Like a crystal…the Haiku shows us some important aspects of our human world gathered together and reflected as if in one brief sparkling flash. ~ Br. David Steindl-Rast
Br. David Steindl-Rast loves poetry, writing “May I feast on [poems] every day of my life and live each day as a poem of praise.” Over the years he has crafted countless haiku. He writes:
“The Japanese Haiku is a poem of such subtlety that it defies translation, let alone imitation in any other language. It has become customary, however, to call poetic flashes inspired by the Japanese form, “haiku”, in English too. The best among them capture a moment of intense awareness; they awake your senses. No comment by the poet; simply one given moment which is fully – and thus gratefully – perceived.”
With the guidance of Tom Clausen, cited in Poetry Matters as “one of the most original and respected contemporary poets writing haiku in English,” along with Br. David’s sublime and instructive reflections on haiku and gracefully rendered calligraphy, we created an 8-day exploration of haiku as gratefulness practice in the Spring of 2019 and invited people to join us.
This exploration convened a community of both novice and practiced poets who shared with us their discoveries, delights, and dilemmas in “brief sparkling flashes.” We were so taken by the sharing on the practice pages that we put out a call for submissions.
This treasure trove of gems is the result.
[Clicking the image below will open a full screen presentation of the collection]
We offer joyful appreciation to all those who submitted haiku for consideration and regret that, in the interest of creating a manageable offering, we were unable to share with you here all that we “fully – and thus gratefully” received.
To see the practice that inspired this collection, please visit Exploring Haiku as Gratefulness Practice: A Practice Series.
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How does poetry move or inspire you? We’d love to hear from you. Please share in the reflection area below.
Poetry is more like songs or images, compared to prose writing. At their best, haiku present a flash of image, a setting, that carries a rich meaning and stimulates associations in the reader.
Knowing that word play is recommended in retirement to keep the mind alert, my husband and I started a daily Haiku practice 11 yrs ago since neither of us seemed to be able to do crosswords… After a number of attempts, we fell upon using the wonderful little DAILY WORD put out by UNITY as a prompt. We delighted in this second-cup-of-coffee exercise for over 4 yrs – – my beloved and determined husband wrote until he was unable due to brain cancer—and then he tried to dictate his ideas to me… I have 6 journals filled with his Haiku, a treasure beyond measure.
I recently started my 13th book and my day inevitably goes better when I start in this way.
Recently I helped a friend with her wedding and put baskets on all the tables with Haiku supplies and instructions. The happy couple now has dozens of 17-syllable good wishes to remind them of their special day.
What a beautiful, very moving story you have shared with us Judy. I can see the whole morning ritual in my mind’s eye, and feel the love between you in my heart. What a great idea for people to use the WORD FOR THE DAY that we send out from Gratefulness as a daily haiku-writing prompt! I hope that many others will be as inspired by you, your story, and this possibility as I am! Thank you deeply and dearly.
goosebumps
when reading this poems
pure joy
congratulations – this one hits!
For me, poetry ‘speaks’ to and touches a place deep within, that is beyond words, but oh so beautiful and tender. Thank-you gratefulness.org for sharing these wonderful haikus.
With love and a grateful heart?