Poets Salon: Hibernating

POETS SALON

– 12/25/19

Rock from Lake Tai in the Garden of Flowing Fragrance, Huntington Gardens (Photo – Kath Abela Wilson)

Hosted by Kath Abela Wilson

For a week we lived overlooking Lake Tai in Suzhou. My husband and I felt like lookouts over the mysterious world forming and dissolving beneath the surface. The prized scholar’s rocks for Chinese gardens.

how our lives
are shaped like stones
the sound of water

~ Kath Abela

Ο Ο Ο

Baby Oak (Photo – Teresa Mei Chuc)

Teresa Mei Chuc

winter

time to rest
hibernate

propagate plants
seeds
and words

My grandmother passed away around this time of year. So when the weather changes, the wind and cold come and the leaves begin to fall, the orange tree is full of fruits, I am reminded of her presence and absence. Winter is a time when bears hibernate, winter is a time of rest and renewal. I feel this way about myself; a need to hibernate, rest and renew. It is a time that I propagate white sage seeds, acorns and other seeds, and care for the seedlings. It is a time when things form in the darkness of the earth and with water, unfurl into the light. It is a time I reflect and find the tiny seeds of words to place into the soil, tend to and watch grow into something that could nourish others.

scent of orange blossoms–
memories of my late grandma
who planted this tree

My grandmother planted an orange tree as a seed when I was a child, and even though she has passed away over ten years ago, every winter, the tree is full of delicious oranges. Every winter, I am reminded of her when I see oranges.

Ο Ο Ο

In my garden (Photo – Jean Sudbury)

Jean Sudbury

In the cool weather after the rain, seedlings begin to sprout. I always am pleased when I see this, I imagine the essence of springtime. Oxalis, various poppies, new sunflowers, and new leaves on established plants. It is a good time to clean out and make room for new growth in the garden of life.

winter solstice

time to relax
regrow

resow
from seed
2020 visions

Ο

Naked ladies and wildflowers
emerge among the succulents (Photo – Jean Sudbury)

Hibernating: Quotes and Credits

Teresa Mei Chuc was born in Saigon, Vietnam (mixed ancestry: Vietnamese, Cantonese, Japanese), and since the age of 2 years old, grew up and still lives in the Tongva village of Hahamongna (Pasadena). Teresa has a Master’s in Fine Arts in Creative Writing (poetry) from Goddard College in Vermont and teaches literature and writing at a public high school in Los Angeles with an emphasis on decolonizing education. She is publisher and editor-in-chief of Shabda Press and a part of the Regenerative Collective working on healing land and community.

Jean Sudbury is a professional musician and an artist for life, living in Sierra Madre, CA. She’s a published photographer, journalist and poet, and she teaches yoga. Jean is grateful for such a life.

A sunflower bends towards the morning sun (Photo – Jean Sudbury)

♣ A note from Kath Abela

Send your submissions by midnight Sunday, Pacific time, on each week’s theme: “New Year“, “Rose Parade“, “Aspiration” , or suggest your own theme.

Send short poems, haiku, senryu, tanka, cherita haibun, tanka prose, short prose poems, etc., or your own unique approach, to Kath Abela by Facebook message or click here to email her directly. We can feature your work again after five months. Multiple Submissions can be saved to appear later:

1. Send a short bio, comments on the theme.
2. Send photos or artwork by you, if possible.
3. No attachments except photos.

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