small collection ~ three

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I began this blog in December 2009.

Here is a poem from each of the last three Decembers here at Poems From Oostburg, Wisconsin.

Thank you, Ellen

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December 2009

WHAT A ROAD WE TRAVEL

What a road we travel
To figure out the
Simplest things and
Return to where we
Knew we belonged
All along

To build friendships
With those whose arms
Are true, all-accepting
And strong

To raise our arms to Heaven
Dig our toes in sand, and
Throw back our heads to
The wind

What a road, what a road
We travel to figure out
The simplest things and
Return to where we
Knew we belonged
All along

* This poem found many homes.  Simply written from my heart.  Published first in Silver Wings (1995); The Writers’ Bistro (2007); WestWard Quarterly (2008); and Christine Mason Miller reprinted it on her site in 2010.  http://www.christinemasonmiller.com.

December 2010

almost Christmas
through the evergreens
clear blue sky

December 2011

new chapters
grow a day at a time

moon shines
through clouds
through trees

sun rises
and reveals

our first snowfall

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The image is a sample from 500 Full-Color Decorative Illustrations (Dover).

Frogpond, The Journal of the Haiku Society of America

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Frogpond, the Journal of the Haiku Society of America, arrived yesterday.

This journal is edited by Francine Banwarth, from Dubuque, Iowa.  Michele Root-Bernstein is the Associate Editor.  I look forward to a cozy day of reading, and some housework here and there.  I am enjoying the cover art by Christopher Patchel

UPDATE  September 9, 2015:  You may also wish to see the Frogpond Web Sampler by Randy Brooks.

The Haiku Society Of America home page has the current news and other information.

small collection ~ two

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A variety of poems and images . . .
old and new.

late November
sun fills a glass
for a time

Advent
I bring the tiny tree
back into the house

This is the same tree as pictured in this photo by Karl last year.

It is weathered a little and happy in the sunroom once again.  I cut off some old growth, and the fragrance was renewed.  This is how I know it is happy. 

All beautiful…different ages and times…

Northern sun
shines on frozen beach
still the days grow shorter
shadow of poinsettia
on the wall

Photo by Karl 2011.

This acrostic is a favorite of readers–thank you–so will include again in this small collection.

R  est
E  ducate
A  dmire
D  ream
I  nspire
N  ew
G  oals

A favorite Lake Michigan photo by Karl.

I love this Moss Rose picture from Reusable Art – Breathing New Life Into Old Art.  http://www.reusableart.com.

Hope you have a lovely day!

Ellen

“When the artist is truly the servant … ” Madeleine L’Engle

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Rembrandt

“When the artist is truly the servant of the work, the work is better than the artist; Shakespeare knew how to listen to his work, and so he often wrote better than he could write; Bach composed more deeply, more truly than he knew; Rembrandt’s brush put more of the human spirit on canvas than Rembrandt could comprehend.”

Madeleine L’Engle: from Walking On Water: Reflections On Faith & Art, Page 24 (Harold Shaw Publishers; Copyright 1980 by Crosswicks).

I learned from Madeleine’s website that November 29 is the anniversary of her birthday.  She would have been 94.  Her work is ever-new and her spirit lives. I continue to learn from her, and through her, I also found Luci Shaw’s poetry and prose.  They wrote a beautiful book together called Friends for the Journey (1997; Servant Publications, Ann Arbor, Michigan; copyright by the two authors).

The Rembrandt painting is courtesy of wpclipart.com.