This tree was off feeling gloomy.
[daily log: walking, 5km; retailing, 9hr]
Month: January 2024
Caveat: Poem #2737 “Just barely attached”
ㅁ here there are no trees just arborescent yearnings bound to the world's edge
– a pseudo-haiku.
Caveat: Tree #1830 “A view across the water”
This tree was adjacent to a nice view toward downtown Rockpit, out there across the water.
[daily log: walking, 3.5km; retailing, 9hr]
Caveat: Poem #2736 “Observations”
ㅁ the current haiku seems to lack theme and function: just a pile of words
– a pseudo-haiku.
Caveat: Tree #1829 “On helium”
This tree is a guest tree from my past. I like this tree. I took this picture in April, 2014, walking near my place of work in Goyang City, South Korea. I was only 6 months out from the end of my radiation treatment after my previous cancer surgery. I remember feeling quite terrible, but slogging along with job and life.
Today was a long, unprofitable day at the gift store. I had to go buy a new tank of helium at Tyler, for our balloon operation. As a side note, a tank of helium is a very heavy thing – not what you’d expect from helium, to be frank.
I learned that our local competitor in helium retailing, the monopoly grocery store, sells their helium at less than half what we do. If they pay the same for a tank of helium that we do (and I’m confident they do – they’re an obvious customer at Tyler, the only place that sells helium on the island), they’re selling at a steep loss. I pondered the economics of being a monopoly grocery store in a small, remote Alaskan town. Maybe there’s some weird philanthropic helium subsidy from some “Keep Rural Alaska Balloony” foundation. Or maybe they’re just incompetent and forgot to raise their prices over the last decade.
[daily log: walking, 5km; retailing, 9hr; helium-tank-loading-unloading, 10min]
Caveat: Poem #2735 “Mute”
ㅁ At a loss for words, the poet failed to express this here idea.
– a pseudo-haiku.
Caveat: Tree #1828 “More wind, more rain”
This tree experienced wind and rain.
I ran across an interesting one-line take-down of Pascal’s Wager: “I don’t believe in gambling, either.”
[daily log: walking, 1km;]
Caveat: Poem #2734 “Inadequate result”
ㅁ Many syllables combine to form the haikus that you can read here.
– a pseudo-haiku.
Caveat: Tree #1827 “Precipitation”
This tree saw substantial precipitation.
I finally had 2 days off from work in a row. And tomorrow too. I was feeling burnt out.
[daily log: walking, 2km;]
Caveat: Poem #2733 “The drain”
ㅁ They came and cleansed the dirty sea: ambitious clouds and rain. They came and washed the roads and trees: this path became a drain.
– a quatrain in ballad meter.
Caveat: Tree #1826 “A gift for the Christmas tree”
This tree was our Christmas tree. I put it outside again a few weeks ago and gifted it with a pink flamingo to keep it entertained.
[daily log: walking, 1.5km;]
Caveat: Poem #2732 “The photon’s strange journey”
ㅁ Some sunlight arrived by way of the moon's surface to light up the rocks.
– a pseudo-haiku.
Caveat: Tree #1825 “Alongside our potholy road”
This tree was alongside our potholy road.
Art and I both had dental exam appointments scheduled this morning, but the the appointments were cancelled because the dentist couldn’t make it to the clinic (he comes from Sitka, he’s not local). They didn’t tell us about this cancellation until we got there, though. So we had a much earlier “shopping day in town” than we normally do, every Thursday.
Then, the moment we got home, around 11 AM, I got a call from the the gift store and had to go back in, to complete a framing project that I had been led to understand was “no hurry” but in fact the customer wanted promptly.
So I did a lot of driving back and forth on our potholy road.
[daily log: walking, 3km; retailing, 3hr]
Caveat: Poem #2731 “A balladsalad for the ages”
ㅁ a meaning wanders by, some nouns, in silly, this here ballad, the lost and broken syntax is, bad like then, it's word salad.
– a quatrain in (deliberately bad) ballad meter.
Caveat: Tree #1824 “And no way out”
This tree was lost in the woods.
[daily log: walking, 6km; retailing, 9hr]
Caveat: Poem #2730 “The unexpected”
ㅁ Unexpected warmth in the form of gray drizzle beset our winter.
– a pseudo-haiku.
Caveat: Tree #1823 “Patch of ice”
This tree oversaw a stubborn, slick patch of ice despite unexpectedly warm (relatively speaking).
[daily log: walking, 6km; retailing, 9hr]
Caveat: Poem #2729 “Having been watched”
ㅁ The ancestors watched, unimpressed by my efforts, disdainful and droll.
– a pseudo-haiku.
Caveat: Tree #1822 “The crooked tree by the ancestor’s grave”
This tree was near an ancestor’s grave in South Korea. I have no idea when I took this picture, but it was before 2014, and it was in Korea.
I had a very exhausting day. Morning at the dentist (always stressful, and I will always stand by my declaration that fighting mouth cancer is more pleasant than the dentist), then a full day at work, moving around mat board (heavy 32″ x 40″ sheets of cardboard) to rearrange my frame shop area at the store.
[daily log: walking, 5km; retailing, 9hr]
Caveat: Poem #2728 “Two easy steps”
ㅁ The morning has rules. One: try to wake up somehow. Two: seek some coffee.
– a pseudo-haiku.
Caveat: Tree #1821 “Longago snow”
This tree was covered in snow. Note that this is not a recent picture – it’s 3 years old. This year, the local trees haven’t experienced being covered with snow.
[daily log: walking, 5.5km; retailing, 5hr]
Caveat: Poem #2727 “Sliding”
ㅁ Just sliding along, the road slippery with ice, I try to go slow.
– a pseudo-haiku.
Caveat: Tree #1820 “Along that trail”
This tree was down along the treehouse trail.
I had to work today, Saturday, though it’s normally a day off.
[daily log: walking, 5km; retailing, 9hr]
Caveat: Poem #2726 “Retreat”
ㅁ The mind takes cover beneath a stone, calcified remnants of old thoughts, edifices against time, against introspection, recondite, armored. And there it hides. It might peek; but it hides.
– a nonnet.
Caveat: Tree #1819 “Looming”
This tree loomed, in a forest.
[daily log: walking, 1km;]
Caveat: Poem #2725 “Attempts”
ㅁ I try to dream words. I try to dream vertigo. I try to dream hope.
– a pseudo-haiku.
Caveat: Tree #1818 “Some light”
This tree preceded the sun.
[daily log: walking, 2.5km;]
Caveat: Poem #2724 “Perhaps supervising”
ㅁ the raven was perched up above the parking lot waiting for something
– a pseudo-haiku.
Caveat: Tree #1817 “Under some pink clouds”
This tree was under some pink clouds.
[daily log: walking, 5.5km; retailing, 9hr]
Caveat: Poem #2723 “In the morning”
ㅁ First the sun touched clouds. The clouds clustered near mountains. They glowed, pink and gold.
– a pseudo-haiku.
Caveat: Tree #1816 “Some snow”
This tree witnessed that some snow had fallen. Ice on the road: winter is finally here.
[daily log: walking, 5km; retailing, 9hr]
Caveat: Poem #2722 “Transition”
ㅁ There was rain in town. Then I drove out the road, home. Eight miles later: snow.
– a pseudo-haiku.
Caveat: Tree #1815 “Around the bend”
This tree was around the bend.
[daily log: walking, 4km; retailing, 9hr]