Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #47 quest for a (new) masterpiece
rainy night
the tin roof echos
your name
““““““““““““““`
at my feet
rose petals fall –
my heat aching
Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #46 Renga With Basho Hineri “autumn coolness”
autumn coolness
each peeling with our hands
melons and eggplant
our fingers stained
with memories of summer
with young leaves
I would like to wipe away
the tears in your eyes
offering you shelter
from winter’s harsh language
to get wet passing by
a man is interesting
bush clover in rain
dainty blossoms transending
dampness of the moors
a clear night
cooling myself under cherry trees
waves of flowers
sweetness paling
to the scent of you
blossoms at their peak
the mountain the same as always
at daybreak
today, perhaps
a little brighter with you
swinging bridge
lives are intertwined
in Ivy vines
my thoughts a tangle
of love and disbelief
haiku © Matsuo Basho (Tr. Jane Reichhold; taken from “Basho, The Complete Haiku”)
Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #45 Gogyohka, a modern way of writing/creating tanka
blackened case
with sudden split
a monarch
emerges
wings unfurling
******************************
broken flower
petals
mud splattered
my heart
breaking again
********************************
morning glory
heart shaped leaves
vines encircling
daylilies
blossoms trumpeting
on the beach
waves crashing
against my feet
my thoughts
ebb and flow
grey movement
in the trampled grass
makes me look harder
until I spot
a hatchling
Carpe Diem Renga With Basho #5 such a fragrance
spring night
someone in retreat is lovely
in the temple corner
a shy smile spreads
from acknowledged nod
red plum
creating unobtainable love
blinds of a noble lady
fruit soured
for a breath of air
what kind of tree
with the unknown flower
such a fragrance
scents of the night
mix with forbidden love
with a fan
drinking wine in the shadow
of scattered blossoms
young geisha
dreams of roses
melting away
the brush draws up the water
of a spring
contentment fades
into sleep
blossoms at their peak
the mountain the same as always
at daybreak
nothing has changed
yet everything has
© Matsuo Basho (Tr. Jane Reichhold
Carpe Diem’s Renga Challenge #4 flower-like snowflakes
For this renga challenge or ryogin the haiku is by Matsuto Bashi and the response and lineup by me.
Haiku © Matsuo Basho (Tr. Jane Reichhold)
into the sea
throwing my sandals
rain on my hat
praising the heavens
water for the harvest
falling to the ground
a flower closer to the root
bidding farewell
summer passage
I make my way home
mid-harvest
a crane on the rice paddy
in a village in autumn
heat and dust of the day
cloaked under his wings
village kids
don’t break all the plum branches
for cattle whips
I mourn the passage
of summer fruits and blossoms
sleep on a journey
then you will understand my poem
autumn winds
frost echos the leaves’ edges
summer greens mingling with fire
polished again
the mirror is as clear as
flower-like snowflakes
taking a long hard look
it the year’s new grey
Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #43 Troiku Challenge: My Lucky Tea
tonight’s moon–
how many mountains resemble
the ones back home?
going outside
plum blossoms dive in…
my lucky tea
© Kobayashi Issa (Tr. David G. Lanoue)
New Year’s eve
moon dives into memories
back home sipping tea
New Year’s eve
plum blossoms swirl
over the mountains
moon dives into memories
your hand brushing mine
a ghost from the past
back home sipping tea
family and friends gather
wrapped in laughter
pouring rain
grandkids in swimsuits sit
pouting at the window
__________________
pouring rain
the flowers bow their heads
in thanksgiving
Adas Poetry Alcove 