Instagram This Week

a bridge

let's join the people

long separated

end table

cleared for remembrance

the creche

cozy covers

curled up watching

a movie

Christmastime

a music playlist about

Emmanuel

violets

winter sunshine through the

south window

Cold Moon Journal (2)

cardamon cloves

cinnamon black pepper

steeping my chai

https://coldmoonjournal.blogspot.com/2020/12/by-susan-bonk-plumridge.html

the Bloo Outlier Journal

fallen leaves

glimmer as they slow

the brook

https://bloooutlierjournal.blogspot.com

Cold Moon Journal

 reflection

an idea bounces 

back to me

https://coldmoonjournal.blogspot.com/2020/12/by-susan-bonk-plumridge.html

Instagram This Week

keep walking

when ice covers the way

boot cleats

bitch

first puppies

now see

violets

replanted for

winter

reflection

an idea bounces

back to me

a breath

clouds the air

snowfall

Instagram This Week

a song

in remembrance

singing of love

cardamon cloves

cinnamon black pepper

steeping my chai

walking far

beyond the tended path

chickadees

looking into

Your word together

culture changes

cold frame

tending growth out of

season

 

Instagram This Week

one county

all the travel

we can do

sweet December

we celebrate the

coming king

cactus buds

one Christmas tradition

on the timeline

binge watching

a quiet vacation

saving the earth

blue jays

drab against the

grey sky

Failed Haiku #60

ginger snaps

to dunk or not to dunk

in my tea

Published in Failed Haiku #60.

With thanks to editor Bryan Rickert. 

Instagram This Week

not yet

in hibernation

fat squirrel

pizza for two

homemade bread aroma

fills the house

bloom--

stamped in my

journal

mushu

the quiet dragon

still sleeps

cleaning out the bugs

woodpecker

on the tree

Cold Moon Journal: By Susan Bonk Plumridge

Cold Moon Journal: By Susan Bonk Plumridge: 

a ballad 

childhood joy 

sings 

Susan Bonk Plumridge

Cold Moon Journal: By Susan Bonk Plumridge

Cold Moon Journal: By Susan Bonk Plumridge: 

shadows dancing 

goldenrod under the weight  

of a chickadee 

Susan Bonk Plumridge

Instagram This Week

 fallow field

awaiting cultivation

city food

fallen leaves

glimmer as they slow

the brook

snow

settling on the dry

seed stalks

walking sticks

feet almost slip

in the mud

new bridge

the trail's detour becomes

permanent

Instagram This Week

whole wheat flour

mixed and kneaded

for pizza

ginger snaps

to dunk or not to dunk

in my tea

walk the hills

a daily rhythm

of peace

dry leaves

crumbling beneath

many feet

beach walk

feet through water

and sand

 

Instagram This Week

 chocolate

the pause melts

delicious

snow

on the rooftop

autumn cools

the next step

directly through

the chaos

maple seedling

through the garden

flowers

drumming

echoes through the woods

woodpecker

Instagram This Week

masks on

a drive from church

with a friend

wool hat

bright red in the

emptying woods

leashed labrador

strains for passerby

connection

three miles an hour

learning to live life

with God

autumn blue

a jay squawks

stridently

 

Instagram This Week

 a ballad

childhood joy

sings

dog crate

getting ready for

her first puppy

shadows dancing

goldenrod under the weight

of a chickadee

a long walk

tears surface

history

parachute kite

surfer skimming over

the water

Cold Moon Journal: By Susan Bonk Plumridge

Cold Moon Journal: By Susan Bonk Plumridge: 

eating dinner  

crosslegged by the screen door  

listening to crickets   

Susan Bonk Plumridge

Cold Moon Journal: By Susan Bonk Plumridge

Cold Moon Journal: By Susan Bonk Plumridge:





 thoughts

 growing into

 words

Instagram This Week

 turkey vulture

circling the fishing

harbour

fallen leaves

overlooking a ravine

with thanksgiving

acorns

scattered along the path

chipmunks gathering

burning bush

the brilliant red

of autumn

bloom

where you're planted

wild asters

Instagram This Week

 red-tailed hawk

hunting the squirrel scrambling

around the tree

goldenrod

browning along

the edges

hiking shoes

caked with mud from

deep in the woods

childhood guitar

returns after time with

another girl

sand 

firm by the pounding

waves

Instagram This Week

my story

an echo in church

singing praise

yellow leaf

drifts through the open

car window

eating dinner

crosslegged by the screendoor

listening to crickets

an umbrella

tucked in a book bag in case

the grey clouds darken

chickadee

disarming the

burrs

 

bass guitar

bass guitar

rhythm to hang

the lyrics on 

Published today in:

FailedHaikuIssue58.pdf

Instagram This Week

toadstools

on the fallen log

a chill drifts by

books and tea

a friendly visit

through time

a computer

folded away

meeting over

a purple haze

across the woodland fields

michaelmas daisies

reading history

alone in his den

words for the future

 

Instagram This Week

growing wilder

with each passing year

my garden

red

maple leaf fallen

jeans unpacked

minds

refuse isolation

zoom

chipmunk ahead

doubling back

suddenly

a longing

to see the big picture

a cricket song

Instagram This Week

thunderstorm

rumbles slowly through 

cricket still sings

umbrella

raised for the long

walk home

sandpiper

the newly emerged island

gives rest for a nest

illustration

the final piece in telling

the story

still dark

the sun will soon reveal

my tea and me

Instagram This Week

 thoughts

growing into

words

a sketch

tells the story . . .

page by page

a dog

ready for a greeting

short leash

walking sticks

propel me up

the hill

great blue heron

wading deep in the river

wide wings lift it up

Instagram This Week

 40 years

the joining of two 

lives together

sparrow

at our feet searching

for seeds

daylight arrives

over the harbour

seagull cries

silence

the wait of 

being

sudden darkness

the storm arrives

unexpectedly

Instagram This Week

forgetting

to go outside

broken toe

black cat

a visit for

scratched ears

unexpected mail

tell me more about

your book

a swing

peace on the evening

breeze

construction

finding the slow way

to the beach

 

Instagram This Week

 words

translated for

friends

open bible

mom's morning

moments

backyard swing

sitting outside watching

the trees

bloom

a word for this year on

a rubber stamp

morning tea

sitting lost in 

my thoughts

Instagram This Week

 one shoe

protecting a broken toe

barefoot weather 

side by side

reading the

same book

hands

tapping rhythm on

the furniture 

crabgrass

tacking down the

brown patches

bass guitar 

rhythm to hang

the lyrics on

COVID-19

words

hanging as a demand

covid-19

video chat 

with my daughter—

snippets of being 

sitting—

six feet away 

yet together 

http://www.haikuhut.com/FailedHaikuIssue56.pdf

Included in the newest issue of Failed Haiku.

Instagram This Week

domestication

pruning the wild 

raspberries 

chipmunk 

running along the fence 

with bulging cheeks 

rabbit 

on high alert 

creaky gate

canada geese

in the shallows of the 

river 

simplicity 

a stack of books from 

a single search 

Discernment

discernment 

children playing 

red light green light 

Published in Live Magazine: A Baptist resource for women on a mission July/August 2020

Also https://baptistwomen.com/one-year-at-a-time/ includes an article by me on the website. 

Instagram This Week

questions

for an interview 

build community 

final raspberries—

ripening in the 

heat wave

teasel’s purple mane—

tethered along the 

walkway 

swallowtail 

butterfly flits nearby 

flashes blue 

his silhouette 

the camera awaits 

the comet 

Instagram This Week

rhythm

of feet moving 

come again 

rabbit—

visiting  around

tasting gardens

raspberry canes—

stretched out with 

fruit 

cattails 

redwing blackbird

perch

umbrellas 

moving side by side 

bicycle path

Instagram This Week

blue

chicory grows tall as 

heat penetrates

goldfinch

among the cedars

hedges

sitting—

six feet away

yet together 

raspberries 

and mulberries 

growing wild 

welcome—

each one called by God

journey together 

Spaghetti Twirls

cloth napkin

spread on my lap

spaghetti twirls 

Published in Failed Haiku #55. 

https://failedhaiku.com/

Instagram This Week

dragonfly 

against the current 

away 

story—

gathered into

haiku 

video chat

with my daughter—

snippets of being 

long pause

a deer feeding 

in the woods 

fat groundhog 

by the river

red winged blackbird 

Instagram This Week

stretching out—

squirrel below the 

bird feeder 

seagull

below the eagle 

the harbour 

bright eyes

watching me 

doe in the woods 

scraps of bread 

on the sidewalk 

a sparrow 

sudden movement 

of a toad in the sun 

a hiker

Instagram This Week

bubbles merging

a family circle 

grows 

guitar concert 

the melody changes 

as the bird sings 

words

hanging as a demand

covid-19

the woods surround 

me green and quiet 

a whisper 

fingering yarn

shrinks my socks—

slippers no more 

Instagram This Week

dead tree

riddled with holes

jungle gym

tea leaves

in cold water

a slow brew

covid-19

the changing of the path

as we wait 

wild raspberries 

a patch of brambles

for a rabbit 

stillness 

among the green woods

a chipmunk 

Instagram This Week

journal-
designs
for june

wild daisies 

a freedom to 

thrive 

swallow’s nest

in the construction 

bridge repair 

words on paper

as creative living

racoon at dusk 

mask on

knitting supplies 

replenished 

Instagram This Week

scraps of yarn
making colourful socks
the long sit

cherry blossoms 

at the buddhist temple

road construction 

jargon

squeezed into six weeks 

robin song

his taxes

trying to find 

my smile

me 

watching you, Lord

cocoon 

Instagram This Week

sketches
being painted
offset printer

rain

down the window 

baking breakfast 

knitting 

through hours 

hot tea

senryu

contest to enter

mismatched pieces

trek through the woods 

a butterfly on

the path

Getting Caught Up

Life has changed since COVID-19 entered the world. The world is following the same script--with variations in intensity--and our countries have been shut down on many levels. Beyond the government's reaction is life on the individual and family level where separation is the new standard for this time.

words
over the phone
getting caught up

Instagram Last Week

forward

this quiet step

confidence

dragons and

lily of the valley

happy birthday

canada goose

gliding up river

covid-19

creaking

overhead in the trees

feeling alone

chipmunk

scurries away

camera rests

Together

I trust the Lord is the leader, otherwise the path won't find sure footing.

follow me
we walk the slow way
together

Instagram This Week

barking dogs

kitchen scraps to 

the compost heap

river flows

to the west

connections

puffy package

sending handknit socks

for a birthday

jack-in-the-pulpit

preacher husband adapting

to covid-19

skunk

digs a home

moonlight

Instagram This Week

social distancing

many paths in the

woods

canada geese

a pair fly along

the river

discernment

children playing

red light green light

red trilliums

and dog-tooth-violets

sunshine warms me

camera out

deer grazing by

the road

By Island Life

The city supports the arts, and yet often the city stifles the creativity needed for the arts. But what if the space for dreaming is not too far away . . .

city skyline
separated from the bustle
by island life

Instagram This Week

robin
a story to tell
in song

voices

from a lifetime

who am I

snow mixed with rain

winter coat in

april

exile or home

is this the place

my heart knows

video chats

a visit without

the travel

Spaghetti Twirls

The two of us together for meals and for life. One controlling the bits that don't fit the stereotype with a knife, the other trying to adapt to what is before us.

cloth napkin
spread on my lap
spaghetti twirls

Instagram This Week

hallelujah

Jesus Christ arose

hope remains

icu nurse

working hospital wide

covid-19

scattered purple

periwinkle grows

after the rain

sparrow song

the dark of early

morning

comfortable shoes

journeying as a way

of life

With Memories

The caterpillar crawls ever so persistently through its season of groundedness.

tenth year attending . . .
even the slow adds up
with memories

Instagram This Week

hosanna!
singing a song that
celebrates

sparrows twitter

and blue jays squawk

not quite silence

dee-dee-dee

a flit ahead guides

my path

pray

phone in my

visit

good friday

plans to share of death

with hope

The Horse Stands Close

Was it an argument that had silenced but not defused? Or was it just agitation within my own mind and heart? I really don't remember now all these years later, but I do remember a visit to the petting zoo on the island that settled my spirit because Duchess, the retired police horse, came to stand near me and stayed there focused on me even as others tried to get her attention.

words
stir up frenzy
the horse stands close

Instagram This Week

most places closed

a walk in the woods

now popular

mismatched socks

will I ever make

the same sock twice

walking sticks

a familiar path

in the woods

teddy bear

a child pulls close for

a cuddle

sunshine

a daily walk absorbs

spring

The Tune I Know

A thanksgiving service in a crowded home here in Canada keeps alive the culture of another nation. The words are unknown to me because the language is one I don't understand, but sometimes the tunes with the songs bring up memories of my own.

sitting
crossed legged together
the tune I know

Instagram This Week

canceled trips
learning to video
chat

snowfall

turns to spring rain

tiny flowers

anti-stress

making a railing during

covid-19

around

and around again

learning to knit socks

thoughts in ink

the early morning

sparrow song

Puffing Loud

The woods nearby frequently draw me to the quiet of bird calls and wind through the trees. There is the path I usually use, up hill and down to the creek that calms and relaxes--but once in awhile I take the steep path up to the sports field.

steep climb
in the silence of the woods
--puffing loud

Instagram This Week

a swirl

of  cardinals

bare trees

leaves 

decaying into earth

a sprout

growing things

the earth warms spring

into existence

sunshine

red-winged-black-birds

sing spring

walking  the beach

with the waves coming in

a heart beat

Park Bench

The sun shines with warmth that draws me to remain outside for a time. My walk is almost done, but I’m not ready to go home for tea. The bench in the park overlooks the river facing south. The sunshine and the flowing water invite me for a pause that settles in to enjoy the view.

park bench

sitting in the

sun

Instagram this week

words
over the phone
getting caught up

sparrow greeting

this sunny Sunday

a long walk

park bench

sitting in the

sun

will you still love me

when I'm 64?

happy birthday Andrew!

walking

in the mezzanine

rainy day

Butter Chicken

Andrew was busy elsewhere, so lunchtime  was all mine. The fierceness of winter had returned with large snowflakes swirling down and I decided to walk downtown for lunch by myself. The heat of India at the end of a trek through Canadian winter.

walk downtown

among falling snow

butter chicken

Suddenly . . .

I spent time learning about poetry. Time doing a self designed workshop to explore the possibility of writing poetry. The results fill this blog.

But, then my Dad died and the writing stopped--until about a year and a half ago when haiku/senryu began appearing in my journal.

And suddenly with no warning my blog begins again . . .