Little Cove Walk

*

Little Cove Walk

 

Slip into your thongs...

or do you call them flip flops

  or jandals -

if you are a New Zealander,

or slippers -

as in Hawaii...

  

Let's walk down the lawn

and cross the road

  

to the steps

  

down to the boardwalk

  

 I am taking you for a walk

just a little stroll today

it is so hot

I thought you might like a swim

at Little Cove

  

What's that?

  

who's this 

  

oh 

you little beauty

it's the Blue Faced Honey Eater

  

taking refuge

in the shade 

of the palm fronds

  

see you later

  

we turn left 

and amble down hill

slowly

  

we are heading 

for this cove

  

which looks so cool

and inviting

  

it's not too busy today

  

and the sea is calm

  

 

we'll find a spot

with some shade

  

down we go

  

 you can fish

  

or swim out the back

across the cove

  

have a try at 

stand up paddling

  

snorkle

at the edge 

of the bay

  

body surf

  

or even share

a little romance

  

now we have cooled off

let's head back home

 

and if we get hot

we'll take a little rest

where the brush turkey 

has created a mammoth nest 

on the bank

and we'll look out 

over the ocean

of Little Cove

my new home...

*

A New Day

*

A New Day

At the rocky edge

I turn to the morning sun

Raise my arms up high

And exhale my yesterdays

Praying for a fresh new day

 

The new day begins

I am a knotted bundle -

Memories, habits.

But this day is untainted

And I am born again - Blessed

Thank you to Joel Goldsmith,

spiritual writer and mentor

from way back,

who, in his many books,

 reminded me
over and over again

that each day

brings another fresh 

new opportunity

to
become...

and thanks also to Dan 

for introducing me

to the Tanka

poetry form

*

Post Script

Dan has suggested that I tell you
about the poetic form of Tanka -
The Tanka is a little like
a stretched out Haiku



We begin with the Haiku format
which has a total of 17 syllables

in three lines:
with a five
seven
five
syllable pattern


and then we tack two further lines
on the end
each of which has 7 syllables.


And there you have it
A Tanka


A lovely and simple form of writing poetry
where brevity is of the essence
and being succinct
captures the spirit
of the writer's intention
in a nutshell

*

Genji

*

The Tale of Genji

 

In the Christmas parcel,

from my daughter 

who lives in Tokyo,

amongst other edible treats

was a packet of 'Genji Pie'

  

The packet claims,

in that quintessential Japanese way ,

that Genji Pie

are heartwarming

  

Each little biscuit,

individually wrapped,

is heart shaped

and bears no resemblance

to a pie of any sort

  

Crunchy and sugar topped

they make a nice sweet accompaniement 

to my Earl Grey tea

  

 From this angle 

they look a little like

looking up a gum tree 

at a koala butt

  

Why not make your tea time

more delightful

with Genji-Pie

  

Now Genji Pie

must take it's name from

this novel -

'The Tale of Genji'

a medieval Japanese novel

claimed to be the oldest novel in existence

The Tale of Genji

written by Murasaki Shikibu,

celebrated it's 1000 year birthday last year

  

Here is the dashing hero himself

the Shining Prince

now commoner Genji

a man of great talents

and irresistible charms

  

The Tale is over 1100 pages long

which creates quite a feat to read

and also trying to hold the hefty tome 

when in bed reading

Genji has many amorous adventures

through which we learn of life 

in the imperial court,

the intricate and beautiful apparel worn,

the poetry and music

and the customs

of 10th and 11th century Japan

  

You may remember

when I was boot bound

last winter

with the irrascible ankle

I received a number of books

from Amazon

including this one

Geisha

written by Liza Dalby

Liza Dalby was an American anthropologist

who lived and worked in Kyoto

in the 1970s 

as a Geisha in training

Liza Dalby

has also written

The Tale of Murasaki

based on the life of Murasaki Shikibu

the writer of Genji

I read this novel before tackling 

The Tale of Genji

and it helped to set the scene

for the epic adventures 

of our indefatigable hero

  

At the same time I ordered these books

Friko offered us

some passages

from Sei Shonagon's 

Pillow Book

No, nothing to do with bedtime,

it is a book of court life

in the same time period

which expresses the personal thoughts

and feelings 

of a court gentlewoman

and reknown poet

of the day,

Sei Shonagon

 

I think I shall now

sit an enjoy 

another risque adventure

of the handsome and irrepressible Genji

whilst nibbling 

my heartwarming 

Genji Pie

*

Fifty Ways to Sleep....

*

Fifty ways to sleep

in a fork

of a gum tree....

 

Speckled Butt

sat in the tree fork

for his daytime sleep

uncomfortably...

a little squashy

perhaps...

when I returned at lunchtime

I noticed he had moved

to the tree adjacent

  

and appeared very relaxed

  

 although the toes

on his upper limbs

seem to have a good grip

on the tree trunk

  

he sleeps in the full sun

in his fur coat

oblivious to the 32C of heat

  

he faces the ocean

  

takes a yoga pose

stretches his limbs

  

and sleeps on...

  

until night fall

*