~ Haiku of Experience ~
Today’s conclusion —
the world is tinged with sorrow
even amidst joy
Haiku
~ Martin Luther King Day Haiku ~
If only they hadn’t
shot Martin down, you think things
would be different?
Crow Haiku
~ Crow Haiku ~
Slanting winter sun
Catches crows gliding above
Gilding black wings white.
Sonnet
Illusions of Innocence ~
Time was, the sun stood high and corn grew green,
The juice of youth coursed through our throbbing veins.
Love easy and free as the night was keen.
The grass our bed, our bath the gentle rains.
We took up books of verse and lingered long,
Imagined we were wise as those in odes,
Took guidance from the lyrics of a song,
Cast off the quaint restraint of outworn codes.
All along, ignoring every sign:
The chill that comes and strikes the landscape dead,
The smut that spoils the corn and rots the vine,
The vulture drifting gravely overhead,
And, one subtle clue even less benign,
That not one selfless thought entered our head.
Hometown Haiku
~ Haiku for My Parents ~
Depression couple,
Never quite got the memo
That it was over.
Hometown Haiku
Haiku for My Brother
Last time I saw him
We wandered among tombstones.
Now, he has his own.
Hometown Haiku
~ Hometown Haiku ~
Well over sixty,
Dad built a barn by himself.
Now it, too, molders.
Hometown Haiku
Hometown Haiku
All ready to sell,
the childhood house stands empty,
but for memories.
Thoughtful Christmas Gift
This Christmas, I received a couple of poetry-related gifts. The first was an original hand-drawn and illustrated version of a haiku I wrote.
It was done by my talented and thoughtful daughter-in-law, Sarah. I had written this haiku last year in honor of my late father.
Now, it is I who feel honored and delighted!
This is as close as I’ve ever come to having an authentic version of an original haiku. The old haiku masters produced total works of art, complete with beautiful hand-lettering and illustrations to complement the poignant words.
The idea for the verse came about while going through my parent’s belongings before getting their house ready to sell. I came across my father’s old Bible.
It was so well-worn that it was literally being held together by duct tape.
My father never finished high school, and spent his life as a farmer and mechanic. He didn’t travel, and he had no hobbies except for studying the Bible and ancient times.
He became a bit of an amateur scholar, ordering books on theology and history. I packed up a few of books to pass along to my scholarly son, but the prized possession from the old house was that Bible.
Now, my prized new possession is this illustrated haiku.
Father’s old Bible
Held together with duct tape.
Now he’s face to face.
Dad was not just interested in history for history’s sake, or out of a mere intellectual curiosity. He also had a deep faith. He had seen the difference that God had made in his own father’s life and he believed in Jesus as well. He did his best to introduce his own children to that faith.
I’ll write about my other poetry-related Christmas present in a subsequent post soon.
Happy New Year!
Flower Time
Flower Time
I saw you first in jonquil time,
When you were bathed in grace.
You sat aglow with fire sublime,
And golden shone your face.
I loved you first in lilac time.
A bloom I plucked for you.
I wrote you verse with song and rhyme.
I hoped you loved me too.
I kissed you first in tulip time,
It must have been a sign.
The buds and we were in our prime
When your two lips met mine.
I married you in daisy time
On summer’s longest day.
We traded rings and heard bells chime.
We pledged always to stay.
Too soon we’ve come to aster time.
The days are shorter now.
Would stealing some be such a crime?
We’ll make it right somehow.
Should we endure ’til wintertime,
The time when flowers sleep,
Dreams we’ll share of a gentler clime
Where we no more shall weep.
Poetic Champions 