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A Glimpse of Nature

March 29, 2024

Wordplay

Red and black he waits

in the dormant cattail marsh

Cold, hopeful singer

Let’s celebrate spring, rainy days, and all!  Plant and animal activity is increasing daily, and soon our world will be colorful, fragrant, and full of exuberant bird songs.  New England’s seasonal rebirth is truly a marvel to behold, and one that seldom fails to lift the human spirit.

April is also National Poetry Month, so I propose that we express our experiences and reactions to spring through writing and sharing short nature poems.  

Here’s the plan:

• Each reader will compose a haiku (or haiku-inspired) poem and email it to me at lrubinacci@amesfreelibrary.org. Library patrons will also be encouraged to write poems during their visits.

  
  

• I will print each poem and the image that inspired it for a display near the library entrance.  They will be printed as a set.

• I have included a group of April images for your inspiration.  If you write in response to one of my photos, please indicate which image by name. Alternatively, you may include one of your photos in the email.

  
  

• I will collect the poems and display them, along with poetry books and recommendations, during the last week of April.  Please submit your poems by Tuesday, April 16.

What is a haiku?

A haiku is a concise poem, set in the present, that emphasizes imagery, often focusing on natural or seasonal subjects.  Here is a classic haiku by Natsume Sōseki via Read Poetry.

Over the wintry 

Forest, winds howl in rage

With no leaves to blow.

Poets.org tells us that haiku originated in thirteenth-century Japan as an introduction to longer verse forms.  It has been evolving ever since, both in Japan and internationally.  

Writers in English most often compose three-line haiku with a 5-7-5 structure; that is, five syllables in the first line, 7 syllables in the next, and 5 syllables in the final line. The following lighthearted poem from The Haiku Foundation’s website demonstrates this structure:

all over the world
thousands of fingers counting
haiku dialogue

Sanela Pliško

As you can see, haiku do not rhyme, but this poetry has its own conventions.  The Poetry Foundation explains that “A haiku often features an image, or a pair of images, meant to depict the essence of a specific moment in time.”  They offer a glimpse of nature, including human nature, that captures something essential about life.  Haiku can be simultaneously concrete and reflective — in seventeen syllables!

Consider the next poem, another entry to The Haiku Foundation’s “Poet’s Choice” series.  The poet momentarily sees a girl through garden foliage. This brief, “ordinary” experience becomes a poignant tale that challenges our assumptions. The images of flowers and a wheelchair would seem unlike, perhaps even contradictory.  Yet, the girl’s “smile” brings them together.

white azaleas bloom
a young girl between the leaves
smiles in her wheelchair

Neni Rusliana

Guidelines:

Your poem must be original.  I might get suspicious if your email contains a Basho or an Issa!

In your email, please indicate whether you want to include your name or remain anonymous.

I welcome all concise, vivid poems in the spirit of haiku.  Don’t get too hung up on structure if your thought is best expressed with a different number of syllables.  

Most importantly, don’t miss out because you’re not a “poet.”  In all likelihood, none of my readers are.   I hope that you will enjoy the challenge of writing a haiku and that, as a group, we’ll discover different perspectives and styles.

Remember, even professionals struggle with the process.  I leave you with this poem by Katsushika Hokusai.

I write, erase, rewrite

Erase again, and then

A poppy blooms.

MARSH MARIGOLD

TADPOLES

SENSITIVE FERN

MAYAPPLE

Regarding Ducks:

Kudos to readers who completed the “Male Diving Ducks” jigsaw puzzle or who attempted to identify the ducks in my photo of Duxbury Bogs.  The answers to that quiz, if you wish to review the species, are as follows:

1. Female Ring-necked Duck

2. Male Bufflehead

3. Male Gadwall

4. Male Ring-necked Duck

5. Female Gadwall

6. Female Common Goldeneye

It takes practice, but your trips to ponds and beaches will be more meaningful when you recognize these winter visitors.