Poem: "four seasons haiku"

[ysabetwordsmith]

This poem came out of the January 7, 2020 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by Anthony Barrette.


"four seasons haiku"
-- haiku verses


still cold, yet spring comes:
the insects begin to stir
and the red plum blooms

summer brings hot days:
cloud peaks yield fragrant breezes
and evening thunder

autumn: new coolness
paints the leaves red and dew frost
twinkles in the fields

clear and cold: winter
exhales a withering wind
over huddled birds

* * *

Notes:

Haiku is a syllabic form of three lines with 5-7-5 syllables. Learn how to write one.

Kigo are seasonal terms that identify the timeframe of a haiku.

still cold (yokan, early spring).

bugs come out (keichitsu, mid spring). Of the earth. Note: Red Pine translates this venerable Chinese expression as "insects astir", a very worthy expression, in The Collected Songs of Cold Mountain [Han Shan] (Copper Canyon, 2000). —wjh

red plum (blossoms*) (kobai, early spring).

hot (atsushi, all summer).

cloud peaks (kumo no mine, all summer).

fragrant breeze (kunpuu, all summer).

evening downpour (yuudachi, all summer).
thunder (kaminari, all summer).

new coolness (shinryoo, early autumn).

red leaves (momiji, late autumn). Specifically, the red-turned leaves of maples.

dew frost (tsuyujimo, late autumn).

clear and cold (sayuru, all winter).

withering wind (kogarashi, early winter). Lit. tree-witherer.

cold sparrows (kansuzume, late winter).
cold crow (kangarasu, late winter). Used equally for ravens.