Hello my intrepid and globetrotting poets. Toni Spencer (aka hayesspencer, Kanzen Sakura)here with a nice and easy peasy haibun prompt for you all. I have been absent for a bit because of things going on with my mother. But I am back again, hooray!
I keep singing this song lately, The Best Things in Life are Free. And to be truthful, they are. They are also priceless as well.
Today I would like you all to write a haibun, true, and only one or two tight paragraphs ending with a classic haiku and to link it up and read other poets and comment. Indeed, many times, the comments received on our poems, at this site, are beyond price, they are free! If you need help with writing a classic haiku (5-7-5 or short-long-short with a seasonal word (kigo) and a cutting word (kireji) that separates the upper and lower kus, you can follow this link: https://dversepoets.com/2015/11/16/japanese-poetry-forms-twins/
I am not talking about free and freedom but free, as in no cost – priceless as well. What has happened to you since Christmas that was free, that was beyond measure or cost? Was it a night by the fire sipping something delicious by yourself or with a loved one (human or animal), a walk in the snow or rain, the birth of a child, writing a poem you were really pleased about, skating on a pond or river, a concert or recital, a hug from a good friend or loved one? The list goes on and on about free things that transform our being.
The to the song are:
“The Best Things In Life Are Free”
The moon belongs to everyone
Best things in life they’re free
Stars belong to everyone
They cling there for you and for me
Flowers in spring
The robins that sings
The sunbeams that shine
They’re yours and their mine
Love can come to everyone
Best things in life they’re free
Moon belongs to everyone
The best things in life, they’re free
Stars belong to everyone
They glitter there for you and for me
They are yours and me
Flowers in spring
The robins that sing
Sunbeams that shine
They’re yours and their mine
Love can come to everyone
Best things in life they’re free
All of the good things
Every one of the better things
The best, best things in life
They’re free
And they are! So using Mr. Linky (and using the link to this post in your post) link up. Read other poets, comment. The more you read and comment, the better known you will be in the dVerse Poets Pub.
I’m looking forward to seeing you all out on the dVerse Trail!
dVerse 
The best things in life are free ~ Nature is a bountiful and generous mother ~
Happy Haibun Monday folks ~ Looking forward to your share ~
Ah.. I’m soon ready with mine… just searching for a picture.
Good evening and thank you for such a delightful prompt and song Toni – the best things in life are free. I have added my haibun and will swing by later for a read xxx
It will be good to see you out on the trail. Love to Eivor and Pearl. BTW, when is Eivor going to write another haibun for us?
Thank you Toni, Eivor says he will write one again soon xxx
Excellent! I look forward to it.
Hi Toni, I have just added a link for Eivor’s haibun xxx
Hello everyone! I am here at last. At the nursing home trying to get my mom straightened out with plan of care, business, etc. It is good to be here after such a long absence. Welcome! Thank you for Bjorn and Grace for taking up slack for me and for posting my haibun.
I’m so glad and grateful to find you back to hosting… you have been missed.
Thank you so much Bjorn. I have missed the Pub and the Poets as well.
Woohooo….happy to have you back to hosting ! So many blessings are free, if we only open our eyes~ Thanks for hosting ~
Thank you Grace for posting my haibun and filling in for me until I arrived. Yes. So many things, if we but open our eyes and hearts, are free and full of blessings. One can’t be angry all the time about politics or complaining about work when one has opened oneself to the blessings all around one. And I am happy to be back.
Hello everyone and MOST ESPECIALLY Toni! So glad to have you back with us and most especially for haibun Monday. I loved this post and truly do believe, the best things in life are free. I took you all to Bermuda with my post….just have 8 more days in this magical place.
Hello back at you! Only 8 days…..I know you and your beloved will make the most of them. And thank you for taking us to Bermuda with you!
PS: Will do most of my reading tomorrow AM, sitting on our deck listening to the kiskadees and enjoying the harbor.
Anytime is fine Lillian. I know how you enjoy your morning coffee.
Hello folks, and especially Toni. So good to see you here. I don’t know if my haibun celebrates ‘free’, but it does precious…and what gives me the greatest pleasure.
And about those concentrated lines? Ahh….sorry! I went on and on…but it was mostly praise. Thank you, Toni for a most delightful prompt!
You are most welcome Jane. And yes, your haibun rocks the prompt – like, totally. smiles. I usually just leave the one or two paragraphs for a suggestion only. I know people will always write more or less. And animals….oh how I love them as well. I lost my poor Nobody’s Cat the last freezing bitter snow we had. It was too much for him. I wish I had loved on him more because he died so much sooner than I anticipated. But it was good he trusted me enough to bump up against me and rub and purr when I fed him. I was afraid of giving my heart, but I did it anyway!
Toni, I thought about you and Nobody’s Cat, who really was Your cat…and you did the best you could. We never can estimate life…ours or theirs. this morning, a big tom, a tuxedo…who ran off my darling Stripy (whom I found dead on the road a few weeks later, brought him home here and buried him..) well, this big tom has a very badly mangled right arm…the tendons and flesh are exposed and he’s grown so thin. I thought about Nobody’s Cat immediately. We will see what happens…the most I can do right now is feed him kibble and bone broth and chicken gizzards (all of them together) and I will watch what happens to him. I can’t get my hands around him, but perhaps he will heal. you did what you could for Nobody’s Cat, and I will do what I can for Tom. That’s all we can do, but at least we don’t turn away. Blessings on your head!
And on your sweet head as well/ Your Tom reminds me of Nobody’s Cat, so much.
It is 72 degrees farenheit here today – sunny and still, birds singing…a gorgeous day. I took my mother for a walk in the garden at the Facility and she enjoyed it. It is a lovely garden full of butterfly bushes, nandina, decorative grasses, pots of flowers (coming soon!) with antique saucers stuck into the pots for decoration – a lovely idea. It has a good level walk which helps with wheelchairs. They take such good care of my mom. Indeed, the best things in life are free. I looked up and saw a couple of hawks circling overhead in the cloudless blue sky. gorgeous!
Ah, what a lovely prompt. The best things in life really are free. It’s always good to be reminded of that.
Yes, they truly are. And even…priceless. I love my trees and such. One can’t buy a full grown ancient oak! But one can fall in love with it.
I’m not sure you can even own a full grown ancient oak. They own themselves, I think.
Which makes them even better. I love trees, truly love them. They are wonderful friends.
Wonderful prompt Toni. I enjoyed writing for this immensely.
Hi Paul. I am so glad!
I do think Haibun is my favourite form at the present. Such a lovely prompt.
I am glad to hear this. I love haibun and haiku – always that resplendent haiku at the end. I think Basho would be proud of some of the haibun posted on the dVerse site.
I’m in full agreement.
As I am. I read so many of these posted and some of them just make my heart sing, they are so.very.good.
Good evening, Poets Pub regulars and those who have happened to drop by for the first time! it’s great to see you back behind the bar, Toni, and thanks for the free prompt! By the way, one of my favourite bands is Free – I still love Paul Rodgers’ voice.
I’ve just got back from choir and, although I have to pay a membership fee to sing with them, singing is something anyone can do and it’s free. However, I chose to write about something else I like to do and am looking forward to reading your poems, to see what you all get up to and get a few ideas of other things to do when I have the time.
Hi Kim! It is great to be back. I have so missed being here. Sometimes, the “free” isn’t free, because of fees and such, but the pleasure we get and give is priceless. I love hearing about you enjoying choir so much. I’d love to hear you sing.
We started a rock version of ‘Happy’ by Pharrell Williams tonight and it was kind of tricky. I don’t know about hearing me sing – I tend to hide in the mass of other voices 😉
As do I. 🙂
I LOVE FREE….just sayin 😉 Oh and check this cool version of Happy.
Our version is really rocked up – almost metal – with riffs from ‘Sunshine of your Love’ by Cream thrown in, bits of a Queen song and, so I’ve been told, Metallica, which I haven’t picked out yet.
You’ll have to film it and post it then 😉 Sounds amazing
They do record us but the videos are shared on a private Facebook page and I’ve never tried to share them. We won’t be recording for several weeks.so I’ll see what I can do 🙂
It is time for me to start the dinner thing for my hubs. I will be back later to read and comment. Enjoy the Mason jar full of daffodils on the bar and a special drink I invented for today – Daffodil – lemonade, oj, Prosecco, and mint – lots of mint. You all enjoy. It is your choice to top off with prosecco or not but at any rate, enjoy. the pitcher is full of the lemonade/oj mix and there are several bottles of prosecco in the cooler under the bar.
Heading off to sleep but I just wanted to say big Thanks to all the poets who submitted this evening so far. Stunning writing everyone. A feast of Free.
Yes, indeed. I was going to say a huge thank you to everyone that has participated in this prompt. It is a wonderful welcome back.
Prayers to you and your mother Toni. Good to have your voice here, and serving up a delicious prompt. Not enough nature in mine im afraid, except maybe the natural state of humanity, but that feels like not-following-the-rules.
I’m not being picky this go around. I’m just looking for things that are free and those kind of free things usually make one smile. Of course there are things that are free that are horrible. thank you so much for your prayers for mama and I. 🙂
So many things to choose from. Thank you for the prompt, Toni. It’s so good to have you back inspiring our haibun efforts. Now that I think of it, it’s so good to have a day free of obligations (today) to be able to join it.
And it is so good to have you here as well!!! I love the haibun.
I’ll be around later this evening to read. Thanks for the prompt. I love Mondays!
Thank you Misky. I love Mondays as well.
I forgot to comment after linking yesterday. It occurred to me after reading some of the haibun that not only are the best things free, but some of the other stuff we experience and probably don’t want to experience is free as well which makes it all that much more important that the best things are free, too.
Yes indeed. And we are definitely talking about the BEST things.
My first attempt at haibun. Hope it goes well! 🙂