Awhirl with Richard Wright

Mar 31

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102 photo 102_zpseed0e9b1.jpg
 
 
The first line of each haiku or senryu is taken from Haiku: This Other World by Richard Wright.
 


~~ 1 ~~
Over steaming rice
she sprinkles magic powders—
tonight, her lover!
 
~~ 2 ~~
 
In the drizzling rain
she calls out to her lover—
three crows mark her tears.
 
~~ 3 ~~
 
Under yellow leaves
she finds the letter she lost,
sodden and unread.
 
~~ 4 ~~
 
On a wet tree trunk,
three words written long ago
tell of a lost love.
 
~~ 5 ~~
 
In a flower pot
she buries a smooth white stone,
hoping it will grow.
 
~~ 6 ~~
 
In the morning sun
a pilgrim stabs her oak staff
up the mountain trail.
 
~~ 7 ~~
 
Obscuring the moon,
an ominous mountain peak
blights the pilgrim’s path.
 
~~ 8 ~~
 
To change this cold wind
after the rose petals fall,
she will need magic.
 
~~ 9 ~~
 
Brighter than ever
the cathedral door locks glow
with unholy fire.
 
~~ 10 ~~
 
Two men are parting—
one of them walks toward a pit,
where strange angels dance.

 
© 2013 by Magical Mystical Teacher
 
 
More The Poetry Pantry #144
 
More The Sunday Whirl, Wordle 102
 
More Carpe Diem: “Inspired by Richard Wright”

Posted on March 31, 2013, in Carpe Diem, haiku, Richard Wright, senryu, The Poetry Pantry, The Sunday Whirl and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. 28 Comments.

  1. annell4 | March 31, 2013 at 6:48 am

    I love how the crows mark her tears!

    Reply
  2. Misky | March 31, 2013 at 6:59 am

    I am in love with number 5!

    Reply
  3. Stan Ski | March 31, 2013 at 7:29 am

    Great first half… I’ll be back for more…

    Reply
  4. Marianne | March 31, 2013 at 7:33 am

    Lovely words, as always! I think my favorite is #5.

    Reply
  5. aka_andrea | March 31, 2013 at 8:00 am

    #1 and #3 grabbed ahold of me

    Reply
  6. Jae Rose | March 31, 2013 at 9:59 am

    The magic is sprinkled through every verse..

    Reply
  7. Sherry Marr | March 31, 2013 at 12:49 pm

    These are even more fantastic and wonderful than usual. Wow! The pilgrim, the white stone, the words on a tree trunk. Number 9 is spectacular. As are the strange angels, dancing! A feast in here today!

    Reply
  8. Walt Wojtanik | March 31, 2013 at 3:53 pm

    Richard, these are always a treat to read. And they are so well expressed/written. Thanks for these.

    Reply
  9. GILLENA COX | March 31, 2013 at 3:55 pm

    #5 is my favourite

    Happy Easter

    much love…

    Reply
  10. oldegg | March 31, 2013 at 5:11 pm

    Her love turned to stone may well grow again with nurturing. All are poignantly beautiful.

    Reply
  11. ZQ | March 31, 2013 at 6:44 pm

    Well, that was interesting…still processing it 🙂

    Reply
  12. drew undrawn | March 31, 2013 at 9:00 pm

    I love your approach to this. 3, 4, 6, and 7 are my favorites.

    Reply
  13. Emma at LLM Calling | April 1, 2013 at 11:17 am

    I really like 9 which is really medieval and makes me think of those later destroyed cathedrals

    Reply
  14. laughwithme45 | April 1, 2013 at 1:12 pm

    My favorite is #4! Words carved in during a moment of sweet love! Sigh…

    Reply
  15. kimnelsonwrites | April 1, 2013 at 8:45 pm

    That last one is powerful!

    Reply
  16. gautami tripathy | April 2, 2013 at 8:28 am

    This is so beautiful….Loved it…..

    I am here after SO long!! Sorry about that!!

    inside that bowl, I see the whole world

    Reply
  17. veronicabalfourpaul | April 3, 2013 at 11:56 am

    Ooh, this is good. My favourite is #1, such optimism! and a good use of the word ‘powders’ which I found very hard. Love it.

    Reply
  18. Tumblewords | April 3, 2013 at 1:54 pm

    Really enjoyed this series!

    Reply
  19. lolamouse | April 3, 2013 at 7:40 pm

    You told a beautiful and mystical story with these words. Great job!

    Reply
  20. purplepeninportland | April 3, 2013 at 9:21 pm

    2 and 5 are favorites, but I cannot believe this overall series. Just amazing!

    Reply
  21. Write Girl | April 3, 2013 at 9:58 pm

    Beautiful haiku verses as always. Thank you for sharing the link to Richard Wright’s haiku. I studied his novels in literature classes, but I was not familiar with his poetry. So fascinating!

    Reply
  22. ElizOF | April 4, 2013 at 1:35 am

    Enjoyed this and your word cloud thoroughly. 😉
    Eliz

    Reply
  23. julespaige | April 4, 2013 at 1:32 pm

    There are several that I think could evolve into their own stories. I really enjoyed them all. I think you did feed your muse…

    Thanks for your visit.

    Reply
  24. Gillena Cox | November 11, 2014 at 2:21 pm

    have to go with #5 and a question, what is the harvest from a buried stone?

    much love…

    Reply
  25. Björn Rudberg (brudberg) | November 11, 2014 at 2:35 pm

    What a sad story you tell through the sequence…

    Reply
  26. Ada's Poetry Alcove (@adasalcove) | November 11, 2014 at 3:40 pm

    The first five tell a beautifully sad story. They are all very good. have reread them several times. I think I like # 8 as a favorite -but then I’m partials to roses.

    Reply
  27. Cheryl-Lynn Roberts | November 11, 2014 at 3:48 pm

    So sad, MMT, and I was hit by each stanza…each one has a line that smacks me…very sad but written beautifully.

    Reply
  28. Blake | November 14, 2014 at 3:29 pm

    So many powerful images, so casually delivered – I really enjoyed this post.

    Reply

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