Fingers reach towards
ceiling like thin beacons, palms
outstretched, fake smile.
This haiku is one of the few surviving ones I wrote when I first started to write poetry. (The others got lost on floppy disks and notebooks my mum threw out.) I used to give them numbers as titles, this was the third I've ever written. I don't really remember why.
I have a tendency to shy away from sharing my work, so I have to keep some stuff I can consistently share. If I don't, I forget about it... I thought I share them on days when I have "nothing in me", like now.
I think I overworked myself on the field (I work in forestry, currently brush cutting). Last week was way too hot, and I only managed to work 4-6 hours, so this week I wanted to take advantage of the cooler (still 28 Celsius degree) weather and worked my ass of 9-10 hours a day. It had it result, I made up for the income that fell out the week before, but I also ended up exhausted - circling between eat, sleep and work.
Frankly, I didn't even have energy to think about writing... Anyway, enough of my boring life story.
Thank you for reading!
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FPS: The Last Flame Challenge Winners
Welcome to our first Winners Announcement of the year and to the final challenge in the Fall Poetry Series. The Last Flame invited writers to sit with endings, using fire as a central image to consider what remains when something burns out: ash, warmth, memory, silence, or the faint promise of what comes next. The strongest pieces treated endings as gradual rather than sudden, allowing them to flicker, dim, and linger.
By Vocal Curation Team5 days ago in Resources
Comments (13)
Your Haiku really expresses how we feel at work....especially thin beams and fake smile. It's like walking on a tightrope! Imagery that lasts, Imola.
I enjoyed the poem, but your comments really put it over the top for me. I'm fascinated by the minds of writers. How we perceive our work. How we create. Inspiration. It may surprise you, but I'm sure I'm not alone in my shock that you shy away from sharing your work because you're so talented. I'm also fascinated about your work outside poetry. I work for a non-profit, but I love spending time working in my yard. Today, I will be moving leaves from the yards into the woods behind our home. If you're clearing brush, that's hard work, and I can definitely relate. Also, I recently had another Vocal writer, Cindy Calder, do a deep dive on my writing. She read most of my articles and commented. I've adopted this model and will be reading some of your work (I can't commit to reading everything published, but I'll read and comment on several). I've done deep dives on two other writers and I have to say, I wish I would've started doing this earlier. Reading someone piecemeal because they win a challenge or TS, or place on the Leaderboard is good, but reading 4-5 works from someone reveals so much more and is so much more rewarding. Please keep sharing your work. It's wonderful.
When they touch, perhaps the spells become magical.
Often expression doesn't need a lot of words. I often struggle with a lot of words. This is a reminder: Every now and then, just a few. Take self-care to the max, Imola. Your presence is important 💟🫵🏾💟
Brilliant Haiku!!! ❤️❤️💕
It's so hard to pursue any creative endeavors when you're just downright exhausted! Sorry you've lost so many of your older pieces but glad you were able to share this one!
The haiku feels a little sad, like you're longing for something. And a fake smile has its own kind of realness. But a great haiku, Imola! "Unimportant note"? No, that is a very important note, haha. I'm curious has to how many you poems you had. Though lost, you can always create new ones. And please don't ever feel the need to shy away from sharing your work! You are a great writer! And your life story is never boring. A lot of us here are always happy to hear how you're doing ♥️🤗 Stay safe out there in the heat, Imola. Water, water, water!
Gosh those are such long hours. I hope you're able to get enough rest and sleep daily. Also, I'm so happy to be able to read one of the first poems you've ever written. I loved it!
It's a great haiku. Hope you're doing alright and staying hydrated in this heat <3
Good job. This old haiku kind of gives us something to think about as well as use imagination if one looks at the image and one may see a fake smile.
I loved your haiku and note. Talking about floppy disks brings back memories! Going from eating to sleeping to work can take its toll on you. I hope you're doing ok.
I'm sorry you got a bit beat up by the work and trying to make up for lost time/income! Hard balance to get right at times, isn't it? Glad you shared this, as I'm always fascinated by your poetry. This one had me very intrigued...at first I thought it was hopeful - then that last line threw a spanner in that interpretation. "Fake smile." Really interesting haiku and was nice (so no apology needed) to hear an update from your life.
I enjoyed reading your note. It was important to me, in that I hope you're alright and that you get the rest you need. I know the anxiety, miss income carries. And how that would lead someone to make up for it, in exchange for burnout. Sorry to hear about the notebooks that were thrown out by your mom. Keep all the stuff you are able to keep, and write whenever something pops up (I know how hard that can be) especially with how taxing forestry/ brush cutting can be. Along with cycling. At least for the burnout days, you will have them to back you up. The title did catch my eye. Despite it being #3. Not many titles like it, which is why it caught my eye. The haiku was lovely too. It's almost like, at the time you wrote this. You had a moment of idle, glancing at the things around you. Maybe as a way of grounding yourself. But that brought attention to the emotions deep inside — fake smile. I love the very human spirit behind this piece. Lovely as always Imola 👌🏾👏🏾🤗❤️