I am very proud to have one of my haiku poems selected for Charlotte Digregorio’s Writer’s Blog ‘Daily Haiku‘!
steaming heat . . .in the bamboo foresta hacking macheteby AlGallia (USA)March 8, 2023
Category: Life
Blue Jays
backyard bird feederAl W Gallia
a bluejay and mockingbird
in close-quarter combat
In today’s world, enough is never enough for the many who always want more! Even animals seem to exhibit the desire to hoard, to keep it all for themselves whether they need it or not. However, if we are blessed with enough by God, we are called to share and provide for those in true need such as children, sick, elderly, and widows. Blessings and peace.
Mosquitoes Humming
rain dripsAl W Gallia
from the thatched roof
smell of cooking rice
She lives simply in jungle, subsisting mostly on nature’s sometimes meager bounty. Hers is a never ending hard life with very little time for leisure activities as she must provide for her children and aging parents. She has no electricity or other utility services. Her husband is seldom home.
steaming heat…Al W Gallia
in the bamboo forest
a hacking machete
Today, regardless of weather, she hoists her fifty pound basket onto her back and starts her weekly trek to the local marketplace to sell or trade. Her sandals are worn and loose on her feet. Yet she hums and trudges on, thankful for all God has given her.
wild pig squealing…Al W Gallia
a jet plane’s contrail above
the jungle canopy
And life goes on, as it always has for countless generations around our world.
Babel
Friends, I must say that am very proud to have my one of my haiku included in the latest THF Haiku Dialogue! The selections from so many wonderful multinational poets are a great pleasure to read! Check it out.
cypress buds…
multilingual chatter
of nesting birds
Al Gallia
Louisiana, USA
HAIKU DIALOGUE – Avian Adventures – Diversity (1)
A Fellow Traveler
Out of the chill wind, I lean against the sun-warmed brick wall. A brief mid winter warmup lures my thoughts toward coming springtime in south Louisiana.
limp banana leaf
a young anole warms
in the winter sunfeeling the sunlight on my face
Al Gallia 2023
I too thank our loving God
An impatient commuter honks his horn at another car! For the moment, I am brought back into the real world where we humans continue our endless, chaotic struggle of cultures, morals, religions, money and power. But only briefly, as then I let my senses flow back to the blessed solitude, peace, and oneness of God and nature, to the promised hope and deliverance of my Christian faith.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find…”
Matthew 7:7
500 Times
Very proud to have one of my haiku poems in the selections for the this weeks THF Haiku Dialogue!
scraping chalk nub
Al Gallia
writing five hundred times
“no talking in class”
Louisiana USA
Several of my elementary school years were spent at a Catholic school in Dallas, from which many special memories still float in my mind. The common discipline administered by the black-habited nun teachers for most classroom transgressions was writing a sentence repeatedly for hundreds of times on the blackboard or notebook paper. And then erase it when finished! Yes, occasionally I was sentenced to this terrible punishment which resulted in loss of play time and cramped fingers, and a permanent impression in my memory.
The Dandelion
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
Haiku: Among the Leaves
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
The Stump and Vine
a young vine
©️Al W Gallia 2020
stretches toward the sun…
does the stump feel it?
Along the road at nearby Lake Martin on a warm spring morning, I see a decaying stump spotlighted in a sun beam. Around this old stump, a new creeper vine spirals upward toward the light, grasping tightly to the dead wood where it can for support. I remember my father’s smile. Life rises from death and will not be denied!
Searching for Serendipity 