Don’t look too hard to “find” a haiku. Let it find you. Be open, receptive, welcoming.
~ Zee Zahava
Welcome.
As haiku becomes a regular practice, we discover that paying attention — teamed with “forgetting ourselves” and connecting to the truth of our belonging — serve to inspire and nourish a sense of wonder, curiosity, and play. We begin, in the words of Tom Clausen, to “feel inspiration in moments freely found anyplace, anytime, anywhere.” We find ourselves with greater capacity to be open, receptive, and welcoming as we allow haiku to “find” us.
Haiku and calligraphy by Br. David Steindl-Rast
Tom Clausen observes that “Haiku return to us the wonder and curiosity we had as a child.” And yes, a childlike perspective is available to us in every moment. As Br. David has said, “That child is in every one of us, a child for whom the cosmos is alive.”
The Practice
Today we invite you to move through your day experiencing the world around you with the wonder and curiosity of a child. Be curious and expansive. Experiment with being joyful, fearless, and a bit silly. Allow yourself to make playful connections and to notice the way that something out of place like a crooked flagstone may be offering you comfort, delight, or surprise. Be open, receptive, and welcoming; allowing a haiku (or more than one!) to find you.
When you are ready, write your haiku in a notebook and feel free to share it, along with any additional discoveries, in the reflection area below.
Enjoy the full eight-day Exploring Haiku practice.
Watching bubbles fly
Waving the wand to create more
Laughing inner child
Purple blossoms on trees
How did it get the name Redbud?
Mixed in with Spring’s green, Divine!
purple violets
and dandelion yellow
spring’s colors shine new
The feathered Grand Dame
EYES the girls
As they leave the house
Taking Her time
Moonmight coloring
Clouds in silver and blue.
Clouds coloring moonlight
Moonlight lent by the sun
Celebrating clouds
while lying in the grass, I
revel in their shapes
A bumpy rock. Wait. Eyes?
Gazing, wondering, smiling
The frog looks back at me.
As I was sweeping my patio, I hesitated at a curious cement-looking rock. Suddenly an eye opened, and I realized it must’ve been a tree frog, blown down by the storm, perfectly camouflaged on the concrete patio, except for those yellow eyes. Amazing gift of nature.
Sampson and I play
daily chase and tug o’ war
minding our hour-Lauds
Downward dog, tail wag
my invitation issued
I accept with glee!
Life has been very demanding and I haven’t been able to keep up with the class in real time. That makes me sad as I feel once removed, trying to keep up and out of the loop.
But here’s my haiku for this morning.
April cold bites hard
flowers duped me to believe
Sunbeams will be warm
and in honor of my tiny bunny who is very possessive…
He loves and owns me
with a warm salty spray that
tells the world “she’s mine”
A warm spring evening
And soft light closing the day
Water the garden
I remove last year’s debris—
Ready for new growth
Thought of a haiku
gives notice the blind is closed!
Now spring sun pours in.
warm fire tapping rain
soft fur distraction RIGHT HERE
as I write of cats
A very strange day
a beautiful reading child
a very slim dog
a need for an extra line
Following the scent
an amethyst treasure–here the grass
yielding to violets