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Haiku Hiding in a Winter Garden and Beyond


Haiku


I have been word working with haiku these past weeks using my winter garden and surrounds to inspire a wellspring of thoughts and ideas. I share some notebooks jottings...



Birds begin singing

Morning squawks, high pitched chirping

Lyrics fill the air


Rosellas flit by

Their chirping quite frenetic

All flash and feathers


Bright yellow lemons

Adorn the small gnarly tree

Ripening slowly.


Worms in writhing clumps

Goble through grit underground

Spewing up castings.


Pond water like broth

Examine it closely

it seethes with creatures


At the garden's edge

A dim, egg shaped patch of light

Looms over the path.


In winter, streets stretch

Longer, greyer, hard to walk

Without a warm coat.


Light on the water

Scatters and dances about

I walk home becalmed








It is Poetry Friday again...
This week our host is Buffy Silverman. Buffy has been using photographic images and words to note seasonal changes. Visit her site to discover more. You can also link to a host of other poets from all round the world.


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Comments

  1. Carol Varsalona18 June 2021 at 10:47


    Alan, you make winter in Australia seem so magical. The last word of your haiku sequence is filled with the wonder of your winter garden: becalmed. Would be interested in allowing me to capture your last haiku and photo for my Winter's Embrace Gallery. Of course other parts of your sequence would be welcomed. Let me know.

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    1. Alan j Wright18 June 2021 at 13:47

      Carol, I am always happy to share poems to your gallery. Thank you for honouring my winter words. Thank you also for your favourable response.

      Delete
  2. Linda Mitchell18 June 2021 at 11:33

    Oh, my goodness! I know, I know, I know that you are advancing into winter. And yet, my head has a hard time wrapping itself around that idea as it's hot here. I love the photos of the yellow leaves. The feeling of crisp, cool air in all that glorious color as a nap blanket is spread out. What a good time for writing. Thanks for sharing these gems. Great word work!

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    1. Alan j Wright18 June 2021 at 13:52

      It is always and adjustment Linda. My six years in New York, helped my understanding of the seasonal divide. Thank you for your generous response to my winter words. The leaves are indeed beautiful, but recent storms have scattered them widely. We have transitioned into new professional roles as leaf undertakers.

      Delete
  3. Denise Krebs18 June 2021 at 18:55

    Alan, what images you have put in our heads. I'm taking the worms with me today. I love the word choice: "writhing clumps" "Goble through grit" "Spewing up castings" And that is not the only haiku where every syllable was weighty and rich. I love the "flash and feathers" of the rosellas and the pond seething with life. Oh, my! Beautiful poems.

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    1. Alan j Wright18 June 2021 at 19:43

      Thank you Denise for your most generous remarks. Thank you for noting the word choices. It is super critical given the tight structure of Haiku. It's a challenge I'm finding quite irresistible. I am increasingly using it as a writing warm up as it really focuses the mind on the use of the most appropriate words.

      Delete
  4. Rose Cappelli18 June 2021 at 21:11

    Thanks so much for this glimpse into winter in Australia. Your pictures remind me of the colors found in our fall season. Loved "Worms in writhing clumps" and "Lyrics fill the air" - beautiful images that I will carry into the day.

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    1. Alan j Wright19 June 2021 at 09:17

      Glad you liked the glimpse Rose. The lingering colours of the trees are very much a remnant of the autumn season. They linger tenaciously clinging to the trees. I'm pleased my words gave you some takeaways.

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  5. Elisabeth18 June 2021 at 22:01

    These are lovely haiku. I especially love the last line of the last one - the idea of being becalmed.
    Thanks for sharing these!

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    1. Alan j Wright19 June 2021 at 09:19

      Thank you Elisabeth.The word 'becalmed' came at the sea's suggestion. It's a handy walk from our home.

      Delete
  6. Janice Scully18 June 2021 at 22:32

    I feel like I'm in your winter garden as I read these. I feel the cool air and can see the lemons, the pond and the earthworms. I think haiku is such a great way to freeze a piece of time to share and think about later.

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    1. Alan j Wright19 June 2021 at 09:35

      Hope you've donned a coat Janice. The air is chilly. I'm glad you can readily visualize the scenes I have written about. I agree with you regarding the way Haiku can freeze moments.

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  7. Linda B18 June 2021 at 22:42

    You've given a chance to imagine another season's change, Alan, in your lovely words and pictures. I'd love to have my own 'gnarly' lemon tree watching the ripening and have such a place to see that 'light on the water'. Here where summer heat has arrived, it's hard to imagine chilly days with a coat. Enjoy your days of change.

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    1. Alan j Wright19 June 2021 at 09:47

      We live our lives at opposite ends of the world, experiencing all the same seasons in different parts of the calendar year Linda. These opposites serve to remind us of season's past. Glad you liked my winter words. Hopefully, they cooled you against the rising summer heat...

      Delete
  8. Ruth19 June 2021 at 01:48

    I love all your little pictures of nature!

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  9. Buffy Silverman19 June 2021 at 07:20

    Your winter sounds like spring in Michigan! Your haiku paint beautiful images--I especially like the line "All flash and feathers"

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    1. Alan j Wright19 June 2021 at 09:40

      Our winter is quite cold, yet living so close the sea it has a temperate affect. It is certainly not as cold as the US winter, but the wind and rain do make their presence keenly felt. I enjoyed writing the 'flash and feathers line. Apart from my strong connection to alliterative phrases, it seemed to sum up these hyperactive, colourful birds.

      Delete
  10. Mary Lee19 June 2021 at 08:31

    Thanks for taking us along for a winter walk!

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  11. Tabatha19 June 2021 at 23:45

    I feel like I was there with you! Thank you for the tour.

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    Replies
    1. Alan j Wright22 June 2021 at 10:21

      Thank you for being there Tabatha. Glad you enjoyed the tour.

      Delete

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