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A Haiku doesn’t talk about an experience;
a Haiku triggers an experience
— your own.
~ Br. David Steindl-Rast
Welcome.
We begin this practice with an invitation to give yourself over to reading haiku — discover what you are drawn to, and notice the experience that is triggered in you.
Calligraphy by Br. David Steindl-Rast
The Practice
Today we invite you to read haiku. Perhaps you have some books of haiku on hand. If not, here is a one-page assortment of Haiku to keep things simple.
Tom Clausen encourages us to:
Read to find what moves you, what you love, what you like and what you enjoy and brings meaning to you. With whatever writing brings solace and inspiration to you, let it sink in and become part of you so that you reflect and recognize what it is that touched you… in time, the more you are in this meditative and reflective space the more likely your own writing will bring out what is meaningful to you.
Once you have had an opportunity to be with some haiku, select one from among those you have read, write it down with the author’s name, and complete the following writing prompts relative to that haiku. Feel free to write your responses in a notebook and/or in the reflection area below.
1. I am drawn to this haiku because…
2. In this haiku I notice…
3. Reading this haiku I experience…
If you would like to explore this topic further and discover more about what moves you, you might want to repeat this three-part reflection exercise with a few more haiku.
Enjoy the full eight-day Exploring Haiku practice.
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My Haiku Today
Sea water is free
We are splashing on the shore
Love is evermore
My first Haiku
Click link:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10217883000602955&id=1121700391
Felt somewhere Between ocean and moon-
Lost- found But
Bird awakens me out of lull.
Brass bell– reminds me of Angels of the Hours and its helpfulness to pause.
The moon in the pines
Now I hang it up, now I take it off
And still I keep gazing.
-Brother David Steindl-Rast
1. because of the references to nature and the initial sense it has inner meaning
2. There is a letting-go with an analogy to the moon being something one puts away like a hat or coat being worn
3. I experience a kinship to how the senses we feel through nature or anything that occurs stays with us though it may pass on or we may move on. It is a beautiful sense of our experiences and how we remain fascinated by them which may bring lessons and memories; though we move on we may also be mindful of them.
dome of stars
under it, a small round tent
lit from within
— Ruth Yarrow
I am drawn to this haiku because of the feminine curves in its imagery. It has me experiencing a sense of comfort and peace, like the safety of the womb.
In this haiku, I notice the light and the smallness. (Not insignificance, but like a baby lovingly held by an expansive universe).
Reading this haiku I experience peace, love, comfort, maternal love, aliveness, beauty in simplicity, mystery and trust in something greater than myself. All in 12 words. ?
here I am-
somewhere between ocean and moon
somewhere between lost and found
I am drawn to this haiku because to me it speaks of being fully present, yet paradoxically “somewhere between”. I am on a journey towards embracing paradox in my life and in the world.
I am drawn to this haiku because during this Lenten season I have been reading and reflecting on Henri Nouwen’s book about the biblical parable of the return of the prodigal son. I have felt many times in my life that I am the prodigal daughter…ever leaving and returning to the awareness of divine Love.
This haiku brings grateful tears of recognition and acceptance to my eyes.
rushing here and there
dodging autumnal showers
embracing new life
Dome of stars
under it, a small round tent
lit from within
Ruth Yarrow
I am drawn to this haiku because it speaks to me of someone who is out amongst the stars shining up above but, as he/she is sitting inside a closed tent, they do not see all the stars….what is important is that they are able to shine from within from their own inner light.
In this haiku, I see myself as that is what I feel myself doing, then when I open up my eyes to the beautiful sky above, I know I am in the right place.
Reading this haiku, I experience peace and great job.
the lake is lost
in the rain which is lost
in the lake
I am drawn to this haiku because it is at once clever and evocative. I notice its conciseness and imagery and can see the rain/lake and also feel an otherworldliness in that moment.
The cry of the cicada
Gives us no sign
That presently it will die.
Love this part of the connected haikus because of the reminder of this precious human life and that one shouldn’t take it for granted. Live every day as if one will die within the week.
here i am —
somewhere between ocean and moon
somewhere between lost and found — Zee Zahava
drawn to this haiku
something about the Earth elements
and feeling lost and found and lost again
In this haiku
once again I noticed
A shared feeling of Humanity
Reading this haiku
I experience again
Shared Human experience
alone in the waiting room
checking the plant
for reality
— Tom Clausen
drawn to this Haiku
Because I too
Have checked that plant
‘
In this Haiku I notice
A shared human
Fearful experience
Reading this Haiku I experience
Shared Humanity Needing Assurance
Of truth and reality.
almost missing
the exit
daisies so soon
I am drawn to this part because it brings up the mortality of things in me and also i reading this haiku i experience the the joy of this moment because it is always there and ready for me to see it.
I come weary
In search of an inn
Ah! these wisteria flowers.
I am drawn to this haiku by the intense feeling that grabbed me as I read it I can feel the intense need and then the unexpected finding of relief in a blooming wisteria . Reading this haiku I feel both joy and a wisp of sadness.
The lake lost in the rain which lost in the lake. The repeated words, the image evoked of no boundaries between sky and earth and i am cast back the Laurentian childhood summers watching curtains of rain coming across the lake eating up blue sky. Exciting and inspiring to my childhood self, these brief, occasional storms involve 6 senses: sight, smell, sound, taste, touch and, most importantly, awe. But i am also lonely…
beautiful!
there is a poem in that paragraph…
On the way home
More geese
On the way homeGeese are seasonal reminders along with the changing weather. Honking geese give me pause and help me to notice the new season. I am drawn to this haiku because I love the signs in nature. They act as gentle reminders to pause and listen and look around. What I notice is this does not seem to be a haiku, but I enjoy the brevity of the message any way. Reading this haiku I experience the yearly, seasonal migration of honking geese u…On the way home
More geese
On the way homeGeese are seasonal reminders along with the changing weather. Honking geese give me pause and help me to notice the new season. I am drawn to this haiku because I love the signs in nature. They act as gentle reminders to pause and listen and look around. What I notice is this does not seem to be a haiku, but I enjoy the brevity of the message any way. Reading this haiku I experience the yearly, seasonal migration of honking geese ushering in a new season.
dome of stars
under it, a small round tent
lit from within
— Ruth Yarrow
I’m drawn by this haiku because it reminds me of my first night un the mountains and its breathtaking sky
Reading it I also experience the insignificance of the tent light under the dome of stars… the insignificance of our sorrows in the magnificience of the universe
Here I am – somewhere between ocean and moon, somewhere between lost and found, Zee zahava. I love the images of the ocean and the moon especially combined. They conjure up such majesty and beauty and I love the reminder that I’m part of this and the it reminds me of the pain (lost) and beauty (found) of the human experience and my experience.
The man carrying an umbrella,
the moored boat, and the whole
atmosphere suggest rain. – Baen
What a witness—why I love haiku and poetry because an this is an awareness and a certain alertness of life and feeling—of standing under an eves of a building taking in the looming rain provides a message to make my eyes windows and receive, to take my mind and its stories out of an experience.
Relentless deadlines
Scent of fresh flowers fill air
I mustn’t miss this spring!~Judith Valente, in The Art Of Pausing, p. 66I love this book, and read a haiku and narrative about it every morning.
alone in the waiting room
checking the plant
for reality
– Tom Clausen
Although I am love all the offered haikus on the page, I really enjoyed this one by Mr. Clausen for several reasons.
First because it made me laugh in recognition. I have done this exact same thing while in waiting rooms.
Second, it made me feel joy and a connectedness to the author and a singular moment when we shared an activity.
Third it brought forth the surreptitious feelings of not being caught unable to recognize whether a plant is real or not.
And of course finally laughing at myself over the silliness of it all.
Thank you Mr. Clausen!
I must confess, I once removed a dead stalk from my doctor’s waiting room plant. One of those tall evergreen tropical plants.
Seen in plain daylight
the firefly’s nothing but
an insect
—Basho
I am drawn to this haiku because I am waiting for warm, sunny spring days. I am intrigued by the wonderful beauty of ordinary things.
In this haiku I notice that daylight seems to diminish the magical quality of the firefly. But it is not the firefly that changes!
Reading this haiku I experience the contradiction of the ordinary: looking at the ordinary in one way it is possible to miss how extraordinary it might be. I know how beautiful fireflies are at night. What other wonders do I miss when I don’t look deeper or differently or in new ways?
I am drawn to the temple bell stops . . .
The image created in my mind was the wind chimes that hang at the edge of my porch and the frogs calling for rain in the metal tubes above rain lillies. Such a peaceful delight this morning spent listening. But no rain.
The lake is lost
In the rain which is lost
In the lake.
Brother David Steindl-Rast
I am drawn to this haiku because of its circularity and simplicity. In this haiku I notice interconnection and the interplay in each being lost in the other. Reading this haiku I experience both a soothing balance and my attention piqued in the invitation to puzzle: How are these two both lost in one another? I enjoy being drawn in, curious, while also feeling calmed by the peaceful depiction – a lovely juxtaposition!
crescent moon
barely audible
buoy bell
— Holly Wren Spaulding
I am drawn to this haiku because it is so short, so few words, so crisp and to the point. It transports me instantly:
In this haiku I notice that there are only two things mentioned: the moon and the sound of a bell. But when those things are put together they illicit in my memory sitting on a dock, sea wind, salt water spray, fog, night, a moon and a barely audible buoy bell.
Reading this haiku I experience an extreme memory flash of calm, serene, relaxed sitting in the night on a dock. There is no mention of the ocean, water or any of this but it is assumed, inferred by the presence of the buoy that there is water of some sort. For me the memory is sea water.
A Haiku doesn’t talk about an experience;
a Haiku triggers an experience
— your own.
~ Br. David Steindl-Rast
The above triggers my experience about haiku :
Deepens experience
Sweet recall of soul’s stirring
Gratitude and awe
The moon in the pines
Now I hang it up, now I take it off And still I keep gazing.
1. I am drawn to this haiku because…
of the experience and feel of the play in nature; a meditative mood. “The moon in the pines” evokes a moment of noticing the play of light in the dark, and of coming to a pause to notice the moon and its place while gazing into a forest. A meditative and mindful moment.
2. In this haiku I notice…
a rhythm of life, resting and engagement. It reminds me very much of meditative insight.
3. Reading this haiku I experience…
calm and clarity and reflection on a quiet evening in a forest as the moon rises.
I write haiku; it comes to me somewhat spontaneously, often prompted by a moment of observation, a situation I need to process or a meditative experience. It can be like a snapshot of a moment I can’t convey in a visual medium.
I wrote this recently, watching the moon set over the Olympic Mountains one morning:
A model for me
The moon is unwavering
Clear, brilliant, peaceful
Karen Johnstone 3/20/19
The lake is lost in the rain which is lost in the lake.
Brother Steindl-Rast
I am drawn to this haiku because it connects me to water, rain, lake. In this haiku, I notice the circularity of water dropping as rain into the lake where it is lost. I experience the sense of loss of each singular raindrop which is found in the mass of lake molecules of water. They are one.
The cry of the cicada
Gives us no sign
That presently it will die.
Basho
Drawn to this Haiku because the music of the cicada has become so alive back again – due to this Haiku – while I spent 2,5 years in Africa/Kenya in the early seventies. The music of the cicades in particular in the evening/night times has become the my music of remembering back home.
In this Haiku I notice the meaning of HOME as a yearning within mySELF.
Reading this Haiku I experience the my bodymind, which stored this music over 40 years and helps me to remember it. Its a rememberance of meaning. that even the signs/sound I am creating nowadays, doesn’t mean, to die; neither mySelf nor others. Because the sound is so unique, expresses the purpose of itself…. will not die. It’s a reminder of my call.
Naturally
How heart-appealing on the mountain pass,
Are wild violets hidden in the grass! –Basho
This verse interpretation is from “A Net of Fireflies,” by Harold Stewart, published in 1960. He translated haiku as couplets, thinking this form most aptly catches the lyrical sound and spirit of the original Japanese. This particular verse appeals to me since a day or two ago, I was happily surprised by masses of tiny violets hiding in my lawn. Reading from “A Net of Fireflies,” brings wonderful memories of the dear friend who gave the book to me nearly 60 years ago.
Daily I look out
For bulbs burst into yellow.
A new one brings joy.
In December we dug hard to plant daffodils and now we see them flowering new life!
An ancient pond!
With a sound from the water
Of the frog as it plunges in.
Ripples flow out
in the silence of the water
as my heart plunges deep.
I was touched by the scarcity of Basho’s words to evoke an image of sitting beside an ancient pond – the frog already gone – and the heart remaining, quiet and attentive.
On a branch
floating downriver
a cricket, singing.
Kobayashi Issa, translated by Jane Hirshfield
I am drawn to this haiku because it is by a Japanese master, about nature; moving water, a cricket, singing, and is a little unexpected in that you think something floating downstream might be doomed, but the cricket sings.
In this haiku I notice that I am attracted to it and delighted by it because it reminds me of some of my life challenges for which the best response would be singing rather than stressing out and imagining the worst.
Reading this haiku I experience delight.
I loved all of the haiku. What I really like about haiku are the succinct images – there is no fooling around.
I reflected on Zee Zahara’s “here I am – …” because I really like the image of being between ocean and moon, and I frequently feel somewhere between lost and found. I also liked Tom Clausen’s “on the way home/ more geese/ on the way home” because of the repetition that is more than repetition. Both bring a sense of peace after a hectic day.
In all of them, I like the freedom from the strict form of 5-7-5, and the connection with the natural world.
Sidewalk sale
wind twists a lifetime
guarantee tag
I am drawn to Mr. Clausen’s haiku because it speaks to me of life’s impermanence. I notice that it does so using a rather simple life example, the tag. I experience both the fragility of life and the offering that there may be a guarantee, but who gets the guarantee and what might it be? Much here in eight words.
Often when I read haiku, I’m both moved and jealous. I begin to feel that my life and experience aren’t as rich and profound. Then when I write them I see that my life is just as rich and profound when I take the time to appreciate it.
I like how they pull me into the moment and perspective that is being shared. It’s being invited to share some quality time with the writer, even over a span of time and distance.
Cardinal thank you for reminding me to be surprised Zee Zahawa
I am drawn to this haiku because I like the idea of being reminded to be surprised…the beauty of nature which we often take for granted should always evoke that element of surprise in our day.
In this haiku, I notice the extraordinary in the ordinary.
Reading this haiku, I experience a carbonation in my soul and being
alone in the waiting room checking the plant for reality
— Tom Clausen
I am drawn to this because I WANT reality, and I notice I need intention and to be pushed a bit out of my unrealness – all the habitual thoughts that are no good for nothing
The plant is real – truly
“here i am — somewhere between ocean and moon somewhere between lost and found
cardinal ”
In this Haiku I notice how my safety grows when borders are mentioned – and I experience an expansion and STILL safety
Somewhere between lost and found… but here I am. It’s where I am today, rather lost, but knowing now that I am here somewhere.
Thanks
Daily moments come
Sending vibes of hopefulness
Like this one right now!
I love reading all of the poems here and in the comments. I had BIG plans today. I rushed out of my house and forgot my special journal and my special pens and all my “special” equipment that I like to use when I write or draw– those things that give a sense of security when I embark on a new project. Instead I used a white board and I wrote a haiku about my leaving my house.
A clock yells hurry
Greening rushing seedlings grab sky
I stop. Hear their sound?
.
alone in the waiting room
checking the plant
for reality
— Tom Clausen
I am drawn to this haiku because it reminds me of the 59 days my husband spent in the hospital and I would be with him everyday.. Checking the plant for reality reminds of checking for life and hope amid the machines, plastic, and metal. This was very profound to me.
Nothing left to say today,
nothing left to do.
Flowers bloom on trees.
…….
The butterfly has disappeared
And now it comes back to me,
My wandering mind.
— Brother David Steindl-Rast
1. I am there with the butterfly, present though they are but words on a page
2. The fine line between reality and remembering a memory, creating a vision
3. The calm of being in this moment. The joy of having the experience.
Inspired:
In spring’s bright promise
Blue and pink blooms gently dance
from winter’s last snow
The mountain so high
Each footstep carefully placed
My pounding heart sings
Wonderful!
I’m sharing a haiku written in response to drive by shootings, using A-L words for first 2 lines
A B C Dead End
Feel Gun’s Heat, I Just Knew Love
R I P my heart
What a sad poem, Steve!
I was drawn to Ruth Yarrow’s haiku that starts with “dome of stars”
It parks my curiosity. Wh0 is in the tent? What are they doing? The light. Is it a candle? A flashlight or lantern? In this haiku I notice the connection of light in the beginning–the stars so far away and the light at the end–within. Reading this haiku I experience warmth and protection, from light and a haven from all outside, in the tent. Thank you, Ruth.
The geese flying home haiku felt familiar and brought back the best feelings of truly “going HOME.”
The repetition of going home for all of us, all of creation.
As I wonder around the Sonoran Desert this spring, I take in the fierce, harsh beauty of the desert in bloom.
Desert cactus blooms
Thorns shade delicate blossoms
Hurry! Quickly gone
I live in the Sonoran desert and your haiku speaks to me. Our beautiful desert is ever changing. This haiku was written after our February storm.
Rainbow through the snow
wind whips the palo verde
People wearing coats
Snow in the desert…what a fabulous image and experience!
I love the palo verde trees here.
So different from the familiar Redwoods of my home place.
This is my haiku of palo verde trees.
Multiple trunks and branches,
Long, lean, apple-green,
Surrender to the wind
Graceful dancer
That’s lovely. Thank you for sharing.
I wrote this haiku in 4th or 5th grade and everyone laughed at me:
Warm is the cold wind
To those who want to be warm
Warm within themselves.
so wise, even when you were a wee one!
Many years ago I wrote this haiku when I noticed that all the trees on my walk were slanted:
Trees slanting up straight
Am I the one standing crooked
In a straight-up world?
Today in reading for this lesson I came across this haiku by Issa:
Don’t know about the people,
but all the scarecrows
are crooked.
I’m drawn to this haiku because it makes me smile and because it reminded me of my own haiku. In this haiku I notice the word “crooked” and wonder about all the meanings that word has that works in the haiku. When I read it I experience a moment of pleasure, of knowing something that might be “secret.” I’m seeing a lot of “crooked” as I look around and work. lol
I agree with Lin said below: Haiku captures the essence of the subject. And the form forces the writer to be efficient with words, to get to the kernel of the experience.
This morning a surprise April blizzard is raging outdoors, forcing a snow day, meaning a change in routine for my teen who does not respond well to changes in routine. Mama wanted to enjoy the snow day and sleep in, expecting that the young one would be equally delighted. But teen angst woke me up this morning instead. I wrote this haiku to try to capture the full experience in 17 syllables. Thank you for letting me share.
Please grant me the grace
to withstand the storm raging
outside and inside.
Zee Zahava ‘s haiku stoked the emotions of change and felt like a deep breath of life for a brief moment. Grateful for this exercise. Thank you.
I come weary,
In search of an inn—
Ah! these wisteria flowers!
— Basho, translated by William George Ashton
I am drawn to this because it speaks my truth in such a simple way. I notice the acceptance or acknowledgment of a physical condition yet still having the ability to delight in beauty. Reading this I find validation.
They are all beautiful. I have two favorites. The first one is:
Sidewalk sale
wind twists a lifetime
guarantee tag
–Tom Clausen
I’m draw to it because of its construction and language. I notice how the author has given us a snapshot of a moment with much to think about, using few words. Reading this haiku, I experience the intentional ambiguity of the second line, and also the invitation to fill in the meaning of the haiku from my own understanding or perception. I’m left musing on what this snapshot of life means. The second one is:
crescent moon
barely audible
buoy bell
–Holly Wren Spaulding
I am drawn to this also because of its ambiguity in the second line. At first I thought the moon was barely audible–but no, it’s the buoy bell. Or is it? Or is it both? And so few words. I experience a feeling of curiosity and anticipation–it must be early morning, or late evening. Which?
All of these are modern haiku, which are not constrained by syllables.
Hi Jody…Don’t you just love how a few well-placed words can make your mind launch into vivid images of places & memories?
Yes! Even a short phrase like “sidewalk sale” puts images in my mind.
I love haiku because it captures the ESSENCE of the subject.
On this beautiful spring day, and after being so inspired by the haiku I read, I was moved to write my own:
Spring, the blooms draping
Over trees and shrubs, swirling
Fragrance a delight.
Lovely haiku, Lin!
How lovely! Thank you for sharing Lin. ❤
Sincere thanks Serafina!
1. I am drawn to this haiku by Zee Zahava because…it expresses being in the moment that is so real and understandable.
2. In this haiku I notice…what it is to be in the moment and how the simplicity of a beautiful red bird can be such an awesome reminder to take notice in the very moment we are in right now.
3. Reading this haiku…I experience the tranquility of being in the moment.
I am drawn to Brother David’s haiku about the lake and the rain. It evokes the ambiguity of figure and ground, the illusion that so interested me when I was young and took a design course, and that now seems the epitome of zen. In this haiku, I notice the syllable count is 4 6 3 rather than 5 7 5. I notice the repetition of “is lost” and “in the” that sets up the feeling of ambiguity, of not knowing which is which. I notice the simplicity of two images that nevertheless evokes a complex mental image of rain storms I have watched as they play out on the surface of the pond in my back yard. I notice the rocking feeling ,the back and forth of the simple words and their rhythms. And so I must write one:
dawn’s comforting pink
challenges nature’s warning:
change will be coming.
Warm rain evokes summer. Lovely on a cold, snowy morning.
Milk flows brings back happy memories of nursing my sons.
I noticed “garden party”. 2 of my favorite words! Love my garden and having tea parties.
I experienced nostalgia and a yearning for yet another summer, if it is in the cards for me.
The temple bell stops—
but the sound keeps coming
out of the flowers
Basho
Drawn because of the imagery and the mingling of the senses: sound from silent flowers. They invite with the call of the sacred, just as the temple bell.
I notice beauty
I experience a familiar, primal joy in the marriage of nature and the divine. Awe.
Zee Zahava: here i am —
somewhere between ocean and moon
somewhere between lost and found
I am drawn to Haiku because of the simplicity combined with the profound. This poem caught my eye, and my heart, as it is a sense of life that I experience often. Reading Haiku this morning is giving me a sense of calm.
how to love — bittersweet attaining its full color
This was my favorite. I am relocating and feel sad at leaving everyone here before I leave. So I related to the theme of this haiku. Also, haiku is traditionally first line: 5 syllables; second 7 and third 5. This one is 3-3-7 – I like building new forms of haiku on top of the traditional. The word “bittersweet” is so expressive. Yes I am grateful for love I give and receive, but so often the experience has a bitter taste along with the sweetness because relationships are so complex. And the metaphor of “…attaining its full color.” describes so well the shades of feeling in relating to my children and grandchildren.
Wishing you blessings with your relocation Martha ❤
Oh, they are all so beautiful!!
I simply began with the first example by Basho.
1. I am drawn to this haiku because… I love reading, so I appreciate the delight of finding moonlight enough to read by.
2. In this haiku I notice… there is no option for TV or Googling… it’s read or sleep – both restorative experiences.
3. Reading this haiku I experience… joy in knowing it is Japanese (I am studying Japanese), and delight at t…
You study Japanese! You can probably find Basho in the original and see what you think of the translations! I would love to be able to do that.