Ligo Haibun Challenge ~ Monsoon / Haze

Sami Simpleton vs the Sky

The wind howled when it rose and it pounded heavily , rivaling the loud thrumming of her heart. The rain pelted fervently, covering the pavement with a thousand sparkling diamonds. In the midst of it all she stood, much like a deranged bride, veiled with a tempest of hair -damp, dark and disheveled.

She trembled. Not from the cold. But from too much courage.

Strangely formed clouds hovered above her and she raised her face up to them, challenging them, urging them to bring it on. Cool raindrops beat against her face without mercy but the currents of air quivered with her defiance.

She leaped over puddles with such admirable grace while dodging liquid bullets with her pink parasol. The wind persisted. And she fought on, with a kind of breathless intensity that only fools could possess. She finally reached her destination, dirty and dripping wet… but quite proud of herself.

Suddenly, out of the muddy haze, the sun emerged -all bright and buttery and gloating over its triumph.

Face turning crimson, she shook her umbrella angrily towards the sky. Then she shook her head, laughed and whistled a happy tune. One day, she’ll beat the heavens to its own game.

But for now, well, it’s a bright sunny day. =)

splendid burst of gold
changing the tide of battle
piercing through the clouds

Ligo Haibun Challenge

Advertisement

Ligo haibun Special

“There was a time when we need not cultivate the earth. We loved her and she loved us. We spoke to her and she spoke to us. And that was enough. She bloomed for us like a flower and we partook of her gifts.”

“What happened, grandfather?”

“They came… Oh how they raped the earth! Prodded and slashed at her with their hoes and ploughs until she yielded. Ah yes, the earth gives and she gives but no longer can one call it a gift, but a bloody sacrifice.”

“Some said we were here first… That we must attack their villages instead of retreating to the mountains.”

“Hush, child! Speak no more of such things.” he admonished tenderly. “We aren’t like them. And though the earth has changed, remember that it loved us once. We shan’t spill blood upon her.”

Tiny violet eyes peered from behind the viridian tangle. The elf elders said that their people were facing ani… he searched for the word. Annihilation.

He watched as the humans sang and danced around the hissing burst of flames praying to their gods for rain. They looked like him, only without his pointy ears. As he walked back to his beloved woodland, he whispered to a tree. ‘Shhh… Don’t worry. They seem like good people… They’ll take care of you.’

Trees rustle
With the mournful song
Of love lost

Ligo Haibun Challenge

Ligo Haibun Challenge

Adam

I looked at her face and the silvery ball of the moon… I had never seen them so beautiful… and so far away. My fingers ached to touch them… But why can’t I? Because He said so… the murmurous voice sprang from her throat. Yes, why give angels wings then forbid them to fly? It was enough to blot out all those years of blind obedience. Ghostly strings pulled me towards her. The hairs on the back of my neck stirred; maybe the angels are keeping their vigil. Through the thick mist I felt a hundred eyes float towards me, willing me to be ashamed. But her lips were red and fragrant and sweet… as any forbidden fruit can be. Willingly, I sank my teeth into their crimson softness. And she let out a soft moan, challenging the night. In my mind I heard Him cry… a long fragmented wail of pain slit the sky. But soon the sound was lost… there was only her and the smooth delicate curve of her neck as she threw it back in total abandon. The moment I took her hand, I knew I was condemned. Even then, I already felt it… tongues of deep scarlet furiously licking at my feet.

Tomorrow we burn
but for a fleeting moment
we shall know heaven

Ligo Haibun Challenge

Ligo Haibun Challenge ~ Inspiration

They say there’s no such emotion like when a mother watches her child take those first precious steps.

I have yet to be acquainted with that feeling. But let me tell you about that time when I almost knew how it felt…

It was a morning like any other…

A movement caught my eye. Everything remained still, suspended in midair as I watched her lift one shaky foot. They touched the ground, seemingly savoring how the earth pulsated beneath them.

Then she let go…

Mama released the quad cane and with a big grin on her face, took one trembling step after another towards my grandma who stood in the kitchen stunned, oblivious of the sharp fragments of porcelain that lay shattered at her feet.

‘Look!’, Ma yelled excitedly, ‘I’m walking!’

‘Praise God!,’ my grandmother breathed. Her eyes were brilliant with tears of joy.

Then it occurred to me… for the second time, she was witnessing her child take those first precious steps.

I giggled at my mother’s stubbornness… her obstinate refusal to stick to the norm.

A month ago on that day, when my mom suffered from cerebrovascular accident (stroke) the doctors said with certainty that she’ll never walk again.

They all said it was a miracle.

I believe it was coz of the stuff my ma’s made of.

pursuing life in
relentless spirit she walks
off the trodden path

thorns on trails
they but urge us to
keep walking

恵

*
I thought I was gonna write about fantasy but ended up writing about inspiration which I don’t do very often since I’m not so good with the teary stuff. lol But this one’s a true story and I hope that everyone who reads this gets to learn something about perseverance, fortitude and optimism from my mom. Coz I sure did.

for Ligo Haibun

Carpe Diem: Haibun

Here I tell the story of Ademete, daughter of King Aias. It was prophesied that the princess would give birth to a powerful giant that would cause the destruction of the kingdom. Terrified by the idea of a mere woman and her ginormous monster of a son on the throne, the King sent the young maiden off to sea where no man was to touch her. (also exposing her to the dangers of the raging tempests and leaving her at the mercy of blood-lusting sea beasts.)

Poseidon saw Ademete tied to her lone boat and was enraptured by her beauty (or he prolly thought the bondage thing was quite… kinky). He came to her as the gentle saliferous breeze, through which he caressed her skin. Ademete became pregnant (immediately, I suppose. you know how quick these gods are) then the god decided to save them (how nice of him) by embracing mother and child (in other words, drowning them) so their spirit could dwell immortalized, suspended between the seabed and the frothy undulating surface.

Aias, contrite and distraught from the loss of a daughter, missing her stories, was driven to insanity. He was said to spend most of his days by the shore hoping to catch a glimpse of his Ademete. ‘til the day the kingdom (and also him) was wiped out by a… wait for it… tidal wave! Hence, fulfilling the prophesy. But Poseidon took pity on him and allowed his spirit to linger by the shore, so that from time to time, he is comforted by the soothing whispers of the waves to the sand.

the moaning giant
tells her story wave by wave
to the patient shore

恵

Well, I sure hope you didn’t believe any of that, cos 1) it’s just mythology and 2) I just made it all up.haha

Why not? It has all the ingredients of a classic Greek myth tale: Tragedy – check. Rape by a god – check. The oracle is never wrong – check. And lastly, the unmistakable message that the tale of any woman who attempts to rise to power ends up…well, bad. -check! ^^ lol Ahh these Ancient Greeks. *scratches head* Hope you enjoyed ^^

Ligo Haibun Challenge – Peace

The day was over…

I would stand by the window and fix my eyes at the smoldering skies erupting in a nimbus of flame, its crimson ferocity reflecting the seething inferno of impotent fury screaming inside me. Earphones on, music in earsplitting volume, I’d watch in forced wonder as the setting sun spins a blazing web of fire. And I would drift off into a clandestine world… distancing myself from their pain.

But the problem with fantasy is that it’s hard to tell the beginning from the end. It kind of just swallows you and leads you on ‘til you find yourself caught in a fool’s dance… spinning round and round in a mockingly blissful rhythm ‘til your knees give way and you’re gasping for air. The red curtains close and you find yourself shrouded in perpetual darkness, staring at the obsidian sky… cold, indifferent, bereft of stars…

At his funeral, the sun began to set. And I stared at it expectantly, half hoping that it’d burn clean every last taint of violence and hurt. But no peace came… Only a bewildering net of mixed emotions… a sense of loss even. My anger evaporated.

I looked at the sky again and saw nothing but a feeble ginger haze.

Peace finally came
as the last embers of hate
fizzled within me.

恵

Ligo Haibun Challenge

Ligo Haibun Challenge – Peace

Līgo Haībun Challenge ~ Down At The Crossroads

Puta Zingara. Gypsy Whore. That’s what they called her. She knelt For hours til her knees were bruised, staring at the serene face of the Madonna. A non-believer, her mind was not in religious prayer but a persistent unholy meditation. The way she saw it, there were only two sins in this world, being born poor and being a coward.

She was at a crossroads. And both paths required courage. A higher dose of nerve than the one which propelled her hips to undulate infront of a crowd of leering men… a greater amount of fearlessness than what she needed as she deftly picked their pockets… And still, a larger measure of bravery than what had urged her to get back on her feet after they had desecrated her then innocent body.

But, which route was she going to take?

She placed a sun-bronzed hand on her firm stomach. She felt the life pulsating underneath her palm, beating in defiant protest… One drink of the strongly steeped concoction and it would be nothing more than a bloody stain… She walked away from the altar, the marble mercilessly cold against her bare feet, as though expressing its revulsion at her filth. She left the cappella with a strong resolve. The child was her talisman… No longer will she walk alone.

220 words

Down at the crossroads
Stray soul finds her companion
And was lost no more

恵

Līgo Haībun Challenge