Poem: Japanese Garden Haiku
Aug. 13th, 2022 05:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis set of haiku was written outside the regular prompt calls. It fills the "Holes" square in my 8-1-22 card for the Reel Time Bingo fest. It has been sponsored by Anthony Barrette.
Japanese Garden Haiku
in the Zen garden,
a stone lantern lights the way
to the old teahouse
* * *
a path meanders
through the holes between the rocks
and the shrubberies
* * *
my sandals crunch on
the smooth gravel of the path
as I walk along
* * *
serviceberry is
white in spring, gold in fall, and
silver in winter
* * *
Japanese maples
lift their delicate red leaves
above the garden
* * *
the cherry trees drape
their pendant branches over
the old wooden fence
* * *
on a still morning,
the bamboo water fountain
gurgles and clatters
* * *
across the round pond,
the sun's reflection travels
a liquid mirror
* * *
in the cool water,
carp swim, their many colors
like living flowers
* * *
these long-lived fishes
create a symbol of strength
and perseverance
* * *
lotus blossoms rise
above the water, dancing
upon their strong stems
* * *
around the edges,
Japanese irises bloom
purple and yellow
* * *
tall horsetail reeds form
a screen of swaying green to
create seclusion
* * *
a stone bridge arches
like the full moon, connecting
the island to shore
* * *
I linger atop
the bridge, enjoying the breeze
and the carp below
* * *
the architecture
of an old stone snow lantern
contrasts with nature
* * *
I take my sandals
off to dabble my toes in
the limpid water
* * *
boulders anchor the
garden to the ground, symbols
of stability
* * *
the tall male rock stands
beside the short female rock
in companionship
* * *
verdant pine shrubs twist
around boulders, evoking
windswept mountaintops
* * *
rhododendrons and
azaleas add color
when they bloom in spring
* * *
tree peonies cling
to the most sheltered places,
delicate ladies
* * *
the sky clouds over
and distant thunder begins
to beat its low drum
* * *
I make my way back
to the gate just as the first
wet breeze chills the air
* * *
the soft moss lawn lies
empty beneath the gray sky,
fringed by sighing grass
* * *
in the Zen garden,
my sandals stand forgotten --
alas! in the rain
* * *
Notes:
Read about the elements of a Japanese garden / Zen garden. A Zen garden is particularly designed to promote inner peace, contemplation, and meditation.
Shishi-odoshi (鹿威し) (literally, "deer-frightening" or "boar-frightening") is a fountain where a bamboo pipe fills with water until it tips over and spills out. It makes trickling and clattering sounds as it moves.
Meoto Iwa (夫婦岩), or Married Couple Rocks, are a kind of rock formation featuring a taller "male" rock and a shorter "female" rock together. Spiritually significant in Shinto, they represent husband and wife.
Rocks anchor the landscape in a Zen garden.
Bridges come in different styles, and in Japanese gardening, they may span water or dry gravel meant to symbolize water. A full-moon bridge has a distinct arch.
Japanese Garden Haiku
in the Zen garden,
a stone lantern lights the way
to the old teahouse
* * *
a path meanders
through the holes between the rocks
and the shrubberies
* * *
my sandals crunch on
the smooth gravel of the path
as I walk along
* * *
serviceberry is
white in spring, gold in fall, and
silver in winter
* * *
Japanese maples
lift their delicate red leaves
above the garden
* * *
the cherry trees drape
their pendant branches over
the old wooden fence
* * *
on a still morning,
the bamboo water fountain
gurgles and clatters
* * *
across the round pond,
the sun's reflection travels
a liquid mirror
* * *
in the cool water,
carp swim, their many colors
like living flowers
* * *
these long-lived fishes
create a symbol of strength
and perseverance
* * *
lotus blossoms rise
above the water, dancing
upon their strong stems
* * *
around the edges,
Japanese irises bloom
purple and yellow
* * *
tall horsetail reeds form
a screen of swaying green to
create seclusion
* * *
a stone bridge arches
like the full moon, connecting
the island to shore
* * *
I linger atop
the bridge, enjoying the breeze
and the carp below
* * *
the architecture
of an old stone snow lantern
contrasts with nature
* * *
I take my sandals
off to dabble my toes in
the limpid water
* * *
boulders anchor the
garden to the ground, symbols
of stability
* * *
the tall male rock stands
beside the short female rock
in companionship
* * *
verdant pine shrubs twist
around boulders, evoking
windswept mountaintops
* * *
rhododendrons and
azaleas add color
when they bloom in spring
* * *
tree peonies cling
to the most sheltered places,
delicate ladies
* * *
the sky clouds over
and distant thunder begins
to beat its low drum
* * *
I make my way back
to the gate just as the first
wet breeze chills the air
* * *
the soft moss lawn lies
empty beneath the gray sky,
fringed by sighing grass
* * *
in the Zen garden,
my sandals stand forgotten --
alas! in the rain
* * *
Notes:
Read about the elements of a Japanese garden / Zen garden. A Zen garden is particularly designed to promote inner peace, contemplation, and meditation.
Shishi-odoshi (鹿威し) (literally, "deer-frightening" or "boar-frightening") is a fountain where a bamboo pipe fills with water until it tips over and spills out. It makes trickling and clattering sounds as it moves.
Meoto Iwa (夫婦岩), or Married Couple Rocks, are a kind of rock formation featuring a taller "male" rock and a shorter "female" rock together. Spiritually significant in Shinto, they represent husband and wife.
Rocks anchor the landscape in a Zen garden.
Bridges come in different styles, and in Japanese gardening, they may span water or dry gravel meant to symbolize water. A full-moon bridge has a distinct arch.
