Yep, we’re still at the pool.
(See yesterday’s post :))

And this girl, my youngest?
Wow is she something in the air.
Don’t you think?

A girl like a bird
only braver, without wings.
Watch her catch herself.

Those of you I know personally know that my daughters are, well, part-fish.
I mean, they look human from the outside but we spend A Lot Of Time at various swimming pools.

This weekend, I’m at a dive meet with one; my husband’s at a water polo tournament with the other.
Y’know that old show The Wonder Years?
Our version is going to be called The Chlorine Years.

So, I take inspiration where I can get it! Here goes:

The podium tiered
like a frosted birthday cake —
Celebrating gifts

My oldest daughter will be voting for this first time this fall, in the presidential election.
And boy did she get a circus, huh? To kick off the fun?

I’m just thinking, it’s only April. We’ve got a lot of this still to come.
Deep breath and rev your engines, friends….

Campaign signs bloom like
Ladybird’s wildflowers
but more insistent

I’m a believer in being informed and being involved.
Actually, I’m more than just a believer. I can’t resist.
I turn on Morning Edition as soon as I turn on the kettle in the morning.

Still, sometimes. sheesh.
It’s just too much for a heart to bear….

There’s the daily news
and then there are red roses.
A little lifeblood.

Purple martins – a kind of large swallow – arrive in Texas every spring, find a backyard birdhouse to adopt, lay a little clutch of eggs, and leave by late summer. They’re nomadic but predictable. They’re noisy but pretty. And they eat mosquitos and other buzzy stingy things. What’s not to love?

Condominiums
Crowded with young families
Hatching future plans

Aaahhh, the most amazing art greeted me at my school visit today.

I love when teachers encourage students to respond creatively to books — it validates and values art, it feeds the great energetic cycle of inspired and inspiring, and it’s just plain pretty.

Things can be done with
tempra paint and little hands.
Yes. Important things.

I am lucky enough to be able to do work that I love — writing books for kids and visiting with kids and talking to other writers about writing books for kids. And today is my birthday, which I think is a good day to take account of all that lucky goodness.

So please understand that my haiku (which is sort of a whiny complaint) is totally tongue in cheek. 🙂 I’m flattered to sign books, and thrilled that so many kids will have them in their hands tomorrow.

Signing stacks of books
for tomorrow’s school visit.
Send electrolytes.

Sometimes I like to use these posts to talk about poetry, or haiku in particular, or something going in the my life. And sometimes there’s just nothing more to say.

Tree stands on thick toes
desperately gripping earth
like the rest of us

So why a haiku every day in April, as opposed to a sonnet or sestina or something?
Well, the obvious answer is that they’re short and quick, right?
But. Only kind of.

The thing I love about haiku is that they’re short, but deep. They are about pausing purposefully, noticing mindfully, taking a full breath and being totally present to a moment. In that way, writing a haiku every day for a month becomes a truly meditative practice. There is so much more going on in each poem than 17 syllables.

Fireworks, birthdays
There is no greater joy than
a dog off his leash

It’s that time of year again.
April. Bright buds and birthdays.
Chilly mornings and warm afternoons.
Pollen. Poetry.

April is National Poetry Month and this year for the (I think) 8th year in a row, I’ll be writing and sharing a haiku each day. Last year, a whole slew of friends joined me in the practice which just made the whole thing more ecstatic. You’re welcome to join in this year….

And now, without further ado….

If the question is
“Travel by land or by sea?”
This scull answers that