Bliss Beneath the Willow

I’ve never known such heat to punish our small island as it has this summer. However, while all around us fields frazzled, some even burned, and gardens wilted, our sanctuary has remained green and lush.

When the heat indoors proves too much to handle, I escape to cool breezes and shadows beneath the willow to read or listen to BBC Radio 4 or podcasts. I sit on one of the chairs, placing my feet on the other, with a small wooden table next to me for a cup of coffee or glass of ice-cold water, and Mojo gently tickling me with her tail as she reminds me she is under my seat. Bliss.

cat’s eyes through tall grass
in the willow’s green shadow
too hot for field mice

Kim M. Russell, 29th August 2022

Mish is hosting Haibun Monday and we are writing about shelter – from umbrellas to underground shelters, quick escapes to longer term sanctuary.

Mish has given us some inspirational quotes to spark our creativity and reminds us to incorporate the theme of ‘shelter’ into a haibun made up of no more than three tight paragraphs that are non-fiction/autobiographical and usually written in present tense, followed by a haiku that makes reference to a season with an image of nature, possibly adding another depth or layer to the prose.

34 thoughts on “Bliss Beneath the Willow”

  3. The UK does not have much air conditioning. Here in the colonies, we do, but even we see this as a band aid on a blizzard; the planet teeters on the brink of catastrophe. Lovely you have that willow, and a poet’s sensitivity.

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  5. Reminds me of my own little space outside under large canopies of maple and elm. We all need that space to escape heat….and life in general. I think your haiku is so well done, adding another narrative between cat and mouse.

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