Today’s offering is a haibun written for hostess of the evening’s d’Verse, Kim’s, prompt of January.
Waking up at eleven, looking out at another repetition of anemic feebleness that washes the life out everything. Invisible beyond grey, clouds prevent any instance of ROYGBIV. Eyes strain to delineate blah from blah. To say it is preferable to the blank of dark is astounding, as who would prefer that?
A bitter cold pervades outside, while gathering wood, walking to the mailbox, or filling the bird feeders. The chill sneaks in through hastily opened and shut doors and under them. Just the sound of the wind decreases the temperature inside. No layers, socks, slippers, hats, or blankets can keep its touch away.
Friends call and text photos of where they are frolicking in warmth with scant clothing. They leave for months with nary a thought of the living icecubes, abandoned to the cold. When it rains instead of snows, there is no outdoor recreation aside from staying dry while doing the chores.
January trees
sleep in naked abandon
dreaming of warm green.
Update on 1/10/19:
Looking out this morning, I saw the pheasant outside of the slider on the back of the house. Trying to think of something to put out for the critter to eat, I remembered a bag of quinoa in the freezer. Quinoa is a “wild” grain and so probably a good choice. I opened the side door as quietly as possible and threw out a few handfuls. Mr. Pheasant eventually made around to that area and began pecking at the grain. Here’s the video. Today is another happy day.
Tao Talk 
“to delineate blah from blah” – you’ve captured the depressing aspect of the season, and yet there is a note of humour (or maybe it’s cynicism) that made me smile.
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Thanks VJ it is humour. Gotta laugh at it at some point.
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I wonder if social networks made it even harder for us to live through January… but that chill permeates everything…
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yes…
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so many titbits of tasty words Jade! especially the rainbow alphabets – so creative! living ice cubes looking at scantily clad warm bodies – oh what a feeling. and your haiku is mesmerising
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so glad you enjoyed the haibun, Gina. it was like laying my feelings on a platter lol
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I recognise that anaemic feebleness so typical of January – a wash-out month if ever there was one, Jade. I like the phrase ‘Eyes strain to delineate blah from blah’ and the personification of the chill sneaking in. Tonight, the wind has been howling, not just outside but also down the chimney, which has an up-side as it is making the fire roar! My favourite bit is the haiku and those naked trees dreaming of warm green.
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Kim, the haiku is my favorite also <3
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Nice description: “Eyes strain to delineate blah from blah” One can even get that feeling in a warm climate not realizing how cold it can get.
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Thank you, Frank. For a visually oriented person, it’s the blah of the landscape that’s even worse than the cold.
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Hell of a note when one prefers darkness to the chilled blah of day. I have so many indoors interests, January does not really phase me; went for a walk today as, the feeble sun breaks brightened moments here and there.
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You know I almost do. Good that you don’t let it phase/faze you.
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Even though it’s summer here I got a real blast of winter chill reading your haibun. The haiku is terrificm
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Thank you very much, sorry to blast you with it ;)
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A little chill makes a refreshing change – it’s particularly still and hot here this afternoon.
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Like the trees, I sleep in naked abandon, dreaming of warm green! Well chosen words!
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Thank you Beverly.
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It’s bitterly cold outside here too. I can relate to the grey hues of blah and blah. Here’s to the dreams of warm green.
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It does get old, doesn’t it. I’ll raise a glass to dreams of warm green. Cheers!
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The bite of a chilled earth is hard to avoid.
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It travels up from the earth and into your body, then it’s hard to shake.
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Oh, how I feel your pain, Jade! Are you really anemic or just metaphorically? I’m still waiting to find someone else who suffers from Cold Agglutinin Disease so we can swop frostbite anecdotes :)
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The land is anemic and feeble looking. I feel for you in your ice cold home. Why is it so cold inside? Here it’s because of wood heat and I’m too cheap (translated poor) to turn on the electric registers.
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It’s cold because we only have two rather feeble old wood stoves. The chimneys are too old and narrow and rickety to cope with modern wood burners which need a much wider diameter outlet pipe. The electricity is for the lighting and the water heater. Everything else runs off multi-point plugs from the one plug socket in the house. No radiators.
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ah, got it.
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I really enjoyed this Li. And lovely haiku. 💞
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Thank you very much Punam.
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My pleasure.
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I love your haiku and this line: “They leave for months with nary a thought of the living icecubes, abandoned to the cold.” I don’t know if I should laugh or cry!
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probably both ;)
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It was more like Spring here today which was strange, but I can definitely relate to the bone chilling temps too. I like the humour infused into this….oh those people that have to flaunt their sunny vacations! hehe
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One of my friends has a daughter and her family living in Fort Myers, FL so she and her hub go there for months every winter. She is so used to it it’s no big thing. To me it would be everything to put this ice cube on plane flying south!
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Your words certainly conjure gray in its extreme dullness, but the image (photo?) is simply gorgeous – looks like a pheasant at the fence post?
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Yes, it is, the first one I’ve seen in the yard :)
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naked abandon after the layers upon layers without hope of warmth is gorgeous!
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Nora, thank you. Glad you like it :)
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