Tribute: Rachel Sutcliffe

Recently Rachel Sutcliff died.  She was a consummate artist of haiku.  She was a member of the British Haiku society and often featured on Frank Tassone’s site about Haijin and writing of haibun, tanka, haiku.  She suffered from an immune deficiency disorder and died a little every day.  Her voice will be missed.

Tribute:  Rachel Sutcliffe
bitter winter day –
the sun comes out briefly.
pond ice melts slowly.

 

Do Cephalopods Dream of Aquatic Sheep?

For Kerry’s Camera Flash prompt at Real Toads. Title is stolen from Philip K. Dick’s book upon which my favorite movie Blade Runner was based: Do Andreoids Dream of Electric Sheep. I am also posting this on Poets United Poetry Pantry

Do Cephalopods Dream of Aquatic Sheep?
“All those moments will be lost like tears in the rain.” Roy Batty, Blade Runner
You are dead now.
The rooms empty and forlorn –
Just a shell left behind.
I wonder if you were eaten
or if you died of old age.
How long do cephalopods live?
Long enough to build a home
with many rooms all lined with nacre.
Do cephalopods dream and weep as they dream?
Is that why their homes are lined with pearl?

Shell Edward Weston (1927)

When I Grow Up

A bit of froth for Brendan’s Prompt on Real Toads:  Heroes and Heroines.  I must be honest, I own all the CD’s of the series while Diana Rigg was playing Mrs. Peel.  I stayed up late in order to watch the TV series.  I took karate, judo, fencing, and my father taught me how to shoot a revolver.  Emma Peel was bad to the bone.  I was Emma Peel-lite.

When I Grow Up
Because of you
I took judo and karate,
Fencing.
Because of you
I discovered
Women can be strong –
Damascene steel under lace,
Tigress in black leather.
The lithe lissome beauty
with a Webley in hand –
Kikazuke Geri
Tiger claw
Remise
Passata soto
Fleche
Intelligent witty elegant –
Dangerous
I still want to be Emma Peel when I grow up.

public domain

public domain

 

Because

Today for day six of the Nannermopo, at Real Toads, we have a photo flash prompt. The treatment of the insane was cruel and unusual – women were given hysterectomies, their hair shaved, their teeth pulled, cold ice baths daily, being bound to their beds, drugged until senseless, raped by their caretakers, starved…

Because
First they cut off her hair –
Then they gave her a hysterectomy-
Then they pulled her teeth.
Her family had deemed her insane because
She took no crap from no man
Because she ran naked from the house at times
Because she found a kitten and hugged it until
it died
Because she laughed at the wrong times
Because she cried at the wrong times.
She hugged a mask until it died
Being insane in the late stages of Victoria’s reign
Was a hard job – but someone had to do it.
She did it well.

Adolph de Meyer (1927)
Advertisement for Elizabeth Arden Cosmetics
Fair Use

 

Night Curtains

For the Friday prompt at Real Toads: Curtains and for Hedge’s 55 and for Poets United Poetry Pantry.

Night Curtains
Draw back the curtains of the night,
show us the stars and the glowing moon –
Let in the argent light.
Dance to the rhythm of the
speckled shadows –
whisper of the music made by the stars –
pulsing as sure as the blood
in your veins, beating slowly.
Draw back the curtains of the night.

public domain photo

The Circus

Fore Real Toads Camera Flash and for Hedge 55. Sometimes something innocent comes along…

The Circus
they walked into town from the farm
a basket of eggs and pale yellow butter
between them to sell –
they spoke little English but were eager
to see the circus, supposedly from Mother Russia.
not enough money for two tickets
they stood and took turns looking
through the crack –
Such a good time they had!

 

→
Andre Kertesz
Date: 1920

 

 

Weight of Crows

or Angies prompt at Real Toads. We are to choose a list and write a poem from the words.
solace trace pause over
inwardness sweat reflect beginning
need forgiveness unfolding back
thanks weight years ahead

Weight of Crows
Today is the umpteenth anniversary
of your decision to return to Japan.
My words are like a weight around my neck,
a murder of crows hanging upside down
their feet tied with pink ribbons.
A trace of sweat sneaks down my face
And dribbles down onto my keyboard.
I look for forgiveness from you.
I truly loved you but now I must
let you go.
I should have done this years ago
but the love hangs around my neck
Like a murder of crows.

public domain photo

Dorian Gray’s Baby Sister

For Real Toads Camera Flash imagined by Kerry.

Firefly 1907

Dorian Gray’s Baby Sister
You sit in the shadows
fondling your pearl –
staring straight ahead as if to say
what am I doing here?
dressed in black
you asked the photographer
to pretty please make it soft looking
to pretty please print the black and white
film in sepia tones –
As if it were the olden days
so you would look softer
and more romantic.
And of course he did.
And of course you got your way.
You always get your way.
You want to look soft and sweet
but we all know
you are soft as iron
cold as a sharpened blade
ready to slice through reality
in one blow.
So no one would ever find out
about the dead men in your basement
folded away like used tea bags.
You drank them up
slowly and with a bit of sugar and cream.
And of course
you always get your way.
From 1907 to 2018.
Soft and sweet looking.
Yeah.
Like a candy coated snake.

Haiku: Snowy Owls

Today at Real Toads, Karin Gustafson of ManicDaily, is prompting us to write – what to write and how to write when we are stymied or blocked. She gives several excellent suggestions. The one I liked best was to pick a letter and to let the words flow. As a member of the Audubon Society, I picked the letter “S” and the subject of snowy owls. I love owls and these owls are so wonderful! It seems every four years they do a massive southern migration or even northern migration based on the lemming population in Canada or for whatever reason down south. I keep my eyes open for them and have spotted two in the last few months. They learn to hunt mice around factories, for example! So…my inspiration is Snowy Owls. Because the size of their wings is large in proportion to their body size, they have an almost silent flight. Three haiku (Shay, don’t run screaming!).

owl flies South –
looks down from pines – settles
in for the winter

a blizzard of owls
storms the South – mice hide
to no avail

silent glide through trees
surprises small human – eyes
widen in wonder

public domain image

Frozen Stars: a tanka

Today for Tuesday’s Platform at Real Toads: A tanka.  Tanka are not titled.

nbc news – public domain

 

December night sky –
snow like frozen stars silent
as dust falls to earth –
no wishes on these lost stars –
summer photo fades with time

 

 

I am published in this fine anthology of poetry from contributors to dVerse Poets Pub.  An incredible gathering of most excellent poets available at Amazon US and UK.

The Abandoned House in Winter

For Real Toads – Today while driving through the country, I spied an abandoned house. The snow is almost gone but still, it froze the blood in my veins. http://withrealtoads.blogspot.com/2017/12/micro-poetry-fire-and-ice. I am also posting this on Poets United, Poetry Pantry.

The Abandoned House in Winter
The white sky –
The unbroken snow on the ground –
The sepia trees behind the abandoned house
outlined in dark brown like a drawing by a child –
I have never seen such a cold looking place –
So desolate –
Bare black trees in the foreground –
Windows defeated and blank –
So cold so cold –
The fire on the hearth went out years ago

Real Toads Bits of Inspiration

This is for Real Toads Bits of Inspiration: Dragonflies. there are all kinds of stories about them, myths. Japan is no different in its stories of dragonflies, especially among the Samurai. The dragonfly helmets are known as the type of armor called kawari kabuto – exotic helmet.

Akitsushima
My lover took the antique helmet out of the case to show me. He explained that it was one of the helmets worn by his Samurai ancestors. I reached out a tentative finger to touch it. A tingle went through me – old times, men long dead, battles fought. It was a dragonfly helmet. I asked why such a fragile thing for a battle helmet design. He laughed.

“Dragonflies are relentless hunters”, he explained. “They can fly forward, they can hover but, they can never move backwards”. I asked again, why such a fragile thing? He laughed at me. “ Have you ever seen a dragonfly hunt? The ancient lords chose such embellishments so they could be easily found on the battlefield. They often chose a motif that they felt described themselves. They are also considered to be far seeing.” I later learned that an ancient deity, while sitting on top of a mountain looked down upon Japan and named it Akitsushima, Island of the Dragonfly -because of the shape of the islands. My lover then took down his katana and said, “Come, it is time to practice.” I did a jaunty step, “Float like a butterfly, hunt like a dragonfly.” He laughed. Years later, I learned that like the dragonfly, I could never go back to that time.

ancient far seer –
the dragonfly hovers –
no going backwards

public image domain