I ... entered the poem of life, whose purpose is ... simply to witness the beauties of the world, to discover the many forms that love can take. (Barabara Blackman in 'Glass After Glass')

These poems are works in progress and may be updated without notice. Nevertheless copyright applies to all writings here and all photos (which are either my own or used with permission). Thank you for your comments. I read and appreciate them all, and reply here to specific points that seem to need it — or as I have the leisure. Otherwise I reciprocate by reading and commenting on your blog posts as much as possible.

28 February 2017

NaHaiWriMo Week 4

More one-liners purporting to be haiku or senryu 


Feb 22 Leaf

fallen leaf the end of the long summer

gold leaf edging the pages – books my grandpa gave me

plump leaf of my lucky jade bush – broken off


Feb 23 Nature (human)

city visit the too-quick speech of strangers

Summer fades I mourn the heat I deplored

I extend my walk to see my old home from outside

I make and hang the dream catcher, start to dream again


Feb 24 In short (brief, minimal haiku)

summer ends – last flowers

late – one crow call

magpie sings unseen

autumn – empty beach


Feb 25 To 

to the hill! fog falls away

flowers brought to the patient in time for a wreath

mother of sons I learn to kick a football

raising glass to lips – eye contact

fingers to lips – the train departs


Feb 26 Our 

your long absence from our home – I rearrange the space

our ball flies high – crack! the window shatters

dusk along our street mothers calling children in

slowly our nights grow cooler summer begins to end


Feb 27 Buddha

pelting rain serene-faced statue of Buddha

Buddha's gesture invites discourse magpies warble

wooden Buddha on highest shelf – in kitchen

lotus lips deep eyes to drown in Buddha's painted face 


February 28, 2017 Nature (a pure-nature poem).

tiny black-and-white feather on the lawn ibis in flight

small feather on the grass rain-soaked Autumn starts early

mountain swathed in cloud today summer's over

loud rain-drops falling from leaves after the rain stops

small cat sleeps with both ears pricked but closer to me each night


Michael Dylan Welch, who runs NaHaiWriMo, told us: 
For those of you who might have wondered, the prompts for this month all came from two sentences (slightly adapted) from R. H. Blyth: “Haiku is a hand beckoning, a door half-opened, a mirror wiped clean. It is a way of returning to nature, to our moon nature, our cherry blossom nature, our falling leaf nature, in short, to our Buddha nature.” So that’s why a few of the prompts have been repeated. This is one of my favourite quotations from Blyth about haiku.


28 comments:

  1. Thank you for this privilege, of seeing dreams in progress

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  2. These are all visually so gorgeous. Loved them. Love the inspiring quote too.

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  3. My word, these are gorgeous!

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  4. So thrilled you all like them. I have been very uncertain whether they truly qualify as haiku – but if I have managed to produce poetry, that will do very well!

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  5. Magpies and Buddha. You paint quite a picture and mood. I love small.

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  6. I felt that broken leaf of the jade plant. I always used to view that much like a broken arm or finger, those plants are such Presences.......I can feel the change in your seasons in these lines....and I LOVE "begin to dream again". We must never stop! These are all so beautiful, Rosemary. I had to come back and read again. I especially love the Buddha lines!

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  7. Beautiful images....makes me feel the sadness of the end of summer. I like the idea of beginning to dream again, as Sherry mentioned, too.

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  8. Lovely lines..especially liked - I extend my walk to see my old home from outside

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  9. I love the images, like little gems.. they are like brushstrokes in a painting.

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  10. How easy it is to visualise each beautiful scene. How I enjoyed the read.

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  11. So lovely...I can feel the bittersweet poignancy that comes with autumn.

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  12. These are absolutely gorgeous, Rosemary!❤️Especially love; "city visit the too-quick speech of strangers. Summer fades I mourn the heat I deplored. I extend my walk to see my old home from outside. I make and hang the dream catcher, start to dream again."❤️


    Lots of love,
    Sanaa

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    1. This was my favourite as well. Beautiful !

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  13. The second one, on Feb 25th, nearly broke my heart... It tells a complete story, a bittersweet tale that tugs at the heart.

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  14. Serene!

    flowers brought to the patient in time for a wreath

    That hit me hard.

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  15. Ah, thank you for sharing a week in images. The 24th, the shift in season and mood.

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  16. Your one-liners delight me! They also make me somewhat envious, because I'm not nearly as adept at writing them as you are.

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  17. very nice

    Happy Sunday Rosemary

    much love...

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  18. Each vignette a lovely gift!

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  19. These are all so beautiful......and you have so perfectly captured the human tendency in this one: "Summer fades I mourn the heat I deplored"--that is so spot on!

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  20. I have jades planted around my porch and this morning someone flattened one right under my kitchen window like they were looking in. Creepy and my poor bush!

    I love them all, good haiku.

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  21. Well thought out and creative. I Enjoyed each day.
    ZQ

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  22. Your haikus are sooo thoughtful and deep. what an accomplishment for that week!

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  23. Love your haiku and love the quote. You truly expressed your Buddha nature.

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  24. Ah, I have a love and hate relationship with summer. My faves were Feb 23 / 24. I thought they are poignantly and beautifully written, Rosemary.

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  25. This are WONDER-FULL! The pure-nature compilation, I found particularly evocation, for me.

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  26. Great images extended here Rosemary! There is a tinge of sadness at end of a season certainly!

    Hank

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