“A Few Haiku (54)”

On By Mike U.In Poetry

(c) 2022 by Michael L. Utley

(#319)

the trees believed once
before they lost everything
the lies of winter

…..

(#320)

for whom do you seek
there’s no one here but me
long night moon

…..

(#321)

fetch the sickle moon
let us harvest ice blossoms
winter star fields

…..

(#322)

sorrows of autumn
kindle the warmth of winter
the blazing hearth

…..

(#323)

this bitter cold
reminds me I’m alive
and why I wish I weren’t

…..

(#324)

in each flake
a brief eternity
the grief of winter

59 thoughts on ““A Few Haiku (54)””

    1. Thanks so much. I love playing around with juxtaposition. The adjacency of opposing themes or terms or images has always struck me as such an oddly powerful dynamic. I remember a poem I wrote my freshman year of college (about winter, coincidentally) for my Creative Writing class where I used the words “pristine” and “deceptive” near one another and my teacher noted that in the margin with a red question mark. I thought it was sort of funny that she apparently didn’t like it, but hey, it was my poem, right? 😀 Oh well. For #320, I wanted to see what the solstice moon would be like this year and found out December’s full moon, which falls near the winter solstice, is referred to in Mohican (Native American) lore as the Long Night Moon. I really liked the sound of that, and I thought it went well with the idea of the moon seeking the narrator all night long during the depths of night. Or, for that matter, the narrator seeking the moon all night long. I wanted to leave it a little bit ambiguous for the reader to decide.

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

  8. Wow this collection is absolutely stunning, Mike. I especially love that first one. You are truly a creative genius, my friend! The depth and beauty in each one is such a treat to read. Amazingly done 🤗🤗🤍🤍

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Thank you kindly. #321 does have a sort of lyrical, musical feel to it, doesn’t it? It’s a fun one, an invitation to the reader to take part in an adventure! 😀 I appreciate your always kind comments. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  19. “this bitter cold
    reminds me I’m alive
    and why I wish I weren’t”
    Have you been in my mind lately, Mike? It’s such a weird and bittersweet feeling. Not sure if one can understand if they haven’t felt it. Yet we go on and are brave to write about it. Wish you well always. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. “Bittersweet…yet we go on…” That’s exactly it, Terveen. It’s hard for some to understand, but there are those of us who do, and it’s most definitely a weird and bittersweet feeling. It’s difficult, too. What can we do? Give up or go on? Sometimes the choice is hard to make. Writing helps so much, and knowing there are others who understand gives us hope. Thanks as always for your kindness and keen insights. I appreciate you and all you do. Here’s hoping 2023 is better for all of us. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Thanks so much, Darlene, for the kind comment. I’m glad these little ones spoke to you. And I’ll bet Spain is pretty nice this time of year–it’s cold and snowy here in Colorado. Thanks for st0pping by. Much appreciated! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Cold and snowy in Canada too. My home province, Alberta, can be much like Colorado in the winter. I was sitting in the sun reading this afternoon and patting myself on the back for making the decision to retire in Spain.

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks, Joni. Winter nights are so quiet and filled with wonder, especially when the moon lights up the snowy landscape and everything sparkles. I’m glad you found this one pleasing. Much appreciated, my friend! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Hi, Sangeetha. Pardon my late reply–my computer is out of commission at the moment. Thanks so much for using my haiku in your poem! It’s beautiful and deeply moving and so well-crafted (as is everything you write). Truly honored and grateful for your kindness, my friend! These spur-of-the-moment collaborations are so fun! 🙂

      Like

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s