At Guadalupe (WC)

 

(Wendy Cabell, revisted January 2025, a haiku-esqe gleaned from piece "Petals", originally from December 18, 2021, full moon, feast day of the Expectation of the Virgin Mary, and of the Mercedarians Redeemers. Jewish calendar commemorates Abraham Ibn Ezra's receiving Letter from the Shabbat Queen in 1159, as well as Purim Hebron. Image from here.)

At Guadalupe

Sky’s mantle,

    She smooths it out — 

                             petals 

                          slip 

               through… 

*From prompt: Freewrite as inspired by Luis Eduardo Rendon’s “The Only Key to Heaven”. From Lisa Freedman's BreatheReadWrite, December 18, 2021. 

Come! (WC)

 

(Wendy Cabell, June 18, 2024, 2nd day of  special nine day Peace Novena to Our Lady of Medugorje, and feast day of  the Appearance of Our Lady to St Agnes of Montepulciano, Our Lady of Garabandal, (above) Our Lady of Igor/Icon, St. Theneva of Glasgow (mother of Saint Kentigern/Mungo), Saints Edburga and Edith of Aylesbury, Blessed Marina of Spoleto and Saint Elizabeth of Schönau (friend of Saint Hildegard of Bingen). Image from here.)

Come!

(for Our Lady's Novena plea, June, 2024)*

Come! on Love's path, warm

light. Peace flows from God, so pray –-

Fear not, Mama’s here

*This haiku is after Our Lady of Medugorje's message of April 25, 2009.

A sway to the center (WC)

 

(Wendy Cabell, March 3, 2024, third Sunday of Lent (Catholic), and feast day of Our Lady of Angels Toulouse, Our Lady of Miracles Saint-Omer, the (above) Volokolamsk Icon of the Mother of God, Saint Katharine Drexel, Saint Non of Wales, Saint Arthelais of Benevento (miraculously freed) and Blessed Concepcion Cabrera de Armida. Image from here.)

A sway to the center

-- ground that's safe. Arms extend

sense hope for grace. Sweep this path

Peace given s p a c e

*From prompt: Freewrite as inspired by the etymology of “march”, and “Dear March—Come in—” by Emily Dickinson. From Lisa Freedman’s BreatheReadWrite, March 3, 2024.

Mountain Mama (WC)

 

(Wendy Cabell, November 11, 2023, feast day of Saint Martin of Tours and Saint Marina of Omura. On Jewish calendar today is blessing of the new month, and Flood ends (2104 BC). Image from personal SoulCollage deck.)

Mountain Mama

(while before SoulCollage version of the 

“Queen of All” Icon of the Mother of God”)

nooks sprout wings where Your 

feet brush, Angels' pharmacy–-

Skyspun remedies

*From prompt: Freewrite as inspired by quotes mentioning feet. From Lisa Freedman’s BreatheReadWrite, November 11, 2023.

Minimal Requirements (WC)

 

Wendy Cabell, September 14, 2023, feast day of the (above) Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, the Lesna Icon of the Mother of God, Our Lady of Einsiendeln, Our Lady of Steinbach, and Blessed María López de Rivas Martínez (confidant of Saint Teresa of Avila; body incorrupt). On Jewish calendar today is the Creation of the Sun, Moon, and Stars (3760 BC). Image from here.)

Minimal Requirements

(for Pope Francis)

–Time: to care more, not less

–Space: an ocean’s plain –- for love 

 

      t o   s w i m

  

                       a r o u n d

                              i n 

–Magic: pearls –- from grit-glide-time

  ( as in lots and lots of time ) 

          for star’s  b l o o m

*Based on a quote from Pope Francis, Love needs time and space; everything else is secondary. [Author Laura Alary looks to something similar, a trio of time, space and room (receptivity/generosity.)]

**From combined prompts: Freewrite as inspired by “homage to my hips” by Lucille Clifton (Lisa Freedman’s BreatheReadWrite Studio Time, September 14, 2023), Ana Blandiana’s “As if” (Lisa Freedman’s Type.Coalesce.Become,June 2, 2023), Ted Kooser’s “Pearl” (Marj Hahne’s Poem a la Mode, IWWG, June 2, 2023, near Our Lady of Bocco's feast), and  “blossoms at night” by Kobayashi Issa and “the old pond” by Matsuo Basho (Tresha Faye Haefner‘s Friday Editing class, The Poetry Salon, May 31, 2024).

OK (WC)

 

(Wendy Cabell, January 26, 2023, feast day of Our Lady of Atocha/Long Fields, and of Saint Polycarp, Saint Paula of Rome and Saint Torgith of Barking. Image from here.)

OK*

and it will be -- 

through every

Opportunity for

Kindness

*In memory of Lana, in hopes of carrying on her legacy of kindness.

BFF (WC)

 

(Wendy Cabell, January 22, 2022, Chinese New Year (Water Rabbit), and feast day of (above) Our Lady of Bethlehem, Saint Wendreda (her "angel roof" here, here, here) and Saint Blaesilla. Jewish calendar today marks end of winter ("as per Genesis 8:22, the year consists of six 2-month 'seasons': seedtime, harvest, cold, heat, summer and winter"). Image from here.)

BFF

…as your breath goes out,

    you go out with…

      —Chögyam Trungpa

gone pilgrimagin, as

horizon opens for me and thee

most steady, most pleasant 

your company

**From combined prompts: Freewrite as inspired by new year of Water Rabbit, etymology of “breath”, and relevant quotes, as well as by “Spring Poem For the Sake of Breathing, Written After a Walk to Foster Island” by James Masao Mitsu. From Lisa Freedman’s BreatheReadWrite, January 22, 2023.

What are we (WC)

 

(Wendy Cabell, January 19, feast day of the Finding in the Temple, Our Lady of the Cave, and Saint Liberata of Como. Image from here.)

What are we

but magic and dust,

share our breath with rose with dove

warm whoosh, soft prayer — flight!

*”What are we but magic and dust” is from Suzanne Westhues’ “Free Write One”, used with permission. From prompt etymology of “lung” and relevant quotes, Lisa Freedman’s BreatheReadWrite, January 19, 2023.

Front Porch (WC)

 

(Wendy Cabell, November 2, 2022, All Souls Day, and feast day of Our Lady of Emminont, Our Lady dell' Anima, the (above) Ozerianka Icon of the Mother of God, and of Saints Baya and Maura, and Saint Winifred of Wales. Image from here.)

Front Porch

Sit or not, just settle.

Swing or not, its motion an

elixir, find-fix cracks in the

minutes, hours; the opened

calendar page it's simply

a window

From prompt: Freewrite as inspired by “A Perfect Mess” by Mary Karr and classmates’ journal excerpts; from Lisa Freedman’s BreatheReadWrite Containing Our Multitudes series, November 2, 2022.

When born a wave (still am) (WC)

(Wendy Cabell, October 7, 2022 (heart/seed of the poem), feast day of Our Lady of the Rosary, of the “Tenderness” Icon of the Mother of God, and of Saint Osith and Saint Pelagia of Tarsus. Revisited June 8, 2024 (Our Lady of Sunday, the Yaroslavl Icon of the Mother of God, Blessed Maria of the Sacred Heart, Saint Melania the Elder, and Chosen People 1313 BC). Further edited/revised  June 13, 2024 (Feast of the Ascension, 2nd day of Shavuot, Our Lady of Tears Fatima, Our Lady of the Cave, Saint Anthony of Padua, Saint Petka the New and Blessed Marianna Biernacka) and June 24 (Saint John’s Day, Pentecost Octave (Eastern Orthodox) and feast day of Our Lady of the Fjords). Image is of Puerto del Rosario, from private collection of Arvid van Maaren (used with permission) -- Viewing this lovely image spurred the memory shared.)

When born a wave (still am)

1. Venice Beach at dawn, May, 1992

Awaken. 

Everything else, it can wait. 

Stroll three blocks from this rented room.

Meet shock of sky, silk tide, with bare feet. 

Stash the blue dress by the rock –- and dive,

tote your lessons:

       - dip under, not over, a coming wave

       - infinite space here in which to glide

       - fellow rovers, they cruise in tandem 

       (though can’t see them),

2. there! down where sun resides –-

kind dolphins sweep below

ride their whisper tide

mend a path for moon to glow, she

                         sends her delegates:

                                              osprey

                                                      otter 

                                       golden goose

                                      

and shakes a few stars to settle 

into waiting heart, new

loose

*First half from combined prompts: Freewrite as inspired by Arvid van Maaren’s photo of “Puerto del Rosario, Fuerteventura”, and “Beaches. Why I Don’t Care For Them” by Wanda Coleman, from Lisa Freedman's BreatheReadWrite, October 7, 2022; later revisited/revised at Robbi Nestor's class of June 8, 2024 (“Roadside Attractions with the Dogs of America” Ada Limón) and Kim Malinowski'‘s class of June 24, 2024 ("Pineapple Sage" by David Rosenheim), with an eye to zeroing in on a favorite place (its sensory details and feelings it brings forth), while also subtly evoking someone who shared this place with you. Second half from prompt: Freewrite as inspired by Dick Altman's "Scenes From a Chalice of Waters/Victory, from Kim Malinowski’s class, June 17, 2024 -- her take on editing: “Revision will add creativity."

In Wake (WC)

(Wendy Cabell, May 5, 2022, feast day of the  Inexhaustible Chalice Icon of the Mother of God, Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, Our Lady of Europe (Gibraltar), Our Lady Queen of the Apostles, Saint Great Martyr Irene, Conversion of Saint Augustine, Saint Touteria of Verona, Saint Tosca of Verona, Blessed Judith Prussi (above), and Blessed Caterina Cittadini. Image from here.)

In Wake

(from the journal, May 5, 2022, Oregon)

Mind migrates of late, to my great-grandmother, Elizabeth Otten. How she moved from her native Germany to the US in 1920's, opening her own restaurant. How she lost it in the Great Depression and became manager instead. Throughout it all, a Rosary nestled in her apron pocket. Even during her busy workday, she'd stop right where she was and pray its beads whenever a brief moment allowed. Our family still has one of the little creme pitchers that graced the tables in Grandma Otten's restaurant. But the real heirloom has been a continued family devotion to the Rosary. 

This September will be the first anniversary of her son’s, my great-uncle Art’s, passing. This May begs an early glance, amidst its dew and bloom–-Mary’s own month. Uncle Art’s passing was so simple, so peaceful, while praying the Rosary with his children. His funeral left strange hope where grief should have dwelt. I carry it still.

Mother, full of grace

beads of thanksgiving tend pace–

morn and evenin round

*From prompt: As Spring continues its lean towards Summer, and considering the power of longing, craft haiku (here playing with haibun) about the “song” that carries you through your life/work; from Gerry Grubbs’ Writing From Where You Are (The Hive, Cincinnati), May 2, 2022.