Solitude — to me a word so different from loneliness, so sweet and rare, solitude is choice . Solitude is a precious state where I can find stories in the shape of clouds or when I listen (really listen) to the voice of trees. In Solitude you are never lonely, you just are alone enough to find how well your breathing synchronizes to heartbeats or sense the gentle pressure of the soil against the soles of my feet as I watch how ducks have gathered in the open stream.
Sometimes I must go for lonely walks with thoughts I have, sometimes solitude is the only choice I have, a saviour and my friend; but afterwards… my solitude have made me stronger, bolder and ready to make friends with you again. Sometimes though, my solitary walks will lead me down through lonely alleys where I cannot hear my thought, to loneliness where nothing fills my dreams. To void and If I call for you from such a place, please take me back and let us talk, and talk again.
winter filigree —
dark shapes of bowing branches
fragrance of snowflakes
Today it is haibun Monday at dVerse, and Kim inspire us with various aspects of solitude. I preferred to go more with my thoughts in the prose than actually telling a story.
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February 4, 2019
Björn Rudbergs writings 
What a resplendent haiku. The elegance of snowflakes…. oh my
Ha… I’m so glad you liked it, I thought a lot about it to make it mean what I felt when taking a walk in the snow yesterday.
You did. exactly. the same way I feel when taking solitary walks in the snow or the rain.
I love following your train of thought in the prose, Björn, from the philosophical rambling of the mind to the physical walks. I really like the idea of feeling the gentle pressure of the soil against the soles of one’s feet. The haiku is breathtaking, especially the fragrance of snowflakes!
Thank you… somehow we always forget how snow smells until we walk in the falling snow.
Beautiful post and I feel with you all the way. Solitude is so different from loneliness, your writing says it so clear.
I also find your Haiku so sheer and beautiful
and understand deeply the smell of snowflakes.
miriam
Thank you, it’s so different, yet to feel solitude you have to find some level of loneliness.
A wonderful Haiku. I love “The Fragrance of Snowflakes”.
I savor my solitude when I take, long, long walks in nature. My mind is clear and see and smell everything. It is never lonely.
You had me at /listening to the voice of trees/. IK, too, dig your haiku. We got our first big snowfall last night. So far, I have not gone out in it.
The last line of the final paragraph just catches in my chest. Wonderful writing.
Beautiful writing Bjorn.
I like this very much, and you are right, you have to know both to know the difference…
solitude as a friend, i agree, i love her company – she’s feminine to me.
You paint well the dark side of solitude
This was really really engaging Bjorn. I loved the yin yang nature of it. And the haiku was splendid. Went wonderfully with the pic!
There are different aspects to solitude for sure, as you have illustrated. Sometimes too much solitude does leave us alone with dark thoughts. I love the insight and vulnerability of this, Björn.
I love the positivity of solitude you describe here.It’s my thing, also.
agree on solitude, people need to practice to enjoy it
Wonderful! Yes, I am an introvert who needs breaks. I think solitude makes us stronger and braver, whereas loneliness just keeps us in isolation.
Good point: solitude is a choice.
Oh, beautiful haiku, Bjorn, and an exploration of the beauty and terror of solitude. A little like snow – just enough is beautiful and energising, too much is life-threatening.
Hallo I think you really captured the mindfulness that accompanies solitude. I also think you clearly demonstrated that it can be a fine line between enjoying solitude and the sudden descent into loneliness when your alone-ness is overshadowed by fears.
I agree, there is a difference between solitude and loneliness. Sometimes being alone can make you lonely, sometimes it can be completely satisfying. I love the wintery solitude of your haiku and your photo. The experience of winter in the far north must be quite mystical sometimes.
Nice Haibun about pleasant solitude. Oslo has been showered with tons of white snow in the last few days. Your photo looks just like what we are experiencing.
Just beautifu.the haiku and the haibun. Solitude is a strengthening element for me.
I too enjoy solitary walks, and agree it’s important to have people to return too! Loved your Haiku.
smelling snowflakes – there’s a joy and a loneliness there, too.
Lovely prose and haiku. Your thoughts on solitude resonates.
Bjorn, I often take walks it helps clear my head and I can hear the songs of nature. This brings me inner peace. I love the smell of snowflakes.