Posted in Poetry, sijo

Neither this nor that | Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #53

Photo by Italo Melo on Pexels.com
seeking satisfaction among the sounds of other voices

each looking, asking, praying for what they never find

buried in hopelessness and dreams, paths to true joy are lost

Copyright © Lizl Bennefeld. 2023-03-16.

Ronovan Writes SIJO Wednesday Poetry Challenge #53. Use CONTENTMENT as your inspiration this week.

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Posted in Poetry, sijo

Someday… | Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #51

White water lily in a pond with lily pads by mdburnette
is licensed under CC-CC0 1.0
the stillness of the pond at midday
        small clouds float above

sunbeams play at hide-and-seek
        with fish among the lily pads

calm waters and gentle winds—
        hopeful thoughts and dreams of peace

Copyright © Lizl Bennefeld. 2023-03-01.

Ronovan Writes SIJO Wednesday Poetry Challenge #51.
Use PATIENCE as your inspiration this week..

Posted in Poetry, sijo

Rocked to Sleep | Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #48

Frog on Lilypad” by FolioRoad is licensed under CC BY 2.0 .
the tempo of the waves as they
wash up on the lake shore

ruffled mirror images—
the clouds and sky looking up

gentle rocking of warm lily pads
as they lull the frogs to sleep

Copyright © Lizl Bennefeld. 2023-01-09.

Ronovan Writes SIJO Wednesday Poetry Challenge #48.
Use PACE as your inspiration this week.

Posted in Poetry, sijo

Getaway | Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #47

Tucked away in a stone cabin, leased from spring to winter's end,

I eat what I can find, as I've tired of the store-bought stuff. 

I've an option to buy this land.  I think I've found my final home.

copyright © lizl bennefeld, 2o23-o1-02.
Image credit: “West Branch Forest Preserve (5)” by Nicholas_T is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Ronovan Writes SIJO Wednesday Poetry Challenge #47
. Use ESCAPE as your inspiration this week..

Posted in Poetry, sijo

Endless | Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #44

Photo by Jess Loiterton on Pexels.com
overwhelmed by the beauty
   of the stars in the cloudless sky

night's shadows deepen as the moon
   casts its reflection on the sea

light and darkness...the song and
   the silence of  eternity

copyright © lizl bennefeld, 2o23-o1-14.

Ronovan Writes SIJO Wednesday Poetry Challenge #44.
Use OVERCOME as your inspiration this week.

Posted in Poetry, sijo

Promises | Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #43

Photo by Jess Loiterton on Pexels.com
living on promises ...
vague and open to prolonged debates

generations shift perceptions,
changing meanings of the words

deeply etched on a far-off shore, 
truth remains after every storm

copyright © lizl bennefeld, 2o23-o1-o8 (rev. 1/9).

Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #43.Use PROMISE as your inspiration this week.

Posted in Poetry, sijo

Fraying Threads | Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #42

memories, tattered and fragmented by chaos and time

twisted threads and patches that don't make sense anymore

mend your vision with bold colors, creating new from the old

copyright © lizl bennefeld, 2o22-12-3o.
Almanac Quilt, by Rhoda E. Berry.

Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #42. Use
RECOVER as your inspiration this week.

Posted in Poetry, sijo

Windows | Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #41

Photo by Min An on Pexels.com
as the days and nights creep past, 
      one by one, a living stream

barren pastures, snow, and thirsty fields 
      hot stars and frigid moonlight

the gift of change to feed the minds and 
      eyes behind the windows

copyright © lizl bennefeld, 2o22-12-23.

Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #41.
Use GIFT as your inspiration this week.

Posted in Poetry, sijo

Retrospection | Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #40

Photo by Simon Berger on Pexels.com
I am on the journey of a lifetime...the ending is unknown.
The "now" is entrancing. I cannot see it all before it's flown.
I hope for a great ending and a comprehensive review.

Copyright © Lizl Bennefeld, 2022-12-20.

Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #40.
Use TRIP as your inspiration this week.

Posted in Poetry, sijo

in the moment | Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #39

Only the present moment contains life.

Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life
in the midst of outer chaos, quiet passion abides 
its pebbled path leads on to the shore's ruffled waves 
I arrive to each moment ... I am home in the now

Copyright © Lizl Bennefeld, 2022-12-10.

Image by Ruthann Wagner from Pixabay

Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #39.
Use QUOTE as your inspiration this week.

Posted in Poetry, sijo

Sound of Silence | Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #37.

Photo by Helena Lopes on Pexels.com
so thankful that my peopled world is small and quiet
time enough and more to think...only echoes left behind
those will not slam the door as they too finally slip away

Copyright © Lizl Bennefeld, 2022-12-08.

Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #37.
Use THANKFUL as your inspiration this week.

Posted in Poetry, sijo

Changing seasons | Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #38.

winds of late autumn lay bare
      the stark beauty of tree branches
the main wooden axis and the stem, 
      the tree's steady bole
though gales prune weaker limbs, 
      twigs hold forth their leaf buds at spring

Copyright © Lizl Bennefeld, 2022-12-03.

Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesda\y Poetry Challenge #38
Use REVEAL as your inspiration this week
.

Posted in micropoetry, Poetry, tanka

like the wind

we are who we are
at the moment...in this moment
ephemeral
each unique, ever changing
becoming more of what we'll be

— lizl bennefeld, © 2022-12-01.

Winds of Change by NASA Goddard Photo and Video is licensed under CC-BY 2.0

Posted in Poetry, sijo

Hand in Hand | Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #36.

Photo by Helena Lopes on Pexels.com
Free from fear but not free to ignore others—
       rights and obligations.
Freedom to work with one another 
       until the work gets done.
Your strength, my weakness—
       others' weaknesses may be our strengths.

Copyright © Lizl Bennefeld, 2022-11-20.

Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #36.
Use FREE as your inspiration this week.

Posted in Poetry, sijo

Common paths | Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #35

Listen for the lights that sing messages our ears cannot hear. 
Look about for the voices that create our pathways step by step.
Feel guardian winds reveal the miracle that every life has been.

Copyright © Lizl Bennefeld, 2022-11-13.

Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #35.
Use COPE as your inspiration this week

Image by Larisa Koshkina from Pixabay

Posted in Poetry, sijo

After Dreams | Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge 34

There are stacks of life's boxes in the closet, floor to ceiling.
Labels are fading, some beyond recognition...new ones still clear.
When we leave, we'll take dancing shoes and costumes, discard the rest.

Copyright © Lizl Bennefeld, 2022-11-02.

They Have Materialized” by Brett Kiger is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #34.
Use DANCE as your inspiration this week.

Posted in Poetry, sijo

Fall Harvest | Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge 33

Enticing aromas of family dinner under apple trees
Fall harvest stored away, it's  time to celebrate together
Favorite songs and laughter swell as evening turns to starry night 

Copyright © 2022-10-31. by Lizl Bennefeld.

Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #33.
Use WINNING as your inspiration this week.

Team 3 apple orchard” by USDA NRCS New Mexico
is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0.

Posted in Poetry, sijo

It’s Entertainment | Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #32

Mazed by the madness: Kaleidoscope colors!  Blinding lights!
Megaphones and microphones—endless big-screen shows of nothing.
The new wizards of aah! peek around transparent curtains.

Copyright © 2022-10-19 by Lizl Bennefeld.

Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #32.
Use MAZE as your inspiration this week.

“kaleidoscope (93)” by lisafree54 is marked with CC0 1.0.

Posted in Poetry, sijo

Together | Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #31

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com
In memory of those who presaged the roads we follow,
celebrate their achievements, faithful to their final goals.
Respect and welcome others as we pave the way to peace.

Copyright © 2022-10-12 by Lizl Bennefeld.

Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #31.
Use FESTIVAL as your inspiration this week.

Posted in Poetry, sijo

Movies of the mind | Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #30

Photo by Brett Sayles on Pexels.com
From the first, I remember music
     pour from our old radio,
My parents sang and danced before
      they gently laid me down to sleep. 
Memories sweet and timeless, 
       still alive as I've grown old. 
      .

Copyright © 2022-10-06, by Lizl Bennefeld.

Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #30.
Use MOVIES as your inspiration this week.

Posted in Poetry, sijo

Forest walk | Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #29

Photo by Anna Kapustina on Pexels.com
Crackling leaves beneath my feet
     hide the sight of lingering green.
Squirrels run high above my head
     harvesting their forest feasts.
As evening wanes an owl asks Whoo?
      Whoo? scurries home to sleep and dreams.

Copyright © 2022-09-27., by Lizl Bennefeld.

Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #29.
Use AUTUMN as your inspiration this week.

Posted in Poetry, sijo

Light and darkness | Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #28

"Milky Way over Lake McDonald" by GlacierNPS is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0.
without mud and water, the lovely lotus flowers will not grow
without the sun, the moon could not mirror its beauty on the lake
joy and sorrow join together to create the fullness of life

Copyright © 2022-09-21., by Lizl Bennefeld.

Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #28.
Use BALANCE as your inspiration this week.

Posted in Poetry, sijo

Broken bones | Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #26

tenacious winds sweep ocean sands
          higher up eroded  beaches 
fallen trees tangle barren branches
          with bleaching bones and roots 
the sea is naked ... footprints turned to clay ...
           bird songs echo from the past 

Copyright © 2022-09-17, by Lizl Bennefeld.

Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #26.
Use PERSISTENCE as your inspiration this week.

Skeleton” by fw42 is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

Posted in Poetry, sijo

Flying | Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #27

“Soaring eagle” by PimGMX is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Aloft, eagles quarter their hunting space...
       float on rivers in the sky.
They hunt in pairs, often four birds or six...
      their sharp eagle eyes.
In dreams I float high above empty city streets,
      not knowing who I search for.

Copyright © 2022-09-16., by Lizl Bennefeld.

Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #27.
Use SOAR as your inspiration this week.

Posted in Poetry, sijo

New Creations | Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #25

“Water from all sides” by PeterThoeny is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.
breathe in deeply…find more space for sounds and thoughts and dreaming
taste the mingling currents as the world shifts from now to new
inspiration is the stuff by which creation is made

Copyright © 2022-09-03., by Lizl Bennefeld.

Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #25. Use INSPIRATION as your inspiration this week.

Posted in Poetry, sijo

Troubled Times | Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #24

Brett Sayles, Pexels
within every hardship, opportunities are buried
skills to hone, talents to discover, knowledge to be gained  
at the end—success or failure—satisfaction is the prize  

[sijo.] Copyright © Lizl Bennefeld, 2022-08-24.

Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #24.
Use ADVERSITY as your inspiration this week.

Posted in Poetry, sijo

Different Paths | Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #23

I try to not give advice or naively follow others'.
Situations may not be the same for you as for me. 
Our dialogues, though, could reveal 
more options and new paths. 

[sijo.] Copyright © Lizl Bennefeld, 2022-08-19.

Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #23.
Use ADVICE as your inspiration this week.

Photo by Ales Krivec on Unsplash

Posted in Poetry, sijo

Reach for the stars | Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #22

sweat and tears will not achieve anything 
          without a goal to reach
goals emerge where dreams are fed and watered
          tended, pruned back, and shaped
anchored to earth and reaching the sky...
          soon to build a longer bridge

[sijo.] Copyright © Lizl Bennefeld, 2022-08-15.

Starship | Artist Rendering” by Official SpaceX Photos is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0 .

Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #22.
Use ACHIEVEMENT as your inspiration this week.

Posted in Poetry, sijo

As the world spins | Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #21

as the world around us changes
            so must the long-term goals
common practices and mindsets
            have failed through the years
as the rungs on life's ladder break . . .
             I will learn to walk on air

[sijo.] Copyright © Lizl Bennefeld, 2022-08-07.

Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #21.
Use GOALS as your inspiration this week.

Posted in Poetry, tanka

Dreams and Stardust | Ronovan Writes Haiku Monday Poetry Challenge #421

Image credit: NASA/ESA/ESO/Wolfram Freudling et al. (STECF)
more stars in the sky
than grains of ancient sand
polished in the waves
       do galaxies live forever...or
       must dreams and stardust die

[tanka] Copyright © Lizl Bennefeld, 2022-08-02.

Ronovan Writes #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge 421 SAND and Life.

Posted in Poetry, sijo

Tasks at hand | Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #17

Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #17. Use WORK as your inspiration this week

spring planting
the work of our hands as we
          prepare the soil for planting 
the fruits of the land and the dirt
         that holds their seeds in trust
the weight of every harvest rests
         with cherishing a fertile earth 

[sijo.] Copyright © Lizl Bennefeld, 2022-07-06.

Image: “Spring Planting Day” by sgrace is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

Posted in Poetry, sijo

Another way | Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #16

Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #16. Use PARTY as your inspiration this week

too late to the party—the fires are out, the guests moved on
a cloudy sky—no moonlit path or guiding stars to point the way
light will surely come at dawn with signs and roads to follow 

[sijo.] Copyright © Lizl Bennefeld, 2022-06-29.

Image by S. Hermann & F. Richter from Pixabay

Posted in Poetry, sijo

Flowering seasons | Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #15 rev.

Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #15. Use Summer as your inspiration this week.

woodland flowers revel in spring
      before tree leaves block summer's light
summer sun and springtime flowers 
      mingle as they appear and leave
with fall's cool days and longer nights
      Joe-Pye-weed and gentian bloom 

[sijo.] Copyright © Lizl Bennefeld, 2022-06-22.

Posted in Haiku, nature, Poem, Poetry

Big and Little Bears | Ronovan Writes #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge 414

Ronovan Writes #Weekly #HaIku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge 414: Guide and Slip.

dusk slips into night
as northern guide stars appear
to point the way home

Copyright © 2022-06-17, by Lizl Bennefeld.

Image: Wikipedia (HubbleTelescope/Public Domain).

Ursa Major and Ursa Minor mean, in English, big bear and little bear.

Posted in Poetry, sijo

Erwin Schrödinger’s Kittens | Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #14

reality is the sum  
        of  everything that is and isn't

changed and constantly changing... 
        endless causes and effects

permanent uncertainty till
        all the universes end  

[sijo.] Copyright © Lizl Bennefeld, 2022-06-16

Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #14. Use Reality as your inspiration this week.

Posted in Poetry, sijo

In our hands | Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #13

the future that I will not live  
        must wait its turn while I take mine  
the tasks I do are for today—  
        tomorrow's fall to others' hands  
tomorrow and the years to come  
        will all depend on yesterdays  

[sijo.] Copyright © Lizl Bennefeld, 2022-06-08.

Ronovan Writes Sijo Wednesday Poetry Challenge #13. Use FUTURE as your inspiration this week.

Image by winterseitler from Pixabay

Posted in Poem, Poetry, tanka

Sun and lesser stars | Ronovan Writes #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge 413

Ronovan Writes #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge 413: Divide and Rise.

Moon rise in starry sky over the desert.
twilight divides
blinding sun from cold desert rock ...
to sunrise from night

after sunset the moon and 
lesser stars show paths to home

Copyright © 2022-06-06, by Lizl Bennefeld.

Image note: another beautiful night begin ! [Explored]” by Israel Nature Photography by Ary is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 .

Posted in Observations, Poem, Poetry, tanka

Community | Ronovan Writes #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge 412

Ronovan Writes #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge 412: Beast and Steam.

Billy Pasco – Snow Monkeys – Unsplash
steam rises around
snow monkeys in their hot springs
as they share the warmth

the beastly thing about winter
is how to not turn to ice

Copyright © 2022-05-30, by Lizl Bennefeld.

Photo by Billy Pasco on Unsplash.

Note: A snow monkey is also known as a Japanese macaque.

Posted in Haiku, micropoetry, Personal, Photography, Poem, Poetry, Writing

Strands of ice | Ronovan Writes #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge 400 FEATHER and Whisper.

Cirrus Clouds Near Sunset

Another poem, written to this week’s prompt words.

feathered clouds
strands of crystal ice
breathless wind

Copyright © by Liz Bennefeld, 2022-03-07. All rights reserved.

Ronovan Writes #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge 400 FEATHER and Whisper.

Posted in Haiku, micropoetry, Personal, Poem, Poetry, Retrospection, Writing

Give your heart | Ronovan Writes #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge 400 FEATHER and Whisper.

Pixabay free clipart

It has been a long time since I wrote this poem, but it is one of my most favorite among those I have written in this century. (I may write another to this prompt, but for now I could not resist the repetition.)

Gift your muse quill pens
and bid her feathers whisper
love to your belovèd

Copyright © by Liz Bennefeld, 2015-10-26. All rights reserved.

Ronovan Writes #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge 400 FEATHER and Whisper.