Orchid Haibun
I was gifted a giant
8 flower (plus 3 buds)
double-stem 5 leaf
phalaenopsis orchid
and when I put it on the
dining room table
the three other orchids
were like: come on!
these orchids haven’t
flowered in years
they’re floppy-leaved
single stem-ed, roots
like a crone’s knobby
knuckled fingers
knocked over at least
once a week by errant
elbows or puppy-bumps
on the table legs
ne’er a melted ice cube
in their nicked pots
but dribbles from the yellow
fish vase that glugs
when I remember
carpenter bee hovers
bumps the window glass
Thank you, friends, for the flooding of birthday wishes for Jett and I yesterday! It was a delightful day! I was outside in the back yard for most of it…reading and looking at magazines, petting the dogs, and watching the wind blow the leaves on the robust maples in the surrounding yards. Then I did a four-card tarot spread and had a long journal, cried and made a self-promise to share what I’m learning even though I’m scared.
And…big tour news coming! If you receive my newsletter then you’ve already got a taste…! But I booked another tour stop today and I’ve got one in waiting…! Happy Friday!
PS. This poem is a haibun…but I took some liberties with the format!
VANESSA SHIELDS 