Blog Archives
Desolate
Yuma Conservation Garden, Yuma, Arizona
Desolate places—
something akin to wisdom
lingers in the stones.
Haiku and photo © 2017 by Magical Mystical Teacher
More SkyWatch Friday
More Haiku My Heart at Recuerda Mi Corazon
Books
A boulder surrounded by birdsong in a remote location, Apache County, Arizona
Some books I found in passing
Contained disturbing words:
The end is near, they seemed to say,
Pay heed to stones and birds;
For in this warming climate,
Where things are changing fast,
Not even stones and blackbirds
Have stamina to last.
Poem © 2017 and photo © 2011 by Magical Mystical Teacher
More SkyWatch Friday
More Midweek Motif at Poets United: “Books”
Wind
A stone-lined pathway at Wupatki National Monument, Northern Arizona
power of the wind—
reducing stones to rubble
one grain at a time
Haiku © 2016 and photo © 2014 by Magical Mystical Teacher
More Midweek Motif at Poets United: “Wind Power”
Commitment
Wedding at Guadalupe, Zacatecas, Mexico
their marital bliss
painted with commitment’s brush
outlasting the stones
Poem © 2016 and photo © 2012 by Magical Mystical Teacher
More Midweek Motif at Poets United: “Commitment”
Secrets
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Southern California
How many secrets
are lurking under the stones?
Who can flush them out?
Text and photo © 2016 by Magical Mystical Teacher
More SkyWatch Friday
More Midweek Motif at Poets United: “Secrecy”
Departures
Each breath-of-a-poem begins with a phrase purloined from A Year in the World: Journeys of a Passionate Traveller by Frances Mayes.
~~ 1 ~~
a smooth departure—
bathed in early morning light
she lifts her suitcase
~~ 2 ~~
Holding a suitcase
packed with troubles and sorrows
she limps down the street.
~~ 3 ~~
shops lining the street—
she stops to ask one seller
the price of his plums
~~ 4 ~~
in a secret house
made of stones from the river
little nests of mice
~~ 5 ~~
searching for a house
where fiery beings shimmer
in the crevices
~~ 6 ~~
Near the kitchen door
a spray of yellow roses
brightens the cook’s day.
~~ 7 ~~
into the same pot
tossing seeds and stars and stones—
old kitchen magic
~~ 8 ~~
a tiny corner table
the merest squirt of mustard
to spice up her meal
~~ 9 ~~
Light rakes the water
as old men reeling in fish
laugh at their good luck.
~~ 10 ~~
as a dark presence
ready to strike passersby—
the coiled garden hose
~~ 11 ~~
In their narrow cells
the monks begin each morning
with prayers learned by heart.
Haiku © 2016 by Magical Mystical Teacher
More Poetry Pantry #291
More Sunday’s Whirligig #48
Songs
An outdoor altar at El Santuario de Chimayo, Chimayo, New Mexico
first days of the year—
a singer wakes up humming
songs he learned from stones
Haiku © 2016 and photo © 2015 by Magical Mystical Teacher
Vying
Northern Arizona
Three stones in the wash
vying for my attention—
the smallest one wins.
Haiku © 2015 and photo © 2011 by Magical Mystical Teacher
Stones
Prehistoric animal chipped in stone, Painted Rock Petroglyph Site near Gila Bend, Arizona
stones telling stories
in tongues heard eons ago—
stars still know the plot
Haiku © 2015 and photo © 2013 by Magical Mystical Teacher
More Carpe Diem: “Karnak”
More Haiku My Heart at Recuerda Mi Corazon
Potsherds
Ceramic decoration left by a young visitor, reduced to potsherds, Roxaboxen Park, Yuma, Arizona
broken into bits
by midsummer’s fearsome heat—
tokens of the quest
Text and photo © 2015 by Magical Mystical Teacher
More Blue Monday
More Macro Monday 2
More Our World Tuesday
More Carpe Diem: “Midsummer”
