Ancient Witness
Posted by magicalmysticalteacher
Sonoran Desert, Southern Arizona
Not a wisp of green,
yet the ancient witness thrives
in desolation.
Text and photo © 2012 by Magical Mystical Teacher
More Haiku My Heart at Recuerda Mi Corazon
More Straight Out of the Camera Sunday
More Haiku Heights: “Green”
More Shadow Shot Sunday 2
More Sky Watch Friday
More Ein Stück Himmel
More Himmelsk
Posted on August 18, 2012, in Arizona, desert, Ein Stück Himmel, Haiku Heights, Haiku My Heart, Himmelsk, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Sky Watch Friday, Sonoran Desert, Southern Arizona, Straight Out of the Camera Sunday. Bookmark the permalink. 41 Comments.
Leave a Reply Cancel reply
-
Categories
- (Silly) Haiku Wednesday (1)
- A Virgin a Day (27)
- acrostic poems (1)
- administrators (6)
- Adrienne Rich (3)
- Advent (70)
- Alameda García de la Cadena (3)
- Alpine (1)
- American history (1)
- American presidents (1)
- Anado McLauchlin (7)
- Anza-Borrego Desert (44)
- Arizona (659)
- arroyo (1)
- aster (2)
- Atotonilco (4)
- autumn (7)
- back to school (1)
- Baja California (3)
- Balboa Park (1)
- Basho (2)
- bereavement (6)
- Bible (17)
- billboard (1)
- birthday (1)
- bitterness (1)
- blessings (2)
- Blog Blast for Peace (1)
- blossom (15)
- Blue Monday (115)
- blues (1)
- Bob Atkinson (1)
- Bonelli House (1)
- books (2)
- Breyten Breytenbach (1)
- brittlebush (3)
- Cabrillo National Monument (6)
- cactus (5)
- California (94)
- Canada (1)
- Carl Sandburg (1)
- Carpe Diem (165)
- Carry on Tuesday (52)
- cathedral (2)
- cemetery (19)
- Cerro de la Bufa (8)
- change (3)
- Chinatown (6)
- Chiyo-Ni (3)
- Cholla cactus (3)
- Cholula (13)
- Christ Church Cathedral (1)
- Christmas (16)
- chuparosa (1)
- church (3)
- Circle of Love for Spadoman (1)
- civility (4)
- classroom (1)
- classroom management (15)
- Clifton (3)
- clowns (1)
- cobblestones (1)
- Coconino National Forest (1)
- collegiality (2)
- comprehension (3)
- conscientious objection (1)
- consequences (2)
- County Dublin (4)
- CPR (1)
- cut-and-pasted poems (8)
- dandelion (2)
- death (7)
- decisions (1)
- defiance (3)
- desert (88)
- Dia de Bloglandia (2)
- Dia de Los Muertos (8)
- Diamond Head (1)
- diamondback rattlesnake (1)
- dilemma (1)
- disciple (1)
- dodoitsu (3)
- door (6)
- Dorland Mountain Arts Colony (1)
- Down syndrome (1)
- Dublin (14)
- earthquake (1)
- Ein Stück Himmel (90)
- El Charco del Ingenio (8)
- elderly (1)
- encouraging words (6)
- end of school year (1)
- end of summer (1)
- erode (1)
- Escondido (1)
- evaluation (1)
- evening sky (3)
- Ewa (5)
- faith (1)
- fall (1)
- family (5)
- Father's Day (1)
- Fábrica La Aurora (8)
- fence (80)
- figurative language (2)
- first aid (1)
- first days of school (9)
- First of the Month (1)
- First-year teacher (7)
- Floral Friday Fotos (64)
- flowers (31)
- Fotokalender (1)
- found poems (9)
- fountain (1)
- freebies (1)
- Friday's Fences (107)
- frost (5)
- Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery (1)
- full moon (1)
- garden (2)
- gardening (2)
- gifts (1)
- Glasnevin Museum (1)
- Glendale (2)
- Globe Mallow (1)
- grades (2)
- grading (1)
- grandmother (1)
- Guachimontones (4)
- Guadalajara (15)
- Guadalupe (3)
- Guanajuato (67)
- guidance (1)
- Guinness (1)
- haibun (21)
- haiga (28)
- haiku (797)
- Haiku Bones (39)
- Haiku Friday (3)
- Haiku Heights (442)
- Haiku My Heart (398)
- Haiku My Heart Friday (34)
- Haiku Rebecca's Heart (2)
- Haiku the Heart of Joe Spadoman (4)
- Haiti (1)
- Halloween (1)
- harvest (1)
- Hawaii (37)
- heart (1)
- hedgehog cactus (1)
- Hi Jolly Cemetery (2)
- hidden (1)
- Highlight Sunday (2)
- highly qualified teachers (6)
- hillside (1)
- Himmelsk (372)
- holy (1)
- holy ground (1)
- homecoming (3)
- honeybee (1)
- Honolulu (13)
- hope (3)
- Howth (2)
- Hubbell Trading Post (9)
- Huichol (8)
- humor (8)
- Hump Day Haiku (1)
- I Heart Macro (117)
- idiocy (2)
- illiteracy (3)
- imagery (1)
- in-service (3)
- indolence (2)
- insomnia (2)
- Ireland (17)
- ironwood (1)
- irony (1)
- Issa (1)
- Jalisco (111)
- James Connolly (1)
- Jane Kenyon (1)
- Japanese Literature Challenge 3 (1)
- Japanese poetry (1)
- Jardín Juárez (2)
- Jesus (2)
- job hunt (11)
- journey (1)
- joy (1)
- Kaibab National Forest (3)
- Kentucky (9)
- kid talk (2)
- kidspeak (3)
- Kilmainham Gaol (1)
- kindness (2)
- King James Version (1)
- Kingman (3)
- koi (2)
- Kuan Yin Temple (2)
- Kyoshi Takahama (4)
- La Calaca Love (4)
- La Cieneguita (7)
- Laie (1)
- language arts (1)
- Latin (1)
- laughter (2)
- leadership (2)
- learning (1)
- Lent (3)
- lesson plans (1)
- lessons (4)
- Lexington (8)
- Life in Pictures (1)
- listening (5)
- Long Beach (5)
- longevity (1)
- Looking at the Sky on Friday (22)
- Los Algodones (3)
- lullaby (1)
- Luna (3)
- Luna Cemetery (2)
- Macro Flowers Saturday (8)
- Macro Monday (154)
- Makaha (3)
- Malecón (1)
- Mandagstema (5)
- market (3)
- Mellow Yellow Monday (262)
- mentors (1)
- mercado (3)
- merit pay (2)
- mesquite (1)
- metaphors (1)
- Mexico (388)
- Mexico Mondays (6)
- Michoacán (25)
- middle school (8)
- Mina el Edén (1)
- Mission Quite Possible (1)
- Mission San Juan Capistrano (13)
- Mission San Xavier del Bac (40)
- mnemonics (1)
- Monday Mellow Yellows (16)
- Monday Poetry Train Revisited (95)
- Mondays with Mary (1)
- Morelia (25)
- Mornings with Mary (5)
- Moses (1)
- Mrs. Scribe's Poetry Slam (1)
- Mundo Cuervo (1)
- Murrieta (11)
- Museo de Guadalupe (2)
- Museo Zacatecano (9)
- my digital photos (884)
- my dodoitsu (4)
- my haiku (553)
- my light verse (24)
- my limerick (24)
- my poetry (14)
- my senryu (319)
- my tanka (13)
- NaHaiWriMo (1)
- NaiSaiKu (2)
- Nanakuli (3)
- NaPoWriMo (64)
- National Botanic Gardens (2)
- national monumnet (1)
- NCLB (4)
- New Mexico (24)
- New Testament (1)
- New Year (1)
- Northern Arizona (249)
- Northern California (5)
- nun (1)
- Oahu (35)
- observe (1)
- ocotillo (2)
- old age (1)
- Old Testament (1)
- One Shot Wednesday (2)
- One Single Impression (204)
- OneWord (1)
- Onitsura (5)
- Palacio de Gobierno (1)
- Palo verde tree (8)
- Panama (34)
- parades (4)
- patience (3)
- peace (1)
- Pearl Harbor (4)
- Phoenix (2)
- Photo Time (1)
- Pi-Ku (1)
- PicStory (19)
- pigeons (1)
- poet (1)
- Poetic Bloomings (34)
- poetry (17)
- Poetry Pantry (10)
- Poetry Picnic (54)
- Poetry Tow Truck (2)
- Poetry Train (6)
- Poets United (7)
- Point Loma (2)
- politics (1)
- Polynesian Cultural Center (1)
- Post Your Poems Day (13)
- Postcards from Paradise (155)
- Postcards from the Edge (1)
- pray (1)
- Pray-As-You-Go (1)
- praying (2)
- Prescott (10)
- profanity (2)
- Proverbs (3)
- Psalm Challenge (9)
- Psalms (20)
- pubs (1)
- Puebla (31)
- Puerto Vallarta (39)
- Punchbowl (2)
- Quartzsite (3)
- Rancho Los Alamitos (6)
- random rhymes (1)
- re-teaching (3)
- reading (9)
- Real Toads (4)
- Recuerda Mi Corazon (137)
- recycling (2)
- Red Hot Mondays (3)
- REDnesday (324)
- reflections (4)
- relationships (16)
- Rhyming poetry (4)
- Richard Shelton (1)
- Richard Wright (4)
- Riverside Art Museum (7)
- Robert B. Parker (1)
- Robert Bly (1)
- Robert Frost (1)
- Robert Hass (1)
- Robinson Jeffers (1)
- rooftops (5)
- Ruby Tuesday (249)
- Ruby Tuesday 2 (172)
- safety (1)
- saguaro cactus (3)
- San Andrés Cholula (1)
- San Diego (7)
- San Felipe Dogweed (1)
- San Juan County (4)
- San Miguel de Allende (55)
- San Sebastian (16)
- San Sebastián del Oeste (1)
- Sandycove (2)
- Santa Margarita River Trail (2)
- Santa Rosa Plateau (13)
- Santuario de Atotonilco (1)
- Scenic Weekends (2)
- school (1)
- scorpion (1)
- Scripture (28)
- Scripture for the day (3)
- Seattle (53)
- seedtime (1)
- senryu (433)
- Sensational Haiku Wednesday (355)
- September Heights (38)
- seventh grade (1)
- Shadow Shot Sunday (244)
- Shadow Shot Sunday 2 (195)
- shadows (12)
- Share the Joy (2)
- Share the Joy Thursday (79)
- Shiki (2)
- Shine the Divine (1)
- Short Story Slam (1)
- Shu Ting (1)
- similes (1)
- singing (2)
- Six-Word Saturday (140)
- Sky Watch Friday (437)
- SkyFriday (6)
- snake (1)
- snow (3)
- Sonoran Desert (206)
- Southern Arizona (188)
- Southern California (136)
- Southern Mojave Desert (4)
- special education (1)
- special education teacher (1)
- spider (1)
- St. John's Catholic Cemetery (8)
- stairs (4)
- stones (2)
- storytelling (2)
- Straight Out of the Camera Sunday (520)
- strengths (2)
- student art (5)
- students (3)
- Stumbling Towards Ecstasy (13)
- success (2)
- suicide (4)
- summer (1)
- summer school (16)
- Sunday Scribblings (74)
- sundown (22)
- sunflowers (7)
- sunrise (13)
- sunset (24)
- surviving (2)
- Tackle It Tuesday (9)
- teacher (12)
- teaching (45)
- Teddy Bear Cholla (1)
- teleférico (1)
- Temecula (3)
- temple (2)
- Templo de Fátima (2)
- Templo de Guadalupito (1)
- Tequila (10)
- tests (1)
- Teuchitlán (4)
- thankfulness (5)
- thanks (1)
- thanksgiving (1)
- The April Heights 2012 (57)
- The April Heights 2013 (33)
- The Haiku Challenge 2012 (56)
- The Height of Haiku Challenge (75)
- The One-Minute Writer (34)
- The Poetry Pantry (138)
- The Purple Treehouse (20)
- The Sunday Whirl (102)
- The Think Tank Thursday (11)
- The Thursday Think Tank (63)
- thinking (2)
- Three Word Wednesday (75)
- Thursday 13 (2)
- Thursday Challenge (23)
- Thursday Poets' Rally (5)
- Thursday Think Tank (9)
- Tina's PicStory (2)
- tired (1)
- Tlaquepaque (10)
- Tonalá (8)
- travel (3)
- tsunami (1)
- Tucson (45)
- turf wars (1)
- turtle (1)
- tutoring (1)
- Uncategorized (39)
- understanding (1)
- unfinished work (3)
- USS Arizona (3)
- Vancouver Island (43)
- Verse First (9)
- vision (1)
- vocabulary (1)
- Waianae (6)
- war (1)
- Watery Wednesday (153)
- We Write Poems (102)
- weariness (8)
- weeds (2)
- Weekday Photos (2)
- Weekend Mailbox (2)
- Weekend Reflections (24)
- Wellton Memorial Cemetery (3)
- Wendell Berry (1)
- whimsy (2)
- whisper (1)
- wilderness (16)
- wildflowers (51)
- William Butler Yeats (1)
- winter (5)
- wisdom (1)
- Wixáritari (1)
- Wonder Wednesday (2)
- Wordless Wednesday (2)
- work (1)
- World War II (2)
- writing (9)
- Yokohama Bay (5)
- yucca (1)
- Yuma (2)
- Zacatecas (122)
- Zapopan (18)
That’s the wonder of nature. Survival in trying circumstances. Nice write MMT!
Hank
Desolation is what strikes the heart !!!
I love this photo. I seem to always take photos of trees that have lost all their foliage…especially if there is a clear expanse of sky behind the branches…..I just love it. This is a great photo that really has a story to tell.
Long may it witness and find young to carry on its tradition! Beautiful poem and pic!
I see magnificence in the tall and dead trees, a power captured oddly enough in the last of the three “The Lord of the Rings” films within another desolate landscape.
amazing.
both word and vision, thriving!
what a history these hills hold!
Cool picture!! We often wonder what things these old trees (even homes) have seen….probably a good thing that they can’t speak
Oh, I’m sure their silence is golden!
what in the world live in these hole behind your hardy tree? lovely haiku….
Oh, I’m sure wee little people must live in those holes!
Oh! How much I wish they would talk to me!
A good one ma’am
I love the desert. So much on the surface looks like it’s dying or dead, yet there it stands, testimony to survival against all odds.
Different take on the prompt…Liked it!
Very refreshing to see the prompt used in this way!
Green memories come alive
Peekaboo with the moon!
Gorgeous! I love places and photos such as these. And your haiku is a great thought capture as well.
wonderful mage wonderful haiku!
oh my so gorgeous! I left a comment earllier-not sure if it took-if this is a duplicate my apologies!
PS….I may be out of line, but the one who suggested thumbnails…well, she has oftentimes told ME how to do MY blog, and I find that very offensive. I would think that if she wanted to host it, she should have volunteered to take over….her loss. Just ignore and do what you think is best…and I personally like the surprise of the shadows with just text links!!!
an image that raises a lot of questions.
There is something amazing in the starkness of this photo. Haiku says it all.
I need no green when I visit your beautiful world of blues and rusts!
The bold band of shadow highlights and underlines the wonder of this greenless desert beauty! Beautiful image and haiku!
I love the earthy tone mixes with the blue sky. Amazingly beautiful
Happy SSS…
/Chie
A lonely, bare tree enjoying the sun and blue sky before the shadows creep over it.
Reminds me of Hopi turquoise. Love the idea of an ancient witness and the contrast of thrive and desolation.
definitely worth showing, I like the simplicity of it. Get a warm feeling to looking at it
I like this shot, looks like a painting!
Little people tickling the roots…………so it’s not totally abandoned. Happy Sunday!
Wonderful shot and text
Simple n thought provoking…loved reading it …
So true…nice shot! Bet this tree could tell some stories!!
It is as though you can hear the ancients whispering the secrets of the past!
You have such a way of describing your photos in your haiku. Always a pleasure to see and read. Happy Sunday!!
Love this shot, nicely framed.
I love this one!
what a stunning shot mmt. love the holes in the sand!!
An ancient relic
Writes its story in drab shades
Of brown and ocher.
JzB
I really like this. What an extraordinary place.
Lovely colors…and I like the nothing green on the picture ~
http://everydayamazin.blogspot.ca/2012/08/boat-graveyard.html
Great composition and color in your photo. Love the metaphor of thriving in desolation–survival! Well done haiga
There is so much melancolia there… Nice shot.