Haibun Monday at DVerse wants us to use a photograph by Susan Judd – her ethereal pictures look like watercolour paintings. But first, a picture from my son:
This mysterious photograph was taken last weekend by my son, Robin James Smith, at a secret location somewhere in Hertfordshire, England ─ secret to protect those bluebells from marauders. In another month there will be a sea of blue beneath the twisted trees. The deformity may have been caused when the trees were released from an ivy prison at some point in their growth.
Twisted tangled tree
trunks, teasing ─ tempting light to
twinkle through the twigs
And here’s one of Susan Judd’s pictures with an embroidered story from my youth.
Belinda wanted to please her mother, so she gathered daffodils from the gardens passed on the way home from school. Mum was far from pleased
with the gift. She told little Belinda to take the flowers back to their real owners.
The terrified child hadn’t the chutzpah to knock on the doors, so she simply re-planted the broken stems among the leaves from which they’d been torn.
Paper thin petals
harbinger of warmer days
cheer us every Spring
the alliteration in your first haiku is just stunning!
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I love the image you begin with and words…excellent and the daffodil story is so clear to see in mind’s eye. Perfect!
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I love your son’s photo – that place must look even more stunning when the bluebells come out. I really miss bluebells – we used to live in West Sussex and there were lots of ‘bluebell opportunities’ there. I thought the daffodil photo was a watercolour at first – amazing!
I can empathise with little Belinda although I never actually got to pick a flower. I was looking longingly at a huge tulip in a front garden on my way home and the woman was watching me from her window. She must have guessed my intent though because she came out of her front door and warned me off. Funny the things you remember.
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She should have given it to you! I would.
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What an amazing stand of unique trees and would have loved to see the blanket of blue underneath. I loved the story of Belinda which is so relatable especially her embarrassment of the thought of returning picked flowers! At age four I think I would have cut you a bit of slack. 🙂 I do remember my mother having to tell my younger sister to put something back at the grocery store that she had swiped…candy probably. I enjoyed your haibun stories, Viv, thanks for sharing.
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Both of these are so good. That first photo took my breath away and the story of Belinda (Viv?) reminded me of when I nicked a swatch of material from a fabric store when I was about 4 and my mother made me take it back and hand it to the owner. She had to drive me back there which, no doubt, was not something she was happy about. Those kind of lessons stay with you.
(Nicked? Now I am reading too many British mystery writers. :0>)
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I love everything about this post – both photos; the poems; the story. Thanks for making my day.
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I’m blushing
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The tree photo is STUNNING! WOW! How I’d love to happen on that special magical place 🙂 Thanks for taking us there!
Oh….little Belinda. I think many a child has had to return something after mother’s finding and scolding. And sweet Belinda — planting the broken stems in the earth. This made me smile — recalling my preschool daughter suddenly appearing one day wearing a way too large costume ring upon her finger. When asked, she hung her head and said she took it from her preschool teacher’s shelf. Yes, you know the rest….oh those tough tough lessons. 🙂 Many of us have a bit of Belinda within.
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Belinda was the name of our donkey when my children were small.
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So was there a little girl Belinda too?
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That was me about 75 years ago
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Ooh. What a sweet a little girl. I love your son’s photo, too.
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Double fun! I love the story of Belinda. That is so typical child. And those trees… wow.
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What a GORGEOUS tree photo! (And loved your piece, with all that T alliteration. Wonderful.)
And awwwww. Love the image of that poor sweet child replanting the flowers.
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lovely stories Viv
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Marvelous trees! I can understand the need to keep things secret. Sad little story though. Well written but sad. Have a lovely week.
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and you.
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Oh I love the story of little Belinda… we did indeed have all that fear within us, and yet the will to please… I really love the way branches bend and twist, really visible before the leaves cover it up…
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