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Four Haiku
at the water’s edge
the saved wait to be baptized—
old-time religion
shadows by the bridge
sculpted from hollowed-out light—
great blue heron’s cry
feet follow cinders
leading to the temple gate
a place of great grace
fingers framed by light
clutching an old rosary
carved of human bone
Haiku © 2020 by Magical Mystical Teacher
More The Whirligig #281
More Writers’ Pantry #35 at Poets and Storytellers United
Picture this
Detail from an outdoor mural, Prescott Public Library, Prescott, Arizona
Picture this:
a woman
full of innocence
finds herself
trapped
in a confining marriage.
She thinks to herself:
I am capable
of escaping this maze
and pursuing my dreams,
even though the huffing monster
edges closer and closer—
and she does!
Poem and photo © 2017 by Magical Mystical Teacher
More Macro Monday 2
More Sunday’s Whirligig #113
More Poetry Pantry #355 at Poets United
Riffs on Autumn
Cottonwood leaves with autumn color, Yavapai County, Arizona
~~ 1 ~~
her passion for trees
especially in autumn
when leaves turn golden
~~ 2 ~~
autumn afternoon—
hoping to find her lost keys
under yellow leaves
~~ 3 ~~
drifting near the edge
of a little woodland pool—
seven autumn leaves
~~ 4 ~~
autumn afternoon—
wandering with my lover
through the browning fen
~~ 5 ~~
autumn afternoon—
somehow the sky seems lighter
shrugging off the rain
~~ 6 ~~
late autumn twilight
making me blink once, then twice
in awe and wonder
~~ 7 ~~
With wild geese wheeling,
how can I count the autumns
that have flown away?
Haiku © 2016 by Magical Mystical Teacher
More Macro Monday 2
More Sunday’s Whirligig #82
More Poetry Pantry #325 at Poets United
Pallet
Blue-painted edge of a pallet at a construction site, Southern Arizona
An old wooden pallet
With peeling blue paint—
A quirky attraction
For sinner and saint.
Poem and photo © 2016 by Magical Mystical Teacher
More Blue Monday
Herons
Herons at El Charco del Ingenio conservation area, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, México
how long the white necks
of herons fishing at dawn
at the river’s edge
Text and photo © 2015 by Magical Mystical Teacher
More Wednesday Waters
More Carpe Diem: “Basho’s ‘How Long'”
More Haiku My Heart at Recuerda Mi Corazon
In the Soul’s Pasture
~~ 1 ~~
in the soul’s pasture
three dappled horses grazing
on errant starfire
~~ 2 ~~
in the soul’s pasture
a signal from the horses
that smoke will follow
~~ 3 ~~
In the soul’s pasture
a rose of hope is blooming,
nourished by God’s grace.
~~ 4 ~~
in the soul’s pasture
a plant of boundless mercy—
food for hungry ones
~~ 5 ~~
In the soul’s pasture
the dismal and forsaken
find themselves again.
~~ 6 ~~
In the soul’s pasture
tiny, meandering streams
quench the pilgrim’s thirst.
~~ 7 ~~
In the soul’s pasture
bombs and bullets melt away—
plowshares take their place.
~~ 8 ~~
in the soul’s pasture
a spot where tumbleweeds thrive
threatening to spread
~~ 9 ~~
In the soul’s pasture
a ball of mud is lying
mid the sweet grasses.
~~ 10 ~~
In the soul’s pasture,
although some locks are rusted,
others turn with ease.
~~ 11 ~~
In the soul’s pasture
three pilgrims thrust and parry
with their wooden swords.
~~ 12 ~~
In the soul’s pasture,
somewhere near the edge of time,
pipers play a dirge.
© 2014 by Magical Mystical Teacher
More The Sunday Whirl, Wordle 177
More Sunday Scribblings 2: “In the Soul’s Pasture”
Another Whirl with Basho
Each haiku or senryu begins with a phrase culled from Basho: The Complete Haiku.
~~ 1 ~~
upstream and downstream
the dismal washerwomen
beating clothes on stones
~~ 2 ~~
the tide’s salty crests
signal an end to summer
and my discontent
~~ 3 ~~
whose old singing voice
moves into the empty spot
where the oak once stood
~~ 4 ~~
those who like to drink
rose-petal tea at twilight
sipping at their prayers
~~ 5 ~~
gotten by praying
to the goddess of bullets
an untimely death
~~ 6 ~~
from an unknown tree
at the edge of the forest
the cry of water
~~ 7 ~~
even coming twice
the horses seeking sugar
do not get enough
~~ 8 ~~
a bamboo thicket
where no other plant can thrive
rictus of the moon
~~ 9 ~~
without rain or snow
the empty meandering
of mountain streambeds
~~ 10 ~~
year-end housecleaning
even the locks on my doors
deserve to be brushed
~~ 11 ~~
the cicada’s voice
curls into a tiny ball
just before sunrise
~~ 12 ~~
from all directions
my foes thrust their spears at me
shafts of pampas grass
© 2014 by Magical Mystical Teacher
More Poetry Pantry #217
More The Sunday Whirl, Wordle 177
Balance
Sunrise, Sonoran Desert, Southern Arizona
bright edge of morning
where rainbow colors balance—
two crows miss their part
Text and photo © 2014 by Magical Mystical Teacher
More SkyWatch Friday
More Straight Out of the Camera Sunday
More The Sunday Whirl, Wordle 146: “Edge, Balance, Miss”
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