Haiku for Mendeleev #005 — Boron

the orbital splits
three-leggèd hatchling seeks bond
heat-defying grip

Haiku for Mendeleev #004 — Beryllium

peacock eye of jinn
in the eternal city
no more deadly dust

Haiku for Mendeleev #003 — Lithium

a lightness of stone
small cells powering machines
firstborn of metals

Haiku for Mendeleev #002 — Helium

two of everything
alpha in the burning sun
lightness all alone

Haiku for Mendeleev #001 — Hydrogen

in the darkness, light
on the face of the water
the spirit of god

Shiny!

Goddaughter watches
My erratic magpie brain
Colours in darkness

Weaverbird basket
Whose idea this, anyway?
Attracts funny looks

Amazing, she says!
My hair prickles, my head swells
I am a light bulb

I am two ravens
I am a stringed instrument
A Japanese Celt

Green Tea & Cinnamon Wafers

They come in a little metal box, of the kind in which you might expect to find cigars. It's green, and an iconic geisha beckons from the cover. Some history is displayed. This is the traditional confection of distant and romantic Kyoto – the yatsuhashi, cinnamon wafers which are crisp but do not flake, which are sweet but evanescent in the aftertaste.

Mine come in little plastic packets, each containing two brown wafers, curved like cinnamon bark, thicker than my thumbnail, and firm to the touch. They are hard enough to crunch, and will stay that way for quite a long time. Mine are half-coated in green matcha chocolate, which lends them additional flavour. It is a subtle combination, and very satisfying to the mind and body.

There is harmony. With great joy comes sadness.

cinnamon and tea
two hands and a subtle scent
but only three left

I am having dinner at a Japanese restaurant with my parents tonight, to celebrate Mother's Day.

Glimpses Of Heaven

Sometimes, we see indeed with blinding sight. Here is what I saw in a pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral.