Haiku

Contrasts

~ Grandpa
Field of Flowers
Flowers growing in a garden

Bright summer sunshine
Reflected in the flowers
Enhanced by the leaves

Contrasts come in all shapes, sizes, and colours, as well as other attributes like texture, smell, and so on.

There are also contrasts between humans. And sometimes these contrasts can cause conflicts due to the thought that one version is better or worse than the other.

But take these orange flowers. Would they be as bright without the green background? Would we notice the green if it wasn’t for the flowers? No. We need both to make the image worth looking at.

It may not be a great image. But it has contrasts that enhance each other rather than criticise each other. This contrast is interesting because the colours don’t come from directly opposite sides of the colour wheel, as we often try to achieve in art. No. They are both shades of the same colour – yellow. One has blue added, the other has red added. But they both use a common colour.

And when we see the commonality, the contrast becomes beautiful, rather than clashing.

It’s the same for people. We may have areas of contrast. But we are not from the opposite sides of the spectrum. Deep down inside, we all have something in common.

Just as the flowers need the leaves, and the leaves need the flowers to make each other beautiful, we all need each other to make each other beautiful.

Winter hanging on

~ Grandpa
Sunset vignette. Bare trees with a red sky behind.

Winter hanging on

Tree buds shiver in the cold

With confused feelings

This is the first time I’ve posted for a long time. A numb heart struggles to be creative. But as winter turns to spring once again, maybe this is the year that the numbness will dissipate.

There is nothing normal about grief. Everyone grieves differently. Let your winter turn to spring when it is ready. You will know when it is time.

Contemplation

~ Grandpa
Contemplation
What are you watching?
Do you long for the meadow
And sweet summer grass?

To me, this horse seemed to be meditating. Maybe there’s a lesson for us all, here. Maybe we could all do with a few minutes of quiet contemplation, every day. Maybe, then, we would be better able to deal with what life throws at us.