we tend to forget
the land was here before us
long after we’re gone
on the old landing
hoping to land a big fish
landed in the drink
For Haiku Horizons weekly Challenge, prompt word, Land.
Photo by ivabalk at Pixabay.com
“Come see us sometime…”
I promise to stay in touch.
They’ll never miss me.
~kat
For Ronovan Writes Weekly Haiku Challenge, prompt Words: Touch & Miss.
Kat Myrman – Late 1990’s – South Central Virginia
Life Music
Before fiction, flash and poetry, before this blog, I wrote songs. Or maybe it’s more accurate to say, I heard songs in my head and had the good sense to write them down.
Pages and pages of rhyming words set to melodies filled my head; a gift from the universe, I had supposed, that sustained me during some of the hardest times of my life: poverty, domestic abuse, isolation. I was a troubadour then, performing for my supper, more often than not, in living rooms, nursing homes, hospital rooms and meeting halls.
I never truly considered them “my songs” because they seemed to come from somewhere outside of myself. In retrospect I realize that they were every bit me. My hopes, my dreams, my longings, wrapped mellifluously in simplicity to help me express what I was feeling, how things were and how they could be.
I still make music, but somewhere along the way I stopped singing the words. These days I hum, and that suits me just fine. The earth, the trees, the wind, the sea; they all hum. I’m content in knowing that I am in good company.
sometimes the words come
like an old friend, familiar,
they meant something once
more than a sweet melody
desire set to music
what a gift they were
those streams of consciousness
these days I just hum
~kat
A Haibun/Tanka/Haiku combo for Colleen Chesebro’s Weekly Poetry Challenge, prompt words, song and gift.
Today’s Word of the Day fro the Free Dictionary is Ostensible. It entered the English language in the Mid 18th century: from French, from medieval Latin ostensibilis from Latin ostens- ‘stretched out to view’, from the verb ostendere, from ob- ‘in view of’ + tendere ‘to stretch’. It means “Stated or appearing to be true, but not necessarily so.”
When I looked for examples of this word used in a sentence, I was inundated with a many references to politics, religion and conflicts touted to be something they were not. These examples certainly prove one thing: that human nature and how we accomplish what motivates us through deception hasn’t changed much. Here are a few quotes to show you what I mean from Your Dictionary.com:
‘It was a simple matter to manipulate these so as to throw the effective power into the hands of the propertied classes without ostensibly The depriving any one of the vote.’
‘The Federal government now attempted to enlist recruits, ostensibly to protect the western frontier from the Indians, but actually for the suppression of the insurrection; but the plan failed from lack of funds, and the insurgents continued to interrupt the procedure of the courts.’
‘In any case the countess profited by the cardinal’s conviction to borrow from him sums of money destined ostensibly for the queen’s works of charity.’
‘A serious outbreak took place at Adrianople in 1804, where 20,000 of the new troops had been sent, ostensibly to put down the revolt in Servia, but really to try to bring about the reform of the European provinces.’
‘In June 1770 Frederick surrounded those of the Polish provinces he coveted with a military cordon, ostensibly to keep out the cattle plague.’
‘It is a striking example of the way in which such legends grow, that it is only the latest of these authorities, Hsiian Tsang, who says that, though ostensibly approaching the Buddha with a view to reconciliation, Devadatta had concealed poison in his nail with the object of murdering the Buddha.’
See what I mean? Power, politics, and faux piety are fertile ground for application of this word. Very timely indeed! Here are a few Haiku.
Have a great weekend!
WMD’s
Ostensibly caused the war
But it was revenge
motives are revealed
ostensibly kind acts
become self-serving
ostensible posts
impress anonymously
online mugs deceive
~kat
tower oriel
offering but a glimpse inside
captive souls her keep
~kat
For TJ’s Household Haiku Challenge, prompt words, window (oriel) and heart (soul), inspired by TJ’s photo above.
like mercury colliding... 