Blog Archives
January Whirl
~~ 1 ~~
casting my anchor
in some faraway harbor—
perhaps Rotterdam
~~ 2 ~~
winter’s first full moon
keeping her awake for hours
in her lumpy bed
~~ 3 ~~
a buffeting wind—
three fragile little sparrows
fight to stay aloft
~~ 4 ~~
raising her wineglass
at her lonely sojourn’s end
among the living
~~ 5 ~~
first dream of the year
mulberry tree near the gate
heavy with new fruit
~~ 6 ~~
sudden gust of wind—
three facts fly out the window
landing in the street
~~ 7 ~~
action, inaction—
even the undertaker
stops to eye the wound
~~ 8 ~~
breaking the needle
so she will not be able
to get her next fix
~~ 9 ~~
a scathing letter
sent from a neighboring state
ten cents postage due
~~ 10 ~~
her favorite team
tasting defeat once again—
winter’s first full moon
~~ 11 ~~
willing to risk all
for the sake of one blossom—
gardener in spring
~~ 12 ~~
hit with aftershocks
from shifting tectonic plates
an old house crumbles
© 2016 by Magical Mystical Teacher
More The Sunday Whirl, Wordle 235
Pilgrims Awhirl
~~ 1 ~~
her knitting needles
ticking out a little tune
on the sweater neck
~~ 2 ~~
a small hymn of praise
too small for mice to measure
except crumb by crumb
~~ 3 ~~
crimson kimono
worn by her erstwhile patron
now a tattered rag
~~ 4 ~~
even in the heat
the urge to spend consumes her
emptying her purse
~~ 5 ~~
inns along the road
tables spread with bread and wine
hungry pilgrims, come
~~ 6 ~~
the path before her
uncertainty and raven
her sole companions
~~ 7 ~~
the arduous trek
a cloud guiding her footsteps
to her journey’s end
~~ 8 ~~
setting out alone
in a tattered state of grace
for her odyssey
~~ 9 ~~
prowling holy ground
looking for the host to come
with some bread and wine
~~ 10 ~~
a sacred story
told by day and dreamed by night—
the pilgrims’ footsteps
~~ 11 ~~
fifth year on the road
still hoping for a rescue
from the stones and snares
~~ 12 ~~
votive offering
a race to see who gives it
to the holy one
© 2015 by Magical Mystical Teacher
More Poetry Pantry #237
More The Sunday Whirl, Wordle 197
Whirling with Basho
Each haiku or senryu begins with a phrase gleaned from Basho: The Complete Haiku.
~~ 1 ~~
gazing at buckwheat
seven crows collaborate
on a thieving plan
~~ 2 ~~
a singing skylark—
I listen without breathing
to the joyful sound
~~ 3 ~~
the melon flower
after the children throw stones
who will care for it
~~ 4 ~~
a year of troubles
lived without compromising
her integrity
~~ 5 ~~
Are you the butterfly
that will serve to guide my steps
on the long journey?
~~ 6 ~~
the source of sadness
in their small community—
receding river
~~ 7 ~~
a white azalea
blooming in a state of grace—
my neighbor’s garden
~~ 8 ~~
the muddy melon
they chat about its sweetness
in the market stall
~~ 9 ~~
to admire the wind
she must have had no contact
with it since childhood
~~ 10 ~~
by winter showers
decades of matrimony
washing down the street
~~ 11 ~~
a vendor of greens—
concerns about the collards
make for sleepless nights
~~ 12 ~~
souvenir paintings
no time to buy one before
the next train departs
© 2014 by Magical Mystical Teacher
More Poetry Pantry #216
More The Sunday Whirl, Wordle 176
