Haiku Poems

I went through a period of time in the 1990's and early in the new millenium when I composed quite a few poems in the style of Japanese haiku poetry.
My understanding of haiku poetry is that it is deceptively simple. It is composed of three lines with five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second line and five syllables in the third line. Haiku poems traditionally have no title. Each haiku stands completely on its own and describes a single moment. You can see the attraction that this style of poetry has for me.
I started combining haiku style poems that I had composed with photographs that I had taken. I love to take photographs that capture a moment of stillness. It seemed like a good match to me - the poems and the photographs. I didn't keep any of the originals. "Do not hold on to things you treasure, every moment has its worth." So, here are some examples of what I created then, as photographs of the books and calendars that I made to display my work.

I offer them here as examples of moments of stillness, of consciousness of one's being in the moment. I even titled one book of haiku style poems and photographs 'In the Moment'. I created that book as a limited run of handmade books on handmade paper in 2003. I'll show you some pages from that book in a later post. These are from a calendar that I created in 1999. Each month offered a poem and an image.

Wild garlic in a nature preserve near Montreal - the theme is very simple, almost a cliche, yet this little poem meant a great deal to me after the death of my brother, John. A simple theme is not necessarily one that holds no resonance or meaning for us. What amazes me is how three little lines can mean so much.

Here is another one.

I like this one because it comments on what is perceived and makes its comment in a humourous way. Just because we are in the sacred moment doesn't mean we can't respond in any way we choose to! These fields were a tangle of corn stalks and ridges of hardened earth where the plow had been. They were very difficult to walk across. Here, they are as smooth and clean as a tablecloth before the meal. Winter might be cold and difficult at times, but it has its moments of exquisite beauty. I also like this one because I am drawn to strong horizontal lines. I always have been, since I grew up on the shore of a lake and was offered these strong and somehow calming lines every time I looked outside.

I'll offer you one more today. This poem and the image that accompanies it are very dear to me. The poem expresses the perfection of being in the Now and the inevitable and very human pull away from that perfection.

I'll leave you with this until tomorrow's post.

Seen from here, the great

Stillness of the world; I lack

Nothing now, and yet....