CIEL

52 Haikus - oh no!

Interesting lesson on consistency. In August, while on my self-imposed writing retreat just 9 short weeks ago, I committed to writing 52 Haikus - one each week for a year. I breezed through the first six, congratulating myself for the inspired idea I'd cooked up for staying disciplined about one form of writing. I cranked them out, whether I was 'in the mood' or not. Around week seven the whole thing went "Poof!"and I completely forgot about the whole project. In my defense, I had more than my usual share of highly legitimate distractions in September; I produced a benefit reading for Doctors without Borders at the Marsh cafe; I read for Reunion week at Mills College; took my daughter to college back east, and now, had a pretty bad accident where I've hurt my back and am on bed rest until it heals. OK, I'll resume my 52 Haiku project as soon as I can. But like my college degree that took six years instead of four, who says 52 Haikus have to take just one year? Here's my next offering:

Accident Haiku

Rushing, fast, absent.
Missed a step - socks slippery.
Ouch! Impermanence.

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Fifty-two Haikus Installment Six

9/11 Anniversary Haiku

Memory fresh, white
Stomach churns, images fear.
Nothing to do. Death.

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Fifty-two Haikus Installment Five

FOG

Sunlight under clouds
Luminous. August, summer
San Francisco fog.

Writer's note: Since starting this project, I've joined the Haiku Society of America. Check it out:Haiku Society

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Fifty-two haikus - Installment 4

Loss

Old, new, familiar
Sadness grips. Window opens
And you -- left behind.

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Haiku Three

Number three in the "Fifty-Two Haikus" series:

"There" hides inside. "Tree"
"Triangle" and "thee." Many
Ways and paths to three.

Inspired by Richard Wilbur's "Some words inside of words."

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O-Tsukimi

While we in the west might enjoy a pleasured glance at a full moon while uttering 'ooh' or 'ahh,' our friends in the east, the Japanese - have institutionalized full moon viewing. The August full moon was out in all its radiance last week. O-tsukimi is the name for the August full moon. For a good rice harvest, offerings are left on windowsills. On that note: I hereby submit Installment #2 of my "52 Haikus" project:

Last full moon, Summer
Rabbit scurries under fence
Tree leaves reflect brightness.

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Fifty-two Haikus

Inspired by Maria Burtis who was in my break-out group at BlogHer I'm adding "Fifty-Two Haikus" to my blog. Haiku is a Japanese poetic form consisting of three lines - the first has 5 syllables, the second has seven, and the third has five. The challenge is to come up with a Haiku a week. Here's Number One (in honor of my annual writing retreat):
"With full heart, and hope
I leave my usual place
Come greet the unknown."
For more info on Haiku, check out the Haiku Society of America.

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