july – Joe Pallen

#583 – July 2026

jpallen Nature Life July 19, 2026July 19, 2026haiku, july, summer 0 Comment

After a bicycle ride through fields of wheat and hay that will soon be ready for harvest…

Color photograph of pooled water in a stream reflecting two barns, trees, and a blue sky. Trees, green grasses, and few flower blooms grow on the banks.

midsummer--/last summer' straw and hay/barns in bloom

#582 – July 2026

jpallen Nature Life July 16, 2026July 15, 2026haiku, july, summer 4 Comments

Color photograph look down a dirt road brown ripe wheat on the left and green wheat in the right. In the middle are Wild Chamomile blooms. In the overcast morning sky there is a band of dark clouds gong off in the distance opposite the road. There is a grouping of trees on the left in the distance. — Wild Chamomile (*Matricaria discoidea*)

tea on the jetty/brown and green... a sea of grain/Palouse morning

#581- July 2026

jpallen Nature Life July 12, 2026July 12, 2026haiku, july, summer 1 Comment

Color Photograph of a pink water lily in bloom surrounded by lily pads

#580 – July 2026

jpallen Nature Life July 9, 2026July 8, 2026haiku, july, summer 1 Comment

color photograph of summer sun setting into a silhouette for a field of tall grasses. The sky is clear with a few clouds in the grasses on the horizon.

unable to run/the deer and I walk in step/summer heat

#579 – July 2026

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

#486 – July 2025

jpallen Nature Life July 31, 2025July 30, 2025haibun, haiku, july, summer 6 Comments

While at Benewah lake, I couldn’t help but to think of the relationship between the sky and water. The point where they meet is such a thin slice of space, yet abundant with activity.

Morning:

Color photograph of pine trees, blurred in the light ripples of water, at the top a western grebe floats by leaving a thin white wake.

below contrails/in the sky/a western grebe

Afternoon:

Photograph of a pond lily in bloom surrounded by patches of blue sky reflected in water and green leaves.

Evening:

Color photograph of the sunset reflected in the waters of a lake. Grass is poke through the sky and the golden clouds. In the distance, a reflection of the lake under an abandoned train trestle.

light/from a distant shore/an abandoned trestle

#485 – July 2025

jpallen Nature Life July 27, 2025July 27, 2025haibun, july, summer 5 Comments

We are in campsite #235. From a tent in the campsite next to us a father sings songs to his children, who sing along. On the other side of us, a mom comforts her crying baby. Somewhere in the campground, there is a large group playing campfire games. We hear random words and laughter. Suddenly “Pop!” Someone opens a can and there is more laughter. We sit together, holding hands sipping our tea. I look up at the sunset through the heatwaves of the campfire.