Happy Haiga Day!

In years past I've forced many a hyacinth bulb.  The flowers were always full and fragrant and an inspiration for many of the poems found under the label, "hyacinths and other flowers."  The photo below is the best of the four bulbs I attempted to force this year.  The rest barely poked up their heads before shriveling.

 

 

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Text:

 
forcing hyacinths

during this pandemic
the wait unbearable

and in the end
delight for neither
eyes nor nose

Happy Haiga Day!

 

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Text:

winter solstice

welcoming a sign
that sweet color
will end this darkness

...never mind that
it's forced

Haiku Sticky #561

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Text: 

August morning
a field of sunflowers
all facing east

Ephrastic April, Day 24: "Pansies"

"Pansies" (1919) by Jacqueline Marval [1866-1932].

perennial

pansies are guaranteed
to arrive each spring

if nothing else is
available to make you smile
head to the garden


© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Ephrastic April, Day 15: "Lilacs in a Window"

"Lilacs in a Window" (1880) by Mary Cassatt [1899-1947].

in her pictures of mothers
and their children

a tenderness

in her "Lilacs in a Window"
the addition of the fragrance
of May gardens


© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Ephrastic April, Day 6: "A Bed of Poppies"

"A Bed of Poppies" (1909) by Maria Oakey Dewing [1845-1927].

home school

in the yard we examine
one square foot

a dozen poppies
too many ants to count
one rusty matchbox car


© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Happy Haiga Day!

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Text:

so short its season

fragrantly pink
redolent with memory

bumblebee and I
tumble head first into
the peony's essence

Poetry Friday--Ekphrastic April, Day 27: "Peonies and June Bug"

"Peonies and June Bug" (1871-1872) by Eva Gonzales [1849-1883].

fragrant June

the peonies in bloom
should have been left uncut

within hours petals begin
to fall and the June bug's
dinner grows stale

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Since we're finally moving into warmer weather here, I'm looking forward to the trees, plants, and flowers playing a little catch-up. Before we know it, it will be peony time. And June bug time.

People write poems and songs about the oddest things. The June bug is one of those oddities and appears in a song by the B-52s.



The swimming bug in the video is definitely a carnivore, but the June bugs I'm familiar with are vegetarian.

"June Bug" appears on the album Cosmic Thing, which was released in 1989. I was a children's librarian at the time and one of the story hour families gave me the CD for Christmas. I can honestly say it is the BEST job-related gift I ever received. I played it for years. I can no longer remember the name of the gift-giver, but I'm forever grateful for the gift.

Irene will be sharing the gift of poetry today at the Round-Up being held at Live Your Poem. Irene, too, has been writing ekphrastic poems this month.

Ekphrastic April, Day 24: "The Writer"

The lovely painting below was created by a woman who was born in the town in which I work. Mary Bradish Titcomb, born in Windham, NH in 1856, became a teacher in its small country school. She then headed down to the Boston area to teach before moving on to fulfill her destiny as an American impressionist painter*. Titcomb died in 1927 and was buried in Windham.

"The Writer" (circa 1912) by Mary Bradish Titcomb [1856-1927].

we, who cannot travel

force bulbs surrounding
ourselves with fragrance

under a sunny window
we almost believe what we write
to those who are traveling

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

*A sad note: much of Titcomb's work, put into storage, was destroyed in a warehouse fire.

Ekphrastic April, Day 21: "Teresa Gathering Pansies:

"Teresa Gathering Pansies" by Laura Theresa Alma-Tadem [1852-1909].

the nanny, her arms full

Teresa wanders off
to the patch of pansies

she begs
forgiveness before
beheading each one

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Ekphrastic April, Day 14: "Violets"

You may have noticed the lack of women artists of color represented in my Ekphrastic April offerings. Sadly, the list of women artists, who, in the past, were recognized for their talents, is small compared to the list of men. Even sadder is the smaller list of African-American women artists. My search was made more difficult by limiting my choice of artists to painters, and, those whose work is in the public domain. I did find Pauline Powell Burns [1872-1912]. "Violets" is reported to be in the National Museum of African American History and Culture collection, but a search at the NMAAHC site came up empty. Still, I found the painting at an art auction site, and, since the work was produced prior to the artist's death in 1912, I'm certain it is in the public domain.

"Violets" by Pauline Powell Burns [1872-1912].

hubbub at the hive

bees understand
nothing of the trade-off

when an artist
divests the garden
of its violets

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Haiku Sticky #451

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Text:

Easter hyacinth
the slow turning from
pastel green to purple

Poetry Friday--TLD Challenge: Odes

I'm sure you're all aware of Michelle Barnes' Today's Little Ditty challenges. This month the challenge was provided by Helen Frost.

Choose an object (a seashell, a hairbrush, a bird nest, a rolling pin). It should not be anything symbolic (such as a doll, a wedding ring, or a flag). Write five lines about the object, using a different sense in each line (sight, sound, touch, taste, smell). Then ask the object a question, listen for its answer, and write the question, the answer, or both.

Participants post their poems to a Padlet. Michelle features some of the entries throughout the month (she featured mine on March 23), and then does a wrap-up at the end of the month, which just so happens to be today!

Since I force hyacinth bulbs every winter, and I hadn't posted a new hyacinth poem yet in 2017 (I posted a poem in November in anticipation of forcing bulbs, click here), I decided to write an ode to a hyacinth glass. Once I had it written, I added it to the March Padlet and then I illustrated it to use today. I'm not sure I directly used all the senses, but there are enough hints throughout. The question is unasked, but the answer is obvious!

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Text:

Ode to a Hyacinth Glass

Once crystalline now coated
with the grime of rotted sheaths
and root hairs shed, your new bulb's
nascent roots tickle the water
silently absorbing all it needs
to flower. Jewel tones and heady
fragrance, winter consolation.

I have a second ode, which is more of an advertisement for citrus growers than a poem!

Text:

Ode to a Clementine

Oh, my darlin' thin-skinned citrus!
You fit nicely in anyone's hand.
The rip of your skin, clean. A fragrant
promise of tangy sweetness within each
netted segment, released in a touch.
One is hardly enough, so bring them on!
Love that vitamin C & natural sugar energy.

Amy at The Poem Farm is playing Round-Up host this week, so be sure to stop by!

April is practically upon us, and that means it'll be National Poetry Month. This year I'm going to continue the series of NPM poems I call "Ekphrastic Mondays." Each year during the month of April, I have an ekphrastic (art inspired by art) poem. This is the fifth year. If you're interested in what I've done in the past, click on the label on the right. Last year I featured Childe Hassam's work, and this year I'll be writing poems about Nicolas Tarkhoff's paintings. Tarkhoff and Hassam worked at approximately the same time, and both were impressionist painters. Come back on April 3 for the first Ekphrastic Monday.

Poetry Friday--"Advice for the Modern Woman in February"

Valentine's Day will be here on Tuesday. I wanted to write a holiday poem, continue with my woodcut print series, and, I was feeling a little snarky. This is the result:

Click on the image to enlarge. © Diane Mayr, all rights reserved. Source of the woodcut illustration.

Text:

Advice for the Modern Woman
in February

If there's snow don't look for love,
for arrows won't fly true.

Wait for hyacinths to bloom
with all their sweet perfume.

Gently bend to take a whiff.
Present Eros with a target.

One that is too broad to miss
by a flying little god-let.

If, perchance, he misses the mark,
love wasn't meant to be.

Sue the god for incompetence,
then earn your Ph.D.


I've been forcing hyacinth bulbs indoors. So far, two have bloomed and two more are shooting up nicely. (I've posted about hyacinths many times in the past, look for the label on the right.) I suppose if the modern woman leans over a bulb being forced on the windowsill, Cupid could take aim. Still, it's nicer to be in love, outdoors, in the spring.

Katie at The Logonauts will be hosting the Round-Up this week. See you there!

Poetry Friday--"November 2016"

A few days before November 8, I was full of hope about the presidential election. I was also almost giddy at the idea of finally devoting my time to reading something other than political articles. Then November 9 came and I quickly came to realize that I am obligated to continue with my reading. It's depressing and so exhausting. I'm tempted to leave everything behind, since, the effects of the next four years may not be undone in my lifetime. But, where to go?

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Brenda at Friendly Fairy Tales is waiting for you to stop by for the Round-Up! She also made me aware that screen readers for the visually impaired cannot "read" the text within a jpg, so, I will have to remember from here on in to also include the text.

November 2016

Not even certain she'll
be around after January
she brings home a bag
of mixed hyacinth bulbs.
The decision to plant
need not be made at all.
Bulbs will bloom in a
glass jar on a windowsill
anywhere there is hope.

And, if you're looking for something to do with the kids this weekend, Run, Turkey, Run!: The Musical is being performed at 10 AM Saturday and Sunday at the Seacoast Repertory Theatre in Portsmouth, NH.

Poetry Friday--Postcard Exchange

Amy Souza, the originator of the Spark: art from writing: writing from art exchange, also holds a postcard exchange between the Spark challenges.

October was my third time participating. For my postcard, I illustrate a haiku or small poem that I write for each person in my group of exchangees. There were only three people in my group this time so I only needed to create 3 art postcards. In April I used a bird theme, in July I used "endless summer heat." This time I made it even easier on myself by making my theme simply October.

Head over to Writing the World for Kids where Laura is hosting the Poetry Friday Round-Up.

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved. The tee-shirt in the middle image is found at CafePress.

Ekphrastic Mondays #4

Welcome to week #4's celebration of Frederick Childe Hassam, ekphrasis, and National Poetry Month!

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved. "The Table Garden" (1910), oil painting by Frederick Childe Hassam, courtesy The Athenaeum.

Thanks for viewing my 2016 National Poetry Month Monday exercise in ekphrasis!

Happy Haiga Day!

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Poetry Friday--"The Hyacinth Girls"

Yes, it's another hyacinth post! I've created a label for "Hyacinths and Other Flowers" and will be adding labels to posts that contain these topics. In the winter months I really crave the lack of flowers, so I try to force some hyacinth bulbs each year. An earlier hyacinth post from 2016 can be found here.

I started a number of bulbs at the same approximate time and this is how they ended up on Monday when I took the photo:

It got me thinking about the whole nature/nurture thing and from there sprang "The Hyacinth Girls."

The Hyacinth Girls

The short one favors
a somber, Lenten purple
to match the stoic outlook
those of a compact
stature need to survive.

Another loves magenta,
an in-your-face, can't be
denied, color of joy
sure to turn heads.
And, that, she does.

The shy sister prefers a pale
powder pink. Barely noticeable,
but well aware of her worth,
one day she'll rename
her color, “Champagne.”

The tallest lays claim
to yellow. With their skin tones
none of the others can wear it.
She uses color as an artist
does, to make a point.

Different, yet the same, each
blossoms and grows, decorates,
intoxicates, and propagates
so that next year we'll
fall in love all over again.

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Our friend, Linda, at Teacher Dance, is today's Poetry Friday host. Be sure to stop by!

Poetry Friday--"Nothing"

If you're a regular follower of the Poetry Friday Round-Up, you will know that Michelle Barnes features a poet each month and she asks each one to challenge her readers to write a poem. Michelle collects the poems, posts some during the month, and then gathers them all for what she calls a "wrap-up celebration" post.

January's challenge was provided by poet and artist, Douglas Florian: "My ditty challenge is to write a poem about nothing." Holy cows! For the longest time, nothing came to mind. I was stumped. But then, when I wasn't thinking about it, a line came into my head. I'm not even sure that line survived, but here's the result:

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

It's that time of year again. I'm forcing hyacinths. I've got three in bloom right now and their fragrance about knocks me over when I come in from the cold. I've written about hyacinths before here, here, and here.

I picked three bulbs to start, two with white tunics and one with a purple tunic. I assumed two would be white, and the other would be purple or pink. I have three white ones, albeit one does have a pink tinge, but, if I saw it without the other two, I probably would have labeled it white. This is one of the white ones:

This is the pink one (excuse the quality of the photos, my phone's camera doesn't seem to be as good as everyone tells me it's supposed to be!):

Of course, if I wait a day or two for it to fully bloom, it may pinken up.

I'm sure you've picked out the little takeoff on Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "...poetry,--the best words in their best order."

The Round-Up this week is taking place at A Teaching Life. See you there!