I walk through my own personal cloud of crystalline breath. The nighttime is silent but for the thuds of snow falling from branches. The modern world disappears, and even the family van is a slumbering dragon. I pace the silent woods, twilight falling to full dark quickly.
ice chokes the pond
water reflects the dark sky
even my breath stills
I return to a long-ago winter. Lacy snowflakes fall all night. School is cancelled. Frost stars seal the window glass. I don three layers of clothes before pushing through drifts over my head. I forge new pathways. I enter an icy, secret world with caves, trolls, mountains and a snow queen.
hiding from monsters
across alien frozen worlds
in the quiet, is me
Copyright 2015 Brenda Davis Harsham
Note: This is a haibun, a Japanese form of writing, alternating prose and poetry, in this case, haiku. It has many rules. It should be present tense. The haiku should be without punctuation, except where a stop is indicated by a comma. Basho made this form famous.
I’m planning on visiting again some writers who were published in earlier issues of The Writing Garden, and publish some more of their work. I think I did mention I would love to publish this lovely haibun poem of yours some time back, but I thought it would be best saved for a winter edition. Next one is November/December, so this would be perfect. Would that be okay to publish this in the November issue? 🙂
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I am honored and delighted, Suzy, for you to publish this. your Writing Garden is beauty itself. I remember this winter day well. The silence was full of memories. I haven’t written a haibun in a while. I miss them. I should revisit the form. Blessings, Brenda
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Thank you Brenda, I shall be thrilled to publish this! It’s very different and I’m always looking for different. It should be early November (sometimes I’m a little late!) I’ll get back to you with a link when it’s posted. That’s assuming you don’t get there before I get here – often people do!! 😀
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I will be delighted to be part of it, whenever you manage to dot the last i. 🙂 Have a great week!
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Absolutely beautiful Brenda!!!♥ Makes me think of those magical times too, snow and ice is so pretty! We haven’t had much cold weather in England at all, but had a frosty night bout a week ago. I went to my local shop a few doors away and noticed how every inch of the pavement just sparkled like someone had thrown glitter everywhere – it really was an awesome sprinkling of frost! 😀
I was just thinking that this one would be wonderful to include in The Writing Garden, but it will be March when the next one comes out, so we will be into spring by then. I think I have included one winter write in the next one, but don’t want too many in one issue. Maybe I can bookmark this one for later in the year, it would be a fabulous one for the November/December issue. Long time to wait though. 😦 What do you think?
I shall have to come back and read some more because I’m sure there will be something of yours I can include in the next issue. 🙂
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Oh what a lovely idea. I would be joyful to be included. I would be happy for it to wait for a winter issue, and also happy to mull over a spring offering for you for March or you can look back at my last spring’s writings. If you don’t see anything already here, let me know, and I will ponder a new piece. What would the deadline be? I have a conference in a couple weeks, and already too many irons in the fire, but I would maybe write something new in February. Hugs, Brenda
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What a pretty frost image! I want snow as well, I’m sure well get some when we least expect.
At least it’s going down to single digits tonight here in suburban Eastern Massachusetts, maybe a good frost night.
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Thanks! I think I missed this, I am having trouble getting used to the new notifications symbols. No snow yet, but hoping for some! 🙂
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Enchanting! Captivating photos and majestic words. I am transfixed. How tangibly I feel this frozen world, as still and pale and gelid as a quiet tundra. I feel the intense lemon eyes of the grey owl upon me as I follow you into this snowy wilderness. Wonderful haibun, well done! Ecstatic cheers,
– a crystalline-sheathed lil’ smiling toad
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Wow, Smiling Toad, those intense yellow eye are watching me now, too. The owl is perched on the head of a rascally troll. We await the snow queen and her smiling toad.
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I am envious of the rascally troll…I would LOVE to have a fine grey owl nesting on my head. 😀
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LOL Perhaps we will both be trolls in our next lives.
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That’s the dream!! 😀
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LOL
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Beautiful as always… Your poetry truly stands out, Bren…
All the best to you. Aquileana 😀
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Aquileana, Your words mean a lot to me, my friend. Thanks!! All the best to you, too! Have a wonderful weekend! Warmly, Brenda
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Have a groovy weekend as well, my friend… And keep shining > ⭐ Aquileana 😀
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I feel more like a firefly than an star, but thank you most kindly!! Hugs, Brenda
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I like the firefly for you too… That’s a nice one, indeed!…
Hugs Aquileana 🙂
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I’m glad you approve. 🙂
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Ooh that last line of your haiku! When your breath stills is loaded with meaning. Beautiful Brenda!
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Thanks, Maureen! I need to stop by and get your update. I’ve seen nothing of you in my reader.
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Sometimes for me it’s all or nothing. And right now, well….
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Hmm, well, drop me a line when you’re ready for more. 🙂 Hugs, Brenda
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Thanks!
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😀
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Beautiful.
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Thanks!!
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I really like how this led into a distant memory, like a walk back in time. I remember deep snow and making paths through this, sometimes with my brothers helping me. It felt like another ‘world’ and your description and photos are beautiful, Brenda!
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I had older stepbrothers who made some of the pathways, now that I think about it. They would occasionally spring out at me (like trolls). LOL
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Reblogged this on Voices and Visions.
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Wonderful words & images. 🙂 Hope you’re staying warm, Brenda!!
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I’m under a fuzzy blanket right now. 🙂 Warm and toasty. Happy New Year!
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🙂 Happy 2015!!
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Superb. Love the second photo.
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Thanks! That was at my friend’s house. My windows are triple glazed and never frost.
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Triple glazing…..ooooh lovely. 🙂
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🙂 We New Englanders try hard to hold onto our heat. 🙂
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What an extraordinary and spellbinding piece of prose, Brenda. The words are incredibly evocative of a perfect winter and are wholly capable of bringing on a chill. Beautifully done.
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Oh, you are a lovely, lyrical writer, even in your comments. Thanks!! I’m glad I ran across a comment of yours on another blog. I haven’t seen a post of yours in my reader in too long.
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Every season has it’s magic, i think…wonderful haibun!
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Yes, I agree and thanks!!
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I found this quote yesterday and it made me think of you 🙂 :
“I had, in my vivid imagination, a passport to the geography of Fairyland. In a twinkling I could – and did – whisk myself into regions of wonderful adventures, unhampered by any restrictions of time or place.”
– Lucy Maud Montgomery, written in “Every Woman’s world” in 1917
Did you see my Troll post on Granny’s Garden?
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i love your secret, icy, beautiful world.
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Thanks!! 🙂
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love the haibun. We don’t have those winter contrasts here so I enjoy reading about them…
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No snow? None?
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Not up here in the north of New Zealand – only in the South Island
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Wow, pause to contemplate never shoveling again. Longing… no question about it, longing is the predominant reaction to that thought.
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This is Perfectly Delightful, Brenda 🙂
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Thanks! Snow still holds magic for me.
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Love this — like you, I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of exploring the Snow Queen’s realm… And “Frost stars seal the window glass” is marvelous!
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Thanks! I love the Snow Queen, which always reminds me of the wardrobe and Mr. Tumnus. 🙂
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It’s warming up here in Vancouver now, thankfully, I’m so not a fan of the cold lol 🙂
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We have cold and more cold, but not much snow, much to the disappointment of my children, who long for a snow day. In fact, they would love a snow week. LOL
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Seems we are behind on those year after year huh!
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LOL Hmmm, yet it’s -5F!!
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dang, never mind! you’re well caught up lol 🙂
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Happy new year, Brenda. I just like the way you write Haibun. I think I encountered this poetic form for the first time here in your page. 🙂
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Thanks, Imelda. I love the haibun, and I had been missing it. I like the rhythm. It reminds me of music somehow. Happy New Year!!
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Beautiful! I love the way you’re so comfortable with whimsy. 🙂
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Having young children in my house helps. They keep me young. 🙂
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