A Haiku a day

In my recurring quest to insert snippets of creativity into my life and routine, here is my latest collection of very short poems. Each day in August I wrote one Haiku, connected to or inspired by something of what that day had brought (with some of the references being more tenuous than others). It is a challenge I have attempted previously. At only 17 syllables, I was certainly not going to be able to argue I hadn't had time, even on the busiest of days, but for someone who has a propensity to use a lot of words, it actually proved quite a tricky discipline! Some are better than others, but for what they're worth, here is the full set:

1st
Sometimes all it takes
To create something beautiful
Is earth, water, fire

2nd
Where memories fade
Winding paths through dappled light
Lead where new life sings

3rd

Sometimes we outgrow
The places that helped make us
Nostalgia lives on

4th
Built of more than bricks
It takes warmth, love and safety
To call somewhere home

5th
Ancient trees listen

To cries and laughter that swell

As kids hide and seek

6th
Beauty to be found
But sometimes it is hidden
By heavy closed doors

7th

Fun, food and sunshine

A picnic to remember

Moments shared with friends

8th

In the big moments

And the fleeting ones we share

Family matters

9th

This is luxury

Gentle unpressured comp'ny

And afternoon naps

10th

A lake shadowed by willows

Promises tranquility

And space to reflect

11th

When you only eat

Breakfast waffles and ice-cream:

You're on holiday

12th

In wonder and awe

We look up as the sun hides

And glimpse mystery

13th

Paths cross and divide

But through time and space we hold

The people we love

14th

Some days must be spent

Wrestling with words and numbers

As the sun still shines

15th

When the road seems long

You have to shift your focus:

Just take the next step

16th

Run, jump, play, laugh, dance, 

And through tiredness you know

Joy is days like these

17th

When we dare to climb

We find beauty on the edge

Hidden in plain sight

18th

Coloured ribbons fly

As friends old and new gather

Beneath bright blue skies

19th

Gentle reminder:

You're never too old to play

And dance in the rain

20th

Sleep rubbed from my eyes

An early morning goodbye

As a flight takes off

21st

Reaching out to friends 

Space made for one another

And our lifeblood flows

22nd

Bring your stress and tears

No need to apologise

That's what friends are for

23rd

Neither genetics

Nor law can really define

Who is family

24th

Scones, sweetened with jam

But more importantly life

Sweetened with friendship

25th

The doorbell, the phone

The person in front of you

Thriving through chaos

26th

A stark reminder

Beauty built from destruction

Remember, forgive

27th

Though it can be hard

To leave the unfinished lists

It's good to be here

28th

Loving your neighbour

Asks us to keep listening

Even when it hurts

29th

Away in a field

Brave the rain to feed the soul

With words and music

30th

It matters that we

Remember to let go, but

Still hold on to hope

31st

Nothing like camping

To make you appreciate

All the little things

More pots

I've written a few posts about my adventures in pottery so don't have much more to add this time, but still wanted to share / save my latest creations, which I collected a couple of weeks ago, here.

Despite no longer being a teacher, and not being a parent, I still live my life in academic cycles. The summer always comes with a shift in routine and I decided not to sign up to start again immediately when my previous course finished in mid-June. I didn't want to be tied down by a weekly commitment, and I still think it was the right call, but I did find I missed my weekly dose of earth and water. It did also prove something I already knew to be true ... I had told myself that I could still set aside an evening a week to do something creative at home: and no prizes for guessing whether that happened as much as I'd intended!

So as the nights are beginning to draw in, and my diary is returning to its term-time look, I have signed up again. To be continued ...