Spare The Air

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Spare The Air

It’s lunch hour in San Francisco on a foggy day. The sun tries to shed some light on the subject burning through the layers of car exhaust and jet streams from the nearby airport. The rush hour is in full force as drivers slowly move in lines like ants on the various freeways trying to free themselves of their cars. The local news station warns residents that it’s a Spare The Air Day.

Seated on a park bench near the bay munching on a sandwich the view is amazing. The yellow, orange and crimson streaks of color in the sky are beautiful. The sun is weaving in and out of the cloud layer making the afternoon light look magical. Without some pollution, the colors would never be quite like that. I am reminded of how a little smog can still be admired and enjoyed.

noon sun shimmers
a bayside Kodachrome moment
spare the air lunch hour

© Rebecca Sanchez 2017

Photography by +Woojin Yu follow his work on Google+.

A haibun written with my friends at dVerse~Poets Pub. In California, a Spare The Air Day is when the air is still and polluted to the point that making fires in fireplaces, burning garbage and other things that could add to the problem are prohibited until further notice. This is because we have very strict pollution laws. Although this picture looks like total pollution it’s mostly fog which we have a lot here. Despite my words, California has some of the best air in the US because most of our pollution goes down to the central valley.

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Haibun #2717

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haibun #2717

Late in winter biking by
I heard a piercing skyward cry
I saw a large bird in the sky
an eagle looked me in the eye
I stopped a spell to watch it fly.

As I continued on my way
along the San Francisco Bay
the waters being calm that day
I watched the shorebirds interplay
stalking the waters for their prey.

the snowy egret
serves dinner
with a splash

© Rebecca Sanchez 2017

I talk, write and live bicycles because it’s made me so healthy and happy. I ride my bike from my apartment to the San Francisco Bay Trail every other day. This is an area of woods, natural harbors, wetlands, tidal pools and all the creatures that live there. I often take photos and write about them like today.

The photographs (3 frames) were taken by James Graham (my roommate) and animated by me.

Written with dVerse~Poets Pub for Haibun Monday and shared with Imaginary Garden Of Real Toads for The Tuesday Platform. I see no reason why a haibun can’t rhyme, is there one?

Coyote Point

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Coyote Point

I spread my plaid blanket in a small group of trees on this warm, pre-spring gloaming. The sunset’s glow on the wetlands is alive with orange, pink and red in an indigo frame as the egret and smaller waterbirds greedily feed. I lay down, take a deep breath of bayside air and watch the treetops for the first glittering stars to show up.

natures way
leaves me breathless
I manage a sigh

© Rebecca Sanchez 2016

Written with dVerse~Poets Pub and Imaginary Garden Of Real Toads.