alone with the moon
a collection of autumn haibun (november 2024)
eleventh moon, first day, 2024
what do you call that wind? when the petals or leaves would flutter in air in every single direction? that kind of wind is magical. it makes me feel like i’m at the bottom of the ocean. even more so when the sky is blue.
framed by my window
leaves swirling
into the blue sky
eleventh moon, second day, 2024
i saw the mother tree lady again today. this time on the bridge. i found out that she is also an artist. she's a painter who paints realistic portraits. oh how lovely it is to meet another person who has the same passion as you in this beautiful place at this time of the year! it's such a rare occurrence. we talked about art and nature, and we both have fondness for taking photographs of the little wonders we see around us.
two chrysanthemums
blooming in the midst
of falling leaves
eleventh moon, fourth day, 2024
i found a bumblebee on the middle of a concrete pathway. it didn't fly when i came close. i think it was weak; it was moving very slowly… it was probably on its final days since we are halfway through autumn, and the wind is getting colder and colder each day. i didn't want to leave it there, so i grabbed a fallen leaf and picked the bee up. i didn't know what to do to be honest, all i can think about at that time was to look for some flowers.
end of autumn
searching for flowers
for a dying bee
in the end i managed to find some marigolds for the bee. i wasn't sure if it was good for them but according to my quick research, i think they are. i just didn't want its final days to be spent on the cold concrete floor. the bee slowly climbed on to a marigold and that was the end of that little side quest.
eleventh moon, fifth day, 2024
by the bridge, next to the mother tree, talking mostly about nature with Jane, the artist lady. we agreed to meet up here from time to time at 9 AM to talk about art and just simply enjoy the scenery.
like a bird
that falling leaf
she said
i told her one of the things i love doing here is imagining what this area was like when the trees were still small, especially the mother tree. what did people do here back then before i was born? what did this bridge looked like before it got rusty? who made all those graffiti underneath it? what is the pulley for? were there boats back then that carried cargos? how many people have been here? so many questions... so many stories...
eleventh moon, sixth day, 2024
my mind was getting crowded again, it was getting heavy. i needed to go outside to take a breather. it was beautiful out. i was met with a vast clear sky... a little sad though as most of the trees are bare now... but the absence of leaves made me appreciate the blue sky above.
beyond the remaining leaves
beyond the bare trees
the bluest blue sky
eleventh moon, seventh day, 2024
the waxing crescent moon was up on the south sky this evening. it made me want to stroll around the neighborhood. it also made me realized that i haven't walked at this time of the day in a long, long while. so, i did just that to switch things up a bit. it was lovely out. it was twilight. most of the sky was dark except for the horizon which was glowing softly in orange. streetlights line up the streets and silhouettes of bare trees, evergreens, and power lines were everywhere. i walked mostly south towards the bridge so most of the time i was gazing at the moon.
on a bridge
alone with the moon
feeling in love
eleventh moon, ninth day, 2024
while drinking hot cocoa and gazing out the window.
two leaves
twirls together
then part ways
i don't know why but i'm just feeling this intense love inside me. i don't know how to explain it. it's probably because of the song "I Will" by The Beatles. i've been listening to it over and over for the past few days. i just really love everything about it. specially the lyrics. it's so simple and short but very beautiful. almost like a haiku actually.
sitting on the edge
of a bridge
humming a love song
eleventh moon, tenth day, 2024
i've been feeling sooo sleepy these past few days... i think it's the cold. it's getting colder now each day, especially in the morning. seasonal depression is coming in too. the winter blues... i just didn't feel like doing anything today so i made some hot cocoa and sat and relaxed by my window.
incense smoke
vanishes
into the white sky
eleventh moon, eleventh day, 2024
the wind again. it always speaks to me whenever i put my palm on the trunk of this one cherry blossom tree near our apartment. it never seizes to amaze me. i don't really know what it's saying, all i can do is to feel it.
palm on a cherry tree
wind blows
leaves rustles
eleventh moon, twelfth day, 2024
windy again today. lots of little whirlwinds here and there. good thing there's still leaves left on the ground. one thing i'm always sad about is how quickly the people around here clean the leaves up. everything is too tidy. even in spring and summer they would cut the grass so often you rarely see the white clovers fully bloom, leaving very little time for the pollinators to enjoy them.
whirlwind of leaves
i would have chased it
if there were no cars
eleventh moon, thirteenth day, 2024
sitting on the railing of the bridge, facing downstream.
the one green leaf
hanging over the stream
gone now
i was wondering yesterday when will that leaf fall. i thought it would still hang on the branch a little bit longer but nope, that part of the tree is bare now. you'll never really know when things would end.
i was delighted when i heard the sound of wind chimes today. i haven't heard them since the day that one neighbor moved away many moons ago. they had one up by their window. i would always listen to it whenever the wind was blowing. it always reminded me of snow and ice crystals.
wind chimes
ice crystals
fills the sky
have you ever seen ice crystals? they're also known as diamond dust. they are tiny ice particles that floats in the air. yes, they float in the air. they are not like snow that falls to the ground. this one is a rare phenomenon that mostly happens in very cold places like the antarctica. i've only seen it once and it was over a year ago. that day was magical. it was so lovely. they were everywhere sparkling under the blue sky like fireflies. ah it was just so beautiful. the wind chimes would accompany them by ringing softly whenever the wind blew.
samaras fell as the wind blew gently.
wind chimes
the last of the samaras
spinning like ballerinas
eleventh moon, fifteenth day, 2024
a little quiet at the bridge today. no birds or anything, just the sound of the small waterfall below. it was easy to hear the footsteps on the fallen leaves. most of them were from the squirrels. it's kind of funny whenever i hear these crunchy sounds because i would always think it's from some predatory creature stalking me from the bushes but then i'll look and only see a squirrel. today, when i looked behind:
footsteps on fallen leaves
behind me
a buck and a doe
eleventh moon, sixteenth day, 2024
out on my daily walk, feeding the squirrels as usual.
cold breeze
squirrels beside me
round and fluffy now
there was a blue jay too among those little furballs. i had to throw the peanuts a little further away for it so that the squirrels wouldn't eat it.
sitting on the railing of the bridge, gazing downstream.
mandarin pulps
cold as the wind
blowing downstream
i saw the buck and the doe again. i think they're the same ones.
eleventh moon, seventeenth day, 2024
after journaling in my room, i noticed the moon shining faintly through the curtain.
hazy moon
my old fingerprints glow
on the windowpane
i love those little marks on my window. that's why i don't wipe them clean. they make the moon appear dreamy, like how you see it when you squint your teary eyes. it just looks magical. sometimes i would breathe out on the windowpane to fog it up so i can see the moon glow like the milky way.
eleventh moon, nineteenth day, 2024
one thing that our financial crisis taught me is that we shouldn't take things for granted. the simplest things like the foods and having a roof over your head is one of the greatest gifts we could ever have. we're so used to having them every single day that we often forget to appreciate them. hunger and experiencing a little bit of homelessness showed me that. the crisis also showed me what things truly mattered and what things don't. and starting today, i'm gonna focus on the things that are really important to me and let go of the other ones. i want to live every second of my life with purpose and meaning.
falling leaves
making each day
count
eleventh moon, twenty-first day, 2024
wrapped under my bed sheets, still very dark.
sound of rain
the perfect dawn
for a lazy day
gazing out the window while eating an apple. a blue jay perches on my windowsill to grab some peanuts i put the other day.
blue jay perches
raindrops on the power line
falls all at once
eleventh moon, twenty-second day, 2024
it was very cold this morning. it felt icy like winter. i was planning on going for a walk but i was underprepared. the wind made it extra freezing. i didn't want to change my clothes, i got lazy, so i just decided to go after feeding the squirrels. while gazing out my window this afternoon, rain slowly turned into snow.
first snow
the last batches of leaves
still holding on
eleventh moon, twenty-third day, 2024
it was beautiful this morning. ice cold but the sky was blue and it was filled with soft puffy white clouds over the horizon. the paths were also adorned with colorful windswept leaves. most of them were red-orange cherry leaves and yellow and brown maple leaves. those trees are always the last ones to shed. after a few more weeks, everything will be bare and it'll officially be winter.
on the bridge, gazing downstream:
first snow
the brook looking lively
with mosses
eleventh moon, twenty-fourth day, 2024
do you know the feeling when you feel like you know where you are going with life but at the same time you don't know how you are gonna get there. i feel like i know how to get there but i also don't. it's a little frustrating to be honest. it would be nice if a clear path is suddenly laid out right in front of me. but i also think it's what makes life interesting. i have experienced so many wonderful things in the uncertainty. i have learned so much, i think even more than if i were to be in a predictable path. heck i was in a predictable path three-quarters of my life but this recent quarter is where i grew so much as a person.
maybe a shout
will give me answers
murky water
eleventh moon, twenty-sixth day, 2024
i love cooking when it's raining. i just love it so much. specially our stove is right next to the window. you could hear the water dripping from the gutters clearly. this morning i was cooking some longganisa, they're a staple Filipino breakfast. they're basically sausages. it's perfect to eat with fried eggs and fried rice.
autumn rain
sausages
sizzling in the dark
today was the perfect day to drink hot cocoa. it's raining and it's my day off. the only thing was... i drank the last packet of hot cocoa last night after work… i really wanted to drink hot cocoa that morning so i went out to the rain and walked to the grocery store. i'm happy i did because it was nice out. it was misty and quiet along the pond. all i can hear were the sound of squirrels and birds from far away.
autumn rain
boxes of hot cocoa
in my grocery bag
on my way home. along the pond.
misty pond
a lone blue jay
squawking
eleventh moon, twenty-seventh day, 2024
it's almost december and the last batches of leaves haven't fallen yet. it hasn't been windy these past couple days. some of the maple trees are still fully covered with yellow leaves. there were some weak gust of wind here and there though.
falling leaves
the silence
in between
eleventh moon, twenty-eight day, 2024
i can't remember when was the last time it rained. it felt so long ago... i missed walking in it so i did just that today. it felt so nice. it was quiet and the sound of rain falling on my umbrella was so soothing to the ears. i went to the bridge. it's a must on a day like this. it always reminds me of the film, "The Garden of Words." it's about a shoe maker and a teacher meeting in a gazebo every time it rains. one thing i really liked about it was when they exchanged tanka. the tanka goes like this:
a faint clap
of thunder
clouded skies
perhaps rain will come
if so, will you stay here with me?
the lady responded with:
a faint clap
of thunder
even if rain comes or not
i will stay here
together with you
while looking down the bridge, i wrote:
cold rain
gazing past
my rippled reflection
eleventh moon, thirtieth day, 2024
i've been listening to my friend's music this morning. in fact, one of her song titled, "One Wish" has been stuck in my head on repeat for weeks now. i'm not familiar with a lot of musical instruments but i think it was mostly piano and glockenspiel. all of her songs that i've listened to were calm and dreamy. they all make me feel like i'm floating across the stars.
glockenspiel
thinking about a place
somewhere among the stars
have you ever felt that way? that was how here music made me feel. like i feel like there is a perfect place out there in deep space. it feels familiar yet i haven't been there. i feel like i know what it looks like but at the same time i don't. it doesn't make sense. it just feels like there is a place for me among the stars.
about the author
Thomas is the creator of a wish that bloomed in fall. he is also a haiku poet, origamist, and a squirrel whisperer. he loves spending time in nature and writing poems about the little things in life.
a wish that bloomed in fall
a heartwarming slice-of-life story about Emma, a girl who meets a cute little squirrel named Cinnamon, who will inspire her to pursue her dream of becoming a comic artist. you can read it here!
“Yet, even amidst the hatred and carnage, life is still worth living. It is possible for wonderful encounters and beautiful things to exist.”
- Hayao Miyazaki