Lyrical Thursdays, Illustrated

OK, so I missed yesterday...  To make up for it, I thought I'd share some "illustrations" I did for the haikus I wrote last week.  They're really not the best (the Doctor one is my favorite), but I had fun messing around in PhotoShop to make them.  Enjoy!!

Lyrical Thursdays: Haiku!

Happy (Friday) Thursday, everyone!  OK, so a 10 hour workday yesterday and meeting last night prevented me from getting this post up yesterday.  So let's all just pretend it's still Thursday, even though TGIF, eh, mack?!  

Wednesday was National Haiku Poetry Day!! Haiku has been around for a millennium in Japan, and is often appreciated for its simplicity.  

The 5-7-5 format is easily recognizable, and kids and adults alike can get into the spirit of National Poetry Month by composing their own.  

Not all haiku follow the 5-7-5 format, actually, which gets the perfectionist in me really prickly, but I'm trying not to be a haiku snob. Here are a few famous (and old) examples:

An old silent pond...

A frog jumps into the pond,

splash! Silence again.

A flash of lightning:
Into the gloom
Goes the heron's cry.

by Basho (1644-1694)

Over the wintry

forest, winds howl in  rage
with no leaves to blow.

by Soseki (1275-1351)

Here are a few I wrote.  Warning: I'm a big nerd and some of mine are nerd-inspired. 

The Doctor and friend
Travel all through time and space
In the blue TARDIS

Agatha spins tales
With Poirot and Miss Marple
Solving mysteries

Yummy warm cookie
Chocolate chips melting and
Filling me with smiles

Road Trip!!!!

Last Thursday I did something that I love to do: I took a road trip!  Sadly, my road trip meant no Lyrical Thursdays post, but I'll be back on this week, no worries. (I know how you all worry.)

The road trip I took was to beautiful....historic....Kirtland, Ohio!!!  That may have been rather anticlimactic for some of you if you've never heard of Kirtland, Ohio, and to be fair, it is a very small town.  But in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (of which I am a member), Kirtland is a pretty big deal.

In the early days of our church (the 1830s and after), the Saints (as members of our church are called) moved around quite a bit.  Sadly it wasn't usually by choice, it was a necessity for their safety as they were often persecuted and even given extermination notices to leave certain areas.

In the midst of all of this turmoil, amazing things were happening.  The gospel was being shared, temples were built, and revelations received to guide the church members in what they should do.  There are a lot of accounts of what happened in Palmyra, New York; Kirtland, Ohio; Jackson County Missouri; and Nauvoo, Illinois, and the church maintains sites in these cities to allow members be able to walk the very paths early church members once trod and learn from the history that happened there.

For me, trips to these places have many purposes.  First, I LOVE a good road trip!!  Finding treasures as you trek to new places (or miss your exit and get off at the next one and discover the birthplace of President Garfield!), eating snacks you only ever buy for road trips, listening to audio books in the car...  Love it.  Second, I LOVE history.  It's so fascinating!!!  Yes it can be dull in the wrong hands, but in the right ones, it's SO good.

Third, I love the spirit that is felt in historic places, and especially church history places.  Miracles happened there!!  It's hallowed ground!  I could go on, but wanted to include some photos from my trip.  I might really like taking artsy photos of old timey things, so you can just scroll past those.  ;)

The Kirtland Temple

The Newel K. Whitney Store

Moi!

The School of the Prophets in the Whitney Store

Dining Room upstairs in the Whitney Store

Storage Barrels

Mail at the Whitney Store

Baskets at the Whitney Store

Kitchen at the Whitney Store

Bible in the Whitney Home

Johnson Inn

Along the River

Looking from the Visitor's Center towards the Whitney Store

Birthplace of James A. Garfield!

"We'd all like to flee to 'the Cleve'." - Jack Donaughy, 30 Rock

Lyrical Thursdays: Warm Summer Sun

Here in Michigan, winter has held on like a baby to long hair - with a vice grip that can be painful at times.  (Is that a weird analogy?)  Today it was finally one of those spring days where all you want to do is sit outside in the warm sun in a t-shirt, shorts, and flip flops, even though it's only 55 degrees.  But come on, after 20-30 degree weather for weeks on end, 55 is practically tropical. 

To celebrate the day, I took a little road trip - to Hell, Michigan.  It's only about 25 miles or so from where I live, and not too much past Dexter, where my show is up currently.  Since I had to go fix a frame at the show, I thought I'd just keep going!  I'll write more about my trip to Hell in the next few days (for a preview, you can look at my tweets about it on the side of my blog), but both the warm sun and the metaphorical warmth of actual Hell (Hell, MI is still defrosting after this frigid winter) made me decide to choose this painting and poem for today.  Both are in the Dexter show (which you should go check out!).  I'll include below the blurb I have next to the painting as well as, of course, the poem.

Encaustic painting is the use of heated beeswax with colored pigments added.  When painting with the beeswax, it can become quite warm, as the wax has to be melted and reheated over and over to gain the desired effect.  All of this heat made me think of the warmth of the sun, and this poem by Mark Twain.  I tried to bring the tendrils of warm colors up through the cool blue to reach out to those who need it so much after the sharp, bitter cold of winter.

Warm Summer Sun

Mark Twain

Warm summer sun,

Shine kindly here,

Warm southern wind,

Blow softly here.

Green sod above,

Lie light, light light.

Good night, dear heart,

Good night, good night.

Warm Summer Sun by Moi
Encaustic on Panel