feeder had the hardest time hovering to get a drink.  But once I wrote that "hummingbird flutters" it made me think of the butterfly effect.  Haiku and poetry can do that--make you think of things differently.
What will you write your poem about today?  Have fun writing.

HAIKU

hummingbird
drinks ocotillo sweetness
up in flames


Old jalopy
stalled on the highway
going nowhere


Empty
brain going nowhere
writing haiku


     Happy Easter.  I hope you have a great day.  Go chocolate!  Can you find time to write one haiku today?  Have fun writing.

haiku

lizard meditates
upon a sunlit flat rock
disturb not his dreams


grasshoppers awash
in the cool golden moonlight
cry into the night


large ring neck lizard
greedily bathes in sunlight
watching flying gnats


hummingbird
my mother's spirit
observing her joy


can I cultivate
words, phrases, will this mountain
of verse disturb you?


     I'm still working on haiku as I work my way through another zen book.  I do enjoy combining my writing with reading.  You challenge for today is to take one of your poetry books and randomly open to a page.  Put you finger down in the middle of the page and look for the closest noun.  Can you write a short poem about that word.  Does the word strike a memory for you?  When was the first time you learned to read this word?  How did you learn the meaning?  Ask a friend what the word means to them.  Can you find a metaphor or simile for the word?  Have fun writing.

    For more poetry fun, Poetry Friday is being hosted today by Michelle Barnes on her blog, Today's Little Ditty .

MY WISH FOR YOU

Goldfinch at the feeder;
hummers at their dish
a happy sunny day for you
is my Valentines wish.


     A very happy Valentines Day to you.  Can you write your own Valentines wish poem today?  Have fun writing.

BIRD SONGS

Birds sing a symphony,
some high,
some low--
chirping,
tweeting
as I go
walking along the road.


HUMMINGBIRD

I had a conversation
with a hummingbird,
who stopped at my feeder
for a drink.
I tried to tell him
all my thoughts
and he told me
what I should think.

Can you write your own poem about a bird today?

HUMMINGBIRD

I saw a little hummingbird
in the Paloverde tree.
He was soaking up the sun,
just like me.

He drank from the feeder.
He made a whirring sound.
But when I turned to look again
the bird could not be found.


     Here is a quick exercise--make a list of all the birds you can name in a minute.  Pick one of the birds and write your own poem.  Have fun thinking about all the bright colors birds come in and the LBJ's (little brown jobs.)  In ancient times Hawaiians used the colorful feathers for decorative clothing.  Do you know of any birds that are on the endangered species list?  Have fun learning about birds and their habitats.

Sunday

Today the sky is talking to me.
Here are some of the things I see:
Thin white feather clouds,
Contrail from an airplane,
A hawk swooping and soaring,
A humming bird zipping by,
And blue, blue, blue of sky
illuminated by the sun.


     Does your sky talk to you?  What is it saying today?  I hope you Sunday is as sunny as mine.  Can you find time to write your own poem today?  (I almost didn't have time!)  Have a great day.

WEDNESDAY WALK

High in the ocotillo
sits a small hummingbird,
cheery, singing, tiny fellow,
he calls out this happy word--
              CHEEP


      The birds are definitely becoming more active.  Besides all our desert doves, I saw several phainopepla this morning and a hawk swooped to sit on top of the telephone pole.  All the small birds scattered.  While I was eating my lunch yesterday, I heard a roadrunner.  My cactus wren is being quite noisy, too.   What is your favorite bird?  Can you write a poem about birds? 

Bird Song Morning

The cactus wren sits

atop the giant saguaro

to sing a trilling song

in the early morning.

She calls to the hummingbird

who sits at the top

of the ocotillo

to enjoy this early morning.

The hummingbird calls hello

to the white wing dove

who sits atop the giant saguaro

to eat from the fragrant blossoms.

It is a morning full of bird song

trilling, thrilling

atop the giant saguaro.

     What are the sounds you hear this morning?  Can you write a sound poem?  Have fun and I hope you have a great weekend.  I'm off to North Carolina today.

OCOTILLO

One hundred years of

Cacti growing

Over all

The state,

In this one

Little red flowers flame

Like sparklers

On the Fourth of July.

    Arizona was the 48th state to join the Union on February 14, 1912.  So obviously the ocotillo have been growing here for longer than that, but the 100 years is a reference to Arizona's centennial.  

    This ocotillo with it's torch red flowers grows next to a young saguaro.  Saguaro don't start to grow their "arms" until they are 50 to 75 years old.  Interesting to look at plants and realize that they have been on this planet far longer than I have.  It does make me think I need to do a better job of taking care of my planet.

    This particular ocotillo I see on my morning walk and for several mornings there has been a Costas hummingbird sitting on the same top branch watching me walk by.  Some mornings she chooses to talk to me and always I pause to enjoy the beauty and to say a few words to the bird.  It is a great way to start my day, having a conversation with  a hummingbird.

    If you could have a conversation with anyone you choose, who would it be?  Can you write a poem about that?  Have a great day on our planet.

What did you see?

What did you see on your walk today?

Oh, what did you see, my dear?

I saw a dead snake in the road

so dead it was nothing to fear.

A Phainopepla sitting in a tree

and a cardinal singing to me.

I saw a hummingbird fine

sitting on a telephone line.

And there, too close, were two coyotes

who stood and just stared at me.

I mustn't forget the cotton tails

and the bobbing heads of desert quails.

Of course there was a cactus wren

who sat and called again and again.

This and that and so much more

were all out walking with me.

This is what I saw on my walk today, dear.

This is what I saw on my walk.

   It was a lovely day today and yes I had a great walk.  It is definitely getting close to Spring, there was a scorpion in the bathroom this morning that I had to get rid of before my shower.  Today's poem is a list poem.  It lists the things I saw on my morning walk.  Can you take a walk today and write your own list poem?  Don't worry about making it rhyme.  Add some details that tell what the thing on your list is doing. 
Please share your poem in the comments.  Have a great day.

Good Night

Good Night, Mom.

Good Night, Dad.

Good Night, Sis.

Thanks for the day

I've had.

Now I put my head

on my pillow to sleep

to dream of swimming

in the ocean deep.

Or maybe my dream

will keep me at home

to play in the garden

with elves and a gnome.

Wherever dreams take me,

no matter what I do,

I sleep snuggled in my bed

dreaming of you.

Sweet Dreams.

Good Night.

     Can you write a poem about one of your dreams?  In my poem "I am a Poet," I have the line that says as poet, I can fly on the wings of a hummingbird.  I always loved the thought of flying on that tiny small bird.  I liked thinking about seeing the world from that perspective and drinking sweet nectar with the bird.  My dreams do take me to interesting places.  What is your dream?

Lunch with the Hummingbirds

I open my yogart

taste a spoonful.

Then whizz, chase

the hummingbirds fly.

WHIR, ZIP,

pause,

take a sip,

rest on a branch,

chirr-rip, chirr-rip.

fluffs feathers,

to cool his skin.

Stares at me

with a tiny eye.

Emerald head,

ruby throat,

saphire wings,

rufous--

these tiny gems

of hummingbirds fly by

making my lunchtime

richer.

     The fun part of taking art classes at the Sonora Desert Museum is that I get to spend my lunch hour looking at animals.  On Monday I ate my lunch in the hummingbird enclosure and had a very enriching time. 

Can you write a poem about your favorite animal?

Hummingbirds

A hummingbird sits

upon the feeder
taking a sugary sip.

Along comes another
hummer and now
the two of them take a dip.

The hummers start to flit away
the feeder starts to tip and sway.
'It is a windy day
for trying to feed hummers.

      My mother's favorite bird was a hummingbird.  She had figurines, candles, plates, tiles, even a stained glass window with hummingbirds.  I always feel a little closer to her when I see a hummingbird.  Today they have been darting around the feeder outside my window.  They sit on the feeder and watch me.  I can see the long thin beak open and close, as if the bird is talking to me.
      What is your favorite bird?  Can you write a poem about a bird?  Have fun.