Yesterday evening, I watched the beautifully made film ‘Testament of Youth’, which is based on Vera Britten’s autobiography of the same name. It follows her coming of age and blossoming into womanhood during the First World War. Vera Britten was one of the few women accepted into Oxford at that time. When her sweetheart signed […]
Chavin
the rainy season hissing on a goldsmith’s fire roar of jaguar Kim M. Russell, 14th May 2018 My response to Carpe Diem #1431 Chavin Culture On our journey into the high mountains of the Andes, we have passed Paron Lake, where we already found out a little bit about today’s theme: the prehistoric Chavin culture, […]
Footsteps
sunset’s afterglow the echoing of footsteps in a lonely heart Kim M. Russell, 14th May 2018 My response to Carpe Diem Crossroads #9 Ozaki Hosai’s “on the field” In a new episode of Carpe Diem’s ‘fusion’ feature, the two haiku we are working with were written by the classic haiku poet, Ozaki Hosai, who embraced […]
Nightingale
in the early hours the nightingale tames its song a small splendid gift Kim M. Russell, 13th May 2018 My response to Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #32 Use That Quote … Florence Nightingale For this weekend’s meditation, we have an episode of the special feature ‘Use That Quote’. As this weekend is Florence Nightingale’s birthday […]
First Swallow of Spring
A sleek, high-spirited swallow, shadow plays among low- hanging branches of cedar, a songsmith and a seeder searching for a mate, a good omen cartwheeling as if he’d never left the Norfolk sky. Feet planted in the long grass, here in the garden stand I in a billowing green daze, thinking of warmer days, more […]
Capricious May
May is capricious, the garden is luscious, bathed in soft sun, daisy and dandelion- spattered. Sky turns bruised plum, sweetly congeals cloud jam, a chiff-chaff’s half-hearted call warning of imminent rainfall. Warning of imminent rainfall, a chiff-chaff’s half-hearted call sweetly congeals cloud jam. Sky turns bruised plum, spattered daisy and dandelion bathed in soft sun, […]
Shadow Puppetry
midnight sky drips ink on the spotlight of the moon windblown silhouettes Kim M. Russell, 11th May 2018 My response to Carpe Diem’s Quest for a (new) Masterpiece … introduction Chèvrefeuille believes a masterpiece is a haiku (or tanka) that has the power to become a classic like the Basho haiku about the old frog […]
Paron Lake
melting mountain peaks deep in the blue of the lake reflections remain Kim M. Russell, 11th May 2018 My response to Carpe Diem #1430 Paron Lake (Peru) In today’s episode, our challenge is to create a haiku, tanka or other Japanese poetry form inspired by an image of Paron Lake, a lake in the Andean […]
Aporia Avenue
Footfalls echo in the memory down the passage we did not take; instead we took the avenue of apathy, moonful children exploring half-hearted graveyards with lichen-covered stones over row upon row of mouldering bones. What was at the end of the passage, the one we did not take? A message of hope, a future of […]
My new job title is…
Infant Inspirer: I’m a singer of songs and narrator of stories, bouncing and rhyming on Wednesdays and Thursdays. I count ducks on my fingers and pigs on my toes, bringing poems and music wherever I go. Kim M. Russell, 10th May 2018 My response to Imaginary Garden with Real Toads Rommy’s Challenge: Job Title Rommy […]
