Frank J Tassone

shimmers on the highway ~ haiku & gogyohka

/ Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr / 15 Comments

falling rain
spatters my windshield
misty roads

moon greets me
during my travels
follows me

shimmers on the highway
wait to greet my tires
relief of cool air in the car
at the far end of our trip
family waits to greet us

 

These haiku and gogyohka are my response to Frank Tassone’s #Haikai Challenge #195-197 (Trifecta), which offers three kigo:
                    #195 – midsummer rain
                    #196 – summer moon
                    #197 – smoldering hot

While Frank’s prompts are related to the the last three weeks of June, these haiku are influenced by my travel in mid/late July.

budding oaks ~ haiku

/ Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr / 23 Comments

 and daffodil nods

hungry goldfinch feeds
while stealthy cat stays inside
glad daffodil nods

budding oaks
celebrate new light
equinox

elusive worm moon

elusive worm moon
hidden behind clouds and trees
unruffled owl hunts

reverence
on quiet Sunday
lily bows

By some stretch of the imagination,
this may be considered on prompt for Day 9 of napowrimo.net,
which challenges us to write a list poem.  The haiku are my response to
Frank Tassone’s #Haikai Challenge #182-185: Transformation,
which offers this list of kigo:

goldfinch feeds_a• Daffodil
• Equinox
• Worm Moon
• Lily

NaPoWriMo 2021

~ Day 9 ~

~ click all images for larger view in new tab ~

Hiding the Snow Moon ~ haiku

/ Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr / 11 Comments

Hiding the Snow Moon

melting drifts
last remaining snow
in puddles

cloud cover
hiding the snow moon
white flakes fall

with waters warming
last ice gone from the river
turtle surfaces

These three haiku are my response to Frank Tassone’s #Haikai Challenge # 179-181: Spring Trinity, which offers three kigo for the past three weeks:

2/20 – remaining snow
2/27 – Snow moon
3/6 – waters warming

Image source: ukiyo-e.org – Snow in Miyajima, by Tsuchiya Koitsu

Still Cold ~ solo renga

/ Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr / 25 Comments

Still Cold

melting snow
in afternoon sun
nights still cold

breath in the crisp air
fogging my glasses

frosted panes
see only shadows
drifting by

waterfowl swimming
in ice-jammed river

dark shadows
stray geese overhead
seeking food

sparrows at feeder
still cold and hungry

This solo renga is my response to
Frank Tassone’s #Haikai Challenge #177: Still Cold.

Images ~ 18 February 2021
The Moreau River in Missouri (snow covered)
The Missouri River at Jefferson City, Missouri

early sunset ~ tanka

/ Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr / 49 Comments

early sunset
harvest moon rising
dancing leaves
wonderful colors
a treat for the eyes

The first full moon (of two) this October is the harvest moon which typically
appears in late September.  Many places (particularly in the northeast US)
are reporting fall colors weeks ahead of the norm.

This tanka is my response to three different prompts:
→ Frank Tassone’s #Haikai Challenge #158: Harvest Moon
→ Carpe Diem – 8th Anniversary asks for a festive haiku or tanka.
→ Colleen’s Weekly #Tanka Tuesday #Poetry Challenge
No. 197, #SpecificForm: Tanka
Also shared with Open Link Night #275 at dVerse Poets Pub

Photos
Harvest Moon, 01 October 2020,
Full Moon with Missouri’s Capitol, Jefferson City, Missouri – 01 October 2020
The dome is bathed in red light to honor the firefighters
who gave their lives to serve our community
(click on images for larger view in new tab)