A Collection of Haiku

Here is a collection of Haiku. hai·ku /ˈhīˌko͞o/ noun

a Japanese poem of seventeen syllables, in three lines of five, seven, and five, traditionally evoking images of the natural world.

a poem in English written in the form of a haiku.

ASPEN TREES: A Haiku for John Denver

White trunks skyward grow,

Glazed green leaves tremble on wind,

One root, connected.

The poem, ASPENS is a Haiku written to John Denver. John Denver, is a famous singer, song writer and activist who lived in Starwood in Aspen in Aspen, Colorado. Around his home, were multiple Aspens and other trees. He mentions the trees in many of his songs. One Aspen was a point of contention with he and his wife, Annie. While John was on tour, she made an executive decision to have the Aspen trees close to the house, and causing a sewage blockage, cut down. When John returned he was furious. So furious that he took a chainsaw and sawed the bed frame, that Annie had loved, in half just to make a point about how much he loved those trees. Yes, a bit drastic. The entire incident was symptomatic of deeper problems in the marriage. John later regretted his actions.

In any case, I know John loved Aspen trees as well as many other parts of nature and the environment.

ABALONE: A Haiku

Abalone Shells,

Rainbows frozen by the sea,

Stranded dreams of tides.

My haiku, Abalone, has been with me for many years. I wrote it when I was in my teens, and I am still fascinated by Abalone and by Haiku!

An abalone is the home of an abalone snail or very large mollusk. It is hard-crusted calcium on the outside, but in the inside it is shiny silver and light reflects off of the lining like it would an iridescent pearl. In fact this iridescent surface is called nacre or commonly, "mother of pearl". Much like a pearl, the mollusk excretes minerals which mix with protein and calcium and the nacre builds up over the lifetime of the snail. An oyster forms a pearl when a piece of sand gets caught in its shell and layers and layers of excretions form around it. Abalone can also produce pearls, but beautiful ones are rare. The colors of the iridescent shell are determined by what the mollusk eats. So in different areas of the world, abalone eat different things and their colors will vary. Interesting, no?!

Truth be told, I'd rather have something made of abalone than I would a diamond.....but I wouldn't turn a diamond down!

GRAND CANYON

High, deep, wide, long, old

Kaleidoscope rock colors

Nature's masterpiece!

I visited the Grand Canyon on my 60th birthday. I think I was trying not to feel old because the Grand Canyon, well, now that IS old. Geologists say the Grand Canyon is five to six million years old, but in some layers it shows to be billions of years old. I guess it depends on what you are counting: the start to finish of the Colorado river's work of art (not finished yet!) or the geological layers that go deep to the core of the Earth. In any case it was absolutely magnificent. I couldn't believe the little thread at the bottom is the Colorado river! The colors of the rock seemed to change with the shadows of the sun and the clouds and the time of day. A kaleidoscope with the Earth and Sun doing the turning. Adding to this awesomeness, was that I saw my first live Golden Eagle flying into the canyon!

Shibu inu's

Strong willed, loyalty

Up sashed pom pon curled wag tails

Mischievous cute smiles!

I wrote this Haiku for my sister, Anita and my niece, Lara who love Shibu inu's. They are a dogs with an Akita-like shape but much smaller and much better tempered. Their tails are curled and puffy and a delight to see when you they are wagging for YOU!. Their loyalty and strong will are well known. Best of all are their smiles. The smiles are almost human-like, and they seem to use them to say whatever is on a Shibu inu's mind. Their smiles and character are irresistible.

COVID 19

Faceless demon lurks

Air-surfing into our lungs,

Death in a droplet.

This haiku is how I feel about the COVID 19 coronavirus. I wrote this during the 2020 quarantine. Damn right I'm scared!

CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES 2020

Wind fanned flames floor fauna,

forests, families, faith, futures,

burnt, black branches remain.

I am living in California at the time of these awful wildfires, most started by lightening strikes. The skies are dark, the sunsets dirty burnt orange. People are devastated. The state is dark tarnish. I live in hope that the fires will help bring back, in time, full lush green beauty that we knew.