The first line of each haiku or senryu is taken from “The Layers” by Stanley Kunitz.
~~ 1 ~~
In a rising wind
skeleton-thin old women
stumble through the streets.
~~ 2 ~~
Scavenger angels
swirl through dark cathedral halls,
heedless of God’s voice.
~~ 3 ~~
Doubt the next chapter,
for each page of it is false,
written by strange hands.
~~ 4 ~~
To decipher it,
you will need a nimble mind
and a humble heart.
~~ 5 ~~
Live in the layers—
crave nothing from the dark vault
where untruths cower.
~~ 6 ~~
Already written—
days of joy and rapture,
no lumps in the throat.
~~ 7 ~~
Done with my changes,
I take the train to Denver—
no one knows my name.
~~ 8 ~~
Abandoned camp-sites
litter the lonely terrain—
prairie dogs rejoice.
~~ 9 ~~
In my darkest night,
willow wraps her supple limbs
round me, holds me tight.
© 2013 by Magical Mystical Teacher
More The Sunday Whirl, Wordle 111
~~ 1 ~~
In a rising wind
skeleton-thin old women
stumble through the streets.
~~ 2 ~~
Scavenger angels
swirl through dark cathedral halls,
heedless of God’s voice.
~~ 3 ~~
Doubt the next chapter,
for each page of it is false,
written by strange hands.
~~ 4 ~~
To decipher it,
you will need a nimble mind
and a humble heart.
~~ 5 ~~
Live in the layers—
crave nothing from the dark vault
where untruths cower.
~~ 6 ~~
Already written—
days of joy and rapture,
no lumps in the throat.
~~ 7 ~~
Done with my changes,
I take the train to Denver—
no one knows my name.
~~ 8 ~~
Abandoned camp-sites
litter the lonely terrain—
prairie dogs rejoice.
~~ 9 ~~
In my darkest night,
willow wraps her supple limbs
round me, holds me tight.
© 2013 by Magical Mystical Teacher
More The Sunday Whirl, Wordle 111