warning: ancient crone blood

I had a moment of enlightenment/nirvana that was quite nice yesterday amidst all the suffering/dukka I've been going through lately. I wrote about it in jjhunter 's most recent How Are You? (in haiku) post, but felt it deserved its own space as well.

The poetic version:

arose from child's pose
quest complete: a pair of bluebirds
found a home in mine
bonus prize: cedar waxwings
bathing, my eyes shedding years

The prose version:
( Cut in case you just want the poetry without any spoiler explanations )

ETA: And yes, I did cheat and make it a tanka. :P

wolf tanka

once there were packmates
paws, familiar scents, hunters
to help bring down prey
humans came, we were hunted
faint pawprints in snow, alone

~~~

written by untonuggan
for jb_slasher 
prompt: wolves

I just finished reading Writing and Enjoying Haiku by Jane Reichold. Really excellent book. If you want more information, she has an excellent website with all sorts of free information and guides (including places to get published). It's helping me really get haiku. As a Buddhist, it wasn't a big leap from meditating to stay present in the moment to writing poetry that expresses staying present in the moment. Not that it means it's easy, it just helps.

I'm also really excited about writing tanka, as it's a form that both has a set structure (with a twist!) and can incorporate more human elements than haiku. It's also a challenge to set some of my wilder emotions aside and focus on...now. Very soothing.

So my current NaPoWriMo challenge to myself is as follows: write two poems per day. One "Western" lyrical/prose poem, and a tanka that compliments (but does not repeat) the previous poem. Plus I'm adding an image from Open Clip Art.

To date, I've completed drafts of poems on Dragonflies (4/1) and Castle (4/2). Today I'm working the theme Bicycle but I'm struggling with the tanka. I may write it later tonight or (gasp!) tomorrow. I really want to keep this up throughout the month.

With any luck, I can make a nice pdf ebook or perhaps a chapbook type thing. Perhaps I'll crowdfund it?

Also excited about combining haiku and crafting. Because I have been neglecting my papercrafts.