Poetry

EARTH

Posted on by Khaya Ronkainen

Curiosity got the best of me this morning. I google a haibun but only an excited and active bee is revealed. Viral thoughts occupying space dissolve into nothingness as soothing sounds take precedence. The contagion that shakes and shapes our world continues to demand respect yet a simple act of moving my body allows me to rediscover the miracle that is spring.

earthling among trees
bears witness to life as the
green, sunny earth buzzes

Flowering Plants

note: It’s funny how this poem, a special feature for Rommy’s prompt, came about. If like me, you’ve always been curious about Google’s Doodles that mark special dates, now go ahead and find out what today is.

Image courtesy of Google

This is what I did early this morning. Google didn’t only remind me that it is Earth Day but really made me smile with this delightful video. And as we know a smile changes everything.

Btw, last year, NASA said earth is greener than it was 20 years ago. That alone is a reason to smile, even though climate action remains one of the biggest challenges. So, Happy Earth Day! 🙂

Reading & Mini Reviews

On My Night Stand

Posted on by Khaya Ronkainen

Read, read, read. —William Faulkner

There are so many things I could write about this “liminal season” I’m in, but I’m a slow processor. Instead I share books I’m reading and rereading these days. Some of the following books are more than entertainment but staple nourishment or part of my self-care regimen.

A great many of us turn to poetry in time of need.

As if I didn’t know this already. But it has been a much needed reminder for me (as a writer of poetry) to keep writing. In the near future, I promise to share why I questioned my writing. 

Am I a bird that skims the clouds along,
Or am I a wild storm, or a great song?

I have to hold space for my words to find new climbing trellises.

This book is like a friend every writer should have. It’s gentle, wise and encouraging.

Imaginative and futuristic things; an Afropolitan in space. This is a series I want to devour but have to slow down so that I can enjoy this imaginary world much longer.

This is the first book of a two-series ‘Living Autobiography’ on writing and womanhood. This has become my reference book. I’ll also write more about this at some point.

Hope you’ve enjoyed this glimpse of reads that keep me going while in quarantine. By the way, I highly recommend all these books. You don’t have to be a writer to enjoy or relate to the ones about writing, themes are universal.

special note: April is the birth month of my writer friend, Magaly. This post is in response to her birthday request, and for enjoyment of all my readers, to share the titles of stories (in the shape of books and TV shows) that are keeping us entertained these days.

Wishing you all a beautiful spring, regardless!

Prose

Reflections by the Lake

Posted on by Khaya Ronkainen

As I wander around the frozen lake, I ponder if there is any difference between solitude and isolation as they both honour alone time. But then, what is time when the duration of events is unknown?

I try to make sense of time by looking at changes, not of the world but of self. And I identify a subtle selfish streak. I have somewhat changed. Because nowadays, I’m not afraid to admit that in order to keep afloat I can only take care of myself and loved ones, before I expend myself to the world.

Even loved ones have to ask, I decide as I recall this “Sometimes people can only help us when we ask for that help…if we try to keep ourselves all tightly wrapped together, there’s no space for someone to step in and assist us.”

I walk back home energized not because I have figured out the difference between solitude and isolation. But because I witnessed a miracle as the lake started to melt; water is still wet.

Mallard standing on the lake