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Monday, November 11, 2024

Short Verses - Clock Haiku
by Marie Bortolotto 2024 

 

I.

listening
the clock's ticking
comes and goes



I
I.

late grandmother
the clock
no longer ticks




II
I.

can you still hear
the clock ticking
no-time




I
V.

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



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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Sunday, November 10, 2024

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 window
BBQ ducks hang in a row
Hong Kong aromas



IV.

pink blossoms
pushing through
November's gloom



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Saturday, November 9, 2024

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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Marie Bortolotto

Friday, November 8, 2024

Poetic Utterances
by Marie Bortolotto 2024 

 

I.

yellowed leaf
plunging to the ground
soundlessness



I
I.


bus ride
speeding through memories
of Zojila Pass



I
II.


Chinese lanterns
outburst of orangeness

illuminating the path


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Wednesday, November 6, 2024

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



I
I.


small change
person in need
expects more



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Tuesday, November 5, 2024

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?

Sunday, November 3, 2024

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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Saturday, November 2, 2024

 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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Friday, November 1, 2024

Poetic Utterances
by Marie Bortolotto 2024

Marie Bortolotto Digital Art




I
.


sleepless night

darkness casts

long shadows




I
I.


morning chants
rise and shine

mom's favourite




I
II.


peaceful dreams
under siege
Halloween fireworks



I
V.


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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Thursday, October 31, 2024

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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Wednesday, October 30, 2024

Poetic Utterances
by Marie Bortolotto 2024


I.

dead leaves
underfoot
potato chips




II
.


wind
blowing
silence




III
.


two crows
fighting
road kill





I
V.


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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Tuesday, October 29, 2024

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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Monday, October 28, 2024

Poetic Utterances
by Marie Bortolotto 2024


I
.


Flock of wrens    foraging poetry



I
I.


Downpour  no umbrella   the smell of wet leaves




I
II.


rush hour
slow walk home



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Poetic Utterances
by Marie Bortolotto 2024


I
.


Giant Halloween skeleton  
momento mori



I
I.


friendly dogs barking
wake up!




III
.


Morning lethargy  walking into a leafy-orange burst of light


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Marie Bortolotto 2024

Sunday, October 27, 2024

Poetic Utterances
by Marie Bortolotto 2024

I
.


Someone pruned my favourite rosebush    no more blooms




II.

Blustery clouds whirlwind of crows    oracular mu
rmuration



III.

Myriads of leaves falling from the sky   raindrops



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Saturday, October 26, 2024

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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Friday, October 25, 2024

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



Thursday, October 24, 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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Wednesday, October 23, 2024

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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Tuesday, October 22, 2024

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 19th and early 20th 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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Sunday, October 20, 2024

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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Saturday, October 19, 2024

Friday, October 18, 2024

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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Poetic Sketches
by Marie Bortolotto

1/

rain-soaked morning
no one wandering about
only me and a crow

2/

sheltering arms -- an umbrella of red-soaked leaves


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Marie Bortolotto Artist


Thursday, October 17, 2024

Poetic Utterances
by Marie Bortolotto

1/

your last breath
doesn't exist --
so you can relax
and breath now

2/

an autumn butterfly

among dead flowers
seeking solace



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Marie Bortolotto Digital Art



Poetic Utterances.

1/

It’s okay to breathe
shallowly to understand
how your heart works.

excerpt from “Somewhere in the Looming Fear”
by ANNE CECELIA HOLMES


2/

The future is a rumour like the past.
The new anxiety supplants the old anxiety.

excerpt from “Nebraska”
by MICHAEL DUMANIS


Art by Marie Bortolotto

Poetic Sketch
by Marie Bortolotto

gloomy clouds -- a ray of sunlight peeks through grey thoughts

Marie Bortolotto Art

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Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Poetic Sketch
by Marie Bortolotto

1/

underfoot --
faded voices
of dead leaves

 

2/

construction site --
the pink Chinese Church is resurrected

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Marie Bortolotto

 

 

Monday, October 14, 2024

Poetic Sketch
by Marie Bortolotto

rain-soaked
under an umbrella
golden leaves

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Marie Bortolotto Art