Tag: publication

Haiku: Milestone

a triangle carved in stone with an arrow and the words 'where are we really going? Always Home'

autumn moon
my first sixty years
of wandering

© Xenia Tran

haikuKATHA, Issue 13, November 2022

a pond surrounded by reeds with a pine forest and mountain in the background

I wrote this poem just after my 60th birthday (end of September) and am delighted it was published yesterday in haikuKATHA. Warm thanks to the editorial team and congratulations to all the other poets featured in this issue.

Wishing you all a wonderful Wednesday and to our friends in the US, a happy Thanksgiving too.

With love from Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Lens-Artists Weekly Photo Challenge #226: Textures

CMMC: November Alphabet – T in the Middle or at the End of a Word

Haiku: Kindness

close up of a red postbox in front of a wooden building

bumpy road
a postman helps inflate
the tyres

© Xenia Tran

Under the Basho, 16 November 2022

sun breaking through clouds above autumnal mountains

With warm-hearted thanks to the kind postman in Cannich who helped us continue on our journey.

Wishing you all a wonderful Wednesday,

with love from Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

CMMC: Pick a Topic from my Photo (buildings, houses, trees)

Haiku: Meet and Part

a small burn flowing through the forest

forest trail
a frog meets and parts
with its shadow

© Xenia Tran

haikuKATHA, Issue 11, September 2022

an upturned tree stump on the banks of a burn

The above haiku is a variation on Trust, as the frog’s movements reminded me of a moment when Eivor and Pearl were meeting and parting with their shadows on a forest trail two years ago.

Wishing you all a wonderful Wednesday and a peaceful rest of the week,

with love from Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Sunday Stills: Life is Made Up of Fleeting Moments

CMMC: October Pick a Topic from My Photo (Path, Grass, Shadow)

Haiku: Eastern Light

red poppies in a garden overlooking the sea

eastern light
how time slips by
since your passing

© Xenia Tran

haikuKATHA Issue 10, August 2022

fisherman's cottages above the rocks at sunrise

With warm thanks to Kala Ramesh, who encouraged me to write a new haiku to go with the header image, and create a haiga.

Wishing you all a blessed Wednesday and a peaceful rest of the week,

with love from Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Weekly Prompts Wednesday Challenge: Clouds

Haiku: Cherry Blossom Moon

close up of cherry blossoms in dappled light

cherry blossom
the whole of the moon
turns pink

© Xenia Tran

haikuKATHA Issue 10, August 2022

close up of cherry blossoms and buds in dappled light

With warm thanks to Terri Hale French for her invitation to create haiku incorporating a song title.

The song that inspired my haiku was The Whole of the Moon by The Waterboys:

Wishing you all a wonderful Wednesday and a peaceful rest of the week,

with love from Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Cee’s Flower of the Day

Haiku: Clan Stones

Culloden Battlefield

a bunch of wilting flowers wrapped in the Stewart tartan

fenced off
a highland cow feeds
near the clan stones

© Xenia Tran

Presence #73, July 2022

Stewart clan stone at Culloden with a bouquet of flowers

Cee invites us to connect to the present moment and Anne invites us to share our photographic groove. Connecting in a present moment to take a closer look and reflect on what I see runs like a thread through all my writing and photography.

Both haiku and photographs help me to pause and capture these moments and sometimes, such as in this case, the present moment connects me to a poignant moment in the past.

The above haiku is another one from my Culloden series, which has just been published in the July 2022 issue of Presence.

The header image is one I have shared before in a Silent Sunday post called Moorland Grazing. There was a timelessness about the scene that made me pause, reflect and sit down to write for a while.

Wishing you all a wonderful Wednesday,

with love from Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Lens-Artists Weekly Photo Challenge #211: What’s Your Photographic Groove

CFFC: Connects You to the Present Moment

Haiku: Tea Time

a blue teapot on a tea-warmer

gentle rain
tea is steeping
on the warmer

© Xenia Tran

The Asahi Shimbun, 3 June 2022

close up of a lit tealight inside a tea-warmer

Wishing you all a blessed Sunday and a peaceful new week,

with love from Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

CFFC: Brings a Smile to Your Face

Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge: Focus

Haiku: Their Own Nest

close up of cherry blossom

their own nest
between rooftops
cherry blossom

© Xenia Tran

Autumn Moon Haiku Journal 5:2, Spring-Summer 2022

cherry blossom blooms and buds

A warm-hearted thank you to all of you who showed so much kindness and love after the loss of our beloved Eivor and Pearl last month. Your prayers and healing have brought us great comfort.

We had no intention of fostering or adopting another dog so soon until angels both in heaven and on earth brought a sweet elderly whippet into our lives whose owner had passed away unexpectedly.

We look forward to introducing her on our sister blog, Whippet Wisdom, early next week.

Wishing you all a blessed Sunday and a peaceful week ahead,

with love from Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Cee’s Flower of the Day

Your Daily Word Prompt: Catenate

Haiku: Morning Cruise

Caledonian Canal and Loch Ness

Caledonian Canal seen from the back of a moving boat

morning cruise –
happy hospitality
for Nessie-hunters

© Xenia Tran

The Asahi Shimbun, 6 May 2022

Loch Ness with waves and something unusual in the water

We were not sure what we were seeing in the distance and cropped the image:

unexplained sighting on Loch Ness

At first I thought it was a wave, then I wondered whether it was driftwood. Could it be Nessie? I am not sure what we are looking at here, so if you have any idea, please let me know!

Wishing you all a blessed Sunday and a peaceful week ahead.

I am taking a short blogging break and will be back on Sunday 12 June 2022.

With love from Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Weekly Prompts Colour Challenge: Nautical Blue

Lens-Artists Weekly Photo Challenge #202: Minimalism – Maximalism

Water Water Everywhere #128

Kindness Glitters, poetry by Xenia Tran at Spillwords.com

Spillwords.com presents: Kindness Glitters, poetry by Xenia Tran, artist & photographer who lives and works in the Scottish Highlands.

Source: Kindness Glitters, poetry by Xenia Tran at Spillwords.com

I am deeply honoured and delighted that my poem Kindness Glitters was published on Spillwords earlier today.

A warm-hearted thank you to Dagmara K and the Spillwords team for selecting and featuring my poem here.

Wishing you all a happy Saturday and a wonderful weekend,

with love from Xenia xxx