Carpe Diem # 1802

Deathpoem by Shinsui - 1769

unbroken melody
not always perfect in parts 
a struggle at the end

Carpe Diem # 1801

a warm winter
daffodils and cherry trees 
ring the warning bells

Vladimir Cosma feat Orchestre Philharmonique de Paris - Love Story Borely

Carpe Diem # 112

Sketching from life -
eggplants are harder to do
than pumpkins
© Masaoka Shiki (Tr. Burton Watson)

cut watermelons are easy 

green white black specks on bright  pink

Carpe Diem Tan Renga

when I ate a persimmon
the bell rang
the Horyuji temple 

Shiki 

stained lips  and seeds stuck in teeth 
reminding myself not to smile                     

The Pianist

   Captain Wilhelm Hosenfeld

Thanks to Hosenfeld , Spizlman survived
Hosenfeld died in a Soviet Labour Camp in 1952

 

 

they talked together
sat amongst the ruins
then  spizlman played his favourite chopin _
captain hosenfeld listened
his mind walked through the past
remembering fruit trees and wine festivals  before the war
remembering shades of happiness and love poems
a time when no one wore yellow stars
a time before the unspeakable

  Last Lines

 

  “I went on my way. A stormy wind rattled the scrap-iron in the ruins, whistling and howling through the charred cavities of the windows. Twilight came on. Snow fell from the darkening, leaden sky.”

The Pianist: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man’s Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945, Wladyslaw Szpilman

Carpe Diem # 1796 - First Sunray

a crack in the curtain
sunlight rests on her cherry red toenails
peeping out from under the sheet

Carpe Diem Meditation - Troiku # 111

 in deep prayer 
eyes closed in devotion
 lotus starts to bloom 

in deep prayer
she humbly asks for a
complete recovery

eyes closed in devotion
she gives thanks for  the blessings
bestowed upon her

lotus starts to bloom
maybe this is a good sign
of prayers answered

Weekly Scribblings

 
Amaryllis  Piet Mondrian

i had forgotten

this painting
and all the warmth that
time in my life represented
the fervour with which
we embraced art and music
books piled high on  bedside tables
walls covered with prints and paintings
the countless exhibitions we attended
lively dinner party conversations
about deep and meaningfuls

now a pall is cast
by the endless chat of superannuation
real estate family and holiday destinations
chalked up to impress

if this is the price for acceptance
if this is the price of success
if this is what is on offer for the twilight years
i'll pass thanks

a plate of fresh scones with a cuppa tea
under the pepper tree in the hot late afternoon
talking to the sleepy lizards will do  me fine.


amaryllis deep somewhat cast warmth fervour bedside scones sleep twilight