Poetic Utterances
by Marie Bortolotto 2024

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I.

empty house
is the old woman
gone?



II.

twilight
chanting
mantras




III.

remembering
the red balloon
childhood wonder




IV.

darkness
headlights twinkling
through shadows

Poetic Utterances
by Marie Bortolotto 2024

I.

needing
a good cry
Pavarotti

Luciano Pavarotti - Ave Maria 1978

Poetic Utterances
by Marie Bortolotto 2024

I.

voiceless
person in need spilling gold
from his lips

Luciano Pavarotti: "O Sole Mio"

 Poetic Utterances
by Marie Bortolotto 2024


I.

breaking open
the person soliciting donations
smiles



II.

fallen branch
seeing the way through




III.

cloudless
free-falling into
blue skies




IV.

heartbreaking
the person in need offers
the great gift

Marie Bortolotto Art

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Kyotaku/Koku Nishimura 虚空 / 西村虚空

Haiku
by Marie Bortolotto 2024


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I.

household shrine
roses in full bloom
fill the air



II.

humming
at 4 am
the refrigerator




III.

laughing
in the rain
children



IV.

how to
put into words?
breath of fresh air



V.

wandering
the punjab market
sweet nostalgia



VI.

waiting
to be heard
haiku

Marie Bortolotto Art

Gad Tidhar

Faran Ensemble

 

Marie Bortolotto Artist 2024

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Short Verse
by Marie Bortolotto 2024 

 

I.

where are they from?
nighttime haiku keeping me
awake



II.

what remains?
the autumn wind blows
dead leaves



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Short Verses - Clock Haiku
by Marie Bortolotto 2024 

 

I.

listening
the clock's ticking
comes and goes



II.

late grandmother

the clock
no longer ticks



III.

can you still hear

the clock ticking
no-time



IV.

The heart has its reasons,
which reason does not know.
We know truth, not only by the reason,
but also by the heart.

- Blaise Pascal

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Kassia - Byzantine Hymns from the first female composer of the Medieval Occident

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Short Verses
by Marie Bortolotto 2024 

 

I.

walking
in the rain
chatty sparrow



II.

Remembrance Day
at the playground
empty swings




III.

how to be happy?
just breathe
in and out



IV.

autumn chill
in the air
homemade soup

Poem II for Shakuhachi Solo (1972) · Nanae Yoshimura
Composer: Teizo Matsumura


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Short Verses
by Marie Bortolotto 2024 

 

I.

bare-boned tree
trembling in the wind
leafy skeletons



II.

November clouds
playing with watercolours
at school




III.

in a row
BBQ ducks hanging
Hong Kong aromas



IV.

pink blossoms
pushing through
November's gloom


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Short Verses
by Marie Bortolotto 2024 

 

I.

walking
a pilgrimage
of poetry



II.

black wings
swooping down
pray!



III.

astray
wandering far
from home


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Poetic Utterances
by Marie Bortolotto 2024 

 

I.

yellowed leaf
plunging to the ground
soundlessness



II.

bus ride
speeding through memories
of Zojila Pass



III.

Chinese lanterns
outburst of orangeness
illuminating the path


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Poetic Utterances
by Marie Bortolotto 2024

I.

Flowers Still Bloom

after loss
flowers still bloom
after politics
flowers still bloom
after sickness
flowers still bloom
after winter
flowers still bloom
after floods
flowers still bloom
after war
flowers still bloom
after death
flowers still bloom
after wildfires
flowers still bloom
after ruin
flowers still bloom
after all
flowers still bloom



II.

small change
person in need
expects more


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Poetic Utterances
by Marie Bortolotto 2024

I.

petals gone
black-eyed susans
seeing through




II.

silence
for a moment

no time

III.

no laughing matter    toothless pumpkin

IV.

on this
sun-blessed autumn day
the sky, a cloudless blue
and fragrant is the wind
with golden leaves, free-falling
stars of light
how is it
only children
remember to play?

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Poetic Utterances
by Marie Bortolotto 2024

I.

youthful folly
the end of daylight
saving time



II.

on the wind
Canada geese
flying south



III.

mindless
a flock of pigeons
bolt

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 Poetic Utterances
by Marie Bortolotto 2024

I.

cryptic utterances
listening to
bird chatter



II.

bicycle wheels
squeaking
broken record



III.

after the storm
cleaning out 
the ears



IV.

topiary art
an umbrella
open-armed



V.

pink flamingos
foraging food
plastic dreams



VI.

maybe a bird
decaying
what is it?



VII.

raindrops
on the branches
a garland of diamonds



VIII.

wabi-sabi
inhaling the smell
of dead leaves



IX.


gas fumes
breathing in
breathing out



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Poetic Utterances
by Marie Bortolotto 2024

Marie Bortolotto Digital Art

I.

sleepless night
darkness casts
long shadows



II.

morning chants
rise and shine
mom's favourite



III.

peaceful dreams
under siege
Halloween fireworks



IV.

fifty dollars
the person soliciting
shares his joy



V.

the unsheltered person earning his keep   cold hands



VI.

coke-bottle eyes
person in need
sees through



VI.

botox-free
yesterday's pumpkins
losing their faces



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Poetic Utterances
by Marie Bortolotto 2024

I.

in the garden
something aflutter
a hummingbird?



II.


holy terrors
promenading in costumes
Halloween memories




III.

crow conference
in the trees
pandemonium



IV.

bone-on-bone
eighty-nine years
still walking



V.

Halloween night
rain dampens
the spirits



VI.
 
apples rotting
on the branch
birds and bugs


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Poetic Utterances
by Marie Bortolotto 2024

I.

dead leaves
underfoot
potato chips




II.

wind
blowing
silence




III.

two crows
fighting
road kill




IV.

gust of wind  leaves twirling in choreographic patterns




V.

red leaves
everywhere
a masterpiece



VI.

heavy rain
on the umbrella
drum roll



VII.

shocking red
maple trees
breathless



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Poetic Utterances
by Marie Bortolotto 2024


I.

Walking   piles of leaves swooshing  here and there



II.

Dawdling on this clear, crisp morning
What better way to pass the time!



III.

birdsongs
chainsaws
all in the mix

IV.

today

all is painted yellow
yellow leaves
yellow chrysanthemums
yellow sun
yellow truck
yellow taxi
yellow submarine

V.

Two eagles on a treetop   swarming crows



VI.

 Singing in the rain   a choir of birds



VII.

Twilight   black clouds   a streetlamp glowers



VIII.

Evening walk  dark streets alight with Halloween ghouls


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Poetic Utterances
by Marie Bortolotto 2024


I.

Flock of wrens    foraging poetry



II.

Downpour  no umbrella   the smell of wet leaves



III.

rush hour
slow walk home


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Poetic Utterances
by Marie Bortolotto 2024


I.

Giant Halloween skeleton   momento mori



II.

friendly dogs barking
wake up!



III.

Morning lethargy  walking into a leafy-orange burst of light


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Marie Bortolotto 2024

Poetic Utterances
by Marie Bortolotto 2024

I.

Someone pruned my favourite rosebush    no more blooms



II.

Blustery clouds whirlwind of crows    oracular murmuration



III.

Myriads of leaves falling from the sky   raindrops


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Poetic Utterances
by Marie Bortolotto

I.

The decay of autumn roses   one more blooms



II.

How I love autumn!   golden-cloaked leaves aflutter



III.

Red alchemy  the japanese maple tree enchants



IV.

walking  gothic afternoon  a grey gloom gathers



V.

Old Chinese woman beware of the dog   lost in translation



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Tanka
by Otagaki Rengetsu (1791- 1875)

In a mountain village
alone, gazing at the moon...
To whom I might write
“A beautiful evening!”
then await... there is no one.

Marie Bortolotto Art

Poetic Utterances
by Marie Bortolotto

I.

leaf blowers    nemesis of peace



II.

leaf blowers  
whatever happened to the art of raking?



III.

old momentos  declutter the mind   

IV.

japanese maple flaming red    the heart skips a beat



V.

soon, trees bare their branches    winter's wrath



VI.

sleeping child
break free of thoughts
the world sings!

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Marie Bortolotto 2024

Poetic Utterances (Non-Traditional Haiku)
by Marie Bortolotto 2024


I.

pedestrianism
person in need
crosses the street



II.

cheery hello    raking leaves, the woman's face brightens



III.

twilight    tree silhouettes against the fading blue-grey sky



IV.

whispering voices in the library     
old memories of evening Mass 

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Poetic Utterances
by Marie Bortolotto

I.

walking   worries fall away like autumn leaves



II.

walking    silence, only the crackling of leaves


III.

walking alone
where are my cat friends?



IV.

city traffic
money drives people
around and around



V.

today    the sunshine eclipses tiresome thoughts


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Marie Bortolotto Digital Art

Free Verse Haiku
Taneda Santoka (1882-1940)
from Santoka :: Grass and Tree Cairn
Translations by Hiroaki Sato

Taneda Santoka was a Japanese haiku poet
who specialized in free verse haiku during
the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries.

This the tooth that came out just like that
Horori to nuketa ha de wa aru

Cold clouds hurry
Samui kumo ga isogu

My hometown’s distant tree buds
Furusato wa toukushite ki no me

Thump on my hat was a camellia
Kasa e pottori tsubaki datta

The moon bright I go home
Tsuki ga akarukute kaeru

Clutching a balloon that wants to fly into the blue sky child on my back
Aozora ni tobitaki fuusen o shikato motsu sena no ko yo

Poetic Sketches
Free Verse Haiku by Marie Bortolotto 2024

1/

rain falls relentlessly     a rosebud blooms

2/

sudden downpour --
soaked in myriads of golden-red leaves

3/

autumn storm --
petrified roses tremble
in the wind

4/

heavy-footed    the sound of birdsong enlightens


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Tanka
by Otagaki Rengetsu (1791- 1875) 

1/

Lines
in the twilight mist
where they go I cannot see
I envy the wild geese
only their voices trailing behind

2/

The mountain-going robes
of a priest
soaked through
in the pine wind amid these peaks --
a voice in the mist.

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Poetic Sketches
Marie Bortolotto

1/

after

the

storm

 black-robed -- crucifix hanging

the

Russian

Orthodox

priest

inspects

his

church

property

2/

alone
in the rain 
a sparrow
takes wing

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Poetic Sketch
by Marie Bortolotto

oh, this rainy
red-soaked
heart of mine
relinquishes
fallen leaves
to the sullen
autumn wind!

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Poetic Sketch
by Marie Bortolotto

guarded heart --
a siege of rain
disarms me

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The Garden Of Poetry
by Marie Bortolotto 2024

Let me share a secret --
to enter the garden of poetry, avoid haste
or straying from the path, grasping
                        every eye-catching appearance
                                            that beguiles you.

Which do you choose;
           this one or that one?

Don't be fooled.
Let go of petty hankerings.
           You must learn to slow down, linger,
                        fall in love with the world, again, and again.

 
The way in is not through your eyes, but ears.

Listen! Wait!
For ripening speech, still, holy on the vine;
           for muted utterances to sprout under your feet
                        from the heart of existence.


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