The Lighter Side of JzB

Here you will find photos, poetry, and possibly some light-hearted foolishness. For the Heavier Side
of JzB
see my other blog,
Retirement Blues. (There be dragons!)

I claim copyright and reserve all rights for my original material of every type and genre.


Every day visits*
From Moose, Goose, and Orb Weaver
All seized by Haiku


"Why moose and goose?" you may ask. Back on 2/04/13 Pirate wrote a haiku with an elk in it, and I responded with
one with a moose and then included him every day. A few days later in comments Mystic asked "Where's the goose?"
So I started including her with this post on 2/07. A week later on the 14th, Mark Readfern
asked for and received a spider. The rest is history.

*Well, most days, anyway. Grant me a bit of poetic license.

Friday, April 26, 2013

FSF - Shadows, plus Carpe Diem - Story Teller



The damned thing is still following me.

All morning, throughout the day, even at sunset - especially at sunset - sticking to me like a tail pinned on a donkey.

Silent, always so silent, and moving more stealthily than I ever could.

No doubt it's even a better dancer than I, no matter how hard I stomp on it.

So resolute, it never leaves me alone  .  .  .  until I turn off the lights.


~:~:~


mine hides behind me
of the light but not in it
leaves me in darkness



~:~:~


Here's a bonus at no extra charge - a poem my granddaughter Alexa wrote two years ago when she was in the 5th grade.


    SHADOWS

With a shadow by your side
You'll never be alone,
Even down the emptiest street
Of a deserted town,
Down a long, twisted road
Both of you walk together,
With haunting memories
Following close behind,
Ghosts of memories
That will never leave your side.


© 2011 by Alexa




Lillie McFerrin Writes

Carpe Diem #181

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Carpe Diem #180, Chocolate (provided by KZ)




 


~ 1 ~

aztec beverage
delight for their vicious gods
laced with hot pepper


~ 2 ~

dark chocolate
perfect coat for blueberries
and almonds


~ 3 ~

dark chocolate
gives a sensuous buzz
better than kissing


~ 4 ~

sweet lips so tasty
from chocolate indulgence
i want your kisses


~ 5 ~

delicate goose sips
moose dives in head first
he's already brown


~ 6 ~

helpful spiders
don't eat chocolate - they eat
pests on cacao trees

=========

Carpe Diem #180

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Carpe Diem #179, Full Pink Moon (the full moon of April)




~ 1 ~

flocks of pink phlox
something to moon over
under starlight

~ 2 ~

the full pink moon
peeks behind taffeta clouds
blushing maiden

~ 3 ~

spring moon soft and pink
but with time it gets so old
all green and wrinkled

~ 4 ~

under the april moon
goose glows in a cheery pink
moose is still dark brown

~ 5 ~

in the pink moonlight
orb weaver's delicate web
still a deadly trap

~~~~~~~

Carpe Diem #179

Wednesday, April 23, 2013 Ed Sessna

Cross posted at the LA Times Crossword Corner

Theme: TWO CUBED.  Or is that a CRAZY idea? Three theme answers contain anagrams of the word EIGHT, straddling two words of the answer.  In crossword jargon, such mixing up of letters can be clued as CRAZY, so, CRAZY or not, this is a good, solid theme.

17 A. Michael Jackson memorabilia : WHITE GLOVES.  Everyone needs a trademark.




28 A. Line-drawing tool : STRAIGHT EDGE.  Here is a three-sided one.   Also doubles as a ruler. 




45. Conversational skill : THE GIFT OF GAB.  The ability to talk at any length on any topic with no preparation.  My grandson Ryan has this gift - he can make friends in the line at the grocery store.  The other theme answers have two words, this one has four = two squared.

And the unifier.   61A. Uno ancestor, and, in a way, what are hidden in 17-, 28- and 45-Across : CRAZY EIGHTS.  Uno is game played with a special, and quite colorful deck.  I must have played CRAZY EIGHTS as a kid, but don't remember anything about it.





Hi gang, JazzBumpa here to guide you on this colorful flight through some great and possibly crazy eights.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Carpe Diem #177, Coffee (provided by Cathy)




~ 1 ~

some can't handle truth
the thing i can't handle
is caffeine

~ 2 ~

brewed by the k-cup
regular for my sweet wife
decaf for me

~ 3 ~

old man sips coffee
hopes for warmth and energy
in all of his bones

~ 4 ~

moose and goose
nibble on coffee berries
now both are flying

~ 5 ~

spider weaves her web
in an empty coffee can
why would flies go there

~~~::~~~

Carpe Diem #177

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Carpe Diem #174, Whisper (provided by Cathy)


~ 1 ~

baby whispering
nestled at her mother's breast
a message of love

 ~ 2 ~

i do not whisper
of my love for you my dear
but sing to the world

~ 3 ~

don't tell the old man
in a whisper if you want
him to hear you

 ~ 4 ~

moose and goose
listen with their hearts stilled
when the wind whispers

 ~ 5 ~

whispering wind
vibrates all the web strands
spider is not fooled

~~:~~:~~

Carpe Diem #174

Carpe Diem's Treasure

In response to some flash fiction memes, a wrote a few little vignettes last fall and winter that started to flow together into what could possibly become a coherent narrative.  I started appending a haiku or senryu to capture the essence of each story in miniature, not realizing I was reinventing the haibun.

I grew very fond of the characters, but, in the press of other things, haven't done anything with them lately.  [And, really, have no clear idea what to do with them.] The central character, Marci, is a free-spirited young lady who has had some other-worldly experiences, sometimes without even leaving her bedroom.  One such is described here, and it also provided my inspirational haiku.  I'm choosing it because I find it especially pleasing, and because of the connection to my character, Marci.


Mystery woman
Product of moonbeams and dreams
What is your message


inspired haiku


she comes at night
to tell me things of myself
that I never knew


Maybe these are senryu, not haiku, or perhaps neither.  But that level of scrutiny seems excessive, and not in the spirit of the challenge.


Carpe Diem's Treasure

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Carpe Diem #173, Threnody (provided by Mark M. Redfearn)


 THRENODY


~ 1 ~

voices raised
for those who can no longer
raise themselves


~ 2 ~

sometimes
even the survivors will 
never walk again

~ 3 ~

i search
for answers but only find
more questions

 

~ 4 ~

in the desert
on the mountain / by the lake
one small flower

~~~:~~~

Carpe Diem #173

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Carpe Diem #32, Chèvrefeuille's 'lonely flower'




Inspiration

odoku na watashino nakamano tsu no yoruno hana

lonely flower
my companion
for one night


~:~:~

My humble offerings


~ 1 ~
 

after just one night
in the flower's company
i'm the lonely one


~ 2 ~

first flower of spring
with luck you won't be lonesome
for very long

 
~ 3 ~

which kind of flower
the bloom of a growing plant
or river water*


~ 4 ~

one lonely flower
is that not enough to please
an old man


~ 5 ~

first lonely flower
hopeful sign for moose and goose
that spring is coming

 
~ 6 ~

first lonely flower
draws a single lonely fly
to the spider's web

()
___\|/___

* sorry - old crossword puzzle trick
flow-er = a thing that flows

Carpe Diem #32

Monday, April 15, 2013

Carpe Diem #172, Small Mountain (provided by YerPirate)





~ 1 ~

volcanic action
tectonics or erosion
whence thou small mountain


~ 2 ~

small mountain
old man leans hard
on his walking stick


~ 3 ~

the view
of a pair of small mountains
delightful

 
~ 4 ~

goose can fly
over a small mountain
moose takes the low road


~ 5 ~

in a small bush
on a little mountain
tiny spider web

 ^
     /*\    

Carpe Diem #172

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Carpe Diem #171, Pisces (The Fishes) (Zodiac 12)




~ 1 ~

venus and cupid
escape from monster typhon
mythical fish tails


~ 2 ~

stars in the night sky
patterns to control our lives
sounds fishy to me


~ 3 ~

lazy old man
has no more ambition
just loafs and fishes


~ 4 ~

moose and goose
share time in the water
with the fish


~ 5 ~

dolomedes
with clawed legs walks on water
and will eat small fish

~~~??~~~

Carpe Diem #171

 

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Carpe Diem #170, Aquarius (The Waterbearer) (Zodiac 11)



~ 1 ~

ganymede
favorite of Zeus
carries his water


~ 2 ~

aquarius
share your rains and rivers
with thirsty man


~ 3 ~

thirsty old man
wishes for more than water
in his cups


~ 4 ~

moose and goose
both can be very happy
in the water


~ 5 ~

saturn rules spiders
aquarius rules mankind
who rules spiderman

~~~~~~~

Carpe Diem #170

Flash 55 - aGoT

A GAME OF THRONES in 55 words.

White Walkers!

Gared loses his head.
 

Wolves for Starks.
 

Robert Hands it to Ned
 

Bran flies.
 

Jon: his back to the wall.
 

Don’t trust Baelish
 

Catelyn, Dwarf, Lysa, Brat.
 

Imp, Bronn, Mountain men
 

Daenerys loses everything
 

Robert gets boared
 

Ned loses his head
 

Arya escapes, Sansa doesn’t
 

Displaced queen cum Kaleesi has hot time.
 

Dragons!



For this week's FF 55 entries
visit The G-Man

Six Word Saturday

Worst
Cold I've
Had in YEARS!


Friday, April 12, 2013

Carpe Diem #169, Capricorn (The Sea Goat) (Zodiac 10)



~ 1 ~

pity sad pricus
no matter how hard he tries

~ 2 ~

goat-fish in the sky
with horns and dorsal fin
scaling the heights

~ 3 ~

look up in the sky
it's a goat - it's a fish
it's superstition

 ~ 4 ~

goose says to moose
there is something fishy
about that goat

~ 5 ~

scary for campers

~~~(:)~~~

Carpe Diem #169

Thursday, April 11, 2013

100 WCGU -- Week 84

Amazing -- first draft weighs in at EXACTLY 105 words!



My father, never a fearful man, was terrified that I’d get some girl “in trouble.”

Shy, socially awkward me – what a joke.

There was a girl I had my eye on, Jenny: slender, dark-haired, cute, but not the type other guys would notice.

But she was shy, too.

Not so Sheila.  I don’t know what drew her to me.  Maybe it was the challenge.

She took me for a walk in the woods, a quiet place where we were utterly alone.

She knew what to do and how to do it, and as the line was crossed, I knew I’d never be quite the same.

 ~~~\|/~~~

100 Word Challenge – Week#84




Five Sentence Fiction - EDGE

Metal Sculpture - Onaway, MI - Photo by JzB


It came at me snarling, teeth bared.

I recoiled at the stench - burned meat, sewage, old ashes, sulphur.

So it took me for a craven and reared high above me for the kill.

There is always a soft spot somewhere on a dragon's belly, if you are lucky enough find it.

As my blade pierced it's tender flesh, the scream it let loose was an even worse assault on the senses than the smell.




Lillie McFerrin Writes

Carpe Diem #168, Sagittarius (The Archer) (Zodiac 9)



~ 1 ~

chiron or crotus
more confused mythology
is the arrow true


~ 2 ~

naive straight shooter
often blunt with people who
can't handle the truth


~ 3 ~

old man remembers
harsh words spoken in haste
they can't be undone


~ 4 ~

moose and goose don't fear
words of sagittarius
only his arrows


~ 5 ~

like an archer
spider pierces her victim
with a fatal sting

 ^  
~~~||~~~ 

 

Carpe Diem #168



Carpe Diem Special #31, Chèvrefeuille's 'the scent of Autumn'


 Autumn in Michigan - Pic by JzB

Inspirational Haiku

aki no kaori hiisu no ue ni mangetsuno hikarino nakawo aruku

walking on the heath
in the light of the full moon
the scent of autumn



My humble offerings

~ 1 ~

old man sniffs and smells
wood smoke apples pumpkin spice
winter is coming

 ~ 2 ~

autumn aromas
tell goose it's time to migrate
moose is now forlorn

~ 3 ~

scent of autumn tells
insects to over-winter
spider sits and waits

~:~:~:~:~

Carpe Diem Special #31

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Haiku Heights


April A2Z Heights - Day 10 - Incense


all these funerals
spirits voices smoke rising
i tire of incense

~~~(:)~~~

Seven funerals or memorial services in eight months

Too many sad times

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Carpe Diem #167, Scorpio (The Scorpion) (Zodiac 8)



~ 1 ~

ruled by mars
according to tradition
battled the hunter


~ 2 ~

orion's bane
sent by earth mother to teach
man humility

 
~ 3 ~

death
where is thy sting
on scorpion's tail


~ 4 ~

old man
does not fear the scorpion
stomps it with his heel

 
~ 5 ~

scorpion always
wants to be in control
moose and goose retreat


~ 6 ~

even the spider
is no match for the killer
scorpion

:)~~~~?

 

Carpe Diem #167


Monday, April 8, 2013

Carpe Diem #166, Libra (The Scales) (Zodiac 7)



~ 1 ~

there are few things as 
unsettled as a libra
out of balance

~ 2 ~

justice should be blind
maybe even deaf and dumb
but not stupid

~ 3 ~

ruled by venus
how do you keep your passions
in balance libra

~ 4 ~

moose and goose
find a balance among
air earth and water

~ 5 ~

libra's balance pan
as good a place as any
for orb weaver's web

~~(:)~~

 

Carpe Diem #166


Sunday, April 7, 2013

Five Sentence Fiction


Sticks and stones might break my bones, but these can cut all the way to my soul.

When we have them, things aren't going well.

I've heard that one is sufficient, to the wise.
 

Mendelssohn wrote a song without them.
 

You could kiss me to make them stop.



Lillie McFerrin Writes

VisDare 14

I'd had my eye on her for days.   When the time was right, I'd approach her. 

All right - truth to tell, I was working up the nerve.  But today was the day.  I'd boldly walk right up to her, and if things went well, sweep her into my arms.

Finally, I felt ready.  The time was right.  But on this day of all days, as her long strides took her on her way, and I set out to approach her, she had on a leash what must be a new pet.

And it was - of all things - a woman!

Carpe Diem #165, Virgo (The Maiden) (Zodiac 6)

Our granddaughter Amanda is a wonderful dancer and, with her early September birthday, also a Virgo.   She has been accepted to attend a week-long summer intensive program in New York with the Rockettes this summer, finishing off with a performance at Radio City Music Hall.  Here is a video of her as the Sugar Plum Fairy in a local production of the Nutcracker from last December.   Full disclosure: she is my lovely wife's granddaughter - but we do play nicely together and share.





 ~ 1 ~

lovely maiden
dreams of reaching the heights
dancing with the stars

~ 2 ~

old man watches
granddaughter on the stage
shines star-like with pride

~ 3 ~

confusing myths
maiden   wheat   fertility
and mother mary

~ 4 ~

moose and goose
drawn to the maiden's charm
no - wait - unicorns

~ 5 ~

lurking in the midst
of the maiden's sheaf of wheat
a spider

___\|/___

 

Carpe Diem #165

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Carpe Diem #164, Leo (The Lion) (Zodiac 5)

Image Source



~ 1 ~

fierce nemean lion
first victim of herakles
skinned with its own claw


~ 2 ~

the sun in leo
of course - the fire within
burns generously


~ 3 ~

i'm the lucky one
beautiful leo lady
shares her life with me


~ 4 ~

under leo's sign
moose and goose pay homage
to the king of beasts


~ 5 ~

when spiders unite
they can tie down a lion*
[only if they're quick]


* Ethiopian proverb

~ : ~ : ~

Carpe Diem #164

Friday, April 5, 2013

Carpe Diem #163, Cancer (Zodiac 4)



~ 1 ~

herakles' foe
hard shell no protection
cast into the stars

~ 2 ~

just the idea
that far off stars rule our lives
makes me quite crabby

~ 3 ~

goose is perplexed
why is her good friend moose
in such a bad mood

~ 4 ~

orb weaver looks up
envying the sky crab
in her web of stars

 ~~~  69  ~~~

Carpe Diem Special #30, Chèvrefeuille's 'Golden Tree'




root trunk branch leaf bloom
one unit for a lifetime
just like our love

Carpe Diem Special #30

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Carpe Diem #162, Gemini (Zodiac 3)



~ 1 ~
 
great for a fling
always ready for adventure
unfaithful lover


~ 2 ~

mercurial one
ardent in your love today
tomorrow who knows


~ 3 ~

o gemini
why are there two of you
in one body


~ 4 ~

second game
can the tigers take two straight
from the twins*


~ 5 ~



 jamie and cersei
love kept in the family
which one is evil


~ 6 ~

moose and goose
do not look at all alike
but have twin spirits


~ 7 ~

orb weaver meets
her equally hungry twin
which one survives

~~~  II ~~~

* as it turns out -- no, alas 

 ~~~  II ~~~

bonus:
As an afterthought it occurred to me that my mother is a twin,
but she and her sister are taurus not gemini.
They are the last remaining of nine siblings.

mom and her sister
non-identical twins
i got the good one


~~~  II ~~~

Carpe Diem #162

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Carpe Diem #161, Taurus (Zodiac 2)



~ 0 ~

look for the taurus
[not always high in the sky]
above a full moon

~ 1 ~

stubborn plodding
taurus has eyes on the prize
but will it get there

~ 2 ~

a constellation
light years away rules one's life
sounds like bull to me

~ 3 ~

venus rules in you
but does your sign oh taurus
make you love a bull

~ 4 ~

moose says to goose
taurus leaves me unimpressed
i too am a bull

~ 5 ~

like a taurus
single minded orb weaver
has eyes on the flies

 ~~~(:)~~~

Carpe Diem #161

Monday, April 1, 2013

Carpe Diem #160, Aries (Zodiac 1)




~ 1 ~

ares and aries
War god and battering ram
clashing in the sky

~ 2 ~

why should I let
a group of far away stars
get my goat

~ 3 ~

aries is ready
for a springtime ritual
will ewe be the one

~ 4 ~

goose high in the sky
blocks moose's view of aries
no antlers to ram

~ 5 ~

orb weaver spins
at the edge of the ram's pen
the sign of aries

~~( : )~~

Carpe Diem #160