Wednesday 7 January 2009

A Wednesday Haiku.

This morning it was Writers' Group all morning, then there was lunch, then dog-walking. Now there is the fire to be lit and the tea to cook, so writing on the blog is limited today. I have been thinking a lot lately about how birds and water creatures are so well-adapted to their habitat and how, by comparison, man is not so agile. Without mechanical aids such as cars, skates, aeroplanes. bikes (anything on wheels basically) we do see rather clumsy by comparison. We seem to have "feet of clay". Would readers of my blog agree? Or can somebody come up with a strong argument against this view? I would like to write a poem about the idea but somehow it is slow to come, so in the meantime here is a haiku:-

Fieldfare and redwing
swooping from hawthorn to ash.
Dolphins of the sky!

Keep warm. Thanks for accepting my invitation to crumpets - as none of you turned up "in the flesh" I was forced to eat them all myself! I found it very difficult but I did think about you all as I stuffed myself with hot buttery crumpet!

26 comments:

deola said...

lovely blog

Elizabeth said...

Yes, birds are so very elegant - but some dancers delight and acrobats sometimes.
Bicycling seems to me man's/woman's best hope.
Yes, the crumpet was delicious. Hard to get here.
Best with hot runny butter and a crunch of sea salt.

Word verifcation: ovedue
lucky I don't have any library books

The Solitary Walker said...

We may have 'feet of clay' now - but it wasn't always the case. Nowadays many of us have lost connection with our feet (through driving, TV, video gaming, sedentary jobs etc).

My aim in life is to re-forge that connection! Well, you would expect The Solitary Walker to say that, wouldn't you?

Seriously though - I've read anthropological books (by Margaret Meade & others) which demonstrate incredible ancient tribal abilities to walk for 100s of miles barefoot without discomfort, pain or injury.

The foot is one of the most miraculously complex parts of the body, I think I'm right in saying - with more bones for its size than any other?

Gigi Ann said...

Oh I agree my feet are clay, very heavy when it comes to taking a walk.

In the first century Jesus and the disciples walked everywhere. Did you ever read where they complained about their aching feet? I think some of the shoe styles we women wear are what give us 'clay feet!'

I liked your Haiku, do you know until I started reading Janice's "Drinking the Moon" I had never heard of a Haiku. Now I love them!

Tess Kincaid said...

Dolphins of the sky. I love that.

Sal said...

Shame I could not make it for the crumpets.
Lovely Haiku! ;-)

Raph G. Neckmann said...

I like your Haiku too - I'd not heard of them until I started reading your blog!

I think lots of humans are very graceful. As the Solitary Walker says, the trappings of modern lifestyle do encourage sedentary habits. (We giraffes are often termed graceful - Maureen certainly is, but I tend to hoof around a little less elegantly!)

Oh dear, you shouldn't have mentioned those hot buttery crumpets again - I'm going to have to eat a large piece of cake now!

Unknown said...

Crumpets? Did someone mention crumpets? I enjoyed your haiku; it has the right sort of metaphorical leap at the end :)

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks deola - shall visit your blog now. Thanks for visiting - and welcome.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Elizabeth Quite right about dancers and acrobats - hadn't thought of that. Neither had I thought of putting salt on crumpets - must try it.

The Weaver of Grass said...

I take your point Solitary Walker.

The Weaver of Grass said...

A good haiku gramma ann really can encapsulate a whole idea in a very few words.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks for the comment willow.

The Weaver of Grass said...

I ate the crumpet reserved for you Sal - sorry!

Crafty Green Poet said...

I love walking and dancing and though not the most elegant of creatures and in fact rather clumsy sometimes I like to think my feet are not clay....

I like the haiku, I love the idea of winter thrushes as dolphins of the air...

The Weaver of Grass said...

Raph - sorry - forgot giraffes, although I do not consider them particularly elegant when they run - sorry - but they are certainly elegant when they nibble leaves from the tops of trees.
You really are going to have to think "lettuce and cucumber" rather than "cake and crumpets" by the sound of things.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks Barbara. Yes crumpets are always being mentioned when the weather is cold like it is here today.

Jinksy said...

Feet of clay we may have, but our minds can soar higher and faster than any bird...don't you think?

Anonymous said...

Love it, Pat. So right!

Leenie said...

Great haiku. Words can paint such great pictures. Way out here in the wild west I only read about crumpets. I am going to have to do some research and find out what all the excitement is about.

Anonymous said...

Oh yum! Hot buttery crumpet. I like your Haiku. I know what you mean about feet of clay. I notice it with ballet, and think what dancers could achieve without gravity. I always watch the feet of those on stage, while the smile is often plastered tight on the pretty faces, those plain old feet are doing all the work.And who gets the pat of approval after the performance, not the feet,- the back!!!

Leon1234 said...

Lovely banner picture. Thanks for sharing.

The Pink Cowboy said...

gracious koan--flying dolphins. I enjoyed reading your post very much.

Rowan said...

I think most animals including us are designed for their own particular way of life, a bird soaring on thermals is one of the most wonderful of sights as is watching a seal in the water. We are made for walking as The Solitary Walker rightly says and we are probably more dextrous than most animals. Sorry I missed the crumpets - they sounded delicious!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks to the rest of you for the comments - sorry you don't get crumpets in the wild west - if I can find a recipe I will put in on my blog one day soon. Agree our minds can soar wonderfully and also am mindful of gravity keeping our feet firmly on the ground.

BT said...

I too loved the Haiku. I heard about them from my daughter DK and Leatherdyke. People used to walk miles to school and back and to market once a week. I watch my 3 year old Grandson charge around and am glad he hasn't developed clay feet yet.