Anne says goodbye to the bird life that she loves Along the winding path not far from our abode, Ottawa’s breath lingering in dew, the blue jays’ chatter fractures the fragile morning. Ah, my dearest Anne, you cannot hear them now, your eyes drifting to the city life beneath your hospital window, ears perked,..
Glioblastoma and Bohemian Waxwings: Birds for Anne Le texte français suit le texte anglais. Bohemian Waxwings, last winter in Domaine de Maizerets, Quebec City. Photo credit Leigh Bateman My wife Anne, who has terminal brain cancer, known as glioblastoma, is a bird and nature lover who is soothed in her suffering by such images. These..
Goldfinch in stark winter: a Tanka poem Photo credit Lorne Coughlin Goldfinch, puffed out… Protection or foolish pride? Too recognizable… We are so far from golden, But seem compelled to puff. Tanka poetry Tanka poems follow a set of rules. They all have five lines and each line follows a pattern: the first line has..
Spring season in the autumn of my life…a Tanka poem Perched on a sparse branch A plump winged miracle Ready for flight. Am I prepared for take off In the autumn of my life? https://www.masterclass.com/articles/a-guide-to-japanese-poetic-forms https://www.masterclass.com/articles/tanka-poem-defined-plus-examples https://www.masterclass.com/articles/cinquain-poetry-guide When written in English, tanka poems must meet criteria concerning their structure and content…
Spring morning haiku Spring birds arrive in pairs; Some linked together for life; Then forever severed. Monogamous Birds There are a few species of birds that meet, court and form pair bonds that result in many offspring, year after year, until one of the pair dies. For nearly all swans, geese, ducks, cranes,..