Category Archives: Haiku & Tanka

Spring Haiku #3

13 Replies

blossoms emerge —
incessant rains engulf
hopes of children

—

I sometimes feel as if a haiku isn’t enough of a post, as if eight words aren’t worthy of a week’s worth of creative work. And then there are blossoms; it is incredible how much of our own experience they bear on their tender petals and stems.

Tanka #10

8 Replies

my unfinished work
littered with brittle browns
deepening shadows —
autumn’s reds and yellows
forsaking their offering

IMG_0961

—

It was one year ago today I took the photograph that inspired my first tanka. It has been a less prolific season this year.

Tanka #9

9 Replies

rough stones and moss
made slick by humid air
gather fallen leaves —
unsure footsteps and silence
grace summer’s indecision

—

I have typically posted tanka accompanied, and inspired, by an photograph. The image here is in my mind only, placed there on a late summer, quiet afternoon walk through the woods, unaccompanied by my camera or technology of any sort. I was disappointed at first not to be able to capture the moment…yet the words can do it justice, and the feat is unattainable in any event.

Spring Haiku #2

11 Replies

morning carries
cold lilac breezes —
whispered and gone

—

When posting my last few haiku, I have described my struggle to write, how I have had to circle around and coax out the words. In contrast, three pieces have emerged in succession in recent days – this haiku, a free verse poem, and a piece of prose. While two are not yet complete, I marveled at first at the difference. But I suppose that is simply how it is – as a writer, as a father, as a husband. Quite striking and not-so-remarkable all at once. I’m looking forward to sharing all three in the coming week.