Minute – WEMon Haikuchallenge

Eight millimeter
camera films three minutes
war torn Vietnam

First Draft Book Bar mug
No minute gift, fuels writer’s
Imagination

The WEMon challenge is to write about something utterly insignificant.  The #haikuchallenge word on twitter today is minute. For my first response I used the denotation of time.  The Little One will be reading Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai, and she did not know we had footage of when her grandfather was in Vietnam.  I dug up the VHS tape yesterday and digitalized it.  Then I used the adjective definition of minute for the second haiku.  Of course with no in front, it shows I do not view my coffee mug as utterly insignificant. 😉

Pen and Paper – Acrostic Haiku

Paperback novels
Engrossed in ink on paper
Nothing to download

I keep a poetry journal. I enjoy the process of writing things out longhand before typing them. The #haikuchallenge on twitter today was to use the word download. Over the weekend I’ve been busy reading actual paperbacks. I like holding a pen in my hand to write and actual paper to read. As I wrote the haiku I read down and noticed I spelled out pen. Happy accident.

Banned Books Week – Haiku Challenge

I finally got my hands on Red Rising by Pierce Brown last Friday.  I ordered it at the end of July, but when the school year started, my little one needed a book to read.  She was enjoying it so much she chose it for her independent book report.  Even though she finished reading it a few weeks ago, I didn’t want to pick it up until she was done with her report.  It was due on the 19th. After I finished Sprinkle with Murder by Jenn McKinlay ( just took me 10 months after hearing her speak to pick up one of her books), I finally picked up Brown’s book. I finished Red Rising on Monday and have been using it to write #haikuchallenge on twitter.

Monday –
Style slave to god
Carver molds human palette
Red turns into Gold

Saturday –
Gold elite creates
hierarchy, force thralldom
Red terraforms Mars

And yesterday in honor of #fREADom for banned books week –
Eager to open
Read from cover to cover
Books corrupt young minds

Here is an article explaining why 15 books have been banned in the past.  My oldest read #2 and #13 in her high school English classes already.  This year they are tackling #4. 😀

Mom – Senryu

Mom would exclaim when
Ornery child chafed at bit
Must hold your horses

The Wednesday poetry prompt at Writer’s Digest was to write a poem, Hold _ . The first thing that came into my head, Hold your horses.  My mom would tell us this when we were antsy.  Much like when she would tell us we would live ’til we’re twice married whenever we were distraught about something. I used the twice married line for the first assignment of my MOOC in July.

The mom charm was given to me by Rachael.  One of her classmates sold charms as a fundraiser for her trip to Chile.  The pieces inside are Shawn, Gretchen, Rachael and my birthstones.

Election – Double Dactyl

Hobbity Nobbity
Candidate Fred DuVal
Spoke to constituents
Pander for cash

Rallying support for
Gubernatorial
Race sprint ahead to win
November dash

Democrat candidate for Arizona governor 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday night Shawn and I went to a fundraiser for Fred DuVal. Shawn called it, A fun night of politicking. He reminisced about hobnobbing with Brian Higgins back in Buffalo. Yes, once upon a time my hubby had political ambitions. I enjoyed going out on Friday, but I’m glad politicking is not a routine affair.

I was the secretary for the Hamburg Town Council a few months one summer. Shawn isn’t the only one who knows how to work the political machine. Back in the day Kathy Hochul was a council woman and my boss. When I was in Buffalo, I noticed she is running for lieutenant governor under Cuomo. I knew her when.

9-11 Anniversary

Thirteen years ago
News broke – Twin Towers crumbled
Always remember

Blue Daisies

 

This is the bouquet my hubby brought home August 27. He is very sweet. I think I’ll keep him. 😉 LOVE you!

 

Blue dye seeps into
vase, as daisies weep over
grandma’s lost embrace

 

 

Mom’s Embrace

                                                                       Cheerful
                                                                       Prayerful
                                                                       Tearful
                                                                       Fearful
                                          Wrapped within Mom’s cheerful, prayerful hug
                                          Saying goodbye tearful, fearful tug

Fond Farewell – to Mom

I’ve been absent this past week.  My mom passed away on August 27th and I flew home to say goodbye.  My husband wrote a loving tribute poem to her, but my words have not been put to paper yet. I was hit by the haiku challenge word today, leave. Especially since @wordcra7y’s was the first one I read:

up that airplane ramp
and into the waiting arms
you don’t want to leave
                                 by: Persephone

I went up the ramp yesterday, leaving those arms far behind.

Taxi down runway
Leave Buffalo behind me
Fond farewell to Mom

Mom in 1967 when my dad was in Vietnam. Six years before I was born.