AnElephantCant write this on time
He is kinda busy yesterday
Instead of this post
He travels down the coast
And spends a day wandering around old St Tropez
So, as a junior member of the supporting cast in Al’s brilliant new challenge here, he feels he has let his chum down slightly.
He asks both his loyal readers to take a moment to check out this page to see some superb interpretations of the Japanese Haibun, a literary form which explores the relationship between man and nature.
For this week’s challenge AnElephant chooses the quote:
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
The Med by AnElephantCant
Life is Short
He sits in the January sunshine, gazing at a slightly turbulent Mediterranean Sea.
In the past few days rainfall has been unusually heavy in the Department of Var, southern France, where he lives.
There has been, tragically, loss of life.
There has been huge damage to property, and roads swept away by landslides.
As always, natural disaster causes him, like most people, to contemplate life.
And how it is lived.
He is a believer in living to the full, enjoying it.
Not hedonistically, and not selfishly, but nevertheless in the moment.
He considers some quotations he can relate to.
A favourite is from Robert Heinlein, an influential American science fiction writer beloved of his hippy generation for Stranger in a Strange Land.
He said ‘Life is short, live wide’.
Which is, he feels, excellent advice.
Perhaps contradictorily, more than a century ago Welsh poet William Davies asked the question
‘What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?’
So he takes a few moments to ponder that too, perhaps proving the value of the words.
Then decides it is time to get moving.
He has a simple personal philosophy:
‘Every day is an adventure’.
Life goes on.
life is for living
we have a whole world to enjoy
in every moment
Sound Bite Fiction 
This was lovely:) Good luck with the new challenge
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It appears, good sir that an Elephant can 😉
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Always a delight, even when serious. There is the whole week…You only bring us up with your contribution.
I played here:
http://julesinflashyfiction.wordpress.com/2014/01/21/haibun-january-plays-whisper-down-the-lane/
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AnElephant loves his friend Jules and is so happy when she says nice words.
On his way to read her masterpiece now!
Hugs
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Beautiful!
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Praise from Caesar …..
Thank you and hugs, Brenda.
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Oh, please, Caesar? My comment was brief because my daughter was literally breathing down my neck and climbing my back like a monkey. I’m surprised I survived. LOL I’m going to give it a whirl with the horse photo. It’s just so charming! Perhaps I will come by again later…
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Your determination to enjoy life and find a moment to contemplate it also, well together they encapsulate much of my life philosophy. I really related to this haibun, which is why I dropped in a rare one word comment (and because my daughter had me by the neck). I am sad that the weather resulted in lives lost. I saw footage of flooding in Europe. Here the temps are nearly 0, which is 30 below freezing for those of you in Celsius land. That’s pretty darn cold. Only the coastline here is subject to flooding, nothing stops the ocean sweeping in. I hope you are well and safe, free to contemplate the Med. Here it’s too dang cold for contemplating anything outside except perhaps a shovel.
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Haibun thinking even junior members of the Haibun trust should link to be part of this haibun family.
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Hee haw hee haw he always thinks AnElephantCant be a donkey!
But he is wrong!
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Beautiful haibun and I agree, life should be lived fully but unfortunately many get caught up in their own moment they forget the people around them. We have to live our own lives but what a sad one if we go it alone just focused on our own needs.
Since you have been busy….I think you forgot to link this haibun.
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Oops, AnElephantCant forget, or can he?
Thank you.
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What a great first one from you AEC. I am still on the fence about whether I can pull this one off. I am reading some to see if I can understand the form.
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Butting in because read this as I commented…..You can do it 🙂 I try to just write a short piece and wrap it up with a haiku.
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Do as the lovely lady says, Joe, or you will probably get scolded!
Thanks for your comment, glad you enjoyed.
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Yeah, I know. It is just something new I have not tried before. I have this hesitation and just need to hop over it and take the chance.
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If you write what you feel then you have succeeded.
There are very few experts here, and AnElephant is not one of them.
But he finds the haibun a wonderful way to release different emotions, a completely new and alternative challenge to flash fiction, poetry or his usual daft rhymes.
Try it, please, you will very probably enjoy it.
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Don’t worry about not posting yesterday, we knew you would be “out of the office” so wouldn’t be posting 🙂
I like the way you told that all the way through and the way you used the haiku at the end. “Life is ours, we live it our way. Everyday for us, something new. ” Metallica.
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Thanks, Al, but you forgot to remind AnElephant that he forgot to remember his link!
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Whoops. Don’t forget the link
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Oh golly gosh, thanks old pal!
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Haha 🙂
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Beautiful challenge. Thank you, love, nia
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AnElephant blushes at this praise from the lovely lady.
Welcome to the challenge.
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