After the Storm
Monadnock’s mountaintop
wears a blanket of white,
while the river’s swift flow
conquers the cold.
Its dark water divides
a land now graced
with an ivory cloak.
Limbs coated with snow
bow low to the earth.
In the depths of winter,
from a series of storms,
the forest is transformed.
Lainie Senechal
The Gift
Birthday Haiku
The still, gray river
awaits the first flakes
crows call from a tree.
Lainie Senechal
Thank you to everyone who send such lovely birthday wishes. Your kindness made the day more special for me.
November Along the Contoocook
Passage
At dusk an aura surrounds the moon –
night’s reverie is stirred when
the first snow storm appears
with large flakes falling like
feathers shaken from the heavens.
They evaporate in a warming dawn.
Although the day is mild,
bare branches and white patches
scattered in the deep woods
inspire an undercurrent of feeling
that the season is not steady
and a change will soon arrive.
Lainie Senechal
Moonlight Over the Delta
A Tribute to Indigenous Artist Shane Pickett
Autumn Transition
The moon, once masked by leaves,
now shines in silver through
the stark branches of the forest
and shimmers in the river’s swift flow.
At dawn fog obscures the horizon
shifting objects into strange shapes.
The warm autumn afternoon is a bridge
between summer’s sultry heat
and the coming winter’s chilly winds.
Lainie Senechal
Announcement: Lainie will have art and poetry in this event – KAJI ASO STUDIO
49th Anniversary Celebration
A SPOT OF BEAUTY
Art, Music & Poetry IN-PERSON: Saturday, Nov. 12th at 7:00pm to 8:30pm
at Kaji Aso Studio, 40 Saint Stephen Street, Boston and ONLINE: Sunday, Nov. 13th at 7:00pm
Contoocook – Late October
Late October
The colorful drama of autumn’s
brilliant leaves is fading fast.
Summer’s bounty slowly slips away –
to drift slowly and silently to earth
or to be caught in a breeze and flutter
like a flock of busy butterflies.
Spaces now open where the sun’s glare
glints off the Contoocook’s swift waters
and on cold mornings one sees
smoke rising above chimneys
from fires stoked during the night.
Lainie Senechal
Autumn Wind
Autumn Wind
The thunder storm slowly exits,
while the wind sweeps the sky to leave
only ragged remnants of clouds
and a rustling, like hushed music,
in leaves that are turning color
on trees that line the river’s edge.
The branches glow even more brightly
in the dim light of an ebbing autumn day.
Lainie Senechal
Clouds
After the Storm
The heavens opened
with a burst of raindrops
that blurred the landscape.
As the storm cleared it left clouds
gathered in the setting light.
Over Monadnock they floated -
swirled in strange, eerie
and fascinating shapes.
A time to appreciate the beauty
found in the mountains
and a wish to experience
this singular vision again.
Lainie Senechal
Pussywillows
Spring Forward
Nature recovers from winter’s wrath
as vernal floods fill the swamps.
Spring peepers and skunk cabbage emerge
infusing the air with sounds and scents.
The headaches of last season
slowly dissipate with the arrival
of temperate days and an earth
that ruptures with new life.
Lainie Senechal
Announcement: Lainie will have paintings and poetry in “Awakening” a Zoom presentation of art, music and poetry by the Kaji Aso Studio on Sunday, April 3rd at 7pm. Go to kajiasostudioevents.com for a link to the program.
Hanging Out
Sanctuary #3
The snowflakes fly
in early winter air,
lay a white coverlet
over the sparse landscape.
It stills the endless rustle
of dry leaves – brings
a silence and sanctuary
to the unsettled senses.
When the sun returns
it warms the long icicles
which slowly drip from roof.
Although it is not clear
when the next storm
will strike, we can only
wait because the season
has barely begun.
Lainie Senechal
Flurry of Leaves
Autumn Breeze
The last of the brilliant leaves
fall in autumn’s blustery breeze
that rocks the bare branches.
Only gray lichen remains,
attached to the dark trunks.
Toads have dug deep into soil,
transformed to a torpid state
to avoid freezing temperatures.
The lake remains lively
with many migrating ducks
that dive and feed before
traveling further south.
Lainie Senechal
The Year of the Rabbit