Thank You, Super Moon!

Ah, Super Moon. I loved the Super Moon. It was pretty much just awesome for me. Again, I will use the concept of Tao and not attempt to find words for how lovely and migikal the Super Moon was. I'm also typing this at work, so I need to be brief and discreet.
It gave a lot of things to a lot of people, and came at just the right time for me. I needed an energy pick-me-up in this time of personal transition.

 

Super Moon Haiku

 

Bringing Dawn to Dusk,

swollen with bright, joyous beams.

Harder not to dance.



Summer and the Super Moon

Wow, what a busy, beautiful, emotional weekend!
First, it was the Summer Solstice, which means that it is officially time for some summer cocktails at this lady's house. To go along with all that sunny power, the Super Moon also occurred this weekend. To be honest, I enjoyed the Super Moon way more than the Solstice - I do not do well in the heat. Even today I had a horrid migraine from the hot, humid weather. Alas, there's nothing I can do to change it, so I can only do my best to embrace it.
Condolences were share today at the church I attend, as a baby boy aged 2 months entered into eternity. I wish I had better, sweeter, more comforting words to give.
I composed this Choka in Puerto Rico, where I experienced an absolute Summery moment. It was not written on the Solstice, but it refers to the entrance of Summer nicely. Super Moon poetry to come!

The Setting Solstice

 

Seen through dark glasses -

night time on the Horizon.

Still hot underfoot.

Cup raised to the sky;

wine as pale as the hot moon.

I’ll drink to her smile.

Slice of lemon for

the cocktail of the Ocean.

Salty sweet slumber.

Head Meets Desk

I've always suspected, but today I officially know that I cannot think inside. Brushing up on outdoor education techniques is making me antsy to go practice said techniques. You know, outdoors. Where it's clean and sunny and open.
It's also making me miss Marcia Carlson, who was my mentor of sorts for a short time before her passing (if you knew who she was, you would be very impressed). No matter what new methods or research I read about, I always refer back to the books she gave me from her personal library (again, impressive). My head just feels clouded, and I need someone to help me get back to the roots of outdoor ed. I can't help but think "if only I had more experience" or "will the kids understand this" or even wonder if I'm getting too off-track with my lesson plans.
I just feel like I need to sit under my Tree for a while and let my feet get muddy.
I was worried that I might be losing my passion for connecting with nature, but maybe I'm too passionate. I know what I'm supposed to be doing, what the youths should be learning, but I want so badly for everyone to be as excited about the outdoors as I am that I'm forgetting the point entirely. Or maybe I'm just drained from sitting at this desk all day.

 

Distant Birdsongs

 

Just past the window

I hear their sweet hearts calling,

muffled by the glass.

Active Peace (in the OutDoors)

If there's one thing I've learned, it is that Peace is not natural. Chaos is natural; Peace is about accepting the Chaos and being/molding yourself to conform to your personal Chaos. This doesn't make much sense, but that's because the Peace I'm discussing is an ideal not to be defined by words.
In the essence of time and being not confusing, I'll simply describe it a Tao. Those of you familiar with Zen practices should recognize this term; Tao is to be obtained, but not necessarily understood (kinda, sorta).
To apply this ideal to Nature - which I do - some deep re-understanding is required. First, we all need to remember that we're animals. Humans are just big-brained animals. We NEED to be outside. Don't get me wrong, I like to watch movies and play video games as much as the next person, but not being outside is detrimental to humans.
There's a term: Nature Deficit Disorder. A lot of people think it's bull, but it suggest that behavioral and cognitive problems in youths can be linked to the amount of time spent indoors vs. outdoors. Based on my own experiences as a person with severe ADD and manic depression, I know that at least and hour of outdoor time is more important to my stability than my cup of morning coffee. But you can read more on that by yourselves. Anything by Richard Louv (the man who coined the phrase), especially his book "Last Child in the Woods", or my personal favorite (especially for getting in touch with the Tao of Nature) "Coyote's Guide to Connecting with Nature". I'd force the latter upon camp counselors - there's a whole section of nature connection games at the end that are stupendously fun!
http://www.plt.org/why-environmental-education-is-important

 

Natural Student

 

Lessons never taught

are always the ones best learned.

Listen to what's there.





When the Moon Hits Your Eye . . .

Most of my poetry is about the Moon. I am mesmerized by it. I even have the phases tattooed around my ankle!

I just love its energy and mystery. I'm trying not to make this sound too "new-age-y", but I really do have a fascination with the Moon. I could, theoretically, talk endlessly about it.

I am, in fact, compiling a book of Haiku strictly about the Moon. More on that as it develops, though. The following poem will be included, of course.



 

 

Lunar Spring Storm

 

Clouds drift across you

smile in the pin-prick starlight;

you blush through the storm.

fathers day

excuse the lack of grammar, im typing this on my cell phone.
my dad is pretty important to me. im a smaller, female version of him. hes is where i get my sense of humor, my love of literature, and my understanding of why people dont understand.
to celebrate today, we went to a local baseball game. the home team won and i had lots of beer. which could also explain my lack of grammar . . .

to my father

two peas in a pod,

keep me grounded yet raised up.

love without delay.

A Time to be Outside

I love doing everything outside! I studied Outdoor Recreation/Education, and I'm now studying Wildlife Management. I am outdoors-y to the MAX! But what I truly love is the ethereal part of the Wilderness.
We all feel that mystic tug when looking at a beautiful landscape, a sun rise/set, the stars, etc. . . but we need to take more time to appreciate it. There's an activity that I love called "Adopt-A-Tree", and I'm going to ask you to do it now.
Go outside, find a tree, and hug it. Give it a name, describe it, and tell it about yourself. Be sure to talk to your tree every day! Your tree may be shy at first, but give it some time; trees have a way of knowing just what to say.

  To My Tree

The Wheel does not stop,

so I always turn to ash.

 Enduring; smiling. 

Rocking

I love rock climbing. It's the one sport that makes me feel like I accomplish something! It is also pretty moving on a spiritual level - though, anything where one comes into such close contact with the Earth usually is.
I will usually climb at every chance I get, including family vacations. I wrote this Tanka while I was in Puerto Rico climbing limestone in the rain forest. There were these towering rock faces, some of which would just chip off in your hand. They were never meant to be climbed, but they begged to be.

Rock Climbing Tanka

Laying hands on the

scales of the oldest Dragon.

I offer myself;

my body is of the Air,

my mind becomes of the Earth. 

New (Adult) Job

I started my first big-girl job today! It was a long meeting proceeded by playing with legos. Apparently, you can plug legos into the computer to teach kinds about robotics. *shrug* I just played with legos.
This job is really perfect for me; it's what I went to school for initially, and also utilizes a bunch of certifications that I have.
It was pouring all day, which pleased me. I love the rain! To me, it symbolizes cleansing, so what better way to start my first day of a new job! I wrote this one spur of the moment on another rainy day, just a few days before my best friend's wedding.

Rainy Haiku

Thunder rumbling

with the drumming of changes.

Rain brings something new.  

Horror Project

The Writer's Guild I attend uses topics to stimulate the creative flow. This weeks topic was horror, which I was fairly excited about. I love horror movies, but being that I am highly sensitive and unable to watch overly violent images, I much prefer the psychological aspect to horror. Ghosts, possessions, and monsters are more my speed than the gore and torture that seems to populate the movie screens these days.
I wanted to write something that was along the lines of the classic, macabre fairy tales of yore, but I also was aware that I needed it to be shocking to be affective. Also, since I write in Haiku, I only had 17 syllables to paint this picture. I chose to compose a Choka to give myself a little more room to horrify *insert evil laughter*.

Little Red

Hidden in the dark

keep your eyes shut good and tight,

for the time has come.

Past sins and virtues
matter not to hunger’s choice,
as long as it’s red.

Clouds rumbling in;
heart and soul turn into rock,
flesh and bone aside.

Listen to the sound,
the greedy gulps of feasting
grinding in my ears.

No heart left to beat;
if I scream will it all stop?
The air reeks of blood.

What can keep me safe?
The anticipation aches.
Silence is the worst.

The Fire Walk

I suppose it's only appropriate to dedicate my first post to the event that mad me realize that it is time to move forward with my poetry: my recent Fire Walk. It empowered me by giving me the knowledge that I already have everything I need within me.
The Arrow Breaking ceremony before hand truly affected me the most. The tip of an arrow was placed on the soft spot of my throat, and as my companions shouted the object of my journey (clarity), I stepped forward with great power and snapped the obstructing arrow in half. We then moved onto the actual Fire Walk, where I realized that the clarity I so sought after was within my grasp. I thought there would be some trick to walking over live coals, but there's not; you just walk. In life, there's no secret to getting to where you want to be; you just have to go ahead. So, without further ado . . .

 Fire Walk Haiku

Snap the old arrow;

learn the secrets of the coals.

It's never too late.