Brown blotches
on shrunken leaves
aged beauty
*
Withered stalks
bearing sweet beans
the end is near
*
in four seasons
growth, decay, death
our mirror
~
‘Pared down to its barest essence, wabi-sabi is the Japanese art of finding beauty in imperfection and profundity in nature, of accepting the natural cycle of growth, decay, and death.’ ~ Japanese Architect, Tadao Ando
In response to Embracing Wabi Sabi an Ontheroad haiku prompt.
©2017 Ontheland
Morning mist
may lift after cups of tea
the view is dense
~
Hydro truck
watched through kitchen blinds
An inspection
~
Yellow bird
lights up my window
her tail bounces
~
My kitchen sink is under the window, allowing me to gaze out as I clean up. Suzanne’s post: ‘Flowers by the road’ reminded me this morning was eventful.
©2017 Ontheland
I took the course
ran the race,
passed tests, and
as many times before,
earned the certificate of completion.
Yet something was missing.
happiness—
self discoveries
on fresh path
each dawn, shift of light
bird song changes key
~ ~ ~
Reading Suzanne’s Ontheroad Prompt: The Haijun on the Road led me to these thoughts….a haibun of sorts, having a brief intro and a closing tanka…
© 2017 Ontheland
Nothing to say,
only a sliver tonight,
waxing crescent moon
~
Sky is clear
my mind is empty
crickets chatter
~
At last
the moon has returned
I knew it would
A waxing crescent moon is sometimes called ‘young moon’.
Ontheroad prompts: Being in the world
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Today’s solar eclipse was only partial in Ontario, Canada. I was outside tuning into any changes around me and wrote two small poems (tanka and haiku):
Daylight shifts
to evening grey
crickets buzz—
I dare not look as
dark moon clips the sun
~
earth and sister moon
companions
in orbit
~
Some of you will remember the Pink Floyd album Dark Side of the Moon (1973). This video of the song ‘Eclipse’ shows the moon moving across the sun and if you last to the end, there is an interesting conclusion.
~
~
Ontheroadprompts: “Travelling with the Moon”
©2017 Ontheland
Summer showers
prisms
splash lines on this page
~
Galaxies
lights scatter the darkness
my home
~
Responding to Ontheroadprompts: “For this week’s prompt let the life and work of Hisajo inspire your creative explorations of haiku and related forms.” Hisajo is a Japanese poet of the early 20th century (1890-1946). To read about her life and writing visit Suzanne’s post at the link above. Her essay includes the following quote and haiku which I found particularly inspiring:
I would like to make a haiku out of what touches my life, what my eyes see, ears hear, what my heart speaks to myself in a strong voice… I want to sketch things that left an impression in the depth of my soul.“
—From a Letter Written In Daybreak, 1922 by Sugito Hisajo
chasing butterflies
deep into spring mountains
I have become lost
– Hisajo
~~~
©2017 Ontheland
When I first ventured into vegetable gardening I was guided by books. Each step felt tenuous, like treading in the dark. My guide was a carefully drawn plan, each square foot measured, each seed accounted for. With time I relaxed. I learned that seeds grow and that I only need to provide water and shelter.
A few years have passed and now what joy! Borage, calendula, dill, sorrel and chives return on their own to resculpt the landscape. This spring, rabbits devoured the first shoots of sunflowers and greens…so I raised the height of the wire fence, used a large removeable barrel to block the entrance, and planted more seeds. I still make annual plans—plant families rotate from year to year and companions are placed side by side. Beyond my winter dreaming the real garden emerges in a flow of call and response.
Even with a plan
the path ahead is hidden
mystery unfolds
Behind the barrel gate
cilantro blooms
squash vines creep
~
In response to Suzanne’s Ontheroad prompt “Step by Step” based on this quote from Monkey King 2:
“You don’t find the path, you make it step by step”
and this haiku of Basho:
In the wintry gust
I wander, like Chikusai
the comic poet.
– from “Matsuo Bashō: The Poetic Spirit, Sabi, and Lightness,” by Makoto Uedo
©2017 Ontheland
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