Summer Solstice 2017

Dragon Fruit

SONG OF PERPETUAL SUMMER

Trade Winds set tempo, 

coffee on lanai greets day; 

sort the shades of blue.

Temperature rise 

harmonizing scent patterns 

with waves and sea birds.

Bending, stitching words 

throughout the soft melody; 

tapestry of palms.

Our dreams and memories 

string sensuous lei each day; 

generations link.

Chance encounters, whims

provide counterpoint, accent;

surprise of ginger.

An inclination 

towards hammock resolution;

afternoon answers.

Sunset promises, 

celebrate by letting go;

reward of night sky.

1. Halawa

2. Sandy

3. Ali'i Fish Pond

4. Canoe Club

5. Beach and Wharf

6. Hale O Lono

7. Dixie Maru

8. Mo'omomi

9. Kalaupapa

10 Hina and Gourd of Three Winds
by Alapai Hanapi
at Moloka'i Public Libray

Cashew Fruit



Key to photo locations

Spring Equinox 2017

(left to right) Moloka'i, Maui, Lanai

view from Kaunakakai wharf at sunrise

Tuesday, March 14, the night and day were equal in Hawai'i

(here is copy of poem on photo)

Ode to the Central Pacific

My latitude is firm - above the equator, not much below the Tropic of Cancer

It's my meridian I am having trouble pinning down; some 20 plus degrees east of the International Date Line

Tomorrow is just over that line. No, I can't see it either but it takes 24 hours to cover the short hop from here to there

Everything is far away, especially yesterdays. Their reflections are just patterns of light tossed off without a care

I sit on the wharf and watch the sky and water unite three islands of the most remote place on our earth

Sunset pulls my mind toward New Zealand, Australia, India; with sunrise come thoughts of the mainland

The moon follows along in its own whimsical fashion; like me not caring to keep up or stay on the path

Once I cared where I was: location location location. Now being warm and having a place to swim are my only priorities

Cards and letters are welcome. Eventually they find me and eventually I reply with odes to oceans and orchids

      Ruth Ann Howden

            March 8, 2017

PERSISTENCE

Persistence

never not resist

isolation and comfort

must  be  overcome

searching hope within cloud of hopelessness

here I am living 
well

but if I raise my head up 
even a little, I see poverty, 
a little more shows 
environmental despair,

 
under these issues I see 
individual and corporate greed 

looming in the imminent future
fascism led by # 45

so I duck my head and feel the exhaustion of impotence.
a few deep breaths and 
I revive
give myself a pep talk -- one 
thing I know 
about myself 
I am persistent.
must do my part 
to resist. 

(As Joseph O'Neill has his narrator, 
a poet, proclaim,  ending 
my new favorite story:
'Pardon Edward Snowden'
December 12th issue New Yorker) 

"Silently and exultantly, he roared, Never give in. Never not resist."

Winter Solstice 2016

My new adventure: in November I moved from the big city of Honolulu to the rural Island of Molokai.

There is a bumper sticker here that says "don't change Molokai, let Molokai change you."

And from one full moon till the next full moon that is what has been happening for me. From sunrise to sunset enjoying the peace and beauty is how I fill my days. 

    

 

Oh yes, I must mention the stars! I love just stepping out my back door and seeing the stars at night.

I have started a small container garden and my new pet is a phalaenopsis orchid, a splendid gift from

friends in Honolulu. And my favorite hangout is the public library – part of wonderful state system

,

          

I did participate in a small art and craft fair at our Senior Center; it was a way to get to meet people. On this small and friendly Island everyone seems to know everyone. Of course that can be expected with a population of only 7,000 people on the entire Island. There are no traffic lights and I was here almost two weeks before I heard a siren. Only 50 miles from Honolulu, it is an entirely different world. I feel very lucky to be here.

 

Winter festivities started out here in Kaunakakai with a Parade of Lights. It seemed that most of the island’s population attended the parade and Festival afterwards.

At the start of the 2003 invasion of  Iraq I designed a bumper sticker --  I think we need it now more than ever. It said:

GODDESS FORGIVE AMERICA    (if anyone wants to print these up, go for it!)

------     ------     -----     ------      ------      ----'-      ------

Fall Equinox 2016

As the days approach balance with the nights I find a calm interlude to give thanks and appreciate all my lucky stars. The universe is abundant.

I have accumulated an abundance of haiku. My goal this summer was to write one a day; some days I got carried away spewing them out. I’ve gathered about three dozen into a little chapbook titled

 “A Scattering of Haiku”.

1000 year old friend

Always advises to boldness

Grab their attention

Here are a few new haiku: 

Haiku syllables 
five, seven, five wrap little 
gift of awareness

Do nothing each day 
letting go of time will give 
abundance of time

Boldness is not brash 
Nor is it rude. To be bold
Is to fill the need
(for Diane, Sept 12, 2016)

Spontaneity
living life in the moment
it all takes planning

And some of my summer favorites:

Snatch and pin them down

Words of iridescent hue

Butterfly language

This is my piece work

Selecting and stitching words

Into peaceful web

Words still can create

Mind ships to carry away

Reader to herself

Lamenting his choice

Clockwise or counter-clockwise

Island biker sits

Photo taken at Honolulu Museum of Art with Guanyin; I am holding Kathy Phillip's delightful book of poetry titled "This Isn't A Picture I'm Holding: Kuan Yin"

Paintings

SUMMER Solstice 2016

And a rare solistice too, first time in 70 years the summer solstice coincides with a Strawberry Full Moon. I plan to celebrate with strawberry short cake! Our longest day of the year down here near the equator is 13 hours and 25 minutes.

I used to write lettters, now I'm an occasional post card or greeting card sender. This blog is my attempt to communicate on a personal level in an impersonal media. Kind of a futile effort that I question but keep attempting. I'm not willing to let go of the idea that there are people in this world who would like to hear from me. I do not know how many people on my blog list actually receive the email blast with this link that I send out when I make a new posting; many spam filters probably toss it out. And I know there are other friends who have decided not to read blogs just as I have decided not to participate in facebook. So if you  are reading this, thank you, mahalo. Comments are always appreciated.

I've had the pleasure of having friends and family visit me this year as well as my getting to visit friends on Molokai - only 40 miles across the channel from Oahu but a whole different world. The peace there is so complete that you can hear the whales breaching and slapping their tails at night. That was a new experience for me. Life is good when I can discover another pleasure that I didn't even know I was missing.

I love all the activity of living in a city, Honolulu offers plenty. However seeing the stars at night and sleeping in a quiet space is also tempting. I'll let you know if I move to Molokai.

     Night on veranda
     Silence broken with splashing
     Whales play in moonlight