Sending you all some happy rays of Southern California sunshine. ☀️
A photo share:
Photos ©️2024 Tanya Cliff
Tag: life
A Soon Springing Haiku
Inceptive thaw sensed
Embryos shed old seed coats
then, naked, ascend
words and photography ©️2024 Tanya Cliff
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Cherita #18
Snow slowly melts.
Frigid rivulets
form dangling daggers.
Moonlight, through jagged reflections,
flashes pointed warning—
rising temps release nature’s knives.
©️2024 Tanya Cliff
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Husky Dreamscape and Fresh Beginnings
It’s been a while since we’ve seen this much snow in the Driftless Region. The husky is happy! It’s also been too long since I’ve connected with my WordPress friends and family.
In case you were wondering where I’d run off to, I’ve been working full-time on my MFA in Creative Writing at Emerson College in Boston. That, and balancing work and family responsibilities. Thrilled to announced I crossed the thesis threshold in December and have graduated 🎓. I’ve learned so many things about writing, life, and myself on this journey, some of which I hope to share as we get caught up over coffee and maybe a good book or two.
For now, I’ll express my gratitude toward my family, mentors, and amazing Emerson cohort, without whom I wouldn’t have gotten to the finish line. Of course, it’s really the beginning of the next adventure. Glad to have you along for the journey.
Tanya
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An Octopus with a Narwhal Tusk by Tanya Cliff — NEW FLASH FICTION REVIEW
An Octopus with a Narwhal Tusk by Tanya Cliff — NEW FLASH FICTION REVIEW
— Read on https://newflashfictionr-saf0s9gzxb.live-website.com/an-octopus-with-a-narwhal-tusk-by-tanya-cliff/
Hey WordPress friends, I’m thrilled to share that my story is live in Issue #26 of New Flash Fiction Review! It’s a flash fiction fast read.
“While Timmy’s puzzle concoctions drive me crazy, I can relate to him. My father abandoned me too. I was sixteen. He had terminal cancer. At least my dad didn’t have a choice.”
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A Blushing Haiku
late spring freeze shocks bloom
snow falls on tender petals
patient blush persists
~
©2020 Tanya Cliff
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Whatcha Reading Wednesdays
A few months ago, I picked up a copy of James Munstich’s wonderful book, 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die, A Life-Changing List, thinking “someday” and “wouldn’t that be fun.” Then the coronavirus hit, and my thoughts changed to “now” and “because I can.”
A week into my reading adventure, I am midway through my third book in the A’s, Desert Solitaire, by Edward Abby, a compilation of nature-inspired essays based on the author’s three seasons as a park ranger in Arches National Monument in southeastern Utah in the days before that park was infiltrated by paved roads and thousands of tourists. The book strikes me as a cross between Aldo Leopold’s eloquent A Sand Country Almanac and Henry Miller’s brutal The Air-Conditioned Nightmare. Abbey’s insightful descriptions of the rugged beauty of unbridled nature and his unapologetic cries against the growing exploitation of those lands brought about by mining and tourism make for a lyric, poignant read. I am thoroughly engrossed.
“There’s another disadvantage to the use of the flashlight: like many other mechanical gadgets it tends to separate a man from the world around him. If I switch it on my eyes adapt to it and I can see only the small pool of light which it makes in front of me; I am isolated. Leaving the flashlight in my pocket where it belongs, I remain a part of the environment I walk through and my vision though limited has no sharp or definite boundary.”
(Edward Abbey, from the essay, Solitaire)
If you are curious, I plan on continuing to log my progress through a weekly update here on WP, sharing snippets and thoughts from favorite books as I go. Please join me and share the books you are reading or want to read. Happy reading!
©️2020 Tanya Cliff
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On Reading, Writing, Gardens, and Chickens
In these crazybusy times, I have been keeping myself sane with the crazy business of reading, writing, gardening, and raising a new flock of chickens. Those of you who have been with me for a long time know that I also homeschool my children, a thing that used to set us apart from most of our friends and family. Now, everyone is doing it. How surreal!
(Side note: If you or any of yours have found yourselves suddenly faced with homeschooling and want to chat, complain, or brainstorm solutions, feel free to email me. We have been homeschooling for 18 years. Been there, done that, still learning.)
On Reading: Please join me here on Wednesday for more about that.
On Writing: I have been busy with several writing classes to help prepare for entry to an MFA in Creative Writing. As a part of that effort, I have been working on the craft of short story writing. If you are curious, hop on over to the Writer’s Workshop at the godoggocafe.com to read more (https://godoggocafe.com/2020/05/02/writers-workshop-iii-may-2020-story-structure-difficult-choices-and-birds/). For May’s workshop, I have shared one of my shorts and the assignment prompt that it was written in response to. For now, we have changed the format of the Workshop to a single prose prompt a month without the editing challenges. Everyone is busy, and life in the midst of Covid-19 is crazy. That said, I would love to have you join me in the Workshop for some fun writing challenges!
On Gardens:
On Chickens:
I have been a bit behind in my Monday posts. As these weeks go on, I will post some of my new poetry, a few of my short stories, and more posts like this, sharing a bit of what we are doing to make our lives at home as rich as possible in a day when we aren’t able to do much else.
Stay safe, healthy, and creative everyone!
©️2020 Tanya Cliff
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Distant
Distant…
Hands long for the warmth of flesh
to touch
to hold
to love
The torn social fabric
Covers our mouths
Shielding us
From
Each
Other
This day, too, shall pass—
it always does—
not fast enough for most,
far too quickly for some…
We Mourn
Like doves, tossed in the storm,
Like sheep, led to the slaughter,
Like lone wolves…
Distant…
We howl at the insensitive moon.
It waxes.
It wanes.
It cycles.
We will sort through the carnage—
we always do—
and comfort each other
touch
hold
love
And mend the social fabric
Breathe the fresh air
And Celebrate…
a
…pandemic, DISTANT
©️2020 Tanya Cliff
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A Fluid Haiku #2
no snapshot in time
the human tide ebbs and flows
sands shift, alter coasts
~
©️2020 Tanya Cliff
