“A Few Haiku (27)”

On By Mike U.In Poetry

(c) 2022 by Michael L. Utley

(#157)

memories of her
drift on plains of sorrow
the driving snow

…..

(#158)

the withered forest
cruel winter shames the trees
into submission

…..

(#159)

the blush of winter
cold flirtatious wind kisses
my cheeks and nose

…..

(#160)

clear winter night
moon tends her silver garden
of star flowers

…..

(#161)

my personal winter
heart too deep in permafrost
for love’s healing thaw

…..

(#162)

cracks on pond ice
kintsugi heals frozen earth
as lotus slumber

40 thoughts on ““A Few Haiku (27)””

    1. Thanks, Mark. Images of a bright moon illuminating snowy farm fields amid woods sparked this one. Sort of a silvery-blue sheen to the world. Also, I like the idea of the moon as a caretaker of the night world, watching over forests and deserts and plains and the sea. Thanks for the support. Much appreciated. 😉

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  3. my personal winter
    heart too deep in permafrost
    for love’s healing thaw

    😢

    memories of her
    drift on plains of sorrow
    the driving snow

    You’re amazing at conveying emotion, Mike… It’s fantastic that you have a creative outlet like this that so many of us can relate to. Wonderful.

    ❤
    David

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    1. Thanks, David. I think being an introvert and being alone most of my life has resulted in a lot of introspection and rumination with regards to emotions and memories. It’s a two-edged sword: sometimes I’m able to convey emotions in my writing, but it’s also a painful endeavor. However, as you know, writing can be a release valve, and putting words on paper or screen goes a long way in helping figure out exactly what’s going on inside our heads and hearts. I’m glad you liked these, and I’m grateful for your kindness. Thanks, David. 🙂

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    1. Thanks so much for you kind words. I’m incredibly fond of the haiku form and find it’s ideal for expressing some deep emotions. I enjoy the discipline of having to work with so little due to the brevity of the form, and I love the immediacy of vivid imagery. I want to add that I’ve visited your blog many times and I really admire your poetry. There’s so much honesty and intensity in your words. Thanks again for the wonderful compliment. I appreciate it. 🙂

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    1. Thanks so much, Xenia. I’m so happy you liked these. I remember how the winter moon would illuminate the snow-covered wheat field in my youth on the farm, and the quiet serenity of those still winter nights (when a blizzard wasn’t raging). The image of a silver garden of star flowers grew from that memory. And yes, #157 is one in which I tried to understate the painful memories and just let the images speak. Winter can be both profoundly beautiful and excruciatingly painful. Thank you for your wonderful comment. It means a lot to me. 🙂

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    1. Thanks, Grace. I’m so pleased you enjoyed these. I really, really wanted to write a couple in this collection that were upbeat since most of my writing tends to be somber, so yeah, that flirtatious wind stealing kisses spoke to me! 😀 Your kind comments are always appreciated. Thanks again, Grace. 😉

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    1. Thanks so much, Cindy. I’m glad to hear you liked these. I love haiku and how powerful, poignant and profound they can be. It’s always a wonderful feeling when my words resonate with people. I appreciate your kind comment and thanks for reading. 🙂

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    1. That’s very kind of you, Diana! Thank you. It really does mean so much to me to know you enjoyed these. As I mentioned to Grace above, I had a goal to write a couple of lighter haiku this time to see if I could find some positivity among the cold and snow and gray skies. As dark as winter can be for me, it truly is inspirational when it comes to crisp imagery. I’m grateful for your kind support. Thanks again! 🙂

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  9. Everyone has already said what I wanted to say in their comments. I will add that #160 conjures an image like you would find in a children’s book or Hayao Miyazaki artwork, of a little girl/moon deity in the night sky.

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    1. Thanks so much. I watched a documentary on Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli not long ago. The artwork is piercingly beautiful and magical. I haven’t experienced any of the films he’s created but I certainly hope to see them soon. I just loved the image of the silver garden and its star flowers being cared for by the tender moon. So many memories of winter nights growing up on the farm and how the moonlight would seem to refract among the naked elm branches outside my bedroom window, creating a sort of kaleidoscope of silver shards of light. I’m happy you liked this one, and delighted that you mentioned Hayao Miyazaki. 🙂

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    1. Thanks, Lamittan. I really appreciate your kind comments and I’m pleased to know you liked this selection of haiku. Your support and encouragement are so welcomed and appreciated. 🙂

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    1. I appreciate this so much. I find myself continually trying to simplify my haiku to get to the essence of what this form really means. i read others’ haiku sometimes and I marvel at the sheer austerity of some of it, just piercingly profound in its simplicity. I wrote a poem about kintsugi recently, and realized the cracks on a frozen pond can represent the broken earth or even our own broken lives, and how intricate those cracks can be, how beautiful they can be. I liked the imagery. it reminded me of the ponds on the farm where I grew up and how they’d split and crack in the winters. Thanks for such a nice, thoughtful comment. I really appreciate how you think about haiku and poetry in general. 🙂

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    1. This is good, insightful advice. I tend to focus on the sorrow in life and forget about how to alleviate it and move on from it. Sort of like being stuck in the snow. it’s fascinating how people can see things in poetry that the author didn’t plan or notice. Thanks so much for such a thouight-provoking comment and such a kind review. 🙂

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    1. This is deep and worth pondering for a while. Pain can be a powerful engine to drive creativity, and that’s certainly what powers most of my writing, or in this case, the permafrost–feeling frozen in my sorrow. Thanks for giving me such food for thought. And thanks as always for your in-depth reviews. it means a lot to me. 🙂

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  14. Harder to pick a favorite tonight, Mike. They are all so well crafted and expressed. This one though does speak to me deeply, “the blush of winter
    cold flirtatious wind kisses
    my cheeks and nose” Reminds me of my time living in the high mountains. So cold, and so beautiful. Wonderful writing. ☺️

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    1. Thanks, Jeff. I totally understand the love of mountains. I’m in SW CO now, with snow-capped peaks in every direction. I recall my time in Oregon, being fascinated with the Cascades and the Coastal Range. Such beauty in the high country. Driving through it in the winter? Not too fun. 🙂 Anyway, thanks for the kind words and I’m glad you liked this one. 🙂

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    1. You’re too kind, Terveen! I appreciate your supportive comments and I’m so glad you liked this one. It’s based on personal experience, as they say. Thanks so much for reading and letting me know what you think. 🙂

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    1. I’m so sorry, Rhyan…I hope the memories this haiku brought back are good ones. Sometimes I get so caught up in my own painful world that I don’t realize what I write may bring painful memories to readers. I wrote this one about my last relationship and how it ended with no closure whatsoever, just lots of pain, and not knowing if she got help or allowed her fears to drag her permanently into the darkness. That “not knowing” still haunts me years later, and the image of those cold white snow drifts on the windswept plains seemed to accurately describe those memories that still persist. Please accept my condolences, Rhyan, and thanks for taking time to read and comment.

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      1. No need to apologize or feel bad on my account. Sometimes I can’t maneuver through a day without encountering something to remind me. That fault lies with me. I shouldn’t have said anything. I typically don’t.

        And I am sorry to learn about your relationship and can only hope your former partner received the help she needed. My best to you.

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