Two Windows

A Tanka Sequence

I

In the still morning
you open the window wide
beside the table.
A cool breeze stirs the orchid,
cooling my cup of coffee.

II

Across from your light,
I open the other pane.
The air grows stronger.
Leaves whisper into the room
like all the things left unsaid.

III

Below the hillside,
a woodpecker drums the trees,
red crest among leaves.
A car passes on the road,
then fades into the morning.

IV

The wind kisses me.
I think of you and of us:
two windows open,
facing different landscapes,
yet filled with a single breeze.

Wet Prayer (A Tanka Poem)

Author’s Note: I have written haiku for many years. Heiwa Haiku has often been a spiritual practice for me. Recently I discovered tanka, another form of Japanese poetry, which, put simply, is haiku plus two additional lines. Haiku is generally written as three lines of 5-7-5 syllables respectively. Tanka uses the same format at the beginning and then adds two additional lines of 7 syllables each. The following is my first attempt at tanka. I am looking forward to further exploration and sharing of tanka poetry.

Poetry in the Rose Garden
23 May, Scottish Poetry Rose Garden, Queen’s Park, Glasgow. Free.

Join the Friends of Queen’s Park to celebrate the launch of Gillian Dawson’s nature‑based haiku, plus an in‑situ reading of Catherine Eunson’s sonnet corona, The Scottish Poetry Rose Garden.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/poetry-in-the-rose-garden-tickets-1989016230087

#Scottish #literature #poetry #haiku #naturepoetry #Glasgow

Frae fields whare Spring her sweets has blawn
Wi’ caller verdure our the lawn,
The Gowdspink comes in new attire,
The brawest ’mang the whistling choir…

—Robert Fergusson (1750–1774), “Ode to the Gowdspink”
from The Poetical Works of Robert Fergusson (Glasgow, 1800)

#Scottish #literature #Scots #Scotslanguage #poem #poetry #18thcentury #RobertFergusson #Spring #birds #naturepoetry #goldfinch

I Am . . .

I am the ringing chime
I am the blowing breeze
I am the pileated’s cry
I am the wind in the trees

I am the hush before thunder
I am the trembling leaf
I am the ache beneath wonder
I am the prayer under grief

I am the shadow at evening
I am the gold on the hill
I am the creek softly speaking
I am the soul becoming still

I am the dog at the doorway
I am the lamp in the rain
I am the path through the meadow
I am the song after pain

I am not one thing only
I am neither fixed nor confined
I am the world God is breathing
in my body, spirit, and mind.

Give me more time in a tree

https://primitive.poetry.blog/2026/05/02/give-me-more-time-in-a-tree/

1 Poems About Trees and Life 🌳✨

Discover how nature’s giants mirror the human soul. From Robert Frost’s birches to William Blake’s cautionary "Poison Tree," these 11 masterpieces explore resilience, growth, and the quiet endurance of life. Let the branches of poetry inspire your own journey of standing tall and staying rooted. 🍃📖
#NaturePoetry #GrowthMindset #ClassicLiterature #wolink #nevermorepoem
https://www.nevermorepoem.com/archives/16187

a monarch lands
red dragonflies; poems
new leaves

#DailyHaikuPrompt | new leaves

Postscript: Poets, especially nature / eco-poetry poets--

Trio House Press (a Minnesota-based publisher) will sell remaining stock of Red Dragonfly Press' publications on its web (https://www.triohousepress.org/)

Also of interest: they're kicking off an annual "Scott King Award in Eco-Poetry."

Scott passed away 5 years ago. He was a highly regarded artisanal publisher. See #RedDragonflyPress for my prior posts on their work, or their web while it's still up (https://www.reddragonflypress.org/). It's good to see his legacy carry on.

#poetry #poets #ecopoetry #haiku #NaturePoetry #TrioHousePress #MNastodon