Category Archives: haiku

Dawn of a New Day

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I was going to save this post until next fall. The photo is sunrise on a day just before the fall equinox. It was spectacular. I transferred the photo from my camera to my computer and looked at it on the screen. In short time the words came. First in English and then in Spanish.

Dawn

The sun rose today,
White hot, yellow, orange, red.
A new beginning.

Levantó el sol,
Luz feroz y con calor,
Un nuevo día.

This haiku has waited on my computer until I found a prayer by Page McManus on The Road I’m Travelling. The post is dated Jan 22, 2009.

“Thank you, Father, for loving us so much that you brought us into this world. Help us to discover your reason for doing this and help us to work to this purpose with all our heart.

And thank you for giving us a new start with each new day.

In Jesus’ name, Amen”

Sunday School Lesson ~ Jonah

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Jonah’s submarine,
Took him out to sea and back,
Spat him on dry ground.

Poor Jonah. God’s prophet. Super patriot. Reluctant missionary. Effective evangelist. Loved justice more than mercy.

Fortunately God is merciful toward all who seek Him. Even today.

You can read about it in the Bible. If you haven’t read it lately, you might want to read it again. It only takes a few minutes.

Winter Doesn’t Last Forever

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Winter doesn’t last forever — it just seems that way.

Thursday’s trip to Grand Rapids involved driving on slippery roads. Not everyone was driving with enough care, and we saw evidence of that. The [Ionia] Sentinel Standard carried this story. As you can see it was not a great day. Jill, do you still want some of this snow? We have another four inches in today’s forecast.

It’s time to change the topic before it becomes “Sad Saturday” or “Morose Monday.” Think spring. Better yet, think summer with warm gentle breezes and blue cloudless skies. Don’t think about the snow clogged driveway. Think about a relaxing scene.


Summer

Verdant pasture land,
Cattle lay and graze upon,
Your grassy carpet.

_____________________

Alone

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An abandoned house is a sad site to see. Do you ever wonder about the joyful events and the sad ones that took place inside that house? What of the people who called it home? In thinking those thoughts, the haiku came to me first in English, and shortly after in Spanish.

The house is empty,
I hear only the echoes,
Of what used to be.

Casa Vacía,
Suena solo el eco,
De lo que era.

_____________________________________

Snowy Day

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Today’s offering is a haiku, an oriental form of poetry. While western poems are based on rhyme and meter and middle-eastern poetry relies on restatement and contrast, haiku follow a simple, but elegant form.

There are just three lines,
First and third, five sylables,
The second line has seven.

It should be about the natural world, so the above, while it follows the form, is not a good example.

This morning, I had to visit the doctor’s office (5 miles away). They drew some blood for lab tests before my visit to the doctor, which is scheduled for next week.

A couple inches of fluffy powder had blanketed the earth last night. The driveway, which I had plowed yesterday, will need attention again today. And our secondary road has only one track open. We’ve had a couple of days of snow, the road hasn’t been cleared and so I was very happy not to meet anyone on the mile to the paved road.

While waiting for the medical assistant, these words came to mind:

The snow fell last night,
Blanket of white covered earth,
Beautiful but cold.

If you don’t have to go out in it, substitute these words for the last line:

Sun gives radiance.

I hope you enjoy a wonderful day. I’m going out to plow snow.