Eve Castle

@evecastle

I write poems & short stories. Published. Retired to Colorado ‘24. TX escapee. #Resist I’m writing/submitting. Also on Medium now. Be kind, especially to yourself #SafeSpace Host #TankaThursday #TankaPoem prompt since Jun‘19 #poetry #haiku #tankapoem

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Eve Castle@evecastle· 13d

How can a poem so short say so much? #Haiku #quote #Issa See ALT for a page from Write Like Issa: A How-To by David G. Lanoue #micropoetry Also loved the quote from Ludmila Balabanova (not highlighted on ALT): . . . haiku is "an invitation to the reader to achieve his own enlightenment.”

From Write Like Issa: A Haiku How-To by David G. Lanoue

How can a poem so short say so much? Issa answers in this way: if you leave at least a crack between your images—or perhaps a canyon, or perhaps a vast, starry expanse-your readers will be invited to cross that gap, that canyon, that expanse with their imaginations, aided by personal memories, feelings, insights, associations, and dreams. (Ludmila) Balabanova once proclaimed that a haiku is "an invitation to the reader to achieve his own enlightenment."73
The gaps between images that beckon a reader to take imaginative leaps make this kind of individualized enlightenment possible.

Note #73: Quoted from “Between the West and the East” a presentation at the World Haiku Association Conference in Tenri, Japan, October 4, 2003. This talk was later published in World Haiku, 2005, 95-104.

Eve Castle@evecastle· Jun 30

My vote has been counted for Colorado’s Dem primary. I dropped it off at a drop box a week ago. In Colorado your ballot must be IN HAND by June 30th - so don’t MAIL your ballot if you still have it. Take it to a drop box not later than 7 pm tomorrow and don’t forget to sign the envelope!

A round digital “I voted” sticker showing Colorado’s Red Rocks with colorful flowers in foreground.

Eve Castle@evecastle· May 29

I noticed MAGA is attacking James Talarico for various reasons. I want people to know why the next #Texas Senator🤞🏼changed his name to Talarico. He was adopted & took his step-father’s name before entering school. See ALT to read entry at Wikipedia. #JamesTalarico #TexasPolitics #Politics #VoteBlue

Early lite and education

Talarico was born James Dell Collins in Round Rock, Texas on May 17, 1989, to Tamara (née Causey) and Steve Collins.

Tamara left Steve, an abusive alcoholic, when James was seven weeks old, and a few months later she married Mark Talarico, who adopted James.

Talarico, who took Mark's surname, attended Round Rock ISD schools and graduated from McNeil High School in Williamson County, Texas. At McNeil, he competed in speech and debate. He also acted in school theater, once playing Danny Zuko in Grease.

Talarico's maternal grandfather was a Baptist preacher. Talarico earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in government from the University of Texas at Austin, where he organized students for tuition relief. He later earned a Master of Education degree in education policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

While a member of the Texas House of Representatives, Talarico earned his Master of Divinity at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary

en.wikipedia.org

Eve Castle@evecastle· May 26

beneath the needles of the Longleaf Pine there’s no fear for the dawn sweeps away all thoughts of the bitter fall #NaTankaMo #MayTanka 5/26/26 prompt: fear #5lines #TankaPoem #micropoetry #poem (draft from Nov 2020 with accompanying pic)

Portrait, with camera angled upward, showing grey-blue cloudless morning sky with the boughs of a Longleaf Pine tree hanging from top left to middle of frame. Dark green pine needles are splayed out in circular patterns from various nodes of the tree. They look like spokes of a wheel.

Eve Castle@evecastle· May 25

Good morning BlueSky. Today’s a day of remembrance & honor. Well wishes this Memorial Day & a thank you to all who served or serve. We all have scars no matter how tough we are. Celebrate your accomplishments & recognize your sacrifices this day. Thank someone. #BlueSkyMonday #PhotoShareMonday

A deep gauge on a rock face with multiple beiges, browns and grays. Many smaller cracks and scars throughout.

Eve Castle@evecastle· May 18

Good morning BlueSky friends. 🌲 Keep your mind open to something you didn’t notice before. Sometimes we don’t notice the beauty in small or routine things on our path. Whether outdoors or indoors today —look around for what you may have missed. Enjoy. 💕 #BlueSkyMonday #PhotoShareMonday

Pine tree pollen cones and pine needles. Picture taken in Colorado spring 2026.

Eve Castle@evecastle· May 15

“We lose the habit of reading because we're afraid of wasting our time. We think we need to be productive and ‘on the go’ at all times. But people are not machines, and you are nourished by naps and fiction and basking in sunlight, no less than by food and drink.” —Boze Herrington #quote SeeALT

Picture of book shelves with the following on a white inset:

We lose the habit of reading because we're afraid of wasting our time. We think we need to be productive and "on the go" at all times. But people are not machines, and you are nourished by naps and fiction and basking in sunlight, no less than by food and drink.

Source: Owl at the Library @SketchesbyBoze (Old twitter post)

I was looking for any of my old posts on Twitter about “nap” preparing for tomorrow’s #NaTankaMo prompt and found this jewel I commented on back in 2021

Boze is also on Bluesky:
Boze the Library Owl, sketchesbyboze.bsky.social —Totally worth a follow!

Eve Castle@evecastle· May 14

Tanka from #tanka sequence that fits yesterday’s prompt: sunflowers from a market stall we warm ourselves with memories of happier times —Debbie Strange Atlas Poetica 40, 2020 Editor M. Kei #NaTankaMo 5/13/26 prompt: sunflower #MayTanka #TankaPoem See image & alt for full tanka sequence.

@ debbiemstrange.blogspot.com

Atlas Poetica, Number 40, 2020

pistil and stamen

evening wind
heavy with the perfume
of sweet peas
we are tendrils clinging
to each other's heart

sunflowers
from a market stall
we warm
ourselves with memories
of happier times

I shower you
with petals
this ceremony
the simple hallmark
of mourning

my garden
is wizened now
but soon
it will be plump
and ripe with snow

Eve Castle@evecastle· May 13

Local article. In ALT I’m going to just include the information on James Wiley. Secretary of State positions are critical!

Part of article about James Wiley.

Wiley, who announced his website is redflameofliberty.com, said, “I’ve been fighting for election integrity for the past six years, starting in 2020, when a lot of people realized that something has seriously gone wrong with our elections system, and, if we don’t address it, we are at risk of losing our republic.” He continued, “So, I got involved in the Dominion (voting machines) class action lawsuit. In 2022, I was involved in the Colorado re-counts, and, by the way, let's get Tina Peters out of jail. Let's free Tina Peters "

Wiley also shared that he was part of an effort that sued the current Secretary of State, Jena Griswold, three times over the method used for recounting votes, until the courts said, "Please, stop suing her. We are not going to pay attention to this."
He talked about Griswold mistakenly publishing passwords in 2024, "For which, I sued her, as well," he said, adding. "I look forward to being on the other side of that, inside the office of the Secretary of State, exposing the crimes that have been committed over the last six years, and going back much, much further, because our elections have not been great for much longer than just six years. These machines need to go."
On its home page, Wiley's website lists same-day, in-person voting with voter
ID, paper ballots, and hand counting of ballots as his top issues.
He told the group, "My purpose is to decertify all election machines on day one." In order to limit the cost of using all paper ballots and having them hand-counted, Wiley said he would have schoolchildren around the state perform the hand counting of paper ballots.

Eve Castle@evecastle· May 11

Good morning BlueSky. ☀️ May your week be full of brightness and light. It’s healing for your mind & body to get sunlight before screen light in the morning. 😀 If you’re able: step outside or peer out the window in the morning for 10 min. Give yourself a big smile. #BlueSkyMonday #PhotoShareMonday

A photo from August 2025 my granddaughter shared with me of a sunrise in Hawaii. The orange sun is rising along the grey waters of the ocean that is the entire lower half of the photo. There are two prominent pointy rocks where the ocean is breaking. In the sky you can see darkish clouds along the horizon and a dusky blue sky above where the sun’s rays are streaming out dissipating the cloud cover.

Eve Castle@evecastle· May 9

Pic of the Warren SCOTUS 1962-1965 Our current SCOTUS, John Roberts’ SCOTUS, is known for disallowing transgender in the military, requiring gender at birth on passports, ending deportation protections, allowing cuts to DEI, allowing Federal workers to be fired, widening President’s powers. SAD.☹️

This is the official Supreme Court photograph of the men who made up the court from 1962-1965, under the leadership of Chief Justice Earl Warren. The members of the court were, from left to right, top row: Byron R. White, William J. Brennan, Jr., Potter Stewart, Arthur J. Goldberg. Bottom row: Tom C. Clark, Hugo L. Black, Earl Warren, William O. Douglas, and John M. Harlan II. The Warren Court made several historic decisions advancing civil rights, most famously Brown v. Board of Education, which held that racial segregation was unconstitutional. The court also expanded the constitutional rights of people accused of committing a crime.

Eve Castle@evecastle· May 9

“The law is clear that the right to petition one's government for the redress of grievances may be exercised in large groups...by marching, even along public highways.” #quote Federal Judge Frank Johnson, Jr., Allows march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, 1965 Source: Brittanica #NoToJimCrow2.0

Graphic timeline along the image of a highway of the March 1965 protest and related efforts in Selma/Montgomery in Alabama.

Road signs along the highway start with 1964 when SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) began voter registration efforts;

Feb 18, 1965 when Jimmie Lee Jackson is killed by a state trooper during a demonstration;

March 7, 1965 Bloody Sunday - More than 50 marchers are hospitalized after a violent response by law-enforcement officers and "possemen" on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, which is seen on TV by millions;

March 9, 1965 - March aborted at the Pettus Bridge in response to a federal court's restraining order;

March 15, 1965 "WE SHALL OVERCOME" U.S. Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson delivers a speech introducing the legislation that becomes the Voting Rights Act of 1965;

March 17, 1965 - Federal Judge Frank Johnson, Jr., allows the march: “The law is clear that the right to petition one's government for the redress of grievances may be exercised in large groups...by marching, even along public highways.";

March 21-25 - As many as 25,000 people participate in the roughly
50-mile march from Selma to Montgomery, though under the terms of Judge Johnson's ruling only 300 marchers are allowed to cover the 22-mile two-lane portion of U.S. Highway 80 that passes through Lowndes county;

March 25, 1965 Martin Luther King, Jr., delivers a landmark speech at the state capitol, saying that "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.";

August 6, 1965 VOTING RIGHTS ACT OF 1965 Signed into law by President Johnson.

At the bottom is a graphic map from Selma to Montgomery Alabama.

Source Britannica.org

Eve Castle@evecastle· May 4

if final dusk sweeps me off this white day —my love’s flame will swim the cold water ash afire: dust in love (Reworked) Oct 2015 #5lines #poem inspired by: Love Constant Beyond Death by Francisco Gomez de Quevedo (1580-1645) #NaTankaMo flame Quevedo’s full poem in ALT (also original Spanish)

Eve Castle@evecastle· May 3

There’s a challenge associated with Good Neighbor Day called: 250 MILLION ACTS OF KINDNESS CHALLENGE There’s a grand prize and a list of kindnesses to consider doing between now and May 16. I’m not entering the challenge but I may do some of these in May.

goodneighbordayamerica.com
#AMERICA - Good Neighbor Day America Examples of Acts of Kindness in colorful blocks:

—Pay for someone's gas
—Share something kind that you spotted
—Compliment a stranger
—Re-share our kindness post
—Surprise someone with coffee
—Help someone carry their groceries
—Share a kindness post you love on social
—Pick up a piece of trash
—Tip generously today
—Text a friend to check in on how they're doing

goodneighbordayamerica.com
GOOD NEIGHBOR DAY
AMERICA Examples of Acts of Kindness in colorful blocks:

—Ask someone how you can support them
—Leave a kind note for your delivery person
—Return a stray shopping cart
—Let someone go ahead of you in line
—Leave a glowing review for a local shop
—Send a kind message to a co-worker

Eve Castle@evecastle· May 3

Good Neighbor Day (is everyday) but apparently it’s also an upcoming U.S. National event on May 16,2026 What is it? The pic has the FAQ answer from the site. Learn more about it at this link: goodneighbordayamerica.com

What is Good Neighbor Day
America?

Good Neighbor Day America is a nationwide movement to inspire the Good Neighbor in every American through love, kindness and service. As we look ahead to America's 250th anniversary this year, we're proud to partner with America250 to honor this historic milestone. Together, we're uniting organizations, volunteers and creators to celebrate the moments that bring us closer, those very moments when we lend a hand and show a little extra love to those who need it most. We can't wait to see the magic that happens when millions of Americans come together to celebrate.

Eve Castle@evecastle· May 3

Where the Mind is Without Fear #poem by Rabindranath Tagore for #SmallPoemSunday <. . .> Where words come out from the depth of truth Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way <. . .> #poetry See ALT for complete poem.

Where The Mind Is Without Fear
-Rabindranath Tagore

Where the mind is without fear
and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not
been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from
the depth of truth
Where tireless striving
stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason
has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee Into ever-widening thought and action Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

Eve Castle@evecastle· May 1

ripe hawthorne berries on branches too high for deer to feed upon delights of a gold ballroom also out of reach for us mice #draft #Kyoka (see definition in image/ALT) #NaTankaMonth ripe #tankapoem #micropoetry #5lines

There's another form of Tanka called Kyoka. It's similar to what Senryu is to Haiku. Kyoka translates to a "mad or crazy" poem.

Kyoka often employs wordplay, puns, and satirical elements to create a comic effect. It typically incorporates elements of daily life, nature, and human experiences, often with an irony or satire.

The poems can be witty, sarcastic, or absurd, and often present a twist or surprise in the final lines. Also - social/political critique.

Eve Castle@evecastle· Apr 29

“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” —George Orwell, novelist and social critic #resist

A circle imposed on a blue spattered square as background with the following in black bold type within the circle:

“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” —George Orwell

Eve Castle@evecastle· Apr 27

Good morning BlueSky. 🐝 A tiny bee does extraordinary things. You don’t need to be large, fly across the world, or be rich to help your community. Look up from your phones & smile. Water a plant. Help a neighbor. Take unused food or diapers to a food bank. Sweet! #BlueSkyMonday #PhotoShareMonday

Purple salvia in bloom. If you look closely you can see a bee drinking from the flowers. Just left and down of center.

Eve Castle@evecastle· Apr 26

Flood —Eliza Grisworld . . . "You're wasting this life expecting disappointment." I packed my bag in the night and peered in its leather belly to count the essentials. Nothing is essential. . . . Men call to each other on the water for the comfort of voices #Poetry #SmallPoemSunday #poem See ALT

Flood
—Eliza Griswold

I woke to a voice within the room. perhaps.
The room itself: "You're wasting this life expecting disappointment."
I packed my bag in the night and peered in its leather belly to count the essentials.
Nothing is essential.
To the east, the flood has begun.
Men call to each other on the water for the comfort of voices.
Love surprises us.
It ends.

Eve Castle@evecastle· Apr 25

I asked Google how many military families are on SNAP: Approx. 20,000 to over 23,000 active-duty military families rely on SNAP. • Roughly 20,000 to 23,000 active-duty families use SNAP. • About 213,000 National Guard & Reserve members rely on SNAP. • Over 1 million veterans receive SNAP benefits.

I asked Google how many military families are on SNAP:

Response:
Approximately 20,000 to over 23,000 active-duty military families rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). While this number represents a small percentage of the total force, it highlights significant food insecurity in junior enlisted ranks, with roughly 230, 000 to 1.2 million veterans and reserve members also utilizing SNAP benefits.

• Active Duty: Roughly 20,000 to 23,000 active-duty families use SNAP.
• National Guard/Reserve: About 213,000 National Guard and Reserve members rely on SNAP.
• Veterans: Over 1 million veterans receive SNAP benefits.

Eve Castle@evecastle· Apr 24

Entirely #poem by Louis MacNiece If we could get the hang of it entirely It would take too long; All we know is the splash of words in passing And falling twigs of song, . . . #poetry #BlueSkyPoets

LOUIS MACNEICE
ENTIRELY
If we could get the hang of it entirely
It would take too long;
All we know is the splash of words in passing And falling twigs of song,
And when we try to eavesdrop on the great
Presences it is rarely
That by a stroke of luck we can appropriate
Even a phrase entirely.

If we could find our happiness entirely In somebody else's arms
We should not fear the spears of the spring nor the city's
Yammering fire alarms
But, as it is, the spears each year go through Our flesh and almost hourly Bell or siren banishes the blue Eyes of Love entirely.

And if the world were black or white entirely
And all the charts were plain
Instead of a mad weir of tigerish waters, A prism of delight and pain,
We might be surer where we wished to go Or again we might be merely
Bored but in brute reality there is no
Road that is right entirely.

Eve Castle@evecastle· Apr 22

“The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something.” —Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States #quote

A picture of smiling President Barack Obama on a deep blue background with the following quote (the words GET UP in lighter blue bold).

“The best way to not feel hopeless is to GET UP and do something.”

—Barack Obama

Source shows: Inspiring Minds, Vision IAS

Eve Castle@evecastle· Apr 20

A new Monday BlueSky friends. May your week be filled with opportunities to make a wonderful memory. Remember there are many beautiful things still free in our world. Enjoy! Offer a helping hand to someone in need if possible. Be a beautiful moment in a life. #BlueSkyMonday #PhotoShareMonday

A summer sunset on the east coast from ten years ago. Two gull birds silhouetted on a gray sky with a dark red hazy sun over deep blue wavy ocean waters.The sun has turned the clouds a marigold color.

Eve Castle@evecastle· Apr 13

Good morning BlueSky friends. Shall we pretend to be trees and reach up to the sky? So many times we get so busy we don’t notice what the sky is doing. Find time to look up and breathe it in. Wishing all a more blue than gray day! Be kind to yourself. #BlueSkyMonday #PhotoShareMonday

Colorado, Castlewood Canyon - the Climbers Trail. 4/11/26 - Pic of a cliff face reaching taller than the trees next to it. Perspective looking up toward the sky where the tree tops seem to brush the blue sky cheered on by puffy white clouds. My husband and I don’t climb. I could barely make it up and down the boulder-filled trail for the 1.2 miles. 😀 Probably considered a moderately difficult trail.

I did see three separate folks with climbing equipment at various points along the trail already working their way up. One guy told us his 4-year old would be joining him later and that child has done that climb before. 😳 The joy of mountains!

Eve Castle@evecastle· Apr 6

It’s Monday BlueSky friends. When your path seems treacherous or unsure it’s okay to change direction or turn back . . . consider alternative paths. Pause and breathe. It’s okay to slow down & wait for a bit. Best wishes for a grand week. You can do this! #BlueSkyMonday #PhotoShareMonday

Picture shows, below a jungle canopy of lush trees and hanging moss, a well-worn plank walking path in disrepair. The raised plank path is mottled with sunlight and there is thick green algae growing along the shaded parts of the slats.

Picture taken on an Island off Panama, 2018, Isla Bastimentos National Marine Park, Bocas Del Toro (this park was in serious deterioration and lacked any sign of upkeep - the jungle beginning to erase the signs of mankind)

Eve Castle@evecastle· Mar 30

Good day dear BlueSky! If you find yourself alone absorb the quiet moment into your soul. Our world is noisy, busy and overwhelmingly full much of the time. Go outside and smell the air. Take a break from your phone and laptops today, even if for two minutes. #BlueSkyMonday #PhotoShareMonday

Picture of a black-headed gull standing alone on a rock in a tide pool on Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island in Georgia, summer 2025. The low tide is seen in the distance and even further out is an indistinct shore line. The sand is smooth in a deep beige color.

Eve Castle@evecastle· Mar 22

Below is a bio on the #poet Nizar Qabbani See ALT for image text.

Nizar Qabbani, was born in Damascus, Syria (1923). His mother, who was illiterate, sold her jewelry to raise money to publish his first anthology, Childhood of a Bosom (1948), and he went on to become one of the most popular poets of the Arab world, publishing more than 20 books of verse. Much of his poetry was influenced by the tragic deaths of two women he loved. When he was 15, his older sister committed suicide rather than be forced into marriage with a man she did not love, and he turned his attention to the situation of Arab women. He wrote romantic, sensual poems and poetry demonstrating the need for sexual equality and women's rights. Many years later, in 1981, his second wife, an Iraqi woman, died during the Lebanese Civil War when the Iragi Embassy was bombed. Qabbani was grief-stricken and frustrated with the political and cultural climate of the Arab world, and he lived in Europe for the rest of his life.

Eve Castle@evecastle· Mar 16

Good morning BlueSky. It’s okay to rest when the world is harsh. May your moments of rest be glorious. #BlueSkyMonday #PhotoShareMonday

Young deer sitting in the snow below drooping branches laden with snow. Colorado iphone pic my husband shared with me.

Eve Castle@evecastle· Mar 12

“Ultimately literature is nothing but carpentry. Both are very hard work. Writing something is almost as hard as making a table. With both you are working with reality, a material just as hard as wood.” Gabriel García Márquez #quote See ALT for full quote and source