Bamboo Sketches
by Charity Lee Jennings
My Nest
Weaving Grass, bits, leaves, twigs A home in high branches Life under wing, vulnerable Yet safe Pressing Pause I’m removed from nature in our ninth floor apartment, our nest in the sky, yet as I wrote I heard chirping. I rushed to the window. Three...
Open Highway
Trapped! Between the busyness of life and the Covid crisis, it had been nearly a year since I’d been on open highway, leaving city life behind. With parks closed and roads closed and apartment living, for months I felt trapped. My walks by the river were my...
One Who Gives
It wasn’t until I started painting the flowers that my mind turned to the fragility of life. I knew I needed to grieve. I’d been trying but being so far from family I couldn’t get to that place. But now, as I pushed my brush against the canvas to create leaves...
A Covid-19 Creation
Birds & Bare Branches Looking out the window we saw birds dancing over bare branches and our conversation turned to Brian’s grandpa and his love for birds and flowers. As a child, Brian explored his grandpa’s backyard garden with wonder. He speaks of his...
Face Masks & Friends: Surviving The Coronavirus Outbreak
“We need to buy face masks, right away.” Brian said, “And rubbing alcohol to wipe down everything we bring into the house, if stores aren’t already sold out.” Brian had been reading the news, watching the development of the Coronavirus outbreak, but I hadn’t...
New Fish, New Year
"Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they're supposed to help you discover who you are." Bernice Johnson Reagon Our fish tank has life again. The past year and a half it sat empty. It was Brian’s hobby, and Blossom happily joined in, choosing fish,...
Lanterns’ Dance
While the city is outside celebrating, I’m in bed recovering. For days I’d been anticipating creating this drawing. I want to be strong and free, like the wind that gives these lanterns their dance – yet I could only dream…
A Forced Vacation
“Let’s schedule a call to talk about our trip to China,” the text from my brother read. After years of planning, Dan and Yvonne were coming to visit. I was excited, so excited, but unprepared. Dan and Yvonne are great guests, so it wasn’t hosting them in my home I...
Took Me Ten Years
Took me ten years. Starting, quitting, starting again. Learning to face my fear. Learning to persevere. Drawing daily. It’s finally a habit for me. When I first sat on the couch of my home with toddler by my side, and read that to paint...
A Snowy Scene
I pulled the camera from the pocket of my winter coat and took a picture of the two boys in the seat of the bus behind me, as they threw themselves into a pose. Then I tucked the camera away. It was the first time my mom had let me take it and I was eager to capture...
Christmas Came Early
Sipping my drink then glancing down, I frowned. Hot water would have been less disappointing. It was my third time to use the peppermint tea bag that floated in my cup. I drink my herbal tea sparingly, not knowing when I’ll get more. When someone is coming from Canada...
Captured Treasure
I felt an urgency to capture this scene. In the shifting sand of Chinese culture, there’s a stretch between the lifestyles of young men and their grandfathers and I wonder how long this pastime will last. I arrived in time to see an elderly man lean his bicycle...