January Kindness Month Kind words are like honey, sweet to the soul and healthy for the body. Proverbs 16:24 Kindness towards someone else, helps them feel seen, appreciated, and valued.
Kindness is like a ripple. Each little thing we do goes out into the world touching more and more people. Each thing we do can be kind, mean, or just a missed opportunity. The one certainty is that kindness can rip through meanness. Kindness interjected at any moment diminishes the ripple of negativity.
Every act of KINDNESS creates a ripple. Each little thing we do goes out into the world touching more and more people. What will you do to start a ripple of kindness today?
He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Micah 6:8
Others books: Mixed by Arree Chung I Talk Like a River by Jordan Scott I intend to develop lesson plans for these two, but I can't keep the books long enough to do so--good books never get returned. The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig (lessons on TpT) Eyes that Kiss in the Corner by Joanna Ho One by Kathryn Otoshi
All poems are by RL Brown and cannot be published without permission.
Wintry winds whistling ceaseless threnodies
Vermillion cardinal resplendent and showy pulchritudinous
It was not an easy door to open
my creativity-
a vain impression of my imagination,
real or not, I see. #FromOneLine
Piquancy of passion wrapped in zeal radiates earnestly Owl Nest zeal, zone, zest
Psalm 34:18 The Lord is always near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. My pastor preached on Philippines 4. Rejoice always, and in everything by prayer, and supplication with thanksgiving, let your heart (request) be made known to God. God knows your heart but do we? Paul was able to face persecution because Paul knew his own heart and the heart of God
God established Time Knowing God- Time is a fixed entity that is set for a season and is always moving forward. God cannot undo time. God's purposes are unchangeable and set for a season of salvation as a test to man's free will. (Hebrews 6:17-18) There is no variation or shifting of shadows for God's unchangeable plan. All things being possible for God ( Phil 4:13, Matt 19:26) is predicated on a few impossibilities concerning His nature. God cannot lie and therefore He is the plumb-line for the truth to be measured. God exists outside of time. He is the Alpha and Omega. Imagine God holding the ribbon of time, the beginning in one hand to the end in the other. He surveys all of time, simultaneously.
(NOTE: Moses convinced God not to destroy Israel for their unbelief and events were change when David prayed and ask God what would happen if he remained in the city. So David left and Saul did not attack.)
The Power of God's Word
We have entered an age where everyone is right in their own eyes. Each version is at odds with the other. God's Word is the plumb line by which all truth is measured. A plumb line is a weight suspended from a string used as a vertical reference line to ensure a structure is centered. God cannot lie; it is impossible for him to do so; therein lies the power of His Word.
Hebrews 4:12, For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
Psalm 119:105, Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.
God loves your soul like the soil loves the tree.
God's Word is the soil where we firmly root our faith.
The soil gives the tree all the space it needs to grow.
God's will is His Word.
It is not a roadmap but a relationship.
God is more interested in what you become than what you do.
Colossians 1:9.
Having received Christ Jesus as Lord, you are:
firmly rooted,
grounded,
built up in Him, and
overflowing with gratitude-
one faith, one hope, one Lord.
Comfort comes by knowing that you are firmly rooted.
Love your God-given soul like the soil loves the tree.
Jabbering gibberish, over the tongue, slipping, tripping, skipping. Seamless syllables of streaming sound, the words whisper- don’t give up. or Short version: streaming sounds whisper, don't give up.
Poetry Pea Video Prompt for Submission
first snow falling softly warm thoughts
Still, cold, frozen white icicle glistening. Droplets drip amid a frozen field, nature's water fountain
Piquancy of passion wrapped in zeal radiates earnestly zeal, zest, zone
not forget, less it be repeated
hide your love in my heart hide in love my heart hide in your love my heart
whiptail journal challenge
Costal charmers adorned in titivated lace Memories of a lissome dance Gene transfer evolution, clueless aftermath a buccolic field jaded by time Iridescent threads woven in the heart. If rain no longer fell, would tears cease to flow? If longing is understood, would yearing fade?
wonder, whisper, whim.
wondering aimlessly a nefarious wind sent with ill-content.
whispers of inspiration, a notion under wonderment- writing again.
Practical application from Arree in a haiku format. Or the last line might say: write it down
#HaikuSaturday #Haiku #amwriting A whisper of inspiration, a notion under wonderment- I'm writing again. @Bleu_Owl wonder, whisper, whim.
whispers of inspiration a notion under wonderment writing again.
inspiration whispers a notion under wonderment, writing again
inspiration wonderment writing
On gradient winds, matching a clarion call Eagles hitch a ride.
words packaged neat and tidy a haiku
Packaged neat and tidy, a haiku
Pacing a playful beat by tapping your feet
or Tappin' your feet to a playful beat
(drums, cymbals, chimes, tambourines)
Razzmatazz of New Orlins jazz (horns, Naw Orlins.)
Soulful swing played on horsehair string.(fiddler)
a scurrying squirrel pivot hiding or (privet hiding) seen response to: William Vlach
@vbvlach a hawk listens for scurrying feet, winter park
whispers of inspiration,
a notion under wonderment-
writing again
Real life see others as they are familiar and strange
clean water smells rest in the moonless dark tomorrow is today
I want a big one the size of my shoes,labeled Harry Suitcase Simpson
Route 66 Lightening fast McQueen's Porsche
one takes a journey the other stays home renunited, stories to tell
My thoughts trail behind as I pass through the doorway, forgotten.
January NaHaiWriMo
Tenacious trekkers journey through a rarely-seen ribbon of time.
Patterned pathways of speckled sunlight guiding avid adventurers.
Dangling treasure for avid adventurers, hidden in nature.
Wedding Blessing: A verse in Colossians speaks of being rooted in faith, growing in knowledge and overflowing with gratitude- one faith, hope, and Lord. The cord of faith in Jesus binds you, and dreams for your future begin with God’s guiding hand of love. Your faith in Jesus, the fullness of hope, and love for each other tie you together. You become one as you blend your lives to complement each other. Love each other like the soil loves the tree and gives it all the space it needs.
Lesser long nose bat flies through the night.
Hunting Agave plants by smell and sight.
Agave is sweeter than honey.
Its nectar is thin and runny.
For this night flier, it’s a great delight. Limerick Sunday
National Geographic Picture https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/lesser-long-nosed-bat
Emmanuel is born to the Father's delight, -Israel’s long waited hope. The Word sang its poignant story. A pure melody for each heart to hear. For those with ears to hear, it was a soft melodious tune. Like the tiny beats of a hummingbird’s wing, a whispered melody arrived. The dawning light of a new beginning steadies our thirst. Arousing a sanguine hope in a song-less world for the coming hope. The morning light hummed as the Light sang the Troubadour’s song of our redemptive story.
anticipation Emmanuel is born the Father's delight
Israel's anticipation Emmanuel is born to the Father's delight.
last year's version: A song-less world yearns to hear the troubadour’s song, echos of joy.
Tiny beats, the word sings a melody that only the heart hears.
A single voice announces, the king's arrival, he dwells with us.
Through doubt and despair hope rings a new redemptive song.
The Troubadour song illuminates the darkness, dispelling fear.
The morning light hums, hope shines- the frame repeats.
Joy to the world.
oblivion aquarium at the mall trapped within
The Troubadour
The Eastern Star shined through the night illuminating the way.
The Word sang a melody for my heart to hear, poignant and pure.
For those with ears to hear, it was soft and gentle.
Like the tiny beats of an hummingbird's wings, a whispered message arrived.
A single voice announced the King's arrival. He dwelt with us.
A song-less world yearned for echos of the troubadour’s aria.
Despair dispelled. The Troubadour sang the redemptive story.
The morning light hummed, arousing a sanguine hope, the frame repeats-
Joy to the World.
Friends in all shapes and sizes red, brown, black, and white-- each one precious
Wintry winds whistling a ceaseless threnody
Haiku Music Challenge December 2022
Shear Cirrus trails in a clear, wintry blue sky.
motionless sun the darkest moment light breaks through
brief magical moment the sun stands still winter begins
nightide meets at winter's gate light concatenates
#haiku #HaikuSaturday #haikuseed
winter solstice Dec 21, 2022
6 facts about the winter solstice
The magic moment. While many focus on the winter solstice as a day in the calendar, what we are actually talking about is a very specific moment which is over almost as soon as it has begun. ...
The Sun stands still. ... Winter begins. ... Nine hours darker. ... The earliest sunset. ...
brief magical moment the sun stands still winter begins
8 fascinating facts about the summer solstice It arrives like clockwork. ... Time stands still. ... It's not the earliest sunrise of the year. ... been observed throughout human history. ... Flooding the Nile. ... Greek feasts. ... Ancient Roman celebration of home and hearth. ... It's still celebrated around the world today.
March/ September Spring Equinox March Equinox
Terrestrial tides collide high, but twice a year. rising sun and moon poised.
A morrowless day arriving on the equinox perfectly balanced.
January sky Its sheer so clear, so blue. Nothing leaves a mark.
Wintry sky, shear blue bright and clear cirrus trails. Shear Cirrus trails in a clear, wintry blue sky.
The dawning light
of a new beginning
slates our thirst.
Arousing
a sanguine hope
for the coming year.
A salubrious optimism
laced with intent,
tempered. 12/30- Slake
12/31- Sanguine
1/01- Salubrious Owls Nest Challenge
Inner autumn calls,
embracing a
seasonal change.
The wind howls
for rest,
as light narrows.
Counterfeit death nears
God’s grace is
revealed.
With the last harvest
winter comes,
the weary soul find rest.
@Blue_Owl #HaikuSaturday Grace
Winter grants Fall's wish
for an encore flower dance,
frost procrastinates.
Summer's warmth lingers.
Harvest-in, farmer's delight-
Sweet whispers of thanks.
Winter winds whistling
Indian Summer's last stance
Bowing gracefully
Posted Haiku Foundation for Early Harvest Aug 2022
Nature's splendor yields
a harvest of abundance,
Thankfulness expressed.
Inner autumn calls,
time to embrace season’s change.
The wind howls for rest.
Light narrows yet shines.
Truth displayed for all to see,
God’s bountiful grace.
Counterfeit death nears.
The last harvest, winter comes.
Weary souls find rest.
@Bleu_Owl
Winter winds whistling
Autumn's last stance-
a graceful genuflection.
#haikuchallenge #HaikuSaturday
Genuflect
seasonal shift
climate change
apposite
Nature reclaims what it intends
sending life's events
to where memories flow.
Slowly evanescing
time spins
memories of you
Past lives on in
family stories, recipes, my nose-
as treasured memories.
one voice sings a death aria
Opposite of
wokeness would be
Apposite
spring in my steps
alacrity of purpose
wind at my back
toddler's alacrity
something new
everyday
petunias thrive
with cold persistence
periwinkle's winter wink
elemental fragrance Saguaro Cactus alluring
Inner autumn calls,
embracing a
seasonal change.
The wind howls
for rest,
as light narrows.
Counterfeit death nears
God’s grace is
revealed.
With the last harvest
winter comes,
the weary souls find rest.
@Blue_Owl #HaikuSaturday Grace
First and Thirtieth
Super Moons of August
Sturgeons rise from the Blue
"It will not go out of my mind that if we pass this post and lantern, either we shall find strange adventures or else some great changes of our fortunes." —-Lucy Pevensie, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis)
curiosity seekers
adventures await
let's go together
Southern heat
baked, then released
into a vapor trap.
cicadas sing
flowers sway in a gentle breeze
summer heat wanes
Redundant talking points nailed to your brain are meaningless. Dull minds captured by deceit scream you can’t handle the truth. Yet the truth is easier to swallow than a quagmire of lies. Swim against the stream-
sweetness on the cob
long listening ears
crunch a munch
Log cabin restored
reminiscing the past
historical remembrance
laudable sweetness
memories of a lissome dance
beacons of love
Discernment’s gift is the ability to reason, decipher, and separate subtleties that snare.
Brilliant, yellow hydrants!
Yellow is the new red.
Puppy-chic
or
Brilliant,
yellow hydrants
Puppy-chic
where imagination,
fairies and pixies
play
stars in my eyes
a welcome sight,
blue skies
In-between
blue and green
flying high
A mind free to think, will imagine, reason, and then decide to act. A child deserves the right to be protected and grow into adulthood. A mind that is not protected will destroy the heart. Discernment's gift is the ability to reason, decipher, and separate subtleties that snare.
The first time I saw a dead body was in the woods. Uncle Rufus open coffin sat where the porch swing once hung. The rusted ceiling bolts reminded me of what once was. That old dingy porch framed a poignant image. Unintentionally, I took a mental snapshot. I stood and stared. Death barred the doorway entrance. The splattered sunlight melded with the shadows. The white wood planks faded into the background as if engulfed in sadness. The inner light was gone. Only a shell remained. Nature reclaims what it intends. Yet, life lives on where memories flow like a sweet bension between the falling rain--
quiescent tide, the porch-swing rhythmic pace- tealights fade --
First Encounters First Encounters
The first time I ever saw a dead body was in the woods. The open coffin sat where the porch swing once hung. The rusted ceiling bolts served as a reminder of what once was. The porch framed a poignant image. I took a mental snapshot unintentionally.
I stood and stared. Death barred the doorway entrance as the splattered sunlight melded into the shadows. The white wood planks faded into the background, engulfed in the past. The inner light was gone. Only the shell remained. Nature reclaims what it intends to, sending life's events to where memories flow.
As we headed southeast from Memphis, Tennessee that morning, I had no idea what a funeral entailed. The paved roads gave way to winding backroads layered with gravel and dust. Hours stretch as time slows its pace. You weren’t allowed to ask, “Are we there, yet?”
After a few wrong turns, my aunt remembered the landmark and turned toward our destination. Traveling the backroads of the Mississippi hill country was not meant for newcomers. Country folks have no need for road signs. They get by with a few landmarks and directions as the crow flies.
Great Uncle Rufus was my Papaw's brother. I noted the same pointy nose as mine. Milling about, I listened to whispered stories: sad, funny; yarns and tall tales. Still, people act odd in the presence of death standing on the doorstep. Some ignore the open coffin and pass through the doorway. Some, like me, keep their distance.
Cousins departed for the clearing. Blue sky peeked through the trees, and sunlight warmed our insides. Time giggled along with us as we told our stories. Death remained on the porch which was comforting for a nine-year-old.
From a mischievous twinkle to the shape of a nose to a familiar gait, the past is intertwined with the future. Lessons taught, lessons learned, favorite recipes, a hand--me--down quilt, family stories, and my family nose. Everyday routines are instilled and handed down to the next generation.
faded white wood planks engulfed in quamoclit, a reclaimed quiescent
Slowly evanescing time spins memories of you
mental snapshot framed a poignant image old dingy porch
Haiku format:
Faded white wood planks engulfed in quamoclit, a reclaimed quiescent
Rusted ceiling bolts serve as a reminder of the porch swing
Now, the open coffin sits. Sending life's events to where memories flow.
The inner light gone reclaimed by nature, only the shell remains.
YET> Past lives on in family stories, recipes, my nose- as treasured memories.
I was nine years old This is my story - retold.
a prismatic wash in a golden mist- a sweet bension between the falling rain.
Faded white wood planks
engulfed in quamoclit,
reclaimed quiescent
The first time I saw a dead body was in the woods. The open coffin sat where the porch swing once hung. The rusted ceiling bolts served as a reminder of what once was. That old dingy porch framed a poignant image. Unintentionally, I took a mental snapshot.
I stood and stared. Death barred the doorway entrance. The splattered sunlight melded with the shadows. The white wood planks faded into the background as if engulfed in sadness. The inner light was gone. Only a shell remained. Nature reclaims what it intends to, sending life's events to where memories flow.
Haiku format:
Faded white wood planks
engulfed in quamoclit,
quiescent and quaint.
Rusted ceiling bolts
serve as a reminder
of the old porch swing
Now, the open coffin sits.
Sending life's events
to where memories flow.
The inner light gone
reclaimed by nature,
only the shell remains.
YET>
Past lives on in
family stories, recipes, my nose-
and treasured memories.
I was nine years old
This is my story -
retold.
Xenogeneic gene transfer evolution clueless aftermath @BleuOwl
Vermilion cardinal resplendent and showy pulchritudinous
Autumn f a l l s silent under the evening s n o w
p r i s m a t i c wash of golden r a i n
Bittersweet
E
M
O
T
I
O
N
S
in a vintage
B
O
T
T
L
E
Hegemonic media parrots the same song.
Complementary muliebrity of inner beauty blooms.
b
r e
e a
n u
n t
Complementary muliebrity of i y--blooms.
(Note: When a woman’s inner and outer beauty shines as one, and the kindness of her soul sparkles, it melds into the essence of femininity—this is something only women do.)
Genetic
haec·
ce·
i·ty
// new_
internal coding
life begins at
conception.
the soft adagio of mourning dove
weeds have no place
running wild without boundaries
pachysandra's felicity
Mountain hiking with a friend
Nature's beauty is a godsend
Eagle eye
Perch high
Climbing high only to descend
#SundayLimerick
Mountain hiking with friends
Hoping this day never ends
Eagle eye
Perch high
Nature's artistry, little dividends
benison of golden
r
a
i
n
wafts of perfume,
butterfly flight path.
Haiku Dialog
By Rhonda Brown rhondalbrown1028@gmail.com https://brontebrown2.com/
1. Autumn falls silent under the evening snow 2. bluegrass under feet, goose pimples felicity 3. living life in a fog, drifting desperately 4. out on a limb hanging by a stem whirlybirds take flight 5. complementary muliebrity of inner femininity blooms. 6. sweet benison of sunlit air after golden rain, prismatic joy. 7. Nature's beauty shines in the beholder's eyes, beware of bears. 8. evening shadows on crisscrossing paths, uninterrupted 9. Eventide, tealights glow, cicadas sing, swish goes the porch swing. 10. slow, slow, quick-quick, slow, light dances on the water, footprints in the sand (a swish and a turn)
quiescent tide
rhythmic pace of the porch swing
tealights glow
faded white wood planks
engulfed in quamoclit
quiescent and quaint
The following Kyoka haikus are written by Rhonda L Brown (me)
Kyoka were Japanese poems that did not conform to the prescribed norms of waka imagery and diction
. Kyoka, poems are less serious and more humorous. With its often political and social content, the kyoka tends to be sardonic and ironic. It can parody the waka and use slang. The kyoka also echoes Senryu in its thematic preoccupation with human nature.
1. the night sky frolics
under silvery moonbeams
in stillness, dreams come
night recedes behind the stars-
no thought to pending troubles
tomorrow sleeps
2. unison parrots
hegemony media
demise of America
wokeness from within-
discernment's gift is knowing
the difference between the two.
3. If rain no longer fell, If rain ceased to fall Would poignant tears cease
would tears cease to flow? would your tears no longer flow?
If blue dropped from the sky, Would your smile retrun
would your smile return? If the blue dropped from the sky?
If longing is understood,
would you be free to love -
again?
H. Gene Murtha Memorial Senryu Contest Rules
Two poems per poet
Unpublished
1. a morrowless day
of whistling threnodies,
a fresh tomorrow.
2.
Faded white wood planks
engulfed in quamoclit,
quiescent and quaint.
praj·na. ˈprəjnə plural -s. : transcendental wisdom or supreme knowledge in Buddhism gained through intuitive insight.
command
Ajna translates as "authority" or "command" (or "perceive"). It is considered the eye of intuition and intellect. Its associated sense organ is the mind.
Hegemony media , Fact or opinion, Null Hypothesis,
This quote is spoken by King Lear about his daughter, Goneril. He's comparing the pain he feels having her—a thankless daughter—to a snake bite. He says that the pain she causes him is “sharper” or more painful than any snake bite.
How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child.
Slow evanescent yet, time spins memories Of you
the sky swishes
the hammock sways
under a zenith moon,
untroubled.
a zephyr breeze
weaves through the zariba hedge
moments of solitude
or
moments before the seige.
Complementary
high impact combination
nature's color scheme
complementary combination inner beauty
March 2 book
Flip a page
Mark a page
Read again, a book in hand.
March 3 soup
Slow down, take the time
make a pot of savory stew
share with a friend or two
Savory and warm
tomato soup with grilled cheese
diagonal cut
Moons of MarchSky looks down on earth
with the dark eye of a new moon,
spring winks at the stars.
Seeds shed winter's shield
roots stretch in fertile dirt-
March howls for spring's warmth.
Loam stirs, breaking free-
muddling nightcrawlers rise
under the worm moon.
Foretoken of spring
Marsh marigolds in damp fields
Hoverflies delight
Terrestrial tides collide
rising high, but twice a year.
sun and moon poised.
A morrowless day
arriving on the equinox
perfectly balanced.
Sugar Moon shines down-
sweet maples release sap
as March winds breathe change.
March festivals
Frolic with the daffodils
Wye Mtn, Moss Mtn, AR
Zephyr carries spring seeds
Nightcrawlers dig underground moats
Loam provides their needs
#Haiku_Challenge March 16/Zephyr
Morning Glory
Photo by Tiu1ec3u Bu1ea3o Tru01b0u01a1ng on Pexels.com
foretoken of spring,
howling winds, blue sky, green grass
March winds breathe change
three hundred year oak
stretches toward sun's warmth
new season to bloom
#HaikuSaturday #Haiku_Challenge/zeith
Photos by RL Brown/Moss Mtn, AR
March 17, 2023
brontebrown2 