spring flowers

I was honoured to have Kuniharu Shimizu turn three of my haiku into beautiful haiga art pieces on his website here:

http://seehaikuhere.blogspot.com/2011/03/haiku-527-claire-everett-haiku-1.html

http://seehaikuhere.blogspot.com/2011/03/haiga-528-claire-everett-haiku-2.html

http://seehaikuhere.blogspot.com/2011/03/haiga-529-claire-everett-haiku-3.html

Kuni_san’s work is a treat to all lovers of haiku and haiga and I recommend visiting the website regularly, particularly in the light of the recent terrible events in Japan, as this master of haiga is creating some beautiful pieces for posterity, http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2l04309Kx8k/TYfrik-nZ_I/AAAAAAAABQg/q0zGMWTUl40/s1600/natori.jpg for instance…

Meanwhile, here in County Durham UK, we are grateful for the long-awaited arrival of spring.

being human

I see spring flowers

paling as they bloom…

tear-stained

the face of morning

 

Claire

March 2011

The Language of Flowers

~

~

~

~

 

All photographs by Amy (except the first crocuses).

crocus and snowdrop poems by Claire, hyacinth and pansy poems by Amy.

Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed

'Graham The Grey Squirrel' - a regular garden visitor, on our bird feeder.

The curve

of a Squirrel’s tail -

the garden’s smile.

November wind-

a squirrel’s old drey

scatters itself

with all the souls

of the leaves.

Photography and short form poetry by Amy (13)

A Flock of Words (part two)

 

november

the fir tree already dressed

with finches

~~~

blackbird

finds the key to unlock

the sunset

~~~

wearing his best

black bib and tucker ~

great tit

~~~

 

rising

in the east

of my dreams

from a distant world ~

robin song

~~~

incoming rain

an ink stain spreading

across the sky

as I read your message

muted birdsong

~~~

first frost

the finishing touch

on a wren’s song

~~~

strains of sunlight

goldfinches sing autumn

into the willow

~~~

a drop of joy

slowly spreading ~

sunlight

in the bird bath

rippled by a dove’s wing

~~~

a heron drinks

from its reflection ~

crescent moon

~~~

enough

to know that somewhere

an osprey

has stirred

this mountain mist

~~~

throwing my mind

from this edge of gold

where a mountain

lifts autumn

to the hawk heights of blue

~~~

released once more…

I watch this memory

make one circuit

of the dawn and return

to open hands

~~~

crow wind

the bones of autumn

picked clean

~~~

first of November

the sun caws

at crowrise

~~~

night hangs

on the silence

of crows

~~~

dawn

after the fireworks

a wren opens

a new batch

of sparklers

~~~

poetry and images by Claire, October~November 2010

A Flock of Words (part one)

Birds, as always, have been featuring a lot in my poetry of late, but they are notoriously difficult to capture on film — although, Amy has received a fantastic gift from a friend which hopefully is going to enable her to take some good shots of our resident songsters! In the meantime, I’ve included some typical autumnal scenes, the habitats of our feathered friends, in part one of this celebration of the birds enchanting us every day.

 

 

raindrops

from the cotoneaster –

robin song

~~~

songless

the female robin –

yet, listen!

how the poet’s heart sings

when she finds her voice

~~~

my first step

on the swaying bridge

to morning

dreams loud as crows refusing

to let go of the night

~~~

a skein of geese

the tribal beat of summer

fades away

~~~

a crow’s wing

the dark gleam

of elderberries

~~~

 

in no hurry

collar turned against the rain –

crow

~~~

hope is the whorl

of a snail shell glinting

in the thrush’s eye

~~~

I wake

high in the hills of dawn

my clearwater mind

spilling over pebbles

of birdsong

~~~

morning breeze

I caught you before the rush

swinging

on the garden seat

listening to a robin

~~~

autumn

an open casket — a glint

in the magpie’s eye

~~~

autumn dusk

as clouds settle

the colour of oak leaves

the last drops

of a robin’s song

~~~

first frost

the finishing touch

on a wren’s song

~~~

in which life

will I find

the ink

for this flock of words

crossing the sunset..

~~~

words and images by Claire (accept the images indicated -which are by Amy!)

October 2010

In the thickets

 

 

Male House Sparrow

 

waking

not a moment too late

not a moment too soon

to hear the Sparrow’s

first soft note.

~          ~          ~

 

deep in the hedge -

a dozen worlds , souls and hearts

and that’s just the leaves.

~          ~          ~

in the tangled mass

are many tiny bodies

yet big songs and hearts.

 

Photography and poems by Amy (13)

 

 

 

 

 

Autumn Light

we look for greatness

and yet it only takes a shift

in the light

for a cobweb to become

a gateway to a new world

~~~

rain bows

to sunlight ~ seven colours

of reverence

~~~

dawn

catching her breath

on a spider’s web

~~~

soothed by sweeps

of cirrus where she smooths

the creases

my mind stretches

into a clean sheet of sky

~~~

where night knelt

like a pavement artist

to chalk the colours

of my dreams ~

morning rain

~~~

life moves on…

I open an old box

of emotions

gingerly unwrap the tissue

handle the glass

~~~

after the rain

the cellophane

unwrapped ~

a new box

of birdsong

~~~

clear blue dawn

I set my mind skimming

like a stone

across the lake

of this day

~~~

autumn pond

red maples glide

across a cloud

~~~

autumn dusk

leaves and pipistrelles

catch the breeze

~~~

dusk

the ghost of a sky

and a brush

of sadness

I cannot name

~~~

carrying fire

on wings of lace ~

red dragonfly

~~~

still pond

eye to eye ~ the dragonfly

and its reflection

~~~

at the edge

of this paper sky

sunset’s flame

~~~

a Chinese dragon

uncoils

from fire

smoke of incense

by candlelight

~~~

words and images by Claire

September/October 2010

Coal Tit Sunday

Coal tits are very active at this time of the year, they collect food

(especially peanuts) and store them for the winter, like a squirrel.

~          ~          ~

Flitting back and forth

the Coal tits play

on Autumn’s breath.

~          ~          ~

The rain stops

the blue sky waits

for the coal tit’s song.

A coal tit holding onto the side of a tree trunk

Veiled behind

the crow’s

dry croak

the humble twittering

of a coal tit.

Photography and poetry by Amy (13)

Garden Visitors

Two Blue-tits on the Bird feeder in our back garden

A low rainbow

across the grey sky

inside the bird box

blue tits take shelter

from the harsh wind.

~          ~          ~

Autumn has come

the starling’s summer coat

is fading .

~          ~          ~

The swallows have left

and taken summer

with them.

~          ~          ~

Dewy grass -

three Siskins fluff up

their autumn plumage.

~          ~          ~

Breaths drawn in . . .

Shh!

a Blackcap

flits in and out

of bracken.

~          ~          ~

Summer’s end -

the Willow Warbler leaves us

with one last song.

The lovely grey squirrel that has been visiting our garden since last winter.

Grey morning

the squirrel is knee-deep

in fog.

~         ~          ~

Autumn chill -

the curling smoke

of a squirrel’s tail.

~    ~    ~

All photography & poetry by Amy (aged 13)

except for the last poem, which is Claire’s.

Autumn Equinox ~ Mabon ~ Halegmonath ~ Harvest Home (part 2)

We have all been celebrating Autumn Equinox.

Writing autumnal poetry, doing crafts ,and  trying to capture Autumn’s beauty with drawings and photos! we will share some of what we’ve been doing.

Claire’s first drawing in years! sketched from things we collected outside.

~        ~         ~

This one is by Amy (13)

~         ~         ~

And of course Theo joined in and drew some crab-apples and a nice brown leaf. (9)

~         ~         ~

Conker web made by Amy (13)

mini conker webs by Claire and Amy

And as as always we have some poetry and photography to share:

Autumn Equinox -

a spider spins

a new web.

Autumn’s gateway -

sunlight catches

beads of water.

Summer’s end -

the Willow Warbler leaves us

with one last song.

Photography and Haiku by Amy (13)