Tea Time To Calm

pouring warm water
leaves begin to swell and uncurl
sweet grassy scent

This is in gracious response to One Deep Breath, this week's prompt is "Stillness/Calm".

Art & Architecture

This is my response to the challenge "Art+Architecture" at Inspire Me Thursday. I thought this was a good opportunity to post a photo I took last autumn of the National Gallery of Art (West Building), since it holds great art and is a spectacular display of architecture. It is one of my favorite places to explore. I was lucky to make countless visits as a child and young adult, growing up in the DC area. It has inspired me and my art from an early age.

Visit the National Gallery of Art

Zen Cat

Earthy

a tree succumbs
to wind and rain
moist earthy scent

----

tree succumbs
to wind and rain
roots revealed

This is in gracious response to the weekly prompt "Earth/Dirt/Mud" at One Deep Breath. I've always loved the smell of fresh dirt. This is a great prompt to get us closer to the ground. I love it!

Hide Play

This is in response to the weekly challenge "Hide" at Illustration Friday. It's to honor my playful day with my darling 2-year-old niece. She had the most fun with Mike's hat that day. Take time for child's play today!

More Yellow

five days past blooming
winter shows her chilly face
snowy daffodils

This is a continuation of my "Color(ful)" haiku. Did my original haiku foretell this?

Yellow

pull out winter coat
layer bed with quilt and flannel
still, daffodils bloom!



you put out fires
give relief to dogs alike
bright yellow hydrant

This is in gracious response to the weekly prompt "Color(ful)" at One Deep Breath.

More Fibs

sit
down
with me
letting go
your horrible day
meditating on your in breath

you
give
freely
a bear hug
smiling ear to ear
we walk hand in hand in the rain

pure
free
playful
innocence
hands in a puddle
frolicking the morning away

This last one was inspired by a day spent with my 4 1/2 year old nephew. I will cherish that day for a long time.

For more info on poetry fibs, see "Spicy Fibs" post below.

Spicy Fibs

hot oil sizzling
cumin and mustard seeds pop
ready for curry

FIBS
oil
hot
then add
mustard seed
sizzle and pop, pop
little black kernals on stove top
---
chop
dice
garlic
anchovies
capers, olives, chili
tomatoes, for puttanesca

This is a fun response to the weekly prompt "Spicy Fibs" at
One Deep Breath. I love to cook Indian cuisine and play with the aromatic and tasty spices. Puttanesca is a favorite dish to cook as well.

To create a Fib:
In essence, there are only 2 rules. The first rule is the sequence of syllables which is 1/1/2/3/5/8. The second rule is that no one-syllable lines can contain an article (the, a, la, le, etc.) That's it.

Shelter

home to centuries
marble, canvas and bronze
National Gallery

This is in gracious response to the weekly prompt "Shelter" at
One Deep Breath. The National Gallery of Art is one of my favorite places to explore. One thing I miss (besides family and friends) after moving west. I was there last Fall, and it was beautiful!

My Heart

This is my response to the challenge "Hearts" at Inspire Me Thursday. It's another attempt to explore my hidden feelings around heart surgery.

Reflection

Dusk

darkness falls below
snowy peaks dusted by pink
clouds, last host of day

This is in gracious response to the weekly prompt "Dusk/Twilight" at
One Deep Breath. I love dusk, especially in the winter. I like to sit with the lights off and watch the deepening blue hues of dusk take over the sky.

Sprout - IF

This is in response to the weekly challenge "Sprout" at Illustration Friday. A fun piece I created in Illustrator, that I hope sprouts some sunshine in your day.

Green Tea

Roots

reaching deeply
to nourish your offspring
pine cone landing

This is in gracious response to the weekly prompt "Roots/Connection" at One Deep Breath. I hope all of our positive energy will permeate into the world and generate some love and care for nature, by reminding folks of our deep connection to her.

Open Heart - IF

This is in response to the weekly challenge "Red" at Illustration Friday I created this last year after discovering digital collage. It's a piece that is close to heart (no pun intended - well sorta), as it is a personal response to the open-heart surgeries I underwent in my 20s.
This collage is a creative outlet for the invasion, vulnerability, and fear that is intertwined in those memories. I'm curious to hear what you experience from this piece.

And then I felt inclined to actually create something specifically for this challenge, see RED ANTS

Buddha

Winter's Joke

[Chestnut-backed Chickadee]

snow melted
bramble rattles with noise
bird song

Writing Haiku

scratching out words to
reveal a picture's essence-
me writing haiku

I am thankful for One Deep Breath because they provide the opportunity to create and share some things dear to me - nature, photography, art and the beauty and simplicity of haiku.