Choice
Haiku from the March / April 2011 Haiku Thread
...Some
Unexpected Results
It was a
surprise to see so many haiku submitted to the thread.
Flowers certainly have a great appeal and are a fertile
subject for expressing feelings and experiences. Of the
178 haiku, about 60 different flowers were named. The
most popular, as one could expect, was the rose (20).
Then followed cherry blossoms (9) and daffodils (6).
There were ties with snowdrops, poppies, tulips, and
posies. All named four times. There were about 10
flowers that I had never heard of. So this was a
handicap for me to appreciate their haiku more. Even
reading about them isn’t enough to overcome the
handicap. The explanation offered with this haiku was
helpful:
a
poem written
after a long long time—
the brahmakamal blooms
# 97. Sunil Uniyal, IN
'Brahmakamal':
a rare flower of the Himalaya region.
I can now
appreciate the link between “after a long long time–“
and this being a rare flower.
I also found out that “sakua” is another name for a
cherry blossom. A cherry blossom is the flower /wiki/Flowerof
any of several trees of genus prunus, particularly the
Japanese Cherry, Prunus serrulata, which is sometimes
called sakura after the Japanese word:
sakura...
the cold wind of January
lingers
# 119. Willie R. Bongcaron, PH
Flowers
appeal also to many insects, birds, and other creatures.
This particular aspect was less frequently touched on.
If elephants can get drunk on what they eat, why not
canaries on what they smell:
scent
of daffodils—
drunk in their glory
wild canaries
# 57. Janice Thomson, CA
This haiku
leaves us with a sound buzzing in our ears:
lavender fields
bumblebees
drone on and on
# 75. Cara Holman, US
Even between
butterflies and hummingbirds, there can be conflict:
butterfly
and hummingbird—
after the same flower
# 116. Alegria Imperial, CA
We might
think of flowers and blossoms merely having something
for us to appreciate, but evidently they can have
desires of their own:
salmon berry bloom:
how deep is your heart
for a hummingbird?
# 120. Alegria Imperial, CA
Who knows
what goes on in the insect world among the wild flowers.
We can try to imagine:
field
flowers–
a slug prowled
into a bouquet
# 28. Marija Pogorili c, CR
Flower
arrangements often contain twigs, small branches, and
long stems. This haiku is a surprising use of a bouquet.
Mother crow must have been very happy:
male
crow
with a bouquet of twigs—
a brand new nest!
# 38. Juhani Tikkanen, FN
Flowers are
used on many occasions both “happy and not so happy,
even tragic. I looked for haiku that were used to
highlight some of current issues and events. This one we
can all relate to and gives us hope:
tsunami or not
dainty blossoms thrive
in Fukushima
# 117. Willie R. Bongcaron, PH
Then there
are the recent economic issues and painful consequences
for many:
red
spider lilies
blooming along the fence—
foreclosed house
# 01. Chen-ou Liu, CA
forget-me-nots . . .
the first blooms in her garden
with a For Sale sign
# 62. Chen-ou Liu, CA
Flowers can
produce some unexpected results:
house
for sale—
the lilac in bloom raises
its price
# 155. Cezar-Florin Ciobīcă, RO
No doubt we
all can recall our school days and teacher’s pets. What
consequences did such teasing have?
teacher’s pet pet pet
the boys tears
drown the posy
# 101. Karin Anderson, AU
Everyday our
lives are touched by war. It sometimes demands
sacrifices and takes priority over other things:
bunch
of roses
left on a bench—
air raid
# 153. Cezar-Florin Ciobīcă, RO
This is one
event we do not want to experience and yet, we empathize
with those who must:
farewell
to a fallen comrade...
white roses
#
161. Willie R. Bongcaron, PH
Haiku of
course can provide us much to enjoy. It can even be
magical. In this haiku the flower has disappeared, yet
we see it, its beauty, or is it the beauty of the flower
vase we see?
this
thing of beauty
a flower vase
on the mantle piece
# 33. Sandra Martyres, IN
Flowers can
change our mood and behavior.
wildflowers—
wearing my hair
a different way
# 77. Cara Holman, US
drifting plumeria petals:
I hum a tune
I haven't sung in years ...
# 130. Chitra Rajappa, IN
in the park
he steals a white rose
for her hair
# 95. Sunil Uniyal, IN
Whatever
flowers can do they should never be overlooked:
wild
flowers...
every nook and crevice
deserves a glance
# 176. Willie R. Bongcaron, PH
