"in Just-
spring when the world is mud-lucious"*
It is Spring—the time of year when
the dull landscape of winter abandons its protective cloak,
absorbs the nurturing rays of sun, is inundated with fecund
drops of rain, and blossoms into spectacular, colorful rainbow
colored umbrellas for a short time.
The April blossom haiku are a
testament to this pageant of natural beauty:
acacia in blossom, apple blossoms,
blackthorn blossom, bougainvillea blossoms, cherry blossoms,
crepe jasmin blossoms, crocus blossom, gorse blossom,
honeysuckle blossoms, hibiscus blossoms, ixora blossoms,
forsythia blossoms, lilac blossoms, lime blossoms, magnolia
blossoms, mango blossoms, mirobolam tree, mountain laurel
blossoms, orange blossoms, orange ixora blossoms, peach
blossoms, pear blossom petals, plum blossoms, poppy blossoms,
poui blossoms, quince blossoms, sansivera blossoms, serviceberry
blossoms, white lilac blooming, wild roses, wisteria blossoms
Thirty-one blossoms! I have
collected all the blossoms from your fruitful haiku and I have
concocted my own delicious ambrosia:
blossom wine—
an elegant crystal glass
on the table
# 130. John Daleiden, US
In April fifteen
poets contributed 147 blossom haiku to the thread:
Gillena Cox, TT;
Magdalena Dale, RO; John Daleiden, US;
Jon Davey, UK; Bill Kenney, US; Catherine J. S. Lee, US; Tracy McPherson, US; Karen
O'Leary, US; Jacek Margolak, PL; Vasile Moldovan, RO; Peter Pache, US; Keith A.
Simmonds, TT; Maria Tirenescu, RO; Josh Wikoff, UK, Rafal Zabratynski,
PL. Five countries are represented: Poland, Romania,
Trinidad, United States, United Kingdom.
Choosing notable
haiku form this collection has been a difficult task. I have
selected and commented on the following haiku. These are
presented in no particular order.
Humans are
surrounded by the cycle of change in the natural world: day and
night, the sun, moon and stars; the wind; the sun and the
botanical change of plant life from a winter period of rest to a
blossoming period of growth—
The blossom haiku in this thread celebrate the annual seasonal
change. Early in the season there is occasional backsliding to
the previous season:
daffodils
bow down
spring snow
# 08. Peter Pache, US
snow laden
clouds—
hedgerows dusted with
blackthorn blossom
# 25. Jon Davey, UK
But slowly, the new
season returns:
one honeybee
the first
crocus blossom
# 04. Peter Pache, US
One of the first
human responses of welcome to the new warm weather growing
season is to change our own winter habits. This slightly
humorous haiku focuses on a meeting ground between the human
world and the natural world:
plum blossoms
I put away
my electric blanket
# 63. Jacek Margolak, PL
Once the Spring riot
begins in the natural world, humans can become oblivious,
entrenched in their own worlds, and make a momentary retreat.
For my own part, I became ill with pneumonia this Spring—I
spent the first nine days of April in bed and sleeping for the
most part. My, oh my—what
I missed:
a week of
sickness—
the plum already
in bloom
# 21. Jon Davey, UK
Soon I began to feel
better, especially with the help of all these blossom haiku:
convalescence:
cherry blossoms
balm to the spirit
# 75. Keith A. Simmonds, TT
The one commonality
about the seasons is their penchant for change; it is one of the
delights of the physical world. Don't blink—you
will miss something spectacular:
hidden gate
wisteria blossoms
arch the garden path
# 78. Catherine J.S. Lee, US
Be sure to look
everywhere—see everything with the eye of a poet and an artist:
Fashion parade—
the lilac blossoms wear
the best kimonoes
# 58. Vasile Moldovan, RO
The Spring blossom
is a momentary beauty—elusive:
spring morning
magnolia blossoms
begin their fall
# 09. Bill Kenney, US
Capture the essences
for your memory—write a haikiu:
Lime blossoms—
the wind unfolding
my memory book
# 76. Magdalena Dale, RO
Observe closely—look
high and low—even the ground is alive:
sultry afternoon—
parasol ants toting
ixora blossoms
# 104. Gillena Cox, TT
Even a reminder of
the past season is constantly present for some of us:
snow on the
mountains—
the white lilac blooming
in the valley
# 34. Maria Tirenescu, RO
Day and night the
Spring riot continues:
Twilight—
the lime branches
full of buds
# 80. Magdalena Dale, RO
Humorously, for some
the pleasant scent of blossoms masks an unpleasant reality:
crescent moon
honeysuckle blossoms
near the old outhouse
# 118. Catherine J. S. Lee, US
The profuse array of
blossoms are only a harbinger to the production of luscious,
ripe fruits that can sustain human and animal life:
First crush
warm, sun-kissed
blossoms and berries
# 06. Tracy McPherson, US
There is an old
saying: "When gorse is in blossom, kissing's in season.
And because gorse thickets are a mixture of several sub-species
that have different flowering times—weeeell!
You get the idea. Kissin' is in season all the time!
scent of wood
smoke—
gorse blossom smolders
in the thicket
# 16. Jon Davey, UK
Don't look now!
Kissing and blossoms are not only for the young of heart:
two old lovers
clutching plum blossoms...
a spring in their step
# 19. Keith A. Simmonds, TT
Capturing the
essence of Spring is a never ending task:
cherry blossoms
on a haiku card
best regards
# 94. Gillena Cox, TT
white blossoms—
poetry spills
from the page
# 12. Karen O'Leary, US
haijin's angst...
elusive beauty
of cherry blossoms
# 45. Keith A. Simmonds, TT
For my part I am
satiated with blossoms.
*In Just-, a poem by e. e. cummings
