Category Archives: haiku

The Life of Midnight

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I’m going to try to write this on Sunday afternoon for posting on Monday.  Sylvia is reading a book while relaxing in her recliner after our walk together.

Midnight was born probably in late March of 2009.  (We don’t know the exact date, so I have celebrated his birthday on the first of April.  I do things like that. ;)) His mother, a feral calico cat we called Checkers, gave birth to a litter of kittens in neighbor Meghan’s barn.  When the kittens were a little older,  Checkers moved four of them to our barn, which was her home.  Sylvia and I enjoyed watching the little ones when they would come out to play with their mom and with each other.

Checkers, gray tiger & Midnight enjoying summer weather.

Fall came and so did a strange queen.  I don’t know where she came from, but she was ready to pick a fight with anyone or anything.  One afternoon, I heard a terrible sound and looked out to see that queen attacking Checkers, and the fur was flying.  It was all Checkers’ fur.  Checkers was driven off and we didn’t see her for several months.

The kittens were never to be seen again either.  That is except for a little guy that was mostly black.  To tell the truth, he didn’t seem to be the cutest kitten of the litter, but he was the only one left.  We didn’t see him for a while.  Every day Sylvia or I would put out food and water for feral cats in our barn.

One day, Sylvia came back from feeding the cats and reported that the queen had hissed at her and acted aggressively.  I decided put an end to that and did.  (Don’t ask!  And don’t mess with Sylvia.)

Then Midnight appeared we fed him and watched him play as the days got shorter and the air got cooler.  He was a lonely little fellow.  He would play with an old stick he found laying on the driveway.

Midnight and his friend and playmate, the stick.

That little guy would pick that stick up in his mouth and carry it around and play with it.  He seemed to never tire of his “friend.”  We could tell that he was lonely.  Whereas he would run and hide when Mama had been around, he now would come running up to us wanting our attention and affection.  How can you not love on a cute kitten like that.  (By then, he had become cute to us.)

Midnight loves on Sylvia.

Midnight works his magic on me.

A major storm and cold snap was forecast for the night of December 3, 2009.  I said something to Sylvia about the poor kitten out in the barn not being likely to survive being alone in the cold weather.  She thought briefly then spoke, “Let’s bring him in.”  We did that the same afternoon.

Our life changed radically that day.  We are glad that it did.  Midnight spent many evening stretched out beside Sylvia in her recliner as she read a book or watched TV.  He bonded very well with me.  We had many a nap together.  We would play peek and chase games.  One his favorites was to bat a ping pong ball back and forth with me.  He loved to play “Horse in the house.”  The day before he came down sick he was particularly crazy playing that rambunctious game.

So many of you have expressed sympathy and have even said prayers.  Sylvia and I appreciate that.  Our thanks to two very special friends who even posted their tributes to midnight.  Thanks Lin and thanks Rebecca.  We feel the love.

I’ve written plenty about him on various Mondays.  If you’ve been around here for a while you are well acquainted with Midnight.  He’s gone now.  But the memory lingers.

Midnight

No “Horse in the House”
Our kitty has slipped away
We miss you Midnight

Midnight 2009 - 2012

Echoes of Spring

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I had taken these two photos earlier this spring. I had planned to use them for a Wordless Wednesday post. But the best laid plans . . . as they say.  Indeed, events overtook my plans and I never did post this.  If flowers make you happy, then this is for you.

A crocus, and another crocus

There is an explanation for that silly caption.  The truth is I don’t know if the plural of crocus is crocuses or crocii.  The spell checker indicates a preference for the former wouldn’t the scientific approach lean toward Latin and the latter?  Can you help?  One thing for sure, the crocus on the left is not going to work today.

What's that on the lovely flower?

As you can clearly see the crocus on the left has a bug.  Cough.  Cough.  I’ll try to make it in to work tomorrow boss. 😉  Pity these pix weren’t posted on a Wednesday.  If that had happened, you would have been spared such horrible humor.

Crocus

Lovely Miss Crocus,
Announces arrival of spring,
With merry colors.

What Do You Do While Waiting?

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Each one of us will at some point be found in the waiting room.  What do you do while you await the call to pass beyond the door to the inner sanctum?

If there is a TV, I’ll choose a spot that puts my back toward the infernal contraption.  I prefer to enjoy the company of my own thoughts.  Those thoughts may go to the scene of the hawk diving upon the young rabbit in the field beside the road that I saw as I drove to the doctor’s office that morning.  Then there were the five young deer I met on the road.  We examined one another carefully before they moved on to complete their rounds.  Sometimes, I think of rich dark earth and green growing things or dark blue skies on a sunny summer day.

On occasion, I remove the notepad and pen from my pocket and write a note or start a poem.  I find that far more enjoyable than watching daytime TV.  Or TV at anytime for that matter.  Here is what may come from a moment like that.

In the Waiting Room

While I sit and wait
I kill time by taking notes
Might write a haiku

Another Child Suicide

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Photo courtesy of Psychology Today

Last night I learned that a 14-year-old boy from this area had committed suicide.  That is the second boy in that family to perish at his own hand this year.  Earlier, a 16-year-old had acted similarly.  I can’t even imagine the grief that family members are experiencing.

As I thought about the loss, I wrote this haiku on a piece of scrap paper.

Broken teen age heart
His world shattered, despair reigns
Gun in hand, the end

My thoughts and prayers go out to the family.

Why Won’t Winter Go Away?

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We woke Wednesday morning to this sight.  Yuk!  And double yuk!  Enough already.  The calendar says it is spring.  I suspect that the calendar is lying.

I haven’t taken the opportunity to share a haiku with you in some time.  This one needs more work, but it does express what we are experiencing this week.

Wintry Wind
The cold strong wind blows
It chills the bones and moves on
Leaving us behind

Spring will come.  At least it always has.  Hasn’t it?

A Dandy Metaphor

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Last Thursday I posted a haiku.  At the time, the dandelions were all yellow.  Before the weekend was over, that had changed.  Dramatically changed.  Here’s an updated photo and the haiku (so you don’t have to scroll):

Dandelion
Dandelions gold
Dapple my lawn with yellow
Turn so soon silver

I asked my younger son if he was aware of the metaphor of the haiku.  There was only a short delay as he digested my words.  He then said that it was a metaphor for how quickly the young grow old.  I sure feel good when my sons show such wisdom and understanding, and they both give me plenty of reasons to feel that way.  Did you detect the metaphor, or did you only think I was talking about dandelions in my lawn?

I wanted to find a graphic to illustrate this for you.  It took a while but I found this online:

And this:

Some of you have watched parents or grandparents go through this change.  Some of us have experienced it first hand.  It is amazing how swiftly time seems to fly.  It seems like only yesterday when I think of Bryant’s first steps or Scott’s first birthday.  Those memories are so clear and vivid.

Today, Bryant is president of the company for which he works.  His younger brother, Scott, is retired after a career with the US Air Force.  Only when I look at the back of my hands do I realize that I have become my grandfather.  That’s okay with me.  Life has been good.  It still is, and with a lovely, talented and intelligent granddaughter the promise of the future gleams brightly.

Speaking of Briana, tonight is the final regular season home game for the Falcons.  It is Senior Night, and Briana and the other seniors will be honored.  Sylvia and I will be there with the camera, our Falcon gear and our loudest voices for cheering on the Falcons.

House Finch

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These finch-size birds are year-round denizens of this area.  A pair of them nest near my office window.  I can frequently hear their lovely song.

House Finch
Are you a sparrow?
No, there’s your mate clad in red.
Oh, how sweet your song.

Why is it that the males of the bird family tend to be the pretty ones?  We humans do it the other way — beautiful females and plain males.

One explanation is that the creator did that for a reason.  According to one account Adam asked God, “Why did you make Eve so beautiful.”  God replied, “So that you would love her Adam.”  Then Adam asked, “But why did you make her so dumb?”  And God replied, “So that she would love you.”

What do you think?

Blue Jay

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The scene at the bird feeder is changing.  Warm weather birds are beginning to show as the days get longer and the vernal equinox approaches.  Canada geese have returned, as have starlings, grackles and yesterday I saw two pair of red-winged blackbirds — a sure sign of spring’s rapid approach.

Before the birds of summer take over, I want to acknowledge this year-round visitor: The Eastern Blue Jay.

Photo from: www.hse.k12.in.us

Blue Jay
Loud boisterous bully,
Scares away the tiny birds,
Eats much more than they.

Cardinal

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I love to see cardinals come to our bird feeder.  They are beautiful birds.  They get along well with the other species, but they are also shy. Let me appear at the window with a camera and the cardinal will fly away. For that reason, it is difficult to capture a good image of this winged beauty.

I caught this one just before he took to wing.

This one flew into a crab apple tree waiting for me to go away.

Cardinal
Brightest beauty you,
Scarlet flash across the sky,
Handsome yet humble.

Which is you favorite bird?