HEDGING ALL BETS (photo) & THE HEDGES (non-dream based haibun) by Roswila

THE HEDGES
(a haibun*)

The hedges in the front yard have been a constant presence. Sometimes a chore to trim, or walk around when heavy with rain; at other times a joy to see bowing beneath a sparkling new snow fall, or lush with gold green buds. They have always been here, always defining the entrance to my apartment for over 20 years. But the hedges' days as a tall fence between my landlord’s yard and the next door neighbor’s have been numbered. Our landlord has had them cut down within inches of the ground:

the neighbor's smile
where hedges used to be
summer sunlight


[not dream-based -- about an experience in 2006 when I was still living in New York City; slightly revised in May 2012. *Haibun (a centuries old Japanese form): an often poetic prose paragraph, followed by a capping haiku; frequently written in a thematic series. I posted this one here when I first wrote it in 2006 but recently slightly revised it. However, revision is just an excuse to re-post. I think I am drawn to it this morning for the reminder that startling and unwelcome changes can have upsides, too. Photo “Hedging All Bets" by Roswila]

BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO DREAMKU (& PHOTOS): The dream-based poems posted on this blog -- dreamku, tanka, two-liners, and monoku -- are offered in the spirit of collaboration. I have done my part. Now it’s your turn to jump in and see what comes up for you. I.e., there is no right or wrong way to understand or interpret any of these dream offerings. Even my own understandings of them change over time. And it gives me joy when a reader sees something in any of them that I have not.

For more in-depth exploration:

-- a brief post about both dreamku and my photos THE AREN'TS OF DREAMKU & ACCOMPANYING DIGITAL PHOTOS.

-- detailed three-part post about dreamku: "A DREAMKU PRIMER: Writing Haiku-Like Poems About Your Night Dreams": PART ONE: Introduction & Writing Dreamku as Dream Work; PART TWO: Elements of the Haiku Form Used in Dreamku; and PART THREE: How to Write Dreamku (the second and third parts have some overlap).

-- a brief up-dating post about the three-part "A DREAMKU PRIMER" -- Important Up-date to A DREAMKU PRIMER....".

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‘til next time, keep dreaming,






If you wish to copy or use any of my writing or poems, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”). Roswila's other blogs: ROSWILA’S TAROT GALLERY & JOURNAL; ROSWILA’S TAIGA TAROT; and OPENING TO THE LIGHT.