Glimpses
(Micropoems)
where did she go?
oh – a cat-shaped lump
under the rug
*********
you look pretty
she says, to the half-face
above my mask
*********
in the story
her husband dies —
I cry and cry
*********
close confidante once
she fobs me off for years –
at last I unfriend
*********
rainy day –
no butterflies, did they
stay in bed?
The second lesson from David Lanoue's book, Write Like Issa, is about viewing the world in a direct, child-like way: 'Reflect on a past or present experience without your adult blinders.... Don't be afraid if your haiku doesn't sound fancy or important—for this is actually a good thing.' For the record, I don't think I succeeded very well in recapturing a child's view, but the attempt produced better results overall than if I hadn't made it.
Sharing with Writers' Pantry #85 at Poets and Storytellers United. (Apologies to those who have seen these already on Instagram or facebook.)
I've yet to master haiku and I was quite guilty of trying to sound profound. I enjoy the child-like wonder these exude.
ReplyDeleteThanks, I'm glad you enjoy them.
DeleteLol, I'm sure we're all guilty of trying to sound profound at times, in any kind of poetry. Unfortunately it seems to work against the poetry.
The first about the cat-shaped lump made me smile. Looks like you're having lots of fun with your cat. :) And I relate to the piece about a close confidante; nothing like being fobbed off by someone you trust. Quite a collection, your skillful haikus!
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked them, Khaya. Yes, I am enjoying my cat very much.
Deleteenjoyed your haiku, this one was my favorite
ReplyDelete"rainy day –
no butterflies, did they
stay in bed?"
well done.
Thank you.
DeleteI often wonder about those absent butterflies too☺Happy Sunday
ReplyDeleteMuch❤love
Ha ha, glad I'm not the only one.
Deletelovely micropoems, most of them quite relatable.
ReplyDeleterecently, i find it hard to write haiku & short verses. maybe i forget to view the world in a child-like way. or, as in 'small stones', stop and focus on the moment.
There are many things nowadays making life very serious. Perhaps we have to be quite conscious about living in the moment, at least now and then. I wouldn't have managed it either without help from Issa and Lanoue.
DeleteI love these sprinkled splashes of your life. Your cat is your muse.
ReplyDeleteOh, she so is! (Now that you mention it.) Thanks for pointing that out.
DeleteHaikulicious!
ReplyDeleteGlad you savoured them!
DeleteEach poem is precious. I especially hold on to the "unfriend" one, although I was the one who was unfriended years ago (even before there was Facebook), and I can still feel the sting of it.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm highly complimented, as I admire your own micropoems so much.
DeleteI was unfriended too, by the person in this poem, in a gradual way – almost ghosted, and it did hurt – before I finally decided to do it to her in a more official way. (Which probably she never even noticed.) It was my way of very belatedly acknowledging and accepting what was so, aka giving up hope.
I ALWAYS ENJOY YOUR SNIPPETS, Rosemary!
ReplyDeleteAnd`I always love it when you say so, Bev!
DeleteHow glorious ... each one! "You look pretty" my favorite. I smile with my eyes these days than ever before!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Helen. I do hope my eyes are sufficiently expressive!
DeleteI love them all, Rosemary. The second and third go right for the heart, especially the third. And I think that you certainly succeeded in writing like Issa with the first and the last.
ReplyDeleteThanks, mate, I'm glad you felt them.
DeleteThe playfulness of the first one really appeals to me, but I do like all of them.
ReplyDeleteHa ha, that one practically wrote itself.
DeleteThe butterflies staying in bed is an amusing image!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it raised a smile.
Delete