Haibun: Summer Solstice

For my prompt at Real Toads – celebrating solstice

Haibun: Summer Solstice
“It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside.”
― Maud Hart Lovelace,

The day dawned hot and clear. I watched the sun rising through the trees scattering its golden rays like a profligate gardener sewing golden seeds. The birds were waking up and their song was loud and clear – like a band of flutes. The dew sparkled on the grass. A steady stream of bees went back and forth to their hive -so busy so early in the morning. The sky was clear and cloudless on this first day of summer. I sat on my back steps and drank espresso. Such a glorious day. I think I will walk down to the creek and listen to the water burbling along on the rocks. Or maybe I will climb my tree. I smiled. So many choices on such a glorious day!
summer solstice day –
the air smells like flowers –
a dragonfly drifts

 

Summer Solstice Facts

The word “solstice” comes from the Latin words sol “Sun” and stitium “standing.” On the summer solstice, the Sun’s path stops advancing northward each day and “stands” still.

The kind of energy the Sun emits most strongly is not ultraviolet, or gamma rays, or even visible light—it’s actually infra-The June solstice is when folks in the Northern Hemisphere see the highest Sun of the year. But did you know that the Sun’s highest point is getting lower and lower over time? That’s because Earth’s tilt is slowly decreasing.red. That’s the Sun’s strongest emission, which is the kind we feel as heat.

The June solstice is when folks in the Northern Hemisphere see the highest Sun of the year. But did you know that the Sun’s highest point is getting lower and lower over time? That’s because Earth’s tilt is slowly decreasing.

 

Haibun Monday – Sky

Today I am the prompter at dVerse for Haibun Monday.  I am asking people to write short one paragraph haibun on the subject of the day sky.  Come join us!
Haibun Monday: The Sky IS the Limit

Blue Sky
I don’t remember, but my parents say one of the first words in my baby vocabulary was “boo” as I pointed a pudgy finger up at the sky…”boo”, I’d say solemnly. And all these years later, I still love the perfection of the timeless sky. I especially remember the first time we made love, outside under the shadow of ancient trees. I looked up over your shoulder and beheld a magnificent sky of brightest blue with pale wisps of white clouds encased by the trees – natsu sora…summer sky. And later, as you collapsed against me, I looked into your eyes at the reflected blue sky. And I thought I would die of happiness suspended between your eyes and the sky. In sleepy afterglow I giggled “boo”. You didn’t understand then until I told you later about the “boo” and you laughed at me and how I loved you both – you and the timeless sky.

serene summer sky –
birds nap in hidden nests as
hawks drift overhead

copyright kanzensakura

Quadrille: The Color of the Rose

Today Bjorn is our host for Quadrille Monday.  This is the last session before we go on a two week hiatus over at the dVerse Poets Pub.  Our Quadrilles today must contain as usual, exactly 44 words not counting the title and the word for the day – “rose”.  Rose – a verb, a noun – the red rose, the sun rose.  Come visit us over at dVerse and catch some of these short little wonders.

The Color of the Rose

The rose bloomed
a bright blue and spread her petals
over us all – at her heart
was the golden sun –
and at the end of the day
she let her petals fall
onebyone –
we caught and clutched them tightly –
sleeping, dreaming of tomorrow.

copyright kanzensakura

dVerse Poetics – Everyday Poetics.

Today, Gabriella wants us to celebrate our “everydays” in poetry. We write poems for grand loves, loss of love, big occasions, but these poems are our everyday – our morning coffee routine, our drive home from work, our bread making day….I have posted several of these classic haiku over the last few days because they are about my everyday and the joy in the beauty of those days. Please pardon me for posting again but I am doing so for this venue and to give a bit of my everyday to you all. The photos are simple cell phone photos of sun, blue sky, trees and an almost hidden early appearing half moon.

copyright kanzensakura

半月 Hantsuki
summer half moon drifts
in a sea of blue – floating
sakura petal.

夏空 Natsu sora – Summer Sky haiku
serene summer sky –
birds nap in hidden nests as
hawks drift overhead.

 

copyright KanzenSakura

春雨 shun u (gentle spring rain)
Gentle spring rain falls –
The sound like faraway waves
Or breath of a child.

komorebi  木漏れ日
summer morning sun
filters through leaves – gold dapples –
shadows dance trees sway.

hantsuki – half moon; natsu sora – summer sky; shun u – gentle spring rain; komorebi – sun filtering through leaves

半月 Hantsuki – half moon – haiku

copyright kanzensakura

summer half moon drifts
in a sea of blue – floating
sakura petal.

 

If you look closely, you can barely make out the pale half moon making an early appearance, middle of the blue next to the tree brances….I was sitting enjoying the late afternoon and looked up and there, the half moon suddenly appeared!

夏空 Natsu sora – Summer Sky haiku

copyright kanzensakura

serene summer sky –
birds nap in hidden nests as
hawks drift overhead.