the thought of seeing you
makes my heartbeat
beat stronger
every time
the light in your eyes
brightens my heart
illuminating my
world
the way you look at me
pierces straight through
into my
soul
the touch of your hand
creates fire that
only you
extinguish
the time we are apart
fills my mind with
longing for
you
Back in September of last year, I wrote the following poem about ballroom dancing. In the comments for my first year of Kikolani post, I realized there are still a lot of readers that were here when I used to write poetry. So I decided to bring back this piece of writing with a little something extra.
Why don’t you take me
Out on the ballroom floor
And dance with me
Holding my body close
As we whisk, twirl and spin
Give no regards to footing
Or making the proper moves
For on this night, there are
No technicalities or faults
Forget anyone else is around
Romance me out there
Because when we dance
I feel as if we are flying
Soaring gracefully as eagles
Love lifting us up high
When secure in your arms
You are my prince, and I
Your princess, your Cinderella
Let us have a fairytale waltz
Making this moment magical
Where we can embrace
An eternity in the duration
Of a single romantic song
As we glide, hand in hand
And forever, heart to heart
So what is the little extra? I finally had the opportunity to do my first dance performance at a showcase last week. Here is video of my husband and I doing a fun Viennese Waltz. It was a lot of fun, from the super nervous heart racing while I stepped out onto the floor, to the excitement of hearing the crowd while we performed our routine. Hope you enjoy!
Last week, when I was shooting my macro photos of flowers around my office, I stumbled across something even more interesting. At first, I, along with the majority of my co-workers, thought it was some kind of strange spiderweb. But later, I found out it was something much more exciting and beautiful.
UPDATE 5 March: I have yet to capture really great video (so far, everything is fuzzy), but once I do, I will add it my new I captured my first short video of the babies: Inside a Hummingbird Nest with Babies. They were kind of sleepy, so I will keep trying to get more active videos and post them to my account, Leilaniana @ Youtube.
Haiku enhanced photography inspired by Phaiku – Picture Haiku.
The words I dare not say
Bleed out of me
Ink from the barrel
Inside a pen onto fibers
Of the blank paper
Beneath my hand
Increasingly chaotic strokes
No handwriting analysis
Could decipher as
The shape of the letters
Change the further down
The page I get
Starting barely legible
Ending wildly distorted
With tear stained streaks
Smearing the ink
Across the surface
Imagine this
A sunny day, no clouds in the sky
No chance of rain
You lie on the ground
Back nuzzled into the grass
Looking up at the sky
Basking the warmth of the sun’s rays
Now picture this
The warmth disappears
Yet the sun still remains in the sky
Not a cloud in its way
Nothing between you and it
You see it but you do not feel it
The warmth was just there
But within moments, it was gone
Now think about his
Is it the sun’s fault
That you cannot feel its rays
Did the sun stop shining
Was there a cloud blocking the rays
Was there a breeze blowing over
Surely there was not
Because anyone around you could see
The sun’s rays are still touching you
And they would say how wonderful it is
Now change places
Think of yourself as the sun
And love as its rays
And I am the person on the ground
Did you stop shining on me
Did anything come between us
The answer is no, it is not your fault
There was not any other thing in the path
Now ask yourself this
Does this mean it is my fault
Something inside me has changed
Or did I just lose the ability to feel
What would you say
If I could only feel the sun’s warmth
When the sun is not there
But when the moon is out
Or when the clouds have taken over
Never think that I do not want to feel that warmth
This is a piece I wrote this over ten years ago. Interpretations are welcome.
Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry consisting of verse written in three parts of five, seven, and five syllables. The haiku poem also makes reference to a kigo, a word that relates to a particular season. While Japanese haiku is formatted in a single vertical line, haiku in English is usually printed in three lines.
Here are two haiku examples that I wrote:
A love haiku for my fiancé…
If you did not know
how long my love for you blossoms -
tis infinitely
A haiku on dying about my grandmother…
She passed when the leaves
began to fall in autumn,
the season she liked least
And a cat haiku inspired by the site How to Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You…
My midsummer born cat
are you secretly plotting my
untimely demise
For me, one of the most difficult things was confirming that I had the write syllable count in each part. Fortunately, I found a free syllable counter tool that does the trick.
So, if you are feeling inspired, why not enter a haiku writing contest why not try out your hand at haiku? Copyblogger is was holding their second Twitter Writing Contest. First prize is a MacBook Air! The rules are that you have to tweet your clever haiku submission via Twitter in the following format: Phrase one (5 syllables) / phrase two (7 syllables) / phrase three (5 syllables). Then post it with a link to your tweet in the comments. The deadline is was midnight Sunday, November 16th. I am hoping to be able to re-submitted my entry, as my first one was not that great – I should have done the research for this post first before entering.
So if you don’t have a Twitter account, missed the deadline, or just want to share, feel free to put your haikus in the comments! 
Thursday Things with three haikus on love, longing, and social networking More poetry in a variety of styles on romance, dreams, the seasons, and more
Your colors changed
When you drew near
That final moment of life
Like leaves on the trees
After the summer season
Had come and passed
But the colors were
Not bright nor radiant
Rather pale, drained of
Rosy red blood cells
Beneath the surface
The only beauty
To be remembered
From that day
Is the knowledge
That you were released
From your suffering
This is a poem by an unknown author. I have come across it a few times, and today, when it ended up in my mailbox again, I thought it would be a good thing to share.
———————————-
People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.
When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person.
When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support,
To aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are..
They are there for the reason you need them to be.
Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time,
This person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.
Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.
Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.
Believe it, it is real. But only for a season.
LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons,
Things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.
Your job is to accept the lesson,
Love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life
It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant
Thank you for being a part of my life,
Whether you were a reason, a season or a lifetime.
———————————-
I think this is the perfect piece of writing to help us evaluate the relationships we have had in our lives. Maybe the people we have lost were just put in our lives for a reason, or a season. Once that reason had been filled, or the season had passed, they have to move on to continue fulfilling their purpose, whether in this world or beyond. The loss of their presence in our lives is painful, but once the mourning and longing for them has passed, we have to be thankful for all of the wonderful things they shared with us, and we with them.
Haiku Poems – a how to guide and examples Thursday Things with three haikus on love, longing, and social networking More poetry in a variety of styles on romance, dreams, the seasons, and moreLike a light switch
flipped off
an illuminated room
quickly goes dark
I cannot see
although so much
surrounds me
it feels like only
emptiness exists
My choices now
are to stay
in this darkness
or to fight to find
the switch
And I am unable
to do more
until the lights
are on again
What a wonderful feeling
Waking up in yours arms
I pretended to stay asleep
Just so I could enjoy the
Warmth and the comfort
Of being in that moment
With you, which is a place
I have wanted to be for
So long, and I hope to be
Every morning and night
Always, right by your side
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