Diving Deeper

Winter haiku: 11 poems by Sulis

As if announcing the perfect snow fall that arrived here in the southern Missouri Ozarks last week, a flock of chubby American robins arrived first, to peck among the native grasses in the orchard behind the cabin. 

They reminded me of the first time I saw them on the creekside lawns of my previous home.  And that reminded me about the simple expressions of joy that haiku poetry can offer.  Here are some of my winter haiku, along with art photos taken of the recent snow fall.

*These haiku are written in traditional 5, 7, 5 syllable pattern.

the robins are here!
sturdy and rosy bodies
confident of spring

raspberry pink stains
the snow where small birds have been
feasting not fighting

a thicket of sticks
dotted with red cardinals
sparks a fire of hope

Winter colors: the spirit of place

In the world of home interiors, natural tones, are often boring neutrals.  Yet the natural world is never boring or neutral.  Even in winter, colors abound.  One winter, when I lived in a cabin beside an Ozark creek, I decided to enliven my white-walled living space.  I didn't anticipate that, not only would it end up being an interior I felt more at home in, but that the change would also blurr the boundary between my indoor world and the outdoors. 

When I scanned the color-wheel for paints, I thought I was selecting on the basis of the ceramic floor tiles, the artwork and fabrics that were already in the space.  I wanted colors that would bring out the less visible, accentuate the least obvious.  Many of the paintings in the room were seascapes and the fabrics and furnishings came from exotic countries - none of it was typical of the rural Ozarks.

The colors I chose had names like Veiled Violet, Heart of Palm, Complimentary Cream, and then a combination of all of these merged on one wall in a textured faux finish (one of my ex-husband's skills).   Admiring the results, I noticed that these names could be 'localized' as Stone Violet, Sycamore Skin, and Switch Grass.  The glass doors overlooking the creek, reflected this subtly changing color palette.

The Lovers: Osho Zen Tarot Valentine

This beautiful Tarot deck is part of a weekly meditation for me.  Its focus is on cultivating present-moment awareness and it invariably speaks to whatever is uppermost for me, even if I'm not that keen on the card drawn. 

So, I'm delighted and not a little awed to say that this card turned up in an online spread today.  Maybe you'll get it too!  Or something just right for where you are now.  You can experience the cards by going here.

Sun, Moon and Stars: a poem by Sulis

Sun, Moon and Stars by Sulis (Sara Firman)

If my stars are orchestrated
you must be the conductor

Clear as the rebounding bell of space
time expanding with infinite kindness

So that if I sink with the moon
into waters far too deep and dark

Your rising sun will pull me back

If our stars are orchestrated

Written for Joe with love and gratitude.

Love poems by Sulis

Love in leaf

Like the heart of a broken tree
When the cold recedes
and spring's sap rises
my heart will appear
to sprout its wings
on green shoots
love in leaf.

........................................................................................................................................................

Snow signs

Where the bramble bends
throwing shadows on the snow
sharp as a lighted mind

And the feet of birds have
scribbled more perfect poems
than we shall understand

I place crosses of pink roses
to remember how our bare feet
went fearlessly into the wild.

The above poem recited in images:

 

 

 

Written for Joe with love and gratitude.