Firefly Shining On: @morganabag

Carole Johnson (@morganabag) is a creative writing teacher from Lexington, Kentucky, United States. In her own words: "I write poetry to stimulate that part of my brain that lights up for visual images. I don't know the name of that part of my brain but that's where god is."

I have enjoyed Carole's haiku, tanka, and micropoetry since I started collecting it from Twitter. Her poetry is elegantly crafted and a joy to read. I hope you enjoy it as I have. Here are some highlights of her poetry from her blog: dogandponypoet

~

Basho

I pretend to be Basho

wandering here and there up

and down the mountain

pausing to write small

zen moment poems in

green silence or white

snow silence - garden

morning walks or 700 mile

treks searching for a

magic pollen place or a

clear bird song morning.

Frost did it, sure, but

Basho did it first. I am their

plump old woman disciple.

~

sky tercet series

sky 1
the sky - Monet
riding a white stallion -
gallops before the storm

sky 2
the sky -N.C. Wyeth
pirating a pink nimbus -
sails the sunset ship

sky 3
the sky - Van Gogh
waving a thousand crow wand -
turns to thunder

sky 4
the sky - Edward
Hopper realist - refuses
rain -prefers shadows

~

Haiku and Tanka from Big Sur

sung to sleep by
sea lions
above the jade green surf

mist creeps up the
mountain from the
silver sea

hunting jade
among greygreen
sea stones
lost in white
mist magic

~

Some of Carole's best haiku from Twitter:

~

hunters moon / so much road kill / for the crows #haiku

november / fog tapestry / maple flame / oak blood / the green lake #tanka

i am / the mountain / lake of green water / russet maple / magic #tanka

dog / barking / at the full moon / someone stole / her tennis ball #tanka

eastern sky / bursting with / sky-blue-pink / my father's / favorite color #tanka

old woman / with rifle / protecting / her white farm cat / from feral toms #tanka

morning and evening / eerie orange glow paints / the horizon #haiku

thankful for / one more day of gold / and oak leaves / before winter / steals show #tanka

maple tree / wings / whirlygigs / on the wind / like fairy dust #tanka

the sky / a grey cat / curled around / horizon - one pearl / moon eye open #tanka

lemonmoon / on my pillow / five A.M. #haiku

watching / sunset / in my rear view / window - waiting / at Starbucks #tanka

the world / is an orange / sunset - fragile / as spider / skeletons #micropoetry

morning dogwalk / crackle - skitter - crunch / brownblowing leaves #haiku

brown wren / in by bedroom / birdpoem #haiku

all day we clatter through oak leaves / crows cry beyond empty trees #micropoetry

sparrows lined up / on phone line - tails bob / grey in the wind #haiku #depression (#senryu)

from / a dark room / i watch the sky / rouge itself / into night #micropoetry

small / mountain town / goblins down / main street /i fly by #tanka

old house/ rattles its bones / all night in the rain #haiku #senryu

the streets / are sunpuddles / and red oak / reflections / after rain #tanka

October / blueluminous / morning #haiku #threefavoritewords

she sips /tea at Starbucks / writing poems / on paper / cups #tanka

she is at peace / only when sunshines / obsessed with the sky #Senryu

comando crows / take the apple tree / finches flutter #haiku #senryu

tinkling glass / in the boneyard / hollowind #makeupaword #haiku

shadows / on the ceiling / voices of stars #haiku

crayola sun / rises over school/ melonball bright #haiku

sun floating / on rain puddle / yellow moth #haiku

as I / unleash the dog / my spirit flies free #haiku

cloudmaker / has taken / my blue balloon #senryu

the sky / swarms mosquitos / buzzing rain #haiku

waiting for / the wind to blow / summer away #haiku #senryu

time stops / we wait in shadow / of that other world #haiku #equinox

I write / in the ink / of night #haiku #senryu

that indigo / scar across night's / wrinkled face #haiku

image / of coral dawn / fires my brain all day #haiku #senryu

he sees / his own death / in the camera lens #haiku #senryu

spider / skeleton / husk / guards the house / from ghosts #tanka

cricket / chirping in the corner / conjurs the night inside #haiku

saturday / smells of leaf loam and/ pumpkin spice latte #haiku

her mouth / was filled / with ashes #haiku #9-11

two girls aswirl / in seaweed / mermaids for a day #haiku #senryu

prowling dark / streets startled by / the sudden moon #haiku

lost my keys / dropped my groceries / staring at the sky #haiku

pummelled by / acorn storms / before the thunder #haiku

poplar leaves / beginning to match / marigolds #haiku

dark morning / my dog oversleeps / no birds call #haiku

eyelids / too heavy for / moonviewing #haiku

inside / the boxwood hedge / sparrows #haiku

sudden sun /dayglows / my green yard #haiku

~

[I will be doing Firefly Shining On once or twice a month as I get the urge to showcase one of our fine Twitter poets. This is the essence of collecting dragonflies, to be able to show a poet has touched one's soul, giving us all inspiration to be better poets. Namasté - @NotOneNotTwo ]