Is Love a Tender Thing in the Imaginary Garden

Can you imagine?

For a suitable thorn and flower visual, I'll refer you to MMT's recent post.



i saw her today
that girl i once loved

years ago when we were young
chaste foolish catholic kids

nobody planned this
i turned and there she was

a muddle of memories
joy and pain the awful pain

heartbreak that was long ago
so why do i feel this longing inside

those agonizing memories
let me go i’m leaving now

and then she smiled

Carpe Diem's Make the Haiku complete #2

The challenge this time is to complete a haiku left unfinished by Basho in 1690.   The intense difficulty stems from the fact the the first two lines have no obvious connection - in fact it's hard to even relate them to each other in a coherent way.

The first line is so evocative of loss, or at least unfulfillment.  Is the wife on a trip, has she left the implied speaker, or died?  Has he never had a wife and wishes he did?  So many possibilities, and none of them happy.   I have a feeling there is something symbolic about the bamboo grass of line two that is outside of my knowledge base.  And grass diving - what does that even mean?

So - a tough challenge; but I'm taking it seriously.

Basho's unfinished haiku:

tsuma kou te nezasa kazuku ya ..............

missing a wife
the bamboo grass dives under
.............................



My attempt at completion:

missing a wife
the bamboo grass dives under
her departing steps

Carpe Diem's Make the Haiku complete #2

Carpe Diem's Tan Renga Challenge #12, Southard's "the swing of the gate".

I must admit, I don't get what is going on with this haiku.  What do the phrase and fragment have to do with each other?  I can't make sense of any of it.  Given that, I do like Kristjaan's 2nd Stanza, and will attempt one of my own.   Wish me luck.

First stanza (5-7-5):

Just the cellarpit;
only the catbird recalls
the swing of the gate                                                    (Southard)

Second stanza (7-7):

and high in the catbird seat
swings to its squeaky rhythm                                       (JzB)



[Is there any other English language two-syllable word that contains only a single vowel?]

Carpe Diem's Tan Renga Challenge #12

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

Carpe Diem #89 - Tomorrow

TOMORROW

When tomorrow comes

One more opportunity

One more step through life

 ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

What is it bringing

Only tomorrow can say

What is it taking

 ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

When it arrives here

Today becomes yesterday

Tomorrow is now

 ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

The first future step

From today to tomorrow

The last of the past

I can't say I'm especially pleased with this set. It all seems trite and obvious.

Carpe Diem  # 89

VisDare #1

This picture strikes me as being pretty much intractable.  I've pondered it for a few days, and this is not only the best I can come up with, it's ALL I can come up with.

And I usher in the new and improved 150 word limit by using a paltry 45.

Lo siento.

Sure, and I've had some bad dates before.

And maybe this isn't even the first time I've been left out on a ledge by one of 'em.

But I never thought I'd ever get stood up by some flighty girl what calls 'erself Mary Poppins!