Haiku

All poems are protected by copyright
© Penny Frost McGinnis

A traditional Japanese haiku consists of three lines divided into a five-seven-five sound unit pattern. When American’s translated these small Japanese poems, they found that the sound units and syllables differed. The result, American haiku does not hold to the five-seven-five pattern unless it is natural to the poem.

A haiku is meant to capture a moment in time. Written in the present tense and usually containing a seasonal word, the tiny poem is almost like a snapshot catching that one instance that may have been missed. Most haiku contain a short phrase of description and a fragment or aha moment. This form of poetry is fun to write and collect. I like to sit outside for a while and just observe. I almost always find something interesting to write about, along with that aha flash.

Here are some of my haiku…Enjoy!

Tater’s tail wags,

jump, dive, romp-

circles in the snow

 wobbly goats

born before midnight—
spring renewed

 queen anne’s lace crowns

county roads—

blue chicory salutes

crimson moon floats

across chilly skies—

pumpkins grin 

crystals glisten, sun

shine through jeweled glass-

ice covered trees

signs of spring

daffodils, pansies, crocus—
real estate for sale

trillium unfurls

snow trickles into the creek—
God blows the kiss of spring

crocus spring up

gives brightness to earth—
hope to the heart

tiny blue eggs hatch—
in the corner
of the porch basket

surprised
by love—
red tulips

rain pours

grass grows—

mower rests

2016 Haiku

riot of white
confetti stings my face
February snow squall

ruffled fungi
adorns old stump
beauty in death

trillium 
stretches to bloom
blood stained tears

purple flox
dot hillside
wake up sleepyhead

fat bird
evasive in the bush
how do wings hold you up

bearded man
two dogs
comfortable life

dutchman's breeches

sway between emerald leaves
elfin laundry

almond pink roses

sprinkled with November rain

-unexpected gift

crooked-stemmed aster

bouquets along a wooded path

autumn's star, God's gift

2017 Haiku

gnome in the garden

hyacinth blooms midnight purple

—soothes my weary soul

red cardinal squats

on top branch of young maple

—music for God's ears

finch feeder in place

waiting for yellow wings—

delightful diversion

trillium emerge

from the damp forest floor-

—sweet discovery

bird wings flap in puddles

splashes mama bird's beak

—bath time for baby

wind wraps around the

bushes, they shake and rattle

—clearing winter dust

pink and blue feather

across the morning sky

—hope awakens the day

startled into graceful

flight- the blue heron squawks

             —protector of the nest

thistle in feeder

yellow finch clings to purple branch

—a shy little guy

fern fronds bow their heads

curl tight against their mother

-independence waits

fog hugs the lamp posts

light penetrates pushes through

-prisms of hope

green-blue carpet

juniperous squamata spreads

-crimson tulips sprout