WQWWC :: On my way

Categories Inspirational, Photography27 Comments on WQWWC :: On my way

On my way to 5K! I’ve been training to run a marathon in October. I wake up early everyday and go out for a run. I love the fresh air and all the beauty I find on my path. Having a goal is important to keep my mind and body synchronized. I’d tried to keep fit many times, but I always let it go. My son run a 20K last year, and I saw many people of all ages running, each one at his/her own speed. Then I talked with my family about it, and they like my idea of joining the marathon.

Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.

Tony Robbins

I have a treadmill at home for the snowy months, but nothing compares to the outdoors for exercise. My neighbourhood has many beautiful places to walk/run. I enjoy the view and I always find some excuse to stop and take a photo.

You are never too old to set a new goal or to dream a new dream.

C.S. Lewis

Noticing the little things on my way decreases the stress in my legs and inspires me to keep going. It’s incredible how the mind and the body are connected. As the years go by, I can feel how this connection plays a role in my health.

“Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.”

Ashley Smith

This week’s WQWWC is free theme. Terri from Secondwindleisure is hosting the challenge while Marsha is busy getting her new AirB&B ready. I’ve chosen on my way as a theme. Hope you enjoyed it!

Tanka Tuesday :: Longing

Categories Photography, Poetry24 Comments on Tanka Tuesday :: Longing
longing

Holidays are always tough on me. The memories and dreams are vivid, it’s like I can touch them, the feelings are all over the place, urging to make new memories and at the same time keeping the old ones in the background of my mind.

Tanka Tuesday this week is poet’s choice. So, due to the holidays’ mood I wrote this double Senryu and added this photo that I snapped during in the weekend. I would call it a Haiga, but I’m not sure if a double Senryu can be used for it. Let’s see what Colleen has to say 🙂

Hope you had a great weekend and the holidays weren’t tough on you!

WQWWC :: Freedom

Categories Photography, Poetry, Writing24 Comments on WQWWC :: Freedom
on my way

This week’s theme for WQWWC is Freedom. Well, freedom has many meanings and possibilities. It depends on who is claiming it, who is experiencing moments of freedom or the lack of it.

No one outside ourselves can rule us inwardly. When we know this, we become free.

Buddha

This sidewalk drawing was on my way this morning. I was running and thinking what should be my take on this prompt. And voila! Freedom was there to be seen! I stopped and couldn’t believe it! That feeling that the universe has my back. I took the pic with a smile on my face.

None but ourselves can free our minds.

Bob Marley

I decided to go simple, a few words to describe Freedom. An acrostic poem is perfect for it. 

Fierce as it can be
Resilient upon to the right time
Elusive and inspiring
Emancipation to the needed
Divine in respect
Observant in silence
Meaningful to all

Freedom lies in being bold.

Robert Frost

Tanka Tuesday :: Illusion

Categories Photography, Poetry40 Comments on Tanka Tuesday :: Illusion
haiga poem

This week Tanka Tuesday is a little bit silly. Colleen wants that we create our own poetry form! We should combine our favourite form with another one of our choice. And we must give a name to it!

I took this photo a few weeks ago, the foggy was dense when I started my walk and little by little it started to dissipate. It was a wonderful early morning and I knew I would write a poem about it.

I’m combining my favourite form, Haiga (Haiku + photography), with Choka (5 + 7 )n + 7 + 7 lines at the end. I’m naming my new poetry form Choiga!

a foggy morning
the fantasy meets the sky
the answer is there
ever out of reach
blending in one split second
balance is missing
transforming gloom into hope
stop the invasion
the past dissipates away
hallucination
words without any meaning
as the summer days go by

I hope you like my creativity! 🙂

WQWWC :: Vacation

Categories Journaling, Photography19 Comments on WQWWC :: Vacation

This week’s theme for WQWWC is vacation, well for a long time I haven’t had a vacation. I mean going out in the world and trying new things. It was impossible to travel last year, and I don’t think it will be different this summer. So, my best option is to travel inside my province.

 It isn’t how much time you spend somewhere that makes it memorable: it’s how you spend the time. 

David Brenner

I’m also planning on a staycation! My city has many parks and downtown has lots of nice spots for exploring. I want to walk on the streets and take photos of buildings and people for practicing my photography skills.

If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.

Napoleon Hill

Being at home and doing nothing with a schedule is another thing I’m looking forward to. I’m craving free time to work on my journals and paintings. I’ve a few unfinished projects I started last year while in quarantine that I want to finish.

A wise man travels to discover himself.

James Russell Lowell

The most important part of a vacation is being away from the daily routine. It’s refreshing for the mind!

Enjoy the vacation without going; enjoy the conversation without talking.

Debasish Mridha

Tanka Tuesday :: Within

Categories Photography, Poetry24 Comments on Tanka Tuesday :: Within 
radiance catcher
craving the light and the warmth
hunting for the sun
clouds bathing me with desire
a wish in each step
the sparkle lays within me
my soul smiles sunbeams
when I see her reflection
brightening the wildflowers

Happy Summer! Finally it is here, I’m sure I’ll miss the spring freshness, but I’m ready for all the pleasures of the summer.

It has been cloudy these last few days. I went to a park in the last day of spring, the longest day of the year to see the sunset, but I think the sun wasn’t aware that lots of people were outdoors waiting for its performance that evening. Anyway, it was pleasant to be outdoors in the middle of beautiful flowers. And as Rumi says:

Don’t you know yet?

It is your light that lights the worlds.

Rumi

Tanka Tuesday this week is a theme prompt – Discovery – I didn’t use this word in my poem, but you can feel that it is about discovering the light/energy that lays inside each one of us. I used the form Choka, a new one for me, it contains 9 lines: 5-7-5-7-5-7-5-7-7 and doesn’t need to rhyme.

I hope you enjoy it!

WQWWC :: Heat

Categories Photography, Writing11 Comments on WQWWC :: Heat
soul fire

This week’s theme for WQWWC is “heat”. I decided to go a little bit sideways and post about the heat from the soul, my inside heat that needs to come out in the form of creativity. Not sure if the word heat is the best, “fire” is more appropriate. For many years I’m using paintings and collages as a vessel for expression. Poetry is another form to let out what is in my mind. And of course, I couldn’t forget to mention the journaling practice that is a constant form of expression for me.

Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames.

Rumi
passion garden

Abstraction is my favourite kind of expression, both for my painting and my poetry. Recently I had my poems featured in a poetry book, I’m quite pleased with myself, you can check it here.

The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.

Ferdinand Foch
moments of reflection

I always write about my feelings before starting any piece of art. I need to check what my soul needs at that moment, what is the fire, the energy igniting my creativity at that moment that I need to put out in the world. 

Energy is the key to creativity. Energy is the key to life.

William Shatner

The poem below is one of my favourites when I need to express my feelings through art. 

In the heat of heat
The heat is so hot
My body takes control
In the heat of heat
The heat gets so hot
My passion overloads
James Harris III

WQWWC is a challenge that I’ve recently joined, I’m loving to be part of it! Marsha is the host and the prompts are great. Check it out if you want to see nice posts or joining the challenge.

My first poetry publication

Categories Poetry, Writing46 Comments on My first poetry publication

I’m happy to share with you that two of my poems have been published! I’ve never thought that one day my poetry would be good enough to be in a book. And it is almost unbelievable that they were published in a book that teaches how to write syllabic poetry!

The form of published poems is Haiga, Japanese syllabic poetry that combines a written Haiku or Senryu with an image. Both written form and image should stand independently, and they should be able to transmit emotion to the reader.

If you are following me on my blog or Instagram you already know that photography is my passion, a way to express my feelings in the same way I use words to scribble details of a moment. So, Haiga is an opportunity to combine my photography and poetry together in one piece of art.

Word Craft Prose & Poetry by Colleen M. Chesebro is an educational book for poetry lovers and writers. It’s loaded with information about the poetry forms, the history of them and wonderful examples to help you compose your own poems. It has awesome poems from a variety of poets, it is perfect to have it by the bedside at hand for some bedtime poetry, or as I do, I keep mine together with my journal to consult it when I want to try a new poetry form.

I’ve known Colleen’s work for many years through her poetry challenge, Tanka Tuesday. It was by joining her weekly challenge that I’ve learnt to appreciate syllabic poetry and to write them. Some of the forms are still a mystery to me, but I’m sure that with this guide book I’ll master them at no time.

It is awarding to have my poems sharing the same space with many talented poets in this book. T

I’d like to thank Colleen, for believing in my poetry and always encouraging me to keep up with the writing.

Here are my two original poems and the link for the blog post where they first appeared.

Thank you for reading and to follow my poetry adventures!

E.

WQWWC :: Summer

Categories Photography10 Comments on WQWWC :: Summer

 “It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside.”

Maud Hart Lovelace, Betsy-Tacy and Tib

Here, in Canada, we have 9 months of cold weather, so the 3 months of summer are a dream to come true. It is time for gardening and enjoying the outdoors. I like to wake up earlier than usual, generally the birds songs do the job of take me off the bed. I run/walk by the river and parks in my neighborhood, always with my phone to take pictures of the beauty around me.

” Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time.” 

John Lubbock

Eating healthier is another summer thing for me. Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, and cutting down on the fat and sugar.

Processed with VSCO with kp8 preset

 “Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August.”

Beach time is a must too, I go south for a few days to enjoy the ocean, but not last year and not sure if it will be possible this year, we are still in lockdown.

Hope you enjoyed to hear my summer highlights and please share yours in the comments, I’d love to hear it!

Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty

WQWWC – Summer