Far from Maddening ~ haibun

January 3, 2022 / Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr / 39 Comments

Far from Maddening

Our holiday celebration this year, from Christmas through New Year’s Day, was fairly quiet. Of course there was music for most of Christmas Day, from the “classics” of the 1940s into the 1960s, to a Little Steven’s Underground Garage Christmas playlist. And music from John Coltrane to Yo-Yo Ma to Brian Wilson, all Christmas gifts, played through the week. We had our traditional dinners and exchanged presents, and we even had a Secret Santa Zoom session with family members in different parts of the country. But this holiday season seemed to be more low key than in years past. Perhaps that was a conscious effort on our part to compensate for the past year, with a hope that the coming year will bring good fortune and not be so maddening.

cardinals
at the bird feeder
as seeds fly

This haibun is my response to dVerse – Haibun Monday – Celebration,
the prompt from Lisa at dVerse ~ Poets Pub, which is to write a haibun
about this year’s holiday celebrations.

Red Cheeks and Laughter

December 25, 2021 / Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr / 13 Comments

Red Cheeks and Laughter

Across the road there was a lane,
an old logging road that went
nowhere, except uphill. Or down,
if that was where you wanted to go.
And we did, but only in the winter,
when a walk up that hill,
along that simple trail,
ended with a sled ride back down.

Or on a saucer. Or an inner tube.
And the kids loved it. All of them,
because everyone who went down that hill
was a child for the day, even Grandpa.
Sliding, tumbling, crashing
amid red cheeks and joyful laughter.

The last ride down the hill was the best.
It was just a short walk back across the road,
where Grandma waited with hot cocoa
and the inviting warmth of the wood stove.
There was more laughter as mittens and socks
dried above the stove and everyone talked
about their favorite ride down the hill
on those Botsford Hollow holidays.

Silent Night ~ #writephoto

December 25, 2019 / Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr / 17 Comments

Silent Night

Hands, clasped and raised,
slowly open, releasing
hope, that unbounded well of light
in all of us, that the world would know
truth and kindness, the best
of days, the end of all suffering.

This is my response to Thursday Photo Prompt: Angel #writephoto
at Sue Vincent’s Daily Echo, with her photo.

fir tree dressed in snow ~ haiku

December 22, 2019 / Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr / 27 Comments

fir tree dressed in snow
pine cone shadows in moonlight
silent night beauty

This haiku is my response to
Frank Tassone’s #Haikai
Challenge #118: Christmas.

Image source: Aaron Burden on Unsplash

In Its Own Light ~ #writephoto

November 26, 2019November 26, 2019 / Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr / 14 Comments

In Its Own Light

A tree would grace this room,
with scattered memories, moments,
as if ornaments in our lives.

Laced with light, a strand of time
across its branches, this past year
and all that it offered, all it has taken.

A balance achieved, yet where
is the balance in taking a life,
to see it wither before our eyes?

Better to see it in its own light,
that we might know it as it is,
as it will be each passing year.

This is my response to Thursday Photo Prompt: Light #writephoto
at Sue Vincent’s Daily Echo, with her photo.

Distance Is Not a Factor ~ haibun

December 26, 2018January 7, 2019 / Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr / 32 Comments

Distance Is Not a Factor

This morning finds me on a solitary journey, as my wife stays behind for work, driving on a ten-hour jaunt to visit my son and his family in Cleveland, where I shall hold for the first time my lovely granddaughter, now four weeks old. My drive continues the next morning, Thursday, taking me to Buffalo for holiday visits with both my son and daughter, interspersed with visits to sisters and friends.

Maxing out the time of that stay takes me to Sunday morning and a very, very long drive home, as I avoid driving on New Years Eve day, weather permitting. Indianapolis is a seven-hour drive and offers a layover if weather becomes a factor, leaving just six hours for an early drive home, the next day – hopefully early enough to avoid the serious drinkers on New Years Eve.

Odd breaks may offer a chance to read random posts by my friends on WordPress, but I anticipate a lot of catching up, once I am home.

for the holidays
distance is not a factor
when words aren’t enough

This graphic from weather.com shows the weather system over the States, as it is expected to develop, west to east, this week. My route (the red line) will be through rain, with snow expected in New York, once I arrive. The stretch from Cleveland to Buffalo runs parallel to the Lake Erie shoreline and is known for its “lake effect” winter storms. I’ve had my share of storms along that route. Hopefully, they will have passed before my drive home on Sunday.