One thing in favor of the heat is the inspiration it provided for a series of haiku. I'm participating again in the creative postcard exchange arranged by Amy Souza (creator of the Spark challenges). I had the month of July to complete four postcards and send them to my four assigned recipients.
I posted about the exchange I participated in during April, click here. For that exchange I wrote about birds. This time, there was no question that I would write about the heat. I challenged myself to come up with four haiku using the line, "endless summer heat." I found it an easy topic to tackle and wrote at least eight before stopping. (I seem to have gotten stuck on iced desserts for half of them!) I ended up illustrating five (only one ice cream haiku), which gave me an extra that I will be submitting to Carol Varsalona for her "Summerscapes" gallery.
One of my poems was featured yesterday in a blog post at US REPRESENTED. I am tickled pink to have my poem in the company of poems by Mary Oliver and Wang Wei! The post, by Kevin Arnold, can be viewed here.
Tara at A Teaching Life, is enjoying summer on the farm, and, she's also hosting this week's Poetry Friday Round-Up. Keep cool everyone!
opening the car door
ReplyDeletea whoosh of liquid air
endless summer heat
I felt remarkably in tune with all your haiku, and one just snuck out.
Nice, Brenda! I take it the heat in MA is wicked, too!
DeleteEach perfect, but perhaps hope is here. Yesterday 97, today 71, a cold front moves in for a few days. I like them all, but for some reason, I love "not the first to rise this morning".
ReplyDeleteA little cooling would be welcomed!
DeleteDiane, I am excited to have one of your endless summer heat poems in Summerscapes and can't wait to see it. Congratulations on having poetry at other sites. Because I am an ephemera collector, I adore the first haiku digital composition you created and hope that you will offer that one also to Summerscapes. My family always enjoys going to our favorite ice cream haunts in the summer and then trying out new ones when we vacation. Your designs are varied and clever, Diane.
ReplyDeleteSure, Carol. I'll be in touch. Have a chocolate almond cone for me!
DeleteThis Irish summer has been nonexistent (except for today . . . yay!) and while I miss it (summer) (mostly) I don't need endless summer heat. Very nice, Diane. Also, congrats on being featured in Kevin's Arnold's article. Jet
ReplyDeleteJanet, everything here is dry and brown. Some of the trees have been dropping their leaves already--because they're dead. :-(
DeleteVery nice! I love the way the endless summer heat repeats and repeats, except I don't! As for August, I wish you cooler temps, though ours probably won't relent until about mid-September.
ReplyDeleteWe'll all survive to complain again in the winter!
DeleteIce cream for lunch - yes! We are contending with heat, too, Diane - alas, I haven't the poetic skills to describe it, but I do have yours.
ReplyDeleteAn occasional unexpected meal choice makes life interesting!
DeleteI love the range of perspective in these haiga. In this hot, endless summer, you are the sprinkler hose of poetry, Diane. Congrats again for your deserved praise in that article!
ReplyDeleteHa! I like my new title: "sprinkler hose of poetry."
DeleteIce cream (or gelato for the more health conscious among us) has become a staple dinner item around here this summer. I love the haiga you've composed and the images as well. It's too hard to pick a favorite! Congratulations on being featured in Kevin Arnold's article. Yay! That beats the heat any day!
ReplyDeleteYes, it was a nice surprise to be contacted out of the blue for permission.
DeleteWow! Each one is different, yet taken together they leave me sweaty and panting (like the dogs). I am so so ready for it to cool down.
ReplyDeleteSince it's August, that means it's almost Christmas. And if it's almost Christmas, then winter will be here soon, too. Voilà ! Bitter cold!
DeleteWhile the heat is torturous it brought forth such gems! Each one is a little adventure. Hoping a cooling trend comes your way!
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of each being "a little adventure." Many thanks!
DeleteVery cool, Diane! What a great collection.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, Kiesha!
DeleteDear Sprinkler Hose of Poetry ;0),
ReplyDeleteThese are wonderful! The last two are my faves, though hard to choose. Love the images in those.
Congrats on your poem getting a little star-power-shine - those geese will be coming and going in Vs before we know it.
I've already heard some passing geese! What do they know that we don't?
DeleteEndless. Summer. Heat. Each of your haiku captured that theme so well that I could feel the heat pressing down on me...oh, yeah, that's summer in Tucson. I'm all for ice cream for lunch (and breakfast and dinner!). Congratulations on your inclusion in the US REPRESENTED blog post. =)
ReplyDelete