Haiku

Haiku.

I haven't thought about Haiku in years.  I mean YEARS.   I remember reading about it and writing some for jr. high literature classes (middle school, it's called these days).  I could have touched on it before or after, but that's what sticks out to me.  It snuck up unexpectedly on me in a book that I recently read: A Listening Heart: The Spirituality of Sacred Sensuousness by Brother David Steindl-Rast.  The chapter entitled "Mirror of the Heart" mentions the Haiku and how it functions as a mirror and is a poem of awareness. (82)  It struck me that the Haiku is at its core, about silence (96).  Whether I learned that prior and had forgotten it or whether that was new to me, it was one of those "cause for a pause" moments.  The author writes: "The Haiku is a scaffold of words; what is being constructed is a poem of silence; and when it is ready, the poet gives a little kick, as it were, to the scaffold.  It tumbles, and silence alone stands." (96)

I didn't pay much attention to the Haiku as I read this book.  I took some notes and kept moving.  I ordered this book because it was quoted some in the beginning of the chapters in another book of his I had read: the way of silence: engaging the sacred in daily life.  That was my first introduction to this author and WOW!

As I finished A Listening Heart, I found that the Haiku was sneaking in on me.  I went back to the chapter and re-read about it.

I started listening to my surroundings.  As I have listened, it has opened up a space of grace within me that I didn't know was needed to open it.  I have shared the Haiku as an offering, often along with pictures that I have taken that inspire my thoughts.  Contemplative photography is one of my spiritual practices.  It now seems that the Haiku has added itself as a spiritual practice.

I now carry a composition book with me that is dedicated to my Haiku practice.

As I've just begun this journey, I don't have lots to share.

However, I will share what I have thus far.

I use  the app "textgram".  For the very first one, I used one of their backgrounds.  For the rest of them, the photographs are mine.

wind chimes playing song

water fountain flowing strong

breezes on my skin

DD, 8/18/20

crystal clear water

refreshes my feet and soul

creation time rocks

DD 8/20/20

(the word "rocks" here has a double meaning [double-entendre] as it can be a noun to describe the rocks in the water or it can be a verb for "creation time")

a path to follow

treasures to find on the way

snails, 'shrooms, views, flowers

DD, 8-23-20

Haiku opened space

Offering healing and grace

Adventure awaits

DD, 8-23-20

Bike rides on two wheels

Feeling the air on my skin

Freedom flows within

DD, 8-24-20

My other two wheels

You have been gone way too long

Joy and freedom missed

DD, 8-24-20

May there be creativity and fun on your journey, along with silence and spiritual practices that sneak up on you!

Rev. Deb

from the overlook at Keown Falls, 8-22-20