Pi Day in the Garden

Poetic Pi-ety

"The prompt, should you choose to accept it, is to write something inspired by a breakfast, lunch, dinner, tea, coffee, snack eaten out, at the local diner, cafe, restaurant, fast food joint, even, if you wish, camp site." 

Well - not exactly.  I'm choosing Pi day, which at least partially commemorates a snack. 

We bought the pie at Kroger and took it to my sister's house, so that's eating out, of a sort. The pie looked wonderful, but the bottom crust was soggy and the peaches were crunchy. 

Peaches shouldn't be crunchy BEFORE you bake them.  Something is definitely not right here.

Lovely looking store-bought pie that disappointed on every other possible level

But Pi day is still worth celebrating, though this particular pie was not.

I filled my lovely Pi-day pie

With tasty fruit and spices,

But no matter how I try

I can’t get three point one four slices.

Carpe Diem #180, Chocolate (provided by KZ)

Image Found Here

 

~ 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

Carpe Diem #75 Early Plum Blossoms

I wrote one of my haiku, then went in search of information on plums.  Backwards, I know, but don't be surprised when I do things that way.  Michigan is the number 4 state in U.S. plum production, and mostly grows European rather than earlier ripening Japanese plum varieties.  What I already knew was that the Winter of 2011-12 was especially mild, and led to an early Spring, followed by a disastrous late frost.  Plums in the state blossomed in March.  Apples, peaches, pears and cherries also blossomed early and these crops were all severely damaged by one night of late Spring frost.

For my haikus, I have interpreted the word "blossoms" first as a verb, then as a noun.

I searched in vain for a picture of a Michigan plum blossom, and finally settled for this one, from Japan.  The lonely blossom seems fitting.   Also some plum haiku at the source.

Source

Early Plum Blossoms

I

Early plum blossoms
Too soon, then is ravaged by
Harsh Michigan frost

~  ~  ~

II

Early bird gets the

Worm; Early plum blossoms are

Nipped by late Spring frost

Carpe Diem # 75

A Pome Routine in Oz

Our 12-year-old granddaughter Rebekka just landed a role as a featured apple tree in The Wizard of Oz.  Hence this entry.

A POME ROUTINE IN OZ

I never thought that I would see
Our fair Rebekka as a tree,

A tree that's simply standing there
A nest of apples in her hair;

A tree who barely gets to know
Dorothy and her pal Scarecrow

As they skip along one day,
They take an apple, refuse to pay,

And in their greed, insult the trees.
So throw your fruit at such as these.

Such trespassers you cannot please
So stay with your best friends -- the trees.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Reduced to a Haiku

Dorothy and her
Brainless friend tricked apple trees
Into feeding them

 ~  ~  ~

Update: Another Haiku,

Inspired by Tigerbrite

Scarecrows

Sometimes they escape
Wander down a yellow road
Try to steal apples.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Carpe Diem Special #12

Nooner

For lunch today I had
Crackers, cheese, an apple,
Tea and thoughts of you.

100WCGU -- #69

This time the prompt is a picture 

DARK CHOCOLATE

Ah what wondrous heavenly delight
That I would place into my eager mouth

You know I know you want to take that last
Smooth (creamy and dark on the outside)

Crunchy (from the almond deep within)
Morsel on your eager tongue as well

But suppose that I would get there first
Place the chocolate lovingly inside

Would you moue your lovely tasty lips
To form a petulant and sulky pout

Or press them up so thoughtfully to mine
Hoping to obtain a lover's share

Of a sweet and co-indulgent treat

 ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

This comes in at 90 words. I had to - with great reluctance - delete what was originally the 2nd couplet, since that took it to 104.  Alas and alack.

Better still with almonds at the core
You will, my dear, most certainly agree

Though, upon further reflection, it does seem unnecessary to the final product.  Still, without it, I never would have put it all together.

Five Sentence Fiction - FEAST

This scene was vaguely taking form, but this week's prompt helped to put some flesh on the bones.   This developing story involves four characters, but so far never more than two at a time.  Each character's thread can be accessed from the links in the right hand frame.

Somehow, I almost missed the prompt, and thought we were skipping a week.  I hadn't known of Lillie's illness, and wondered what was going on.  I wish her the best, and am very thankful for the inspiration she provides.

THE BIRTHDAY FEAST

For her 32nd birthday Rob treated Marci to a special dinner at the fanciest restaurant in town.

He wasn't always around, but when he was he always made it special.

And when he wasn't, Gil would sometimes fill in for him, and that - in its own way - was special, too.

But neither of them knew - in fact nobody on this earth knew - that Marci was worth close to 5 million, that she was a mother, and - though this was only her 32nd birthday - that the total chronology of her life spanned almost 36 years.

Marci knew from Rob's reaction to her painting that he had also had some other-wordly experience; and as she gazed at him over her grilled salmon and the iced bottle of Chardonnay, she wondered if maybe - just maybe - he could be the one she would share these secrets with.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~ 

Reduced to a haiku

The birthday lady

And her escort, both with dark

Secrets - can they share?

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Update:  Phil Hall's entry reminded me of a demented sonnet I wrote a few years back.  It doesn't relate to the Marci story, but it can be construed to relate to the theme.  plus, if I counted correctly, it contains exactly five sentences.

PASSIONATE PRETENSE

Her throat, no longer perfect, but still white,
Invokes the crimson from the sunset glow,
As she awaits the dark - to taste, to know
Carnality incarnate in the night.

       The sun's suffusion stains her skin to pink
       With its last russet bloom, as if she were
       A blushing maiden, innocent and pure,
       On satin sheets where white and scarlet link.

What has her throat to do with being white?
Like thorn and petals torn they two entwine,
But not as lovers do -- instead, to dine
In sweet engagement of an ancient rite.

Her white throat is a passionate pretense
That now, twice pierced, belies her innocence.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Marci's Thread

Sensational Haiku Wednesday - Rare

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RARE

Not overdone - beef

Cooked to a fine shade of pink;

Not so good for pork!

Obama Ate My Lunch

I mean he had the same lunch I do sometimes, from the incomparable Rudy's Hot Dog in Toledo.

He had the FAMOUS Rudy DOG....mustard, onions and sauce of course...and order of fries AND a bowl of our YUMMY chili with beans!

We have Rudy's 2 or 3 times per month, and we live 70 miles away!

Check it out

Shadow Shot Sunday - Mellow Yellow Monday -- PIE!

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About a month ago my lovely wife made the most perfect and beautiful lemon meringue pie ever.

Since there was no yellow in the original shot, I took another with the lemon pudding box included.

PIE (f)or PI

Such a perfect lemon pie

That I felt compelled to try

To test a basic geometric thesis.

But in spite of all my thinking

(It nearly drove me to drinking)

I couldn't cut in 3.14 pieces!

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Shadow Shot Sunday

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Finicky Giraffe

Roots through the chocolate for the

Hershey's Special Dark

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Mellow Yellow Monday

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Yellow Daffodils,

The other harbinger of

Spring, in a glass jar.
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My lovely wife's fave
Flower, beside a group of 
Fresh lemon cookies.

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Mellow Yellow Monday

There is not a lot of Yellow in S.E. Michigan this time of year.  I lifted this photo from the archives.

Granddaughter Rebekka and I made a gingerbread house at her school a couple of years ago.  Ours is second from the left.

Follow the gum drops

On the red licorice trail

To our ginger house

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Six Word Saturday

Keen, wow, tasty - good for you.

We just discovered Quinoa (pronounced keenwah) a South American plant with grain-like seeds.  It has a delicate flavor, with a nut-like overtone that isn't too bland, and it seems pretty versatile.  It's high in both protein and fiber.

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