Haiku: Letting Go

The year has nearly come to an end, and there are so many things left unwritten. I won’t pretend that I’m going to get caught up, but I do plan to post over the next couple of days.

This poem was inspired by seed pods I spied while doing a walk here one day. A skeletal bush along the fenceline was adorned with these big, woody-looking pods, and fluff was peeking out. As I went in for a closer look, I realized this was a type of milkweed pod, and the mature seeds were simply waiting for the wind to take them to their destination.

As the year draws to a close, I’ll be spending time thinking about where I’m going in the coming year. Am I the seed, released from the pod, looking toward places unknown? Where will the wind take me?

Wishing each “seed” out there a wonderful adventure and a soft landing in fertile soil. May you embrace change (because we are really never free of it, are we?) and flourish in 2026.

Haiku: Unfurling

It’s a mercifully cool (relatively speaking) Friday here, and for that I am thankful. I’m also deeply thankful for the support and fellowship of a very special person, my friend S. When I saw this dewy, unfurling sunflower glowing in the early morning sunlight, I thought of you.

S is one of those inspirational people who subtly, unconsciously, reminds you – through their actions – that you can do better. That you can be kinder, more trusting, more patient, more understanding, without being a victim. S has the patience of a saint, something that I struggle with, and I marvel at her ability to accept things that would, inanely, irritate me to no end. That’s really just wasted energy, isn’t it?

S reminds me that, sometimes, people simply need words of encouragement, a joke that makes them laugh, a shared experience or perspective that reminds them of our common humanity and makes them feel like someone (who is not a relative) cares. And this isn’t just obligatory caring.

My wish for each of you who see this post is that you have the privilege of knowing someone like S, who sees and appreciates beauty, including the beauty in you. Unicorns do exist. Keep growing, learning, and sparkling!

Haiku: Future Fruit

Among the myriad plants that are currently blooming, the unassuming blackberries have also put forth their flowers. Enthusiastically. Seeing those white blossoms means that, in the heat of summer, juicy blackberries will hang heavily from the vines, inviting careful picking (lest the thorns should grab).

Yes, they may not have the glamor of the scarlet peonies, or the ethereal beauty of creamy elderflowers, but these blooms should still be appreciated for what they are: the precursor to one of summer’s most beloved berries.

May the pollinators reach every single bloom and may there be many succulent berries soon!