Back in April I wrote that I’d started writing haiku following–as best I can–the wonderfully flexible guidelines of English Language Haiku (ELH). Like the Japanese style, the aim remains to portray a situation, a moment which has stirred feelings–but not to name those feelings. Thus the writer presents an opportunity for readers to access their own reactions. ELH does not follow the Japanese conventions of three lines arranged in syllable counts of five, seven and five. Nor does it demand a seasonal reference or consign haikus involving human presence to a separate and inferior category. Finally, there is no consensus among the ELH folks as to punctuation or capitalization.
With all that in mind here are a sampling of haiku written very recently at Crescent Beach, in Niantic CT. Interspersed with them are some snaps made at the same time. The photos, for the most part, are scattered randomly among the poems. Sometimes not. Whichever, they are never meant to illustrate a haiku. Nor are the haiku meant as captions for the photos. It is simply that, when dealing with the same moment, they are products of the same moment.
As usual I’d like your thoughts. Click on “comments” below and follow WordPress’s logic–the same logic that created large spaces in this post no matter how I tried to undo them–to enter your thoughts (your haiku?) for me to see.
*****
sun’s up
the back porch
instantly too hot
*****
a train rumbles past
miles away
his grandsons
*****
after meditation
the cat litter—
yes, dear
*****
moon rise
above the power plant
beyond the clouds
*****
coffee on the porch
unseen starlings
in conversation
*****
retirement–
vacation becomes
something to do
*****
emptied recycle bins
return from curbside
rolling thunder
*****
down the road
a screen door slams
Salty breeze
*****
strangers together
at the ocean’s edge
moon rise
*****
4 flights of 20 each
now fill this single oak–
whose choice?
*****
down the block
a flag flaps silently
morning sun
*****
a butterfly
approaches the hydrangea
constant course corrections
*****
dry leaves
scratch along the sidewalk
autumn too soon
*****
birds chirp
the wind whispers
shush
*****
here a bird
here a frog
hear the breeze
*****
a glee-filled baby
eager for conversation
one breath
*****
dusk
shadows of an old oak approach
the ocean’s edge
*****
now painted blue
a weathered Adirondack
sits empty
*****
after
the train passes
wind chimes
*****
morning mist
one gray gull patrols
the shoreline
*****
wind chimes
across the road
once in Bhutan
*****
wind chimes
wthout the sound of wind
zen audio
*****
silent swift
it flies along the shore
the seagull’s shadow
*****
still visible
on the rusted mailbox
a seascape
*****
can’t write
can’t remember—
just this now
*****
beneath their stones
the actor and his wife
oh the sly smiles
*****
still unread
pages turn
morning breeze
*****
sunset
new tides move
old water
*****
red lights
against a red sky
holiday weekend ends
*****
Welcome! 