Joe Pallen

#579 – July 2026

jpallen Nature Life July 5, 2026July 5, 2026haiku, july, summer 3 Comments

On a recent paddleboard trip, my plan was to be off the lake by 11 AM, before the afternoon wind picked up. After a paddle on Chatcolet Lake and Round Lake, we headed toward the park at Rocky Point. By then the wind had come up, and crossing the open water became a struggle. I checked my watch. We had been on the lake for 2 1/2 hours and were only halfway through with the trip.

I imagine my days at home are much like this. I wake each morning with a list already taking shape, certain I know how much I can fit into a day. Then come the delays, interruptions, and unexpected turns. By noon I’m behind the schedule I imagined.

Color photograph of a broken off wooden pole in the middle of a lake in breeze driven waves. From it grows a sprout of green Marsh Cutweed.

caught mid-lake/in the noontime wind-/three cormorants fly by

#578 – July 2026

jpallen Nature Life July 2, 2026July 1, 2026haiku, july, summer 2 Comments

color photograph of a red poppy in bloom on a gravel road that lead off into the distance, towards a white overcast sky. The poppy's foliage is yellow and dry.

sixty-five/every day each year/a sunrise

#577 – June 2026

jpallen Nature Life June 28, 2026July 1, 2026haiku, june, summer 5 Comments

color photograph of a complex solar hail around the sun with streams of clouds runing left to right, on the left and in the lower right, the tops of pine trees.

Color of photograph of a canola field in bloom on the Palouse. In the upper part of the photograph is are a few clouds, contrails, and clear blue sky.

summer shower/on wind-blown waves/droplets of light

#576 – June 2026

jpallen Nature Life June 25, 2026June 24, 2026haiku, june, summer 1 Comment

Color photograph of a unique shaped cloud at sunset, wispy shaped and orange in color, above an empty suburban street. A small quarter moon is high in the sky in the top right

summer solstice/alone in the evening sky/cloud-viewing

#575 – June 2026

jpallen Nature Life June 21, 2026June 21, 2026haiku, june, summer 5 Comments

Color Photograph of a quail in morning the shadow with plants and a fence in the sunshine in the background. On the fence is a round shadow that looks like the sun. Bleeding heart blooms in the foreground

in morning shadows/of a yellow flower bloom/a quail calls

#574 – June 2026

jpallen Nature Life June 18, 2026June 17, 2026haiku, june, spring 3 Comments

Color photograph of a valley with a road, trees, and houses below the Palouse hills, all under a blue sky with a number horizontal clouds that appear to be old plane contrails.

echoes float/in a clear blue sky/morning travelers

#573 – June 2026

jpallen Nature Life June 14, 2026June 14, 2026haibun, june, spring 2 Comments

At the corner of North Street and Kenny Drive, a steep asphalt driveway leads up to a blue water tower. We have walked up and down it many times. When walking down it strains the knees and when walking up, the hips burn. Because of its rough surface, our shoes do not slip when going up or down. There are two cracks that run across the drive parallel to each other, breaking it up into sections. Each section is sliding downwards, away from the top, as if giving in to the natural pull of gravity.

Color photograph of the rough texture of rocky dark asphalt. A crack runs horizontally with one small twist. In the wider part, there is a bindweed bloom.

hiking the mountain/jumping a creek I catch/a glimpse of the moon

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