LIKE A CRYSTAL…THE HAIKU SHOWS US SOME IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF OUR HUMAN WORLD GATHERED TOGETHER AND REFLECTED AS IF IN ONE BRIEF SPARKLING FLASH. ~ BR. DAVID STEINDL-RAST
In our experience at A Network for Grateful Living, poetry speaks to the very heart of gratefulness. Through reading and sharing poetry we find ourselves moved by the world and its wonders in ways that can be profound and hard to articulate. Poetry, like gratefulness, inhabits us, brings the world alive, and directs our attention to the ordinary as extraordinary. When we let ourselves observe and listen, we find words and surprising combinations of words that did not occur to us before.
In the Spring of 2019, with the guidance of Tom Clausen along with Br. David Steindl-Rast’s sublime and instructive reflections on haiku, we created an 8-day exploration of haiku as gratefulness practice and invited people to join us.
The exploration convened a community of both novice and practiced poets who shared with us their discoveries, delights, and dilemmas in "brief sparkling flashes." We were so taken by the sharing on the practice pages that we put out a call for submissions. This treasure trove of forty gems is the result.
tiny promises
appear on new green branches
juicy peaches soon
- Bdarling
Binding the journal
with green ribbon in my hand
pull through, tighten, tie
- Mary McHugh
Footsteps on a path
Remnants of mountains and stars
The dust on these boots
- miguelie
Dark monsters take chase—
Shadow play, grandson and I
walk to the park.
- Arlene Hoyt
Beautiful wisdom
Child born of ferocious winter
Slow dawn on water.
- j.a.
Waving in the breeze,
a field of unfurling ferns.
I say, "Hello, there!"
- Gina Lincoln
Scent of hyacinth
Through an open classroom window
Fills me with longing.
- Kathy Deal
An empty wheelchair
sits at the base of the stairs
miracles happen
- Daria Leslea
sign: Forsythia
glorious, golden delight!
No Pruning Allowed.
- Deirdre Marie Hackeling
Embryonic buds
unfurl, scalloped pink petals
wink at the slate skies.
- Deborah Hefferon
Flames eat centuries
of wood and worship. Crowds sing
Ave Maria.
- Marlee Percival
From blasted granite
redbud saplings reach for light.
Destruction tempered
- Terri Barto
Spring bursting in blooms
cascading; arching the walk.
Confetti petals!
- anon
The sweetness of my mother’s smile,
only in a photo now.
Sorrow
- Lynn AO
sitting quietly
waiting for the repairman
practicing patience
- Janice Falls
A dark evening,
the only lantern broken
silence on the path.
- anon
Desert sunrise
Cactus swells with yellow bloom
Sweet perfume of Spring
- anon
my grandsons yo-yoing
with my dinged-up red Duncan
my heart on a string!
- Joel
dragonflies' wings take
light like cathedral windows
stop. breathe. stay. give thanks
- Allison Davidson
Late for work.
Playing hooky to write haiku.
Capturing moment. . .by moment.
- Lisa
Deep in the woods
back and forth, back and forth—
the call of two owls
- Bruce Black
Kindle wet firewood,
The crumpled paper
burns yesterday’s news
- Marina Richie
offering candles—
rows of tiny lights. Sun streams
through the ruined roof
- Jody Larson
Two of a kind,
Having a snack together,
The goldfinch and I.
- COH
The mystical mist
tumbles over the mountain,
brings hint of blue sky.
- Jeanie Greensfelder
Seven inches of snow
Muffles earth’s shallow breathing
Still she lives, she lives.
- Lauretta Santarossa
As if suddenly,
buds appear on the maple,
and the world wakes up.
- Mary Bass Poulin
The housing estate
fell prey to gangs of daisies
sunshine riots
- K.M.
A musical rest
Silence with notes on both sides
Hear the difference
- Mary Ella
Poppy patch blooms in red,
purple, and white.
Yellow bees zig-zag, drunk.
- Mediha Saliba
Closing the curtain
Stop! Silent white moon beyond
In the pale blue sky
-ILO
A splintering fence.
White hollyhocks yellowing,
trimmed with beads of dew.
- Jenine Baines
Young one: watching, exploring
Happy feet scurry
Off we go! Sunshine!
- Karen Johnstone
along the grass path
dew lines break soft against me -
good morning, spiders!
- anon
Spring emerging from
the swallow's song and peepers
cheering from the lake!
- Christina Fasse
Late afternoon clouds
bruise purple, thunderous grey
rumbling, flashing.
- Nancy Orr
Knowing all is well
Believing it in my bones
Grateful even now
- Daniel Francis
The hawk’s pivoting
red tail catches the light as
it controls her flight
- D. F. Raforth
Sitting still shrouded
In sleep, my wandering mind
Strays, haiku arrives
- Michelle Booth
Beneath my feet is
A whole new world of color
Hidden in plain sight
- jw
Br. David writes “The best among them [haiku] capture a moment of intense awareness; they awake your senses. No comment by the poet; simply one given moment which is fully – and thus gratefully – perceived.”
We offer joyful appreciation to all those who submitted haiku for consideration and regret that, in the interest of creating a manageable offering, we were unable to share with you here all that we "fully – and thus gratefully" received.
© 2019 A Network for Grateful Living. All rights reserved. gratefulness.org
Credits:
Created with an image by Collins Lesulie - "untitled image"