On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
Munira
In these posts, I’ve frequently talked about the differences between classical Japanese haiku (and tanka) and the poems we’re now writing in western languages (like English). The kigo or season word is an important part of traditional Japanese haiku. Kigo are found on a list called a saijiki, and their use can be somewhat restrictive. For example, the kigo “moon” refers only to the autumn moon. If the moon appears in a haiku referring to a different season, that season has to be specified – for example, the winter moon or the summer moon. Good old Wikipedia has a pretty good description of the kigo if you want more information – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kigo.
Needless to say, we western poets, don’t always follow this practice. In fact, though many, probably even most, of our haiku are still written about nature, we have expanded into a lot of other areas – work, home, hospitals, museums – you name it. Anything is fair game.
I got the idea for this post one Saturday when I was doing a non-residential (Zoom) mindfulness retreat in my apartment. It was time for a walking meditation. It was pouring rain outside, so I started walking slowly back and forth from my bedroom to the kitchen. As I walked, I began to take note of some of the objects I’d had for many years. Some of them I hadn’t actually looked at for a long time, and I didn’t even remember where I’d gotten them.
The meditation mind (like the haiku mind) notices things, sees them in a different, deeper way so, of course, haiku started to materialize as I was walking. Later I went back and took photos of the objects I was writing about. I also started looking at earlier photos from my cabin in Quebec and matched them with haiku I’d already written.
So this post is a glimpse of what home means to me – a cup of hot tea, produce from the garden, my piano, and nature coming through my window in the form of plant shadows.
not quite forgotten—
the six points
of a crystal star
today’s mood—
my waterglass
half full
happy at last—
the houseplant whose name
starts with K
this cabin
built by my hands
so long ago —
tonight I see again
the arch of the ceiling
Gusts, Spring/Summer 2020
still here
under my teacup
a coaster
made of sailor’s knots
by a long-gone lover
Gusts – Fall/Winter 2023
rose-tinted shell
I rarely look at
from some
forgotten
beach
I touch the keys
with fingers and mind—
adagio
shelling runner beans—
beauty slipping
from seed to seed
evening sun
on patio plants—
a shadow garden
on my kitchen
wall
growing old
day after day
the same teacup
Modern Haiku – Summer 2023
eclare
These verses are lovely, thank you.
Rusty
The combinations of haiku and photographs are beautiful.
Donatellonerd
What @Rusty said
Nelle
I really appreciate this prompt and reminder to slow and look. We’re under a blizzard warning so both this post and Nature say, “Slow down. Pay a different sort of attention.” Thank you.
zhena gogolia
They just played that adagio on Belgravia. 😄
Bedraggled and Bedazzled
thanks for a wonderful start to the day!
prostratedragon
If I may.
eclare
@prostratedragon:
Beautiful.
Denali5
So lovely. Thank you.
H.E.Wolf
The photos, the poems, and the post are sublime.
Torrey
@Nelle:
I want this done in calligraphy, framed and hung next to a window.
And, Munira, thank you for the wonderful pictures and poems. This really does make for a good start to the day.
SkyBluePink
Very creative, Munira – and charming!
munira
Good morning everyone. Just starting my day and a cold windy one it is here on the west coast. Thank you for all your lovely comments and for the youtube of the Pathetique adagio – one of my favorite sonatas to play and to listen to.
frosty
What a nice topic (and execution) for On The Road!!
Albatrossity
Beautiful. What a great way to contemplate and enjoy the things in our lives that enrich them.
arrieve
This was beautiful. I love the way you combine your photos and poems.
munira
@Nelle: Yes, slow down has become my mantra. I’m trying to make the sloth my spirit animal.
Madeleine
Your OTRs always draw a special attention from me. The final teacup has such presence (whatever I mean by that) sitting alone with its pointing haiku.
munira
@Madeleine: Thank you – and thank you everyone for your kind words. Hopefully, I won’t take so long before I do the next one, but who knows? Life gets crazy sometimes.
Jill
Thank you! I particularly love the cup and sailor’s knot and the shadow garden. Lovely to see familiar objects in new and thoughtful ways.
munira
@Jill: Yes, it’s amazing how often we don’t look at the things around us.
BigJimSlade
Excellent post :-)
WaterGirl
Coming to this post 5 days late. These posts from you are always so lovely.
More soon, please, if you can manage it. Thank you.