April is a fickle month: she trips a teetering path through trees mad with ticking, tuneful birds, waking butterflies and bees. She dodges scattered earth and rocks behind a plough; sprinkles tender leaves and shoots with showers; spreads green foam through winter’s mud and, in lengthening evening hours, plays with last thrills of light. Kim […]
Month: April 2019
Japanese Parsley
parsley flowers tied in ikebana knots luck and happiness Kim M. Russell, 20th April 2019 My response to Carpe Diem #1651 dropwart (seri), Japanese parsley In today’s episode we have another classical kigo taken from the Shiki saijiki: dropwart (seri) or Japanese parsley, which comes from a broad range of herbs in the parsley family. […]
Message from Planet Prose
Different planets cross paths, orbit each other and regularly align with meteor tales and showers of imagery. There are no aliens on planet prose, merely light waves and white noise coming together every now and then in poetic symphony. Kim M. Russell, 18th April 2019 My response to […]
Breakfast Renga
early morning rain the dry sound inside the cabin of oatmeal cooking comfort in heat of a pot […]
Unexpected Bells
‘The temple bell stops but I still hear the sound coming out of flowers.’ Matsuo Basho Silence drips into the sodden solitude of a deep druidic wood, goose-pimple chilled and tangle wild. All at once, the path Is broken by a sunny glade scattered with spikes of new nettle growth and, ringing through the leafy […]
Beautiful Prisoners
giant crack willows burst open with verdant joy slender prisoners on early release, riding the breath of an April breeze Kim M. Russell, 17th April 2019 My response to Imaginary Garden with Real Toads Poems in April Day 17: Somewhere in the midst of stirring April Sanaa is our host today and she brings us […]
Shining Wind
a fledgling’s first leap floating on sun-sprinkled wind morning birdsong Kim M. Russell, 17th April 2019 My response to Carpe Diem #1649 shining wind (kaze hikaru) In our exploration of classical and non-classical kigo (seasonwords) for spring, today we have another classical kigo taken from the Shiki Saijiki: ‘shining wind’ (kaze hikaru), which refers to […]
April Morning
The morning’s dust-tongued with short-lived frost and seabirds moon-blown from the coast compete with bell-voiced wood pigeons. These early muffle-toed strolls are full of promise: spring winds roar in a leaf-foamed coppice and all the quiet moments in between, while hare-heeled boots touch damp earth with a kiss. No dark-vowelled dreams could have predicted this […]
Poetry as a Cry in the Dark
I call out to you in the dead of night. Dawn seems so far away. Enlightenment is shrouded in shadow. A moment of solitary despair. A moonbeam of ecstasy and words appear. The hoot and screech of owls pivot the changing light. Even a poet feels the weight of sleep heavy on her eyes, when […]
Hibari
above the saltmarsh skylark wavers on the breeze a duet with reeds Kim M. Russell, 16th April 2019 My response to Carpe Diem #1648 skylark (hibari) Throughout April we are exploring classical and non-classical kigo for spring and today we have another classical kigo taken from the Shiki saijiki: hibari (skylark).
writing in north norfolk 