7 (More) Haiku for You
You could be a poet and not even know it!

Yes, haiku is associated with nature and the changing seasons, and this petite poetic powerhouse is a versatile form that can address many subjects, including the complexities of life and human experiences.
The brevity of haiku allows for poignant expressions of complex emotions and experiences. Today, working in haiku, poets explore any theme — including those related to death, illness, and recovery.
Haiku can distill the essence and essential meaning from life’s moments, grand and modest, into the edifice of a few lines, letting the poet take a moment with our greatest joys and challenges.
The theme and subject of these samples and examples explore illness as a literal event and metaphor for a range of authors, and the musings of Chiyo-ni, Issa, and Richard Wright resonate across time.
Amid the breath of life, events — from unexpected places and syncopated paces — tease a veiled eclipse of life. Here are master poets who chisel 17 syllables of gem-cut truth.
Chiyo-ni (1703–1775)
Sick on a journey —
over parched fields
dreams wander on.
Ryokan (1758–1831)
To cure a cough
I slept in a field —
no luck.
Kobayashi Issa (1763–1828)
O snail,
climb Mount Fuji,
but slowly, slowly!
Jack Kerouac (1922–1969)
Alone in woods
I turn my face to heaven
and think of dying.
Richard Wright (1908–1960)
The young leaves of spring —
unable to go back home,
I am left behind.
7 More Haiku for You!
Roll to time and rock
ready to dive into. Sleep
Night. Windswept. Raw-weep
St. John’s Farmhouse. Rest
Evergreen sentinels stand
while we enjoy. Peace
Easing into flow
conifers kissing skyline
crow conquers rooftop
write haiku, then sleep
perchance to dream, in the scheme
in the game of life
watching your–breathing
Is. a sacred act. of life
welcome–with the breeze
Taking care. Of… things
takes up so much of our lives
Birds rest on a wire





