Sitting Behind the Eight Ball

Turbulent Skies

Monday, March 3, 2024

Skies to the west of my home. Photo and post by Barb Edler

We had a heck of a thunderboomer Monday evening that included an eerie lightning storm. Today I will be at a visitation for a man who decided to take his own life. Feeling very weary, sad and powerless so I decided to write a haiku and share a 25-word projection while showcasing a couple of my more recent photos.

turbulent skies
           flash, uprooting lives-like a
                                   loveless marriage

By Barb Edler

January 14, 2024. Photo taken by Barb Edler. Southside Boat Club, Keokuk, Iowa

.  

an old woman weeps
praying for a better
world

too many heartaches etched
on her tired face
today

trying to be brave
bending not
breaking

By Barb Edler

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Barb Edler
Hello, I am a retired English teacher. I live along the Mississippi River and enjoy watching birds, the river, and nature in general. Writing for me is a gateway to healing, and I love to wrestle words in hopes of capturing an emotion or image others may relate.
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10 responses to “Turbulent Skies”

  1. Glenda Funk Avatar
    Glenda Funk

    Barb,

    I’m so sorry about the tragic death and the grief this man’s family is suffering. Your haiku are hauntingly beautiful. We can say things in poems we don’t have the words for in prose. The images you shared are perfect backdrops for grief. Today will be hard, but your presence will comfort the family, I’m sure.

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  2. Anita Ferreri Avatar
    Anita Ferreri

    I am so very sorry for a life lost far too soon and the pain it has brought and will bring. Your pictures and words are evidence of the sadness that hanging over your all. I hope, in do time, the sun will come out again and the happier memories will be able to surface.

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    1. Barb Edler Avatar
      Barb Edler

      Thank you for your kind words, Anita!

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  3. Denise Krebs Avatar
    Denise Krebs

    Oh, Barb, there is so much pain here to take in, and the skies also weep with the sadness. I’m unfamiliar with your form of a “25-word projection.” Is a projection poem like I might think, your projection of self into a subject? This poem is heart-wrenching and so much truth.

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    1. Barb Edler Avatar
      Barb Edler

      I think your idea is correct, but I also think the poem can be about anything. But it can only be 25 words.

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  4. kimhaynesjohnson Avatar
    kimhaynesjohnson

    Barb, the thunderstorms and the jagged edges of life that sap all the willingness to live from a friend you will lay to rest is sadness right to the core. I’m fascinated by this form and will return to it. I’m so sorry for the loss of your friend.

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  5. Rita K. Avatar
    Rita K.

    Your poem shows that we can say so much in so few words and the pictures perfectly complement your text. Very sorry for your loss. Your friend must have been in so much pain.

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    1. Barb Edler Avatar
      Barb Edler

      Thank you, Rita!

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  6. Maureen Young Ingram Avatar
    Maureen Young Ingram

    I am so moved, so saddened by your words today, and warmed by your beautiful poetry. What a tragic death for his loved ones to process. The world feels very hard these days. I am not familiar with a “25 word projection” – what a gorgeous poetry style. The words “bending not breaking” go so perfectly with your photos. Holding you in my heart, Barb.

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    1. Barb Edler Avatar
      Barb Edler

      Thank you, Maureen!

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