On July 21st, the full moon night was cloudy. So the following evening found me sitting
at the beach reading and waiting to see the moon rise. I read as much as the skylight allowed until a crow, dodging the waves, caught my interest. I drew near, to find it was
pecking at the last bits of a seagull that rolled in with the slapping waves.
What happened? What caused the seagull to give up? And did it get a glimpse of the
Buck Moon last night?
(written on Monday, July 22nd, 2024)
heatwave: Summer waves
lapping hard on the seashore
carcass of a gull
Copyright ©️ selma
Kigo: Summer waves, gull, heatwave
Not a “bird in flight” as Mark’s prompt specifies but one that did a lot of flying until
this sweltering summer heat did it in. 🙇🏽♀️(or perhaps it’s still in flight…)
I had to tell you guys because I know you understand.
*
🎐🎐🎐
I declined the offer of this year’s plums because I still have leftover wine from the year
before. But I helped my sister-in-law pickle her plums for Umeboshi. It went well.
The only good to speak of in favor of this heat is that it’s perfect for sunning the plums:
three days of pure glory for the final step of drying the pickled ume under the sun.
A crucial step for umeboshi –
ume (= plum)
boshi (= dry)
…the something delicious about this time of year that makes me nod from Colleen’s noted section:
Now is a sticky, sweet season. “Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it.” ~ seasonbyseason.org/sweltering heat
(written on Wednesday, July 24th, 2024)
sweltering heat—
no closing parenthesis
time to sun the plums
Copyright ©️ selma
Kigo: sweltering heat, sun, plums
Umeboshi were esteemed by the samurai to combat battle fatigue, a function of their
salt and citric acid content, among other factors. Salt, citric acid, and polyphenols also
contribute to their antimicrobial activity, so they are a natural preservative for foods
and help prevent food poisoning and other bacterial stomach problems.
Eating umeboshi in Japan is the equivalent of the English expression “an apple a day”.
Source:: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umeboshi
For Mark of Season Words July 19th, Week 29: Hawks Learn to Fly, where the
invitation is to write a haiku or senryu about birds in flight.
(I’m a whole week late, but… here we are).
AND
Colleen of Tanka Tuesday’s Challenge #44, where our syllabic poetry writing
invitation is to choose a kigo word or phrase from the seasonal kigo list on the post…
Stay in the shade, everyone. 🎐🎐🎐
- Bells of Mindfulness: Wisdom from Peace is Every Step - September 20, 2024
- Two Cures for Love: Poem by Wendy Cope - September 17, 2024
- For The Birds: A Reblog from September 2021 - September 16, 2024
Wonderful waterfall. Nice written Haiku.
It’s a gorgeous photo. Glad you liked it, Raj. I hope it made you feel cool 🆒 😎
Thanks, Yes, Selma,I feel 🆒😎! I like waterfall mountains.
Beautifully written Selma.
Thanks Sadje. 🤗
You’re welcome ☺️
the heat and the flavor and the color of summer, beautifully penned
Happy all that came through Beth. 🤗 stay cool
Ooohhh love your poems, Selma. I don’t mind trying some umeboshi 😁
They’re delicious. I love them. Tart. Happy you read. 🤗
What a sweet poem in response to this challenge Lady Selma! I love your observations with the birds. And honey, thank you so much for breaking down what Umeboshi meant before I could go look it up! LOL 🤷🏻♀️🤣🍷 And honey, I didn’t know you made your own wine? Ladybug, you are some kind of woman, and that’s all I got to say! 🥰💋😘💖👏🏼 Hugs and smooches!
Plum wine. 🍷 Yes!!! Perfect for combatting all kinds of discomforts (if you know what I mean …) one is alcoholic, one is non alcoholic. Enough to go around. 👏🏽
🎭🪇🤹🏻♀️☃️🍃
YOU go girl, my ‘healthy’ Sommelier! 🍷🙆🏻♀️🍷 I’ll take a sip of both versions! LOL 😂👍🏼🤣 Hugs and smooches Selma dear! 💋
Beautiful poetry my friend 💕
Have a lovely weekend 🤗
You too Maggie. Stay in the shade
Thank you Selma
I am in awe of how your thoughts switch the mood of your poems, Selma. Plum wine must be so delectable!
So happy you liked them Balroop. Bless you.
If I could send you some 🍷 I would. 🤗 but here’s a hug 🤗
Inspiring beauty from start to finish, including the precious photo. 🎣
Aww. Sweetness! The photos I found are gorgeous: we are surrounded by beauty. 🤗
You know how to write them and pick them. So much beauty, yes! We shall continue to admire, celebrate, and share it! 🤗
I can’t believe it is time to make Umeboshi again! I remember you talking about that last year. Stay cool!
I know, right? It’s almost August. How?! Stay cool and in the shade.
Beautiful words and genuine love in the moment! 📸💕
I’m delighted you read. Thanks.
Great poems, Selma! I believe that photo is of Multnomah Falls in Oregon. I’ve seen it in person, and it is spectacular.
Yvette M Calleiro 🙂
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com
What a gorgeous place to know first hand. Wow. Seeing from afar even in a photo is mesmerizing.
I wouldn’t even try to get to that bridge. I wonder if it’s accessible. Still it’s too close to the energy source. I’d keep far.
Glad you read. Bless you friend.
Hi Selma, I enjoyed your haiku. Somehow, the image of the crow feeding on remnants of a seagull carcass was reassuring. In an uncertain and ever changing world, the cycles of life and death and the energy cycle remain the same.
I love the photo of the little fisherman with his little red fish. I remember my daughter Ellen fishing in a little creek with her grandfather, a tiny catfish. I remember my daughter Katey, fishing in the little lake behind our house. She ran to the front door and rang the bell for me to help her take it off the hook. My son Joe went fishing on a boat with his father and grandfather in the Atlantic Ocean and caught a fish, which we paid to have cleaned. I think it was a bluefish. I remember dreading to eat it every time we took some of it out of the freezer!
Selma, thank you for bringing back these lovely old memories. ❤️
Missing my blogging friends, but trying to limit computer time, I read just a few posts a day.
How lovely that it gifted you such nice memories. This comment is a true gift.
Don’t overdo it with reading please. Pace yourself. Glad you read mine today.
Please: the shade—choose shade. Bee cool 😎
Hi Selma I love both your poems, I feel the meaning of the first one about the gull very deeply, it’s so atmospheric…yes the gull flies on.
Your beautiful poems for Colleen’s challenge too is lovely especially after I had read the information about Umeboshi. Lovely post 💜💜💜
Willow, thanks so much for reading my words and connecting with the poems. Thanks so dearly.
Selma, I love plums, but what we have at the grocery store has no taste. I’ve never had pickled plums, but I know I would love them. I enjoy the glimpses of Japanese culture that you share with us. Fabulous poetry! Stay cool, my friend. 💖
You would love them I know. Wish I could send you some.
Stay cool. 😎 🆒
I know what you mean. I can’t even get good Napa cabbage right now! I settled for some bok choy, so that works. LOL! 😂
Interesting juxtaposition in the first one. Usually it is the gulls doing to picking on carcasses.
I see what you mean about the juxtaposition. It’s so true. But such is the cycle.
Bless you, Lisa. Bee cool. 🆒
Pingback: Tanka Tuesday 短歌火曜日Join Us: #TankaTuesday 短歌 火曜日24 Seasons Syllabic Poetry Challenge, No. 45, 7/30/24, Part II: Sweltering Heat (July 22 – August 6) Taisho 大暑
oh – that sounds yummy! I’d love to try some! 🥰
~David
TYVM 🤗 🤗, David.
Ahw, I was sad for the seagull until you shared your afterthought.