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Fine Art Photography of the North and Beyond

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Haiku

Haiku:

A traditional form of Japanese poetry. Haiku poems consist of 3 lines. The first and last lines of a Haiku have 5 syllables and the middle line has 7 syllables. The lines rarely rhyme.

I have a great love of Haiku, a deceptively simple form of verse which originated in Japan. In its original Japanese, Haiku -in the majority of cases- conforms to a 5-7-5 syllable rule, however when translated to English this is, almost without exception, lost. What is not lost is the perfect description of a moment, place, emotion or all three.

My attempts don’t follow many of the Haiku conventions, except that they are always three lines long and frequently feature a hint as to the season in which I experienced the subject.

Autumn cherry drops a leaf-
sitting solemn below,
Basho cries into his cup.

Into a swollen pool
water falls-
the endless traveller

Tap Tapping-
clogs on wood 
joyous dancing abounds

Winter solitude
the sound of wind
a world of one colour

Ice blues skies –
red flash in the branches
a woodpecker tapping

Solitary bird
joins the chorus –
hello my friend morning

Golden water
reflecting sun-
Grebes dancing

Black sky
storms again –
the traveller returns

Frozen lake-
Ducks huddle together
in the broken corner

Mad woman
shouting to herself
or a friend far away

Frosted bench –
surrenders 
to the morning sun

Water tumbles,
Light Shines
Into darkness I fall.

Bare branch creaking –
ice cracking,
welcome the years first snow.

Suddenly awake-
orange sky,
good morning Spring

Angry traveller,
Familiar yet forever changing,
Rain returns home.

Dark meets Light –
Clouds Turbulent Journey ends
Calm returns.

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