2014/07/29

Lanky Sunflowers( haibun) (CPHKFamily #4 Sunflower)

Chèvrefeuille has started a WordPress blog called CarpeDiemHaikuKaiFamily. Well, this is already Prompt #4 Sunflower, so better late than never.

Here is Chèvrefeuille's offering:

after the thunderstorm
the sunflowers in the backyard
have broken

My sister grew sunflowers in her country home and that was the first time I saw such huge, tall flowers towering over ME and I`m tall! One summer in 1995, I planted a variety of seeds of wild flowers late in June. That was the summer I was trying for an English Garden and we had such a nice property in the back of the house with a huge field, small stream and further a wooded area. It was heaven in the back and civilization in the front of our home.

By the end of June, no sign of growths, end of July only a mere foot tall lanky, thin stems. But by September, whoa! these were giant fellas alright!! They almost touched the roof of the garden shed. It was pretty in the daytime but in the night, if I had to go out back, their shadows were a bit daunting...no creepy!

Credits: Wikipedia

round yellow face
looming shadows sway
sunflowers at night

standing tall
reaching for the sun
hover over me.

sunflowers
reap seeds for salad dressing,
cooking oil

lankiness
towering sunflowers
like a teen.

Submitted for: CarpeDiemHaikuKaiFamily #4 Sunflower

2014/07/28

Departed Soul (haibun) In honour of Bruno

© clr A true Rock Star, he will be missed

(clr) '14 A true Rock Star who will be missed.

Yesterday marked one week that a friend and colleague died, Sunday morning, July 20^th. I wrote a series of haiku/senryû, last week with the vivid image of Bruno when I last saw him mid May of this year. He had been battling pancreatic cancer for well over a year at that time and still accepted that I visit him and he posed for a book that was being compiled to give to another colleague who is battling breast cancer. Bruno believed in thinking positive at ALL times. He believed in the fight and never gave up, nor did he stop encouraging our friend who is still under treatment and we KNOW she will rise above this insidious disease. She is the loving and most generous person (much like Bruno) who phoned me to give me the sad news that our friend had passed. I feel so blessed to have heard from you, Leslie, you have no idea how much it meant to me.

Here is the series I wrote the day I learned of his passing...

Care Bear Hugs

I’ll miss that smile
soothing presence like balm
Care Bear hugs.
*
those innuendos
making me feel young and sexy
twinkle in your {lie} eye
*
they’ll all split their wings
you’ll have them laughing so hard
angels in heaven

originally posted: Care Bear Hugs

Today it is raining. It is grey and my mood is morose. I called in sick today as my body would not respond and seemed to be listening to my soul...I feel as if I am 99 today...a time to rest. In the shower I weep tears of grief and let the water wash them away. I have written in another post how I asked, “Why not take me? I am older, my family is raised, even my grandson is older than Bruno’s son. Why not take me?” The world is a mystery and the Great Spirit acts in mysterious ways. What do I know? Who am I in this vast sea of souls? But I do know that Bruno was a mind, heart, soul and body of pure essence filled with compassion and love. Anyone who has had the chance to meet him even if briefly, is blessed having been touched by an angel.

Reading Bruno’s orbituary in the Montreal Gazette, minutes ago, here at Second Cup, I am sad and yet could not help but smile when I read that his blood type was B Positive! Of course, what else could it have been? This reading along with Chèvrefeuille's prompt on writing with the theme “A departed Soul”, has stirred up the following lines...

Departed Soul

dawn smiled

clouds made way

an angel

soars over sad hearts

begging for smiles

his loud roar thundered

B positive

his lifetime message

gift

(c) Tournesol '14-07-28

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This was a difficult prompt for me as I think of Shiki dying so young and his generous heart and passion for writing, found some energy to write his last haiku, truly touched me.

sponge gourd has bloomed
choked by phlegm
a departed soul

© Masaoka Shiki

One of Shiki’s desciple, Hekigoto, was by his bedside when he died. He wrote this...

from a bathing tub
I throw water into the lake -
slight muddiness appears

© Hekigoto

Hekigoto started the New Trend Haiku Movement. He experimented with disregarding the seventeen syllable pattern.

far fireworks
sounding, otherwise
not a thing

And this prompt created and hosted by Chèvrefeuille has contributed this:

morning dew
evaporates in the early sunlight -
spirit climbs to the sky

© Chèvrefeuille

Submitted for CPHK #527 - Shiki - A Departed Soul

2014/07/27

New Year’s Fun (haibun) (CarpeDiem #526 Issa (5), “New Year’s Writing”

Credits: Japanese Fireworks

It is a Japanese custom to write with a writing brush on the second day of the year.

New Year’s Eve was always a special time for me as an older child. I used to babysit with my best friend her little brother at her house. We were allowed to stay up until way past midnight, drink cola and eat chips! Something I was never allowed at home unless there was a party. Her parents were having a New Year’s Eve “reveillons” with my parents at my home. About 30 seconds to midnight I would dial (in those days we had rotary phones!) and wait until midnight before letting go of the last digit of my home phone number, to be the FIRST to wish my mom and dad Happy New Year’s.

Another race New Year’s for our family was to be the first to ask our father (grandfather in my mother’s case) to be blessed for the new year. I always felt extra special if I got to my dad before my sister. At my grandparents, however, all seven children knelt in the living room as my grandfather blessed them all ONCE. {My grandmother, actually took over this role when my grandfather died even if she was a woman.}

If there was not too much snow, we often went out behind my grandparents’ home to ice skate on the river. Those were wonderful times when it was safe to do this as the winters were cold for many months, not like today where we get rain at Christmas.
I was saddened reading about Issa’s childrens’ passing so early in life. But I am pleased he wrote poems of laughter and joyous times in their memory.

kodomora ga kitsune no mane mo susuki kana

the children
pretend to be foxes…
pampas grass

New Year’s Eve
children playing with the fresh fallen snow -
fireworks coloring the sky

I will be writing in that youthful joyous vein.

Guy Lombardo
ringing in the New Year
got Mom first

Santa’s new skates
on the moonlit river
Dad blessed me first.

Submitted for: Carpe Diem Haiku Kai, #526, Issa,(5) “New Year’s Writing”

Day's End (haiga) Carpe Diem Haiku Kai, Buson, #525

Day’s end (haiga) CPHK #525

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Cheryl Lynn

I had no clue what to write for this prompt. Then I recalled a photo I took last night at my friend’s house in the country.

Under the cedars
gathering of the crows
before sun bows.

before the sun bows
birds’ jamboree
then take flight.

Submitted for: Carpe Diem Haiku Kai, Buson, #525 Glimpse of Dawn

Full Circle (CarpeDiemHaikuKai Special#1)

Cherry Trees/High Park © Sara Desjardins Photography

High Park’s cherry trees
blossoming midst rustling leaves
spilling a soft breeze.

summer solstice looms
lovers kiss on moonlit beach
make love thru the night.

lovers’ departure
last rendezvous’ send-off,
magic mushrooms

pine tree icicles
blizzard warnings outside
threaten fireworks.

© Tournesol

Vancouver's Stanley Park is well known for their Cherry trees that were given as a gift from Japan but Toronto, High Park hosts also such a gift from Japan in 1959, having received 2000 trees. Check here, for the History of Sakura; Sakura Hanami is the Japanese translation for cherry blossom viewing or flower viewing. Click here to see the Sakura Watch at High Park 2014. The photos are exquisite!

Submitted for Carpe Diem Haiku Kai Special - Full Circle #1 where you have to use each work per LINE of a series of 4 haiku.

1. cherry
2. leaves
3. breeze
4. solstice
5. beach
6. love
7. departure
8. moon
9. mushrooms
10. icicles
11. blizzard
12. fireworks

for example of the first 3 words:

cherry blossoms bloom
between the young leaves -
the warm breeze

© Chèvrefeuille

2014/07/26

Summer Delights (haibun)

I am still off line. I do miss reading my friends who write so beautifully and inspire me.But for summer, it is not a bad idea...it gives me time to savour summer...sit in a park and just soak up the entire moment, trees, flowers, children playing, lovers sitting side by side with glazed eyes...

summer love
painfully overrated
September blues.

summer’s breeze
forsake unrequited love
nakedness sighs

I do miss walking along an ocean beach. We are only a six-hour drive from Old Orchard, Maine and lately I have been reminiscing about times I went camping there as a teenager with my parents. I also enjoyed vacations as an adult with my husband in Prince Edward Island at Twin Shores...it felt like we owned the beach it was so secluded and quiet. I enjoyed lobsters camping and come to think of it, I have never eaten lobster in a restaurant...only camping.

ocean salt air
savouring lobster tails
melted butter dips

low tide at twilight
moon beams guide the way
skinny dipping

A few nights ago, I was surprised to hear the crickets calling since I don't live in the country and it was near the bus terminal but I suppose they had to warn us of the hot muggy night we were having. Thank you very much, crickets, my body felt it just fine!

But it did remind me of times sitting out on our porch at our first home, the children in bed surrounded by three mountains (not huge ones, mind you, but still...)

crickets’ night concert
fanning on moonlit porch
hum the blues

Last week I enjoyed my first campfire in a long time. I usually sit out at my cousin`s backyard summers when I visit his family in Oakville. So it was a lovely treat to sit outside with my son and his two dogs, Heidi is a German Shepherd and Maya is a Golden...both are adorable. I've posted them in the past when pet sitting.

backyard fire
bowing to a busy day
toasting marshmallows

Now a wood`s party is something I never really experienced but I know that many teenagers do...

: (c) Clr - Tournesol '14

wood’s bonfire
strumming a guitar
smoking weed

night extends
shrill of harmonica
honky-tonk blues

: (c) Clr - Tournesol '14

croon sleepily
red embers smother
German Shepherd snores.

What a treat to be sipping my cappucinno with WiFi and blogging.

2014/07/24

Summer jog (haibun) C.D.H.K. #523, Basho (5) "How Rare"

I rarely have the opportunity or privilege (I should really say) of dining with a colleague from work. Since we work on a 24 hour crisis line, our breaks are never together. Yesterday by chance, it was. I introduced my friend to my favourite vegan restaurant, The Green Panther. I have written about this place before and even taken photos with my notebook next to my plate of yummy falafel.
My friend was telling me about how she had gone out for a run the other day and came back with bites on her legs and it swelled tremendously within a short time. The next day when the swelling went down, she noticed 4 little stingers all in a row by a very hungry wasp.

After reading Chevrefeuille ‘s lovely introduction to Carpe Diem’s prompt today #523 Basho (5), ''How Rare!'', I thought of my friend’s running incident.

I also enjoyed the background of Kristjaan’s blog name. Honeysuckle was his seasonword chosen in his very first verse 25 years ago. Translated into French that would be Chevrefeuille and the rest is history.

That inspired me to choose a title for my Blogspot blog. I had originally chosen le jardin de Cher and then I thought about flowers that I love. Daisies are my favourite because they are also easy to purchase any time of year. But I have always loved sunflowers. I remember the giant sunflowers that grew next to our garden shed at our family home when my children were little. Golly!! They were ginormous! And so with jardin still as the theme of my “short form poetry” blog, I chose Tournesol dans un jardin…so Tournesol will be my nom de plume on that blog. Merci, Kristjaan, for the inspiration!

{ Basho was host of a renga party at the home of Nagayama Shigeyuki, a military man of the Shonai Clan. This was the greeting verse and it was used as 'hokku' for the renga. He had visited Mount Hagura for seven days and was glad that he could finally eat fresh vegetables. It was published in his 'Narrow Road to the Deep North', his most well known haibun. © Chevrefeuille }

mezurashi ya yama wo ide ha no natsu nasubi
how rare!
on leaving the mountain
the first eggplant

and Chevrefeuille's offering:

the sweet perfume
of the Honeysuckle
makes me drowsy

Now for my humble haiku with the image of my friend in mind ~~travelling~~ running.

: Parc la Fontaine

cool spray mist

dreamlike beachy feel

city park

smell of fresh-cut grass

running through parc la Fontaine

a wasp stings

Submitted for: Carpe Diem Haiku Kai, # 523 Basho (5) "How Rare"

2014/07/23

White sun (haiga)

desert horned lizard – Wikipedia

white sun

hot scorching desert

horny toad smiles

Short form poetry

Hello World - Bonjour le monde!

I had started this blog several years ago, not really knowing what I wanted to do. I wanted to write because I love writing. I also wanted to make a statement about some important issues like mental health, racism, bullying and much more. Well, in the interim, I discovered WordPress and ended up opening three blogs there.

One I do get on my soapbox and beat on my chest at StopTheStigma

One where I share thoughts, reflections and lately have been trying out poetry and short stories at

Cher Shares and the last one simply describes the work I do and services I offer at NtouchAlecoute

In the past few months, I have been writing more haiku and truly enjoy this form as well as tanka, tilus and shadorma. Of course I am a mere amateur {boy do I have a lot to learn} and I've noticed following a few prompts that many participants and amazing poets are on blogger. So, {I am a bit long winded, I know, but I'm getting to the point of this psot}, I will be copying some of my short form poems here and hopefully I will be able to follow other great poets on blogger, so I can get these alerts in my mailbox.

So on that note, I leave you and invite to drop by from time to time. I may not be as consistent on this blog as I am on Cher Shares but perhaps in time I will be more regular in my postings.

© Tournesol'14-07/23

Tournesol ~ dans un jardin

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