Rejuvenation

2015 was to be my first full New Year as a free woman. I had left teaching the previous summer, although still working as an examiner, and embarked on a writing course with Penguin Random House, on which I hoped to complete my children’s novel, Joe and Nelly. But I had an itch that I wasn’t sure how to scratch.

On New Year’s Day, I found out what it was. I had been going through old books and some teaching materials I had developed, among which I found poems written with pupils, some in collaboration and some of my own. I then dug a bit further until I found notebooks from my youth, early poems I had pushed to the back of the drawer. After that, I discovered WordPress and the world of blogging. By the end of July 2015, I was ready to post my first haiku.

quiet twittering
crescendos in the blossom
rejuvenation

Kim M. Russell, 4th January 2021

563 Bird In Apple Tree Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images

My response to dVerse Poets Pub Haibun Monday: Happy New Year

Happy New Year! Lillian is here to welcome us to 2021 with a haibun prompt. She asks whether and how we celebrated. As usual, I stayed in and watched some of the fireworks on the television, but I went to bed at my usual time – I no longer have the staying power to see the New Year in.

Lillian asks us to write about new beginnings that we have experienced in our lifetimes: new job, wedding, birth of a child or grandchild, a move, rejuvenatement, a new garden or the first blooms in a garden, tasting new food, or experiencing a new culture – in a classic haibun that includes a traditional haiku.

47 thoughts on “Rejuvenation”

  1. And aren’t we oh so glad you had this rejuvenation and started your blog which meant you could join dVerse and we could enjoy your writing!!!
    Loving that second line in your haiku!
    Happy New Year, Kim.

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  2. This is very beautiful, Kim, and I am happy you discovered that itch–the power in poetry and then subsequently sharing it with the world. That is powerful and freeing, being able to write and feel perhaps a little bit more whole. So well-written.

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  3. I’m so pleased you found your way back to poetry. I found it too after a long absence due to the pandemic and redundancy. I’ve never felt less redundant in my life! I love the haiku which is so rich in imagery.

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  7. Your words led me to consider that I’ve been writing since high school days when I co-edited the school newspaper, later writing bits for my company newsletter during my working years, and finding my way to on-line poetry after I retired. Along the way I wrote notebooks filled with small vignettes and essays such that, when I’m gone, my children will be found saying “Did she EVER shut up?!” Aren’t we lucky to have this outlet? Blessings in 2021!

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  9. We are so lucky to have this outlet and fellowship, for sure. Like Bev, I wrote poetry in high school, and I never stopped, chronicling romances, heartbreaks, the 60’s, the Viet Nam War, and on and on. Hurrah, another new year emerging at d’Verse.

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  12. Well done, KR. We’re all glad you’re here. I’m certainly counting my blessings every time you post, and this marvelous Haibun is just one example of why.
    Looking forward to more.

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  16. So interesting to learn more about everyone’s backgrounds today in their haibuns. Writing does rejuvenate us and reading poems is so inspiring as well. Thanks for the inspiration and Happy New Year! 🎉

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  21. I too found the passion buried from years past. I had no idea where the little spark would take me. I am very grateful for supportive,creative and kind-hearted poets like yourself! So glad you scratched the itch!

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