six hundred thousand and more

in red party masks

The video is only 6 minutes long… check it out!

Write a bird haiku and share it in a comment. Extra points if it’s about sandhill cranes.

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secluded behind sleep’s veil

resources refilled

William Butler Yeats: When you are old and gray and full of sleep, and nodding by the fire, take down this book and slowly read, and dream of the soft look your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep.

Write a haiku about sleep. And, of course, share your creation in a comment.

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First draft:

just falling water

gravity lends it beauty

prism multitude

Analysis: It’s not bad. The first idea I had was about the simplicity of falling water becoming beautiful. I dropped that for the more picturesque “cascading.”

Second draft:

cascading water

gravity lends it beauty

prism multitude

Analysis: OK, what else would help? If I left it alone, no one would care. But after pondering, I liked the alliteration added to line 2.

Third draft:

cascading water

gravity gives it beauty

prism multitude

Analysis: Then I reviewed line 3 and tested a few words. I liked “prism multitude,” but decided to use the word “rainbow” instead. A matter of taste, that’s all.

Fourth draft:

cascading water

gravity gives it beauty

rainbow finishes

Analysis: I let it sit for a while, and when I returned to it, I thought “a rainbow finish” wrapped it up better.

Final:

cascading water

gravity gives it beauty

a rainbow finish

I don’t consider any of the above edits drastic. Some writing needs to be changed because the grammar is bad or a word is used incorrectly. In this case, everything was about what sounded better to me or made me picture something differently in my mind. Undoubtedly, you might’ve made other decisions and might think of other improvements right now! It’s all about being happy with the outcome.

Anyway, I hope reading this process will lead you to some editing of your own writing. Even the humble haiku can benefit from extra thought.

By the way, that photo is of Haifoss waterfall in Iceland. Beautiful!

Write a waterfall haiku. If you feel like it, show more than one draft so we can see your thinking process. Share in a comment.

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Next line: seven syllables

Third line: five again

I just wanted to have a bit of fun today! Try your hand at a “haiku haiku” and share in the comments. Haiku on!

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Here are four more reader haiku, all in response to Haiku #93. These are crafted by , Sara, , and . Be sure to comment on any favorite, or any distinctive turn of phrase.

Butterfly Requiem Haiku

garden fairy sprite

delicate wings of color

killed for a story

monarch butterfly

a very short, fleeting life

majestic beauty

Sara

Seconds in stillness.

Bursting yellow in late bloom.

A little gray friend

Butterfly land skin

Dust wings speak angel air

Chaos found friend hunger

Take time to make a comment about one or all of these creations. What was your favorite line? Did anything remind you of something meaningful? Share in a comment!

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scented spiral, love’s symbol

blossom of passion

The beauty of a rose never fails to mesmerize, especially in a close-up. What’s your experience been with roses? Have you grown any? Been given any? Write a haiku about it and put it in the comments. (Or just tell it, shared stories are good.)

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swallowtail on marigold

a double blessing

              Write your own haiku inspired by this photo and share it in a comment.

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relief, escape, or just rest

all a privilege

Ahhh, naps. Some people sneer at them. I think it’s because they’re jealous of those of us who CAN. I understand and sympathize. Maybe you can someday.

Kidding aside, Maybe someday we can make a world where all have the privilege.

Write a haiku about naps. Or if you’re unfamiliar, about escape. Share in comments.

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is Sunday a holy day?

or maybe all days

Write a haiku about dawn, a new day, or something similar. Share as a comment, ok?

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She auditioned with an original song, “String Cheese,” about motherhood, and that’s her first release. She wrote it after a moment of clarity when she was with her three (!) boys. She was feeling a little overwhelmed, but then reflected on the importance and blessings of being a mom, and wrote the song.

Here a link to her winning moment:

If you do a search, you can find other songs she performed during the season.

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Starts can be scary.

Wise advisors say, “Jump in!

Have courage! Begin!”

Write a haiku about beginnings and/or tell an experience. Share in a comment.

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cut all other parts away

what is left is art

It is a gift to be able to watch a master at work. This goes for many categories, from carvers to painters to singers to dancers.

In a comment, write a haiku about creativity or watching a skill being applied.

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Then the movie moves on to how they coped with being at home for the longest time in their careers, how they pieced together YouTube installments from home, and details the recording of their most recent studio album (which I just listened to and loved).

This first link is to the video. I guess it’s age-restricted because they use the f-word a couple of times. [shrug]

Here’s a link to the album. Chicago XXXVIII (38), if you can believe it.

Enjoy!

yellow symbols of summer

tall sunflower joy

A sunflower (at least this kind) is one BIG flower, eh? I’ve only planted them once, but I really enjoyed them, and they make me smile whenever I see them in others’ gardens. How ‘bout you? Have you grown some? Did you harvest seeds? Share your experience in comments. Oh, and share your own sunflower haiku while you’re at it!

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large clumps of roadside colors

wildflower blessing

Here in Central Texas the wildflowers are, well… going wild. Well-timed rains have enabled roadside galleries of every color. This photo is an array of Indian Blanket, which can vary in the amounts of red-orange and yellow. It’s a display we look forward to every year.

Write a wildflower haiku and share it in the comments.

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Here are ten more reader haiku, prompted by Haiku #91 and Haiku #92.

These are by , Sara, , Sara, , , , and .

Prompted by Haiku #91 “Rain”

Rain on grass cuttings

Smells of a fresh beginning

The promise it brings

Rain In The City

Dripping in puddles

Circles expanding outward

Smells like wet pavement

You can smell the rain

even before it gets here.

Cleansing, drenching rain

Sara

misty foggy rain

heaven in the rain forest

scent of wild orchids

Prompted by Haiku #92 “Absence”

It was yesterday

That I saw you sitting there

And now you are gone

our house is empty

sometimes it feels like you’re here

winter coming soon

winter comes my love

we two the last autumn leaves

oh you are fallen

Your essence is here,

But I miss seeing your smile,

hearing your comments.

Sara

Solitary chair

Sits awaiting a warm bum

To fill its purpose

The sound of a bell

comes and goes on forever.

Ring.....never stopping.

Do you have a favorite? Did any line really make you stop and think “Hmmm” or “Ahhh”? Tell the writer in a comment!

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After you’ve perused the haiku, go visit their Substacks to see what they are up to. Hit the heart button and comment there, too. Restack something. We need to support each other with easy actions like that.

If you’re curious about more Haiku Garden verses, check out the archive.

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when did twenty years ago

become yesterday?

Time is fluid, isn’t it? In some situations, it creeps by. In others, we can barely keep track because it moves so fast. Why is boredom-time slower than pleasure-time?

Write a haiku about some aspect of time and share it in the comments.

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multiple strands become one

many parts, one braid

I was thinking about disparate parts becoming one thing, and a braid came to mind. It can be art, it can be utilitarian, it can be metaphorical. What is happening when something can’t be described as a color, yet it contains many?

Write a haiku about a braid, or whatever else these ideas inspire. Share as a comment.

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are you made out of spare parts?

odd branch of the tree

And now, from the Animals That Shouldn’t Exist Department, the platypus. A mammal that lays eggs… that’s odd enough right there! Here are a few tidbits about this “living fossil.”

• Distinct Appearance: It features a leathery, duck-like bill, a beaver-like tail for steering and fat storage, and otter-like webbed feet.

• Venomous Spurs: Adult males possess hollow spurs on their hind legs connected to venom glands, used primarily for defense during mating season.

• Electroreception: They hunt with their eyes, ears, and nostrils closed, using sensitive electroreceptors in their bills to detect the tiny electrical impulses of underwater prey.

• No Stomach: Uniquely among mammals, the platypus lacks a stomach; food travels directly from the esophagus to the intestines.

• Biofluorescence: Under UV light, their fur gives off a blue-green glow, though the reason for this remains a mystery.

Write a Platypus Haiku and share it as a comment. It should be fun!

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strong to eye, touch, smell and taste

lemon gratitude

Thanks to for suggesting we think about lemon haiku!

I added a tree pic, because many of us either aren’t aware or forget that lemons don’t “come from” the grocery store. We also may be used to seeing little hobby lemon trees, and need reminding that we might need to reach UP to pick one! See my note for more lemon tree facts.

Write a lemon haiku and share it in the comments, will you?

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