Tuesday: Surprised by joy (is it a haibun?)
April 8, 2020
I stole that title from Wordsworth, of course. I was out for exercise yesterday, and noticed how many birds there are in Canberra, particularly sulphur-crested cockatoos and corellas, with lots of young birds begging to be fed.
The sun was out, and I found myself plainly happy, totally forgetting about coronavirus for a short while. Of course, just for a moment, and soon it was back to skirting around any other walkers and cyclists. I felt almost guilty for feeling so good, thinking about the many older people stuck inside, and the crew of the cruise ship Ruby Princess still confined aboard, and, of course, the people who have died from the virus.
The hundreds of dogs so delighted that their owners are home so much more now have no inkling as to the virus, and I envy them their lack of knowledge.
My mind wagged
my thoughts spaniels
licking the air
We are lucky that we can still get out and stroll around here in Canberra for necessary exercise, and even buy a takeaway coffee, and observe the natural world that reaches right into suburbia. Helps keep one relatively sane.
PS Cottier 
I feel like the Ruby Princess is the Marie Celeste of our times … but all too real. A wonderfully evocative reflection in poem form as ever by you, PS Cottier.
Thank you, Maryanne.
My mind wagged
my thoughts spaniels
licking the air.
This is a poem, a haiku I believe (just counted the syllables on my fingers), that deserves its own page.
Indeed! I was trying to meld prose and a haiku, as do the Japanese. Though the exact number of syllables matters not!
love this, and thanks for reintroducing me to the haibun. It’s a lovely form. And I personally find it very cheering to hear people talk of nature and their delight in it. The world is still revolving …I stood and listened to a tui singing yesterday. That reminded me that so much is still ok!
It would be far more difficult to live in an area without easy access to the natural world at the moment, Helen, wouldn’t it. Glad you also can hear the birds.