Friday, August 6, 2010

Reflect and reflect some more



Went walking. Found this palm island with its doppelganger (but not the evil kind). This one seems wondrous, magical--another world afloat with possibilities. Or, perhaps, something lurks in the depths?


The lake was still. The light was right. The reflection perfect.


This post is mostly reflection, too. As I'm trying to finish my novel, Sea Daughters, I've been inspired reading other books and I've posted about several good reads lately. Most recently, I consumed John Green's Looking for Alaska. The echoes of that story haunt me. and remind me how important theme is. It's one thing to spin a great yarn, it's another to have its emotional resonance reverberate long after the last page. Read it. This is a teen book that explores what it means to be human.
And, so, I go back to noodling where I want my story to end, what reflection I want to leave shimmering behind, what last note may linger.


**

On my walks, I stumbled upon two fallen feathers. I don't know who lost them but I loved finding them. I'm sharing two haiku that I wrote about some not-so-frequent hawk behavior I witnessed.

*

red-tail hawk skimming
a sea of waving grass--
inland pelican
*
*

red-tail hawk floating,
suspended in mid-air with
no flick of feather
*
*
I hope you're also finding time for reflection. And don't forget that the most awesome free kidlit conference WriteOnCon takes place in just days. See you there!

32 comments:

Valerie Geary said...

Loved the haiku! Especially the first.

Shannon O'Donnell said...

Wonderful haiku, but that top picture steals the show today! Wow. That photo is beyond spectacular, Tricia. :-)

Sharon said...

Amazing photo. Thanks for a touching post.

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

Hi Valerie! Thank you. I was amazed to see that hawk settle down on the ground. Apparently, sometimes they hunt very small things on foot.

Shannon: Oh, so glad you like and thanks! It was a stunner and a surprise when I realized how perfect the reflection was.

Sharon: Hi and thanks so much!

Bish Denham said...

What a gorgeous picture and as always, lovely haiku. (I'm getting hyped about the conference.)

Lydia Kang said...

That photo is amazing! The lake surface is so still.
Thanks for sharing!

VICTORIA SAAVEDRA said...

I loved Looking for Alaska. John Green is a genius. That first picture is quite magical.

Beautiful haiku! You have a way with words.

Sherrie Petersen said...

I love that reflective photo. I just bought Looking for Alaska, my first book by John Green. Can't wait to dive in :)

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

Bish: Hi, welcome back! I think the conference is going to be fabulous.

Lydia: Isn't it? Mirror surface, for sure.

Victoria: I love when a book surprises me with its depth--that one did. And thank you!

Sherrie: Oh, I think you are going to love it. :)

Donna said...

I looked at your reflection photo upside-down, which was fun. Thanks for the haiku, too. Reflections are certainly an important part of living and art.

storyqueen said...

I'm reflecting on a lot of stuff right now....the fact that I am no where near getting the stuff done that I meant to do this summer as the first day back to school draws near. I find myself being incredibly lazy instead of using my time well.

I am sure your book will have linger-ability! (Don't you have a dare you're supposed to be working on.....)

Shelley

Paul Greci said...

Beautiful photos. The Red tail hawk Haikus brought back memories of life in California. So many experiences watching red tail hawks, the most stunning being watching one beat across the sky just above the tree top with a writhing snake in its talons.

Thanks for the reminder about theme!! Very timely for me.

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

Donna: Wow, you must've done some acrobatics or turned your laptop upside down! Reflections are always intriguing.

Shelley: Eeks, my dare. *hides*
I should dare myself to keep up with you! But I'm going to say you deserve to be a bit lazy once in awhile--I don't know how you do all you do.

Paul: Oh, that would be a stunner to watch. I almost always stop and stare at hawks. There's something about the way they circle and glide that captivates me.

Donna said...

I stood on my head, of course. Hah!

Wen Baragrey said...

Wow, that photo is magical!

I used to collect feathers as a kid, but we never had anything as exciting as hawks. Sea gulls, mostly.

I'm so looking forward to WriteOnCon too :)

Liza said...

I'm always looking for perfect reflections to photograph. LOVE this one!

Corey Schwartz said...

Oh,that photo is SPECTACULAR! Thanks for sharing :)

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

Donna: You are one person I could picture doing that (altho my in-laws once had me take a photo of both of them standing on their heads on the beach)

Thanks, Wen! I love finding feathers. Maybe it's the closest I can get to flying.

Liza: It was such a treat to find. Just waiting, all perfect.

Hi Corey! Thank you. :D

VR Barkowski said...

Amazing photograph. In California we lived on the bay next to a salt water marsh/nesting ground. Red-tails circled the water and marsh continually (and occasionally aimed for my small white dog). They were amazing to watch.

Carolina M. Valdez Schneider said...

So good. Your haikus always impress me. And what a beautiful photo. Paired with a John Green mention, I'm floating. Great post on reflection!

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

VR: Ack, I hope they never got close to your dog! I'm crazy for watching them circle.

Carol: Thank you! Now I'm floating!

Jackee said...

Gorgeous palm picture and haikus! And glad to hear Sea Daughters is coming along. Good luck, friend, you'll get that resonance. I know it!

kah said...

As busy as I've been the refection comes quick and furiously, but it's still there. Love the feathers. They play a role in my new story, so seeing a pic of them made me smile.

Hurry up and get SEA DAUGHTERS finished! ;)

Talli Roland said...

What a lovely photo! I can see how a place like that would encourage reflection - it's beautiful.

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

Jackee: That's so sweet of you to say--thank you!

Karen: Ooooo, feathers! What could it be???? (I'm hurrying, I am)

Talli: It did and it does. Thanks. ;)

Suzanne Casamento said...

That palm island is fascinating. I've never seen one like it.

I agree about Looking For Alaska. It's haunting.

Good luck with your WIP.

Phoenix said...

People always assume doppelgangers are evil - as if a copy of themselves, by its very nature of not being authentic, must be bad. I find that very interesting (and hey, Xander's doppelganger wasn't that bad. The character was actually played by Nicholas Brendan's identical twin brother, Kelley.)

Feathers on the ground tell you you're on the right path :)

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

Suzanne: Isn't it amazing--just packed with palms, leaning out over the water. Thanks!

Phoenix: I forgot he had a twin brother! But Willow's doppelganger was dark, dark, dark--and funny.
Ooooooo, I love that lore about feathers. Now I know why I love finding them so much.

Paul C said...

Always fun to discover fallen feathers from majestic birds. It makes you wonder about their worlds.

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

Hi Paul *waves*, sorry I was preoccupied with WriteOnCon and didn't notice this! I agree it's special when youfind them.

Ed Pilolla said...

what an amazing looking island.
good luck with the novel.
i love reflection while working on a book.

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

Hi Ed: I missed you somehow. Thanks for the comment. I seem to spend a lot of time on reflection. ;)