One More Whirl with Basho

Sep 14

Posted by

178 photo 178_zps8801f563.jpg
 
Each haiku or senryu begins with a phrase culled from Basho: The Complete Haiku.
 


 
~~ 1 ~~
 
the lingering moon
tests my patience this evening—
my room is too small
 
~~ 2 ~~
 
in a rice paddy
your words coming to fullness
with the harvest moon
 
~~ 3 ~~
 
fading temple bell
the seeker’s anxiety
slips into silence
 
~~ 4 ~~
 
the smell of young grass
untainted by blood and gore
this April morning
 
~~ 5 ~~
 
four gates and four sects
one of them the hospital
at the ocean’s edge
 
~~ 6 ~~
 
to the wooden clogs
in the center of the court
setting up a shrine
 
~~ 7 ~~
 
still served with flowers
rosettes of orange Jell-O
blooming in my bowl
 
~~ 8 ~~
 
how pleasurable
holding three words on my tongue
until they mingle
 
~~ 9 ~~
 
the lay-monk’s thinness—
we know he won’t be with us
after the first frost
 
~~ 10 ~~
 
snow-covered mountains
sharing a meal together
fifty miles away
 
~~ 11 ~~
 
first wintry shower—
fluff from shattered milkweed pods
drifting from the north
 
~~ 12 ~~
 
an early winter
beggars pester passersby
for a few spare coins

 
© 2014 by Magical Mystical Teacher
 
 
More Poetry Pantry #218
 
More The Sunday Whirl, Wordle 178

Posted on September 14, 2014, in 5-7-5, The Poetry Pantry, The Sunday Whirl and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. 24 Comments.

  2. The Pensive One | September 14, 2014 at 6:22 am

    I love haikus… so artless and yet to breathtaking. These are excellent.

    Reply
  3. kaykuala | September 14, 2014 at 6:56 am

    Great haiku set MMT!

    Hank

    Reply
  5. annell4 | September 14, 2014 at 7:15 am

    I loved each one…especially the one about he milk-weed, first wintery shower.

    Reply
  6. annell4 | September 14, 2014 at 7:16 am

    I clicked on me, wanted to add something…it is not me. Somethingsithinkabout-annell-annell.blogspot.com

    Reply
  7. b_young | September 14, 2014 at 7:28 am

    #10
    and the lay-monk, too. But especially the mountain-meal.

    Reply
  8. Nissa Annakindt | September 14, 2014 at 8:12 am

    This is the one I like the best:
    “still served with flowers
    rosettes of orange Jell-O
    blooming in my bowl”

    Jell-o. Now that’s bringing haiku into our reality today. Great job.

    Reply
    • magicalmysticalteacher | September 14, 2014 at 8:36 am

      I wasn’t even sure I wanted to deal with Jell-O, but there it is! Thank you!

      On Sun, Sep 14, 2014 at 7:12 AM, Magical Mystical Teacher wrote:

      >

      Reply
  9. ZQ | September 14, 2014 at 10:05 am

    One of the best series …My mind rolled along until resting full at the end. Bravo!

    Reply
  10. jae rose | September 14, 2014 at 2:12 pm

    I love those three words held on the Tongue.they shine like orange jello

    Reply
  11. Mary | September 14, 2014 at 3:56 pm

    You have made good use of all the words! Nicely penned.

    Reply
  12. Susan | September 14, 2014 at 3:58 pm

    Expansiveness and its limits are a repeated motif here. I do have favorites: #4 and #8.

    Reply
  13. Myrna | September 14, 2014 at 4:44 pm

    I love them all but the first one remains my favorite because of its whimsy. There’s a lot of wisdom dispersed throughout these. I enjoyed reading them so much.

    Reply
    • magicalmysticalteacher | September 14, 2014 at 5:14 pm

      Wisdom mixed with whimsy—quite a combination! Thanks for stopping by.

      On Sun, Sep 14, 2014 at 3:44 PM, Magical Mystical Teacher wrote:

      >

      Reply
  14. oldegg | September 14, 2014 at 6:12 pm

    There is nothing like No. 8 for the poet!

    Reply
  15. seingraham | September 14, 2014 at 7:11 pm

    I always love visiting your blog for these…think this time, number eleven’s my favourite..but as usual, they’re all good.

    http://thepoet-tree-house.blogspot.ca/2014/09/the-anxiety-of-indefinite-pain.html

    Reply
  16. keiths ramblings | September 15, 2014 at 1:37 am

    12 little beauties! Entertaining as ever.

    Reply
  18. Misky | September 15, 2014 at 6:44 am

    Number 6, thank you. Loved that one.

    Reply
  19. jae rose | September 15, 2014 at 11:29 am

    Add some vodka and freeze and it takes longer to melt 😉

    Reply
  20. G L Meisner | September 15, 2014 at 7:10 pm

    #11 is one I wish I could see more of. We have few milkweeds left around here.

    Reply
  21. Bastet | September 15, 2014 at 10:28 pm

    Briliant as usual … loved:

    first wintry shower—
    fluff from shattered milkweed pods
    drifting from the north

    but each held its own magic!

    Reply

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