The 50’s were the time of my teenage years, when life was real, simple and direct. Radio and fuzzy TV! No cable, no computers, no cell or smart phones, no apps, social media, online gaming, or A.I.!
But bikes, local parks, Dairy Queens, drive-in movies, fishing, and realtime friends I could share life with were enough! Blessings and peace, my friends. Pray for our young folks.
fifties dinerAl Gallia 2023
whiff of youth’s memories
and bacon
a withering leaf…/ remnants of nature’s beauty/ litter the forest
Al W Gallia
Some things are timeless… not related to human manipulation and degradation. The beauty of unspoiled Nature in her virgin glory, a gift from our loving God, is at the top of my list:
A golden leaf swirling in a stream’s eddy; mottled sunlight on a blossom; a cardinal sitting on a limb; a sand-fall down a canyon wall; even a new dandelion rising through a cracked rock. Whether a fading leaf or a wizened old woman, innate beauty never changes and remains locked in time, unblemished forever.
a circling butterfly
Al W Gallia
touches down on her finger tip
breeze blown wildflowers
True beauty has no need of mankind’s touch, but only to be left alone to radiate and be appreciated.
Whether Covid or flu, surely most of us have experienced the helpless feeling of being trapped with no escape!
nearby coughing…
Al W Gallia
the old man wishes he had
brought his mask
That lurking evil virus or cold in the crowded waiting room…will it find me if I sit apart, stay still, and keep a low profile? Probably! Blessings and peace, my friends.
I shake my head sadly at our fumbling politicians and ‘leaders’. It is so obvious that their left hands have no idea what their right hands are doing. And they have no desire to compromise toward America’s center. It is only about power and control, not America’s welfare.
3rd Covid year…
Al W Gallia
as politicians deflect blame
old couples lock hands
In the solitude and peace of our home, our safe escape pod in this latest Covid surge, I thank God again for my faith, my wife, and our health. Amen.
My friends…many of the haiku I am prompted to write arise from visual experiences as my wife, Bobbie, and I travel in our motorhome RV. If we see something special and meaningful while I drive, she takes photos! Posts like this are collaborative, with a bit of embellishment on my part, and works well for us! Her capture of this old tree along the roadside was my prompt in this haiku/haiga/haibun. Thanks, sweetheart..
Thunder slowly rolls into the distance after the cold rain storm. The old tree never wavered but held its ground as it has for over a hundred years. Water dribbles down its remaining bark, winding through old ridges and crevices and onto the anthill below. A crow circles the tree once and flies on. Somewhere across the field, a cow moos.
storm clouds pass…
a woodpecker’s head
in a dripping hole
©Al W Gallia
I pull back my rain hood, breathe the fresh, crisp air, and walk out from the dilapidated cow shed toward my grandparent’s house across the field. From their chimney, the north wind carries the aroma of woodsmoke and bacon! Picking up my pace, I have a happy “thank you, Lord” in my heart.
the old limbless tree
warms in bright winter sun…
woodsmoke on the breeze
©Al W Gallia
Six years ago, while we were spending a stormy day at an Alabama coastal campground, I simply watched the rain and listened to the continuous thunder. Nature photography was my love at the time and I had no inkling then that, over the next year, I would also fall in love with haiku, a Japanese short form poetry which would greatly enhance my aging life.
thunder and lightning…
cuddled around the fireplace
an old man and his wife
Al W Gallia 08/07/21
The world has changed so much since then with social and political unrest, ongoing Covid pandemic, mask wearing, social isolation, and loss of family and friends. At our age, it is hard for my wife and me to adjust to this new stormy reality. But we are survivors and we have a strong faith and hope in our loving God and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. So we face the storm head-on without fear, staying focused on the Truth and Light. Blessings and peace, my friends.
It is the 2nd Lenten season during this worldwide Covid-19 pandemic, in which we are struggling to survive. Do we actually think that we can succeed, as ‘one nation under God’, without Him, by continuing to turn away from Him in our lives? I think not, as faith and prayer are the true way and God is the source of all love, goodness and hope.
morning fog lifts…
the scent of coffee rises
with his prayers
©Al W Gallia 2021
Consider these verses from Jeremiah 17: 5-10:
Thus says the LORD:
Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings,
who makes flesh his strength,
whose heart turns away from the LORD.
He is like a barren bush in the wasteland
that enjoys no change of season,
But stands in lava beds in the wilderness,
a land, salty and uninhabited.
Blessed are those who trust in the LORD;
the LORD will be their trust.
They are like a tree planted beside the waters
that stretches out its roots to the stream:
It does not fear heat when it comes,
its leaves stay green;
In the year of drought it shows no distress,
but still produces fruit.
More tortuous than anything is the human heart,
beyond remedy; who can understand it?
I, the LORD, explore the mind
and test the heart,
Giving to all according to their ways,
according to the fruit of their deeds.
Occasionally I run across an article that sparks meaningful thoughts in my mind. After a year of social distancing (actually self-imposed isolation), my wife and I begin the latter part of our lives, our eighties, amidst worldwide Covid-19 pandemic, family and friends illnesses and deaths, economic turmoil, and civil unrest. It would be so easy for me to just fade back into the woodwork, waiting for some change that may not come, and die a slow death of mental dullness watching TV movies. But that is not me or my wife! Creativity has always been a big part of our lives in many varied ways.
camera in hand
he leans on his walking stick
the egret stares back
©️Al W Gallia 2021
For me, nature photography and haiku poetry have been my creative interests for many years. I realize how important such activities are for mental exercise and personal enjoyment. I also realize that continued pursuit of these activities requires certain physical adjustments that aging requires. Such changes were, at first, hard to accept but prayer, meditation, and trust in a loving God always light the way.
bayou stillness
his paddle’s swirl
the only sound
©️Al W Gallia 2021
So, if you feel the need to be creative at this stage in your life, the following guest post may provide helpful ideas.
Guest Post: How To Become A More Creative Person
Stumbled upon a super awesome website that I really must recommend you to read. Their niche is mainly in the areas of relationship, health, family …
Guest Post: How To Become A More Creative Person
One year into our Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, how the priorities of my life have changed! No longer do my wife and I plan fun shopping trips, cafe lunches, or casual visiting with family and friends. Add to that the stress of politics and the realities of turning 80, and we are now living in a new ‘normal’, maybe forever.
The one thing that makes our situation bearable is an unwavering FAITH in a loving, caring God, and the love and companionship we give each other! And one of the best ways to feel and hear Him is in the solitude and beauty of nature, where no words are needed but only awareness.
winter walkabout
among the dead leaves
a dandelion shoot
©Al W Gallia 2021
An Indian Summer day…a great morning for a walkabout!
a brisk breeze
ripples the quiet stream…
swirling reds and golds
©Al W Gallia 2020
Searching for Serendipity 