Saturday Haiku: Birch and Pine

  

 evergreen pines stand
with bare birch trees in winter
wakefulness and sleep

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Image: Forest pine and birch trees growing on frozen lake bank (stock photo)

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Saturday Haiku: Bluebird Pause

 

a bluebird sitting
on the branch of an oak tree –
momentary pause

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Photo by Charles Kinnaird

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Saturday Haiku: Taking Flight

 

the sound of bird wings
sifting through the morning air
inspires like a song

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Photo Credit: Rich Keen / DPRA (courtesy of flickr)
A flock of birds takes off one morning at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.

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Saturday Haiku: Turning Leaves

 

leaves turn to signal
shortened days and cooler nights
as dry winds gather

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Photo by Charles Kinnaird

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Saturday Haiku: Acorns Emerging

 

acorns emerging
foretell days of abundance
when shadows lengthen

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Photo by Charles Kinnaird

Note: Some haiku come quickly, and some come after rewrites. This week's haiku came after four previous attempts (and you can see from the picture, I started thinking about this one when the acorns were green). Here are the ones that came before. You can judge whether I settled on the right one:

acorns on the branch
foretell days of abundance
as sunlight recedes
 
green branch with acorns
foretells days of abundance
when leaves are falling
 
green branch with acorns
foreshadowing abundance
in days when leaves fall
  
acorns emerging
foretell days of abundance
as sunlight recedes

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Last Blooms: A Backyard Garden Stroll

Last Blooms

 

October came on a dry wind,

the ground hard and dry.

Summer was slowly yielding

to cooler nights.

Ragged leaves of okra,

tomato, and zinnia

rustle in the midday breeze.

 

Marigolds have gone to seed,

other blooms are hanging on.

Zinnias are faded

with spotted leaves;

an ashen grey creeps

across once vibrant blossoms.

A single yellow flower

stands proudly, seemingly untouched

by autumn wind

and the lone red flag of a geranium

nurtures its proclamation.

 

One last okra pod stands

with the withered blossom

on its tip.

Pepper plants and tomato vines

have exhausted their efforts.

 

A bumble bee dances

on a single Mexican Aster flower

as if tomorrow

will rise with the morning.

 

10/22                              ~ CK

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Photos by Charles Kinnaird

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Autumn Equinox

Autumn Equinox

On this equinox, time is slant –

on its way, as it were,

not settled like solstice.

Butterflies still grace the zinnias,

hummingbirds continue their sorties

never more certain

than on this day.

 

But this day is passing,

tipping and slant

as if summer might slide off the plate.

The sun shines, sharp and clear

as a Hopper painting.

A lawnmower whirs and chomps

in a distant neighbor’s yard.

The mockingbird makes

his declaration,

but this day is passing,

passing like the newly fallen leaf.

 

A momentary pause

as the season turns from

summer bright

to autumn blaze

before the world settles

to the depth of winter solstice.

 

The world can sing

on the slant of an equinox.

 

                          ~ Charles Kinnaird

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Photos by Charles Kinnaird

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Saturday Haiku: Rainwater

 

rainwater gathered
in a flower pot saucer
becomes a birdbath

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Photo by Charles Kinnaird

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Saturday Haiku: Cone Flower

 flowers unfolding
displaying abundance and
beauty to the world

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Photo by Charles Kinnaird

PowWow Wild Berry (Echinacea purpurea)

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Saturday Haiku: Tadpoles

 tadpoles in a jar

whisper secrets to children
entranced in wonder

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Getty Images Photo

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A Bee Thoroughly Pollinates a Cotton Blossom

On a 2 x 10 foot plot in our backyard, my daughter grows cotton which she picks, cards, and spins into yarn. She uses the yarn for art projects in her studio and she has produced so much that she sells her surplus yarn on eBay. (To see my daughter's art, go here)

Here we see a bumblebee thoroughly pollinating a cotton blossom.

 

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Saturday Haiku: Tree Frogs

 

winds rustle the trees
darkness brings lakeside stillness
tree frogs sing the night

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Photo by Tyler Burgener at Alabama Wildlife Federation

Copes gray tree frog flourishes in Alabama. It is easier to hear than to see due to its camouflage coloring and its size (1.25 to 2.5 inches)

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Saturday Haiku: Summer Breeze

 cicada chorus
rising with the summer breeze
peaceful afternoon

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Photo by Charles Kinnaird

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Nature Speaks

Sunday Night was the first night I heard cicadas outside. Two nights earlier I heard katydids singing from the trees while walking the dog. Here is a shot of our oakleaf hydrangeas in full bloom last week. If you turn on the sound, you'll hear birds in the background.

 

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Hope Dances

 More encouragement this week from the backyard...

Hope Dances

Dove chases dove,

squirrel chases squirrel

in nature's dance.

Oak leaf hydrangeas in bloom.

Bluebirds build a second nest.

Hope is not done yet.

 

                                 ~ CK

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Photos by Charles Kinnaird

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A Backyard Lesson

 

Last week I was fed up. There was so much bad news; too much anger, sorrow, despair, and danger out there. My backyard is my sanctuary, so I took my coffee out there one morning and let the birds guide me.

My Neigh­­­­bor’s Cat

I’ve invited nature­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

into my backyard:

hydrangeas,

Japanese maple,

indigenous oak,

hostas,

blooms in pots,

and birdfeeders.

Towhee, dove and cardinal,

finch and sparrow,

chickadee

bluebird­­­­­­

woodpecker

and thrasher

all bring joyful sounds,

flight and color;

an enticing wildness

that I cannot quite touch

without it fleeing.

 

My neighbor’s cat

slinks into the yard

and the joyful dissipates.

All is quiet.

Uneasy quiet.

The cat hops up on the fence,

turns her head,

then departs.

 

Birds return with their joyful.

Quick to dodge danger,

just as quick to sing again.

Just as quick to sing again.

 

              ~ Charles Kinnaird

 

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Saturday Haiku: Dandelion

 earth-bound yellow blooms
yield air-born gossamer seeds
and a child’s delight

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Photo by Charles Kinnaird

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Saturday Haiku: Hillside Daffodils

 

hillside daffodils

the season’s first responders

others will follow

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Photo: Daffodils at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens

Credit: Charles Kinnaird

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Saturday Haiku: Nature's Boundaries

 some plants keep blooming
until the first frost appears –
boundaries enforced

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Photo: Cotton Blossom by Charles Kinnaird

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Saturday Haiku: Wren Rules

 

the wren will hold court
in a realm where boundaries
are secured in song

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Photo: Carolina wren

Credit: Charles Kinnaird

To hear the Carolina wren's song, go to https://youtu.be/HujjAUnJubc