Saturday Haiku: Learning from Haiku

surprising

how much can be said

in few words

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Photo by Charles Kinnaird: Laughing Buddha in the garden



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Friday Funnies: Neil Innes and Rutland Weekend Television

English writer, comedian, and musician Neil Innes died earlier this week (December 29).  He collaborated with Monty Python from their early days as a sketch writer and musician (he was often referred to as "The Seventh Python." He also took part in the film, "The Rutles," a film spoof of The Beatles.

Here he is on the British comedy, Rutland Weekend Television, with George Harrison as a guest. 

And here is Neil Innes in a classic spoof of the folk music scene ("I've suffered for my music, now it's your turn"):

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A Year of Gratitude

I have been surprised and pleased that every month this year, my most viewed post has been “A Place of Gratitude.” It was my first essay of the year, posted on January 2^nd, and it immediately went to the top ten most viewed posts of the month. It has remained in that top ten spot every month and has now become one of the top ten posts of all time since I began blogging ten years ago.

In Book and Film

Other popular posts this year included a book review of Attica Locke’s beautifully written mystery novel, Bluebird, Bluebird, an essay linking a new Star Trek episode with words from the poet Antonio Machado in “Make a New Road,” and a look back at an old movie, Being There (1979), which was Peter Sellers' last film.

In Poetry

There was poetry this year, of course. Every April, I always highlight poetry for National Poetry Month. This year, my entries included writing poetry, listening to poetry, and some wonderful examples of poetry at the movies. You can see links to all of those at “April Is Poetry Month.”

I have a series of journalistic poems (poetry written in response to current events in the news). This year I did a new journalistic poem, “Broken Glass, Shattered Dreams.” On another note, my most recent poem, “Communal Blessing,” is a reflection of one of those quiet awakenings – a holy encounter, as it were – that we can often experience in our daily living.

There is always a haiku. Every Saturday I post a haiku. Most often, haiku take their inspiration from nature. Sometimes I find that inspiration in one of my own photographs, as with “Summer’s End,” and sometimes it is in someone else’s photograph like in “Winterlight.”

In Spirituality

While I don’t claim to have a “spirituality blog,” spirituality often enters into my essay topics. “Why Pray?” is an examination of how I found participation in liturgical prayers to be a transformative experience. “Religion and Culture” is a response to another blogger on the question of cultural accommodation in religious practice and “Just Like Jonah” poses the question of how our faith might influence our response to the xenophobia and hate speech that can arise in our own culture.

In Thanks

For those who peruse my blog pages, I thank you for your online visits. I hope that you find gratitude in the coming year and I hope you will continue to visit my posts at Not Dark Yet.

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