The Assignment

I was request to do an assignment: read and review a book. It wasn't a long book, but my mind wasn't into it. I keep rereading the same line over and over while my thoughts escape to other place and time far away from that story printed in those pages. I decided to go outside and read under the big tree where an old park bench invited me to relax beside the murmuring of the lake. Sitting there I could feel the calming breeze and the beautiful twinkling of the water under the sun of the spring. I decided to start my task with a big breath. I looked for that elusive line hoping to find its meaning when I noticed that the words moved, subtle, but they moved with the breeze. 

From Orinoquía to Toronto in Pictures

Zilia Castrillon is a journalist and photographer from Colombia who lives in Toronto. Her photography illustrates compelling stories of complex events of social processes and multiple resistance struggles. Aspects of community life and people’s deep psychological traits and identity are revealed in these images.

Zilia have visited various Eco-regions in Colombia, remote zones such as the Orinoquía and the Pacific Rainforest to document the Afro descendants and indigenous brave act of resistance against land grabs and poverty. She witnessed interesting developments on community-based conflict resolution and peace building.

Haiku blue

Photo by Viviana Gomez - All rights reserved

Tonto corazón

alejándose voló

abandonándome.

By Hebeblue - 2-10-02

Haiku: is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterised by three qualities:

• The essence of haiku is the juxtaposition of two images or ideas and a kireji ("cutting word") between them. 
• Traditional haiku consist of 17 sylables  in three phrases of 5, 7 and 5 on respectively. 
• A kigo (seasonal reference), usually drawn from a saijiki, an extensive but defined list of such words. The majority of kigo, but notall, are drawn from the natural world. This, combined with the origins of haiku in pre-industrial Japan, has led to the inaccurate impression that haiku are necessarily nature poems