Haiku

This poem is an English language haiku. It depicts what we hear at night in my neck of the woods in Japan. The wind is a powerful thing and sometimes shakes our building. It just makes me think that we are truly at the mercy of Mother Nature and that at anytime she can whisk us away. We are just lucky that she doesn’t.

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“The Strength of Wind”

Winter’s cold gags me.
Howling winds crystallize air.
See the pretty sounds.

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This poem is another English language haiku. Words are a powerful thing and then can really send you over the edge. I found myself knee deep in a snow covered rice field after experiencing just such a moment.

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“Sharp Words Winter’s Pain”

Winter’s cold pain stings.
Like a disappointed heart.
I drudge through the snow.

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This senryu actually got published by Akita Prefecture on its website. It’s pretty simple, and about the Akita Fall season. I wrote it originally in Japanese (click here to see the Japanese), and then translated it to English (see below). I tried to maintain the structure in both. In the Japanese version, which was actually re-formed (I wrote the whole thing in Hiragana) by a dear and close translator that I have come to rely on for just such form things, it’s 5-7-6. That dear and trusted translator told me the last “ニコ　ニコ” was okay. The English version is 5-7-5.

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“Akita’s Nature Fills Empty Stomach”

Akita’s rains soaks.
Tasty delicious rice comes.
My stomach smiles large.

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This haiku is once again connecting certain emotional pain with that of the winter. I’m trying really hard to be strict in using 5-7-5 structure as I think it gives the English language haiku the seriousness and impact like that of Japanese haiku.

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“Snow Eases Wounds”

Daggered words cut me.
Falling snow caresses me
All pain stripped away.