Haiku (beneath smoky skies)
Observed and heard when temperatures reached 106 degrees.91 total reviews
Comment from BeasPeas
I think this is very true. It sounds as if you are talking about after a forest/brush fire. Nature has a way of "reseeding" itself with the clearing out of underbrush in a fire. Not an ideal situation, having lived in the mountains of CA where the whole town had mandatory evac in 2013. Well written. Tells a story in just a few lines. Marilyn
reply by the author on 24-Sep-2017
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I think this is very true. It sounds as if you are talking about after a forest/brush fire. Nature has a way of "reseeding" itself with the clearing out of underbrush in a fire. Not an ideal situation, having lived in the mountains of CA where the whole town had mandatory evac in 2013. Well written. Tells a story in just a few lines. Marilyn
Comment Written 19-Sep-2017
reply by the author on 24-Sep-2017
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Yes, Marilyn, I tell stories in even the smallest poem. While inhaling the smoke of distant brush fires, I was surprised to hear cones pop open just by the heat wave alone. Thank you for your review.
Comment from nartoonla
Hi, Sis Cat,
I am an oral storyteller as well as work with little kids.. Some I write down but many others in my head. So that is why my punctuation is weak.. and once again thank you for correcting! And for your review.
I read your mini poem and liked it, loving pine trees and cones too. Ever eat the seeds? Yummy.
Brief the smell awakens one soul and unites you with nature. In just a few words .. you woke my soul up.. thank you. Regards nartoonla
reply by the author on 15-Sep-2017
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Hi, Sis Cat,
I am an oral storyteller as well as work with little kids.. Some I write down but many others in my head. So that is why my punctuation is weak.. and once again thank you for correcting! And for your review.
I read your mini poem and liked it, loving pine trees and cones too. Ever eat the seeds? Yummy.
Brief the smell awakens one soul and unites you with nature. In just a few words .. you woke my soul up.. thank you. Regards nartoonla
Comment Written 10-Sep-2017
reply by the author on 15-Sep-2017
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Yes, nartoonla. I eat the seeds, but only store-bought ones. I am glad my haiku awakened your soul. Thank you for your review.
Comment from nomi338
Another reason among so, so many why living in California makes so much sense. I know Maine, New York, Florida, Texas, etal, all have their particular charms, but there is nothing like the attraction of living here in Cali. I love it and will never leave.
reply by the author on 07-Sep-2017
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Another reason among so, so many why living in California makes so much sense. I know Maine, New York, Florida, Texas, etal, all have their particular charms, but there is nothing like the attraction of living here in Cali. I love it and will never leave.
Comment Written 07-Sep-2017
reply by the author on 07-Sep-2017
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Yes, nomi338, I love California, too, as you can see in this quintessential Californian haiku. Thank you for your review.
Comment from smileycloud
lovely poem
picturesque words
you have done nature honor with your poem
have a smiley day
reply by the author on 06-Sep-2017
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lovely poem
picturesque words
you have done nature honor with your poem
have a smiley day
Comment Written 06-Sep-2017
reply by the author on 06-Sep-2017
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Thank you, Smiley, for your review of my smoky Haiku. I appreciate it.
Comment from Kerry Foley Robinson
Wow, Andre, this is an awesome Haiku. That is really something, huh? they crackle and pop, a pretty neat tidbit of info, my friend. I bet they put off a strong pine scent when this happens as well. I love the smell of pine trees. ~Kerry
reply by the author on 06-Sep-2017
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Wow, Andre, this is an awesome Haiku. That is really something, huh? they crackle and pop, a pretty neat tidbit of info, my friend. I bet they put off a strong pine scent when this happens as well. I love the smell of pine trees. ~Kerry
Comment Written 06-Sep-2017
reply by the author on 06-Sep-2017
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Kerry, you got to watch this video of a pine cone popping open:
This is what I heard last Friday from a thousand pine cones in dozens of trees in my neighborhood when temperatures reached 106 degrees.
Thank you for your review.
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That is so very cool, Andre. Thank you for sharing that with me:)) It has not been a very hot summer here at all, very mild, the coolest in years really. Crazy.
Comment from Thesis
This is really interesting. What happens when nature forces action based on the temperature. Andre, I had no idea this phenomenon happened. Thanks for sharing. A lot of information in few words.
reply by the author on 05-Sep-2017
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This is really interesting. What happens when nature forces action based on the temperature. Andre, I had no idea this phenomenon happened. Thanks for sharing. A lot of information in few words.
Comment Written 05-Sep-2017
reply by the author on 05-Sep-2017
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Thesis, you got to watch this. Someone actually filmed on a table a pine cone popping open. This is what I heard from a thousand pine cones hanging from trees in 106 degree heat which melts the resin that holds the cones closed and dormant.
Thank you for your review.
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That's incredible!
Comment from Analie Shepherd
Very well done! I love that you have used so many senses in this ... I smell the smoke, hear the crackle and see the pine cones pop open (as well as hear). I live in the middle of the forest, so this is very close to home. Thank you for such a lovely moment. Blessings, Analie
reply by the author on 05-Sep-2017
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Very well done! I love that you have used so many senses in this ... I smell the smoke, hear the crackle and see the pine cones pop open (as well as hear). I live in the middle of the forest, so this is very close to home. Thank you for such a lovely moment. Blessings, Analie
Comment Written 05-Sep-2017
reply by the author on 05-Sep-2017
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Thank you, Analie, for your review. I am glad my poem struck home with you on so many sensory levels.
Comment from Bard's Bride
Hello there. Do pine cones really pop open?
I thought they just grew outward slowly, or something like that.
Lovely haiku but I was wondering why smokey skies had anything to do with the pinecones.
If this is a contest entry good luck to you!
reply by the author on 05-Sep-2017
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Hello there. Do pine cones really pop open?
I thought they just grew outward slowly, or something like that.
Lovely haiku but I was wondering why smokey skies had anything to do with the pinecones.
If this is a contest entry good luck to you!
Comment Written 05-Sep-2017
reply by the author on 05-Sep-2017
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Yes, Bard's Bride, I will answer your questions. In some evergreen trees, pine cones hang closed and dormant on trees and they will not open their cones to disperse seeds until after a forest fire. Thus, a forest renews itself.
I was no where near a forest but in a suburb of streets lined with pines. The popping and crackling I heard was the rare occasion that cones open up from extreme heat alone. It was 106 degrees, and the hot weather melts the resin which hold the cones closed. Once the resin melts, the cones pop open.
Here are two videos that others have shot. One is of the crackling , popping sounds opening pine cones make in trees and the other is of a pine cone popping open on a table:
As for the smoky skies, it was so hot last Friday that brush fires burned throughout California, including the largest fire in Los Angeles history. The air was thick with the smell of smoke from distant fires. Odd, it is supposed to be fire that opens the cones but the sun's heat got to them first.
Thank you for your review and for wishing me contest luck.
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Thanks for the explanation and videos. Good luck once more.
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You're welcome!
Comment from FxstsLisa
Nice well-written poem about your "smoky" observation. I'm up here in Oregon and have a wildfire going on close by. I just noticed a few minutes ago that the sun is bright orange which must be from the smoke. It's been in the 100's all week and also have ash covering everything. Unusual happening here in the city!
reply by the author on 05-Sep-2017
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Nice well-written poem about your "smoky" observation. I'm up here in Oregon and have a wildfire going on close by. I just noticed a few minutes ago that the sun is bright orange which must be from the smoke. It's been in the 100's all week and also have ash covering everything. Unusual happening here in the city!
Comment Written 05-Sep-2017
reply by the author on 05-Sep-2017
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Yes, FxstsLisa, same here in Northern, Central, and southern California. I was in Los Angeles during the largest fire in the city's history--7,000 acres. Ashes covered everything. The sun was orange when I drove back to Oakland. Thank you for your review of my "smoky" observation in a city.
Comment from Gert sherwood
Hello Sis Cat
I like your haiku, so it was hot enough to watch the pine cones pop open like popcorn
Made me smile
Gert
reply by the author on 05-Sep-2017
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Hello Sis Cat
I like your haiku, so it was hot enough to watch the pine cones pop open like popcorn
Made me smile
Gert
Comment Written 05-Sep-2017
reply by the author on 05-Sep-2017
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Yes, Gert, it was so hot that the resin melted inside the closed, dormant cones, causing them to pop open to disperse their seeds. Someone filmed on a table a cone popping open:
You can imagine how a thousand of these must sound from the trees on a hot day. Thank you for your review.
