“A Few Haiku (55)”

On By Mike U.In Poetry

(c) 2023 by Michael L. Utley

(#325)

to write is to breathe
and I am suffocating
in silence

…..

(#326)

speak again of joy
and the warmth of summer days
your lies are comforting

…..

(#327)

pond ice
stretched thin as hope
and equally deceptive

…..

(#328)

some write of joy
I write of experience
would they were the same

…..

(#329)

pardon my sorrow
and forgive my weeping soul
a poet’s lament

…..

(#330)

hope comes and goes
and lasts for but a season
winter snow

80 thoughts on ““A Few Haiku (55)””

    1. Thanks, David. I was hoping for some more upbeat verse to manifest itself tonight but these little guys kept clamoring for attention. I find winter inspiring, but for all the wrong reasons. I think that would definitely change if I had a frosty mug of root beer! ๐Ÿ˜€ Anyway, your support means so much to me, my friend. Thanks as always for visiting and commenting. Much appreciated. ๐Ÿ™‚

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    2. Yep, a great deal of what I write in these collections are senryu. I considered going back through all 300+ of them and separating them into their proper categories, but decided against it due to the sheer number of them, as well as the fact that they’re all numbered sequentially, so having two separate collection sections would prove awkward because of that. I also considered changing the title to include senryu, but it wouldn’t have the same feel to it, the same silly rhyme, you know? So, I decided to just leave them as they are. Should I ever try publishing them elsewhere, say, in a book, I’d make the distinction, but for here on my blog, I’m okay with lopping them both together.

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    1. Thanks so much. It’s really stifling, isn’t it? Sort of like gasping for words instead of breath. Writer’s block can be devastating (I once went twenty years without writing anything). Sometimes I think it helps a bit to actually write about writer’s block just to get those amorphous thoughts out of my head. Thanks for your kind words and I’m grateful for your stopping by. Much appreciated. ๐Ÿ™‚

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    1. Thank you kindly, my friend. It’s always a pleasure to have you visit. I appreciate your supportive comments so much. Hope you’re keeping warm–I’m knee-deep in snow here in Colorado! ๐Ÿ˜€

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    1. Kindest thanks, Diana. Funny thing is, I was all set to try writing some upbeat verse, but like I mentioned to David above, these little annoying thoughts just wanted out like a bunch of restless cats clamoring at the kitchen door. ๐Ÿ˜€ So, out they went, and here they are. Oh well. Winter inspires me, but in such a dark way. And speaking of the heaviness of winter, there’s about 18″ of snow on the ground here. My poor truck looks like a muffin out in the parking lot. ๐Ÿ˜€ Thank you as always for your wonderful support and encouragement, and also for hugs–we can never have too many hugs, right? ๐Ÿ™‚

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      1. I’d love a little snow, Mike. You know the Oregon coast…. rain, Rain, and more RAIN. So gray and gloomy at the moment. I’m glad you let those restless cats out; they’re yowling can be atrocious. Beautiful poetry as always.

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  9. #328 is my favorite…but I absolutely love this whole collection. They are individually powerful and strong as a whole too. I love the meaning and emotion you capture in just a few short lines. Amazingly done as always, Mike ๐Ÿค๐Ÿค—

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    1. Thanks so much, Grace. Sorrow can be a powerful inspiration, but it’s good to write it out and put it in a more concrete form so it can be handled more effectively. I’m so pleased that you liked this offering. Many thanks for your kindness, my friend. Also, I have some catching up to do on my blog reading list so I’ll be popping over to your blog soon to explore for a while. Sorry for the delay. ๐Ÿ™‚

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    1. Thanks so much, Filipa. Your kindness is invaluable to me. I hope you’re doing well. Sending you lots of strength and hope, my dear friend (and all the snow you want–there’s too much snow here! ๐Ÿ™‚ ) Thanks for visiting. You’re always welcome here. ๐Ÿ™‚

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      1. It’s always a pleasure being here Mike. I love your haรฏkus as well as your pictures. โค๏ธ I’ll be waiting for the snow. ๐Ÿคโ„๏ธ A white scenery is much prettier than the grey one we have here. Take care Mike.

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  13. Love this little collection, sad as they sound. They sound like they are the result of a little seasonal dejection. Beautiful little verses, my favourite is the first and the pond ice one. Shiver me timbers! Your haiku yearn for the warmth of a spring sun ๐Ÿ™‚

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    1. Thanks so much. Yep, I tend to write a lot of melancholy poetry. It’s therapy for me to help deal with major depression, PTSD and deafness. Also, I probably do have a little S.A.D. as winter tends to be the worst time of the year for me with its long nights, cold and snow. I find myself wanting to hibernate. Yet, strangely, winter is also incredibly inspirational to me, although that inspiration manifests itself in sorrowful verse. Write what we know, eh? I must confess that, even though my poetry is somber and sorrowful, it’s such a thrill to finish a piece, and I’m so excited to share it. It’s cathartic and helps so much to keep things in perspective. Anyway, thanks for the kind words and for stopping by. Much appreciated. )

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      1. Writing certainly is therapy, and you have a beautiful skill of turning something that could be negative into something so beautiful in its melancholy. It’s like they have a voice of their own. I personally think winter is the most stunning season – stunning in its ethereal nature and unpredictable beauty. You can wake up one day to groggy foggy mud and bare branches and the next day to a winter wonderland, the day after to a stunning sunrise, frozen fog and a dusting of frost icing the world to perfection. So much inspiration in the winter! Miserable as it may be, haha. It’s excellent you can navigate through your experiences through writing.

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    1. Thank you so much, and I agree totally with the “difficult and beautiful” sentiments regarding writing. When it’s flowing, it’s empowering and blissful, but when it stops…it can be devastating. I appreciate your kind words so much. Many thanks for stopping by. ๐Ÿ™‚

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    1. Thanks, Peggy. Pouring out my soul, three lines at a time… ๐Ÿ™‚ I truly appreciate your kindness and your never-ending support. I’m so glad for your presence here. Much appreciated, my friend. ๐Ÿ™‚

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  16. Love them all, Mike. You capture a writer’s soul so magically. There’s a comfort in knowing pain and experiencing its boundaries. One can only believe that it offers some superpower to endure and be whole again even if a few pieces do go missing. Keep writing and taking deep breaths. ๐Ÿ™‚

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    1. Many kind thanks, Terveen. Your wonderful reviews always energize me and spark my creativity. And I’m all for super-powers (I think mine is singing to chickens, but don’t quote me on that). ๐Ÿ˜€ Pain certainly does spur me on as far as writing goes, and I suppose I’m okay with that at this point. I’m more familiar with it than joy, so I have a deeper well from which to draw inspiration. I’ll keep on taking those deep breaths and hopefully keep writer’s block at bay. Thanks so much for being a wonderful friend and a writer’s greatest ally. I truly appreciate it. ๐Ÿ™‚

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    1. Thank you so much. I’m fascinated with Japanese poetry forms and find it both challenging and liberating to present thoughts and emotions in such a brief format. I appreciate your kindness so much. Thanks for stopping by. ๐Ÿ™‚

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      1. You’re so welcome Mike. That’s very nice to know. I feel the same way about you. I thought of you today when I spoke my poem but I don’t know how to add words to the screen and I don’t think Gabriela wants them written out.. idk for sure.. xo โค๏ธ

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    2. Thanks a bunch, Cindy. The captions actually worked fine on your video so I was able to understand everything, and your free-spirited delivery was so fun! ๐Ÿ˜€ I’m so proud of you for your many writing accomplishments. ๐Ÿ™‚

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  20. These are excellent senryลซ, Mike. You expressed the emotions in exquisite detail!! Senryลซ usually deal with the human condition: the funny parts and the not so funny parts. Your series is excellent. Thanks so much for jumping into #TankaTuesday.

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    1. Thanks so much, Colleen. for your kind comment. I mentioned to David in a comment above about how I’ve assembled all of my haiku and senryu into this single series to keep things more simple, so the series title is a bit of a misnomer. At some point I’m going to have to figure out a better series title to include both haiku and senryu. Separating them into two distinct series would be quite an undertaking, considering I have 330 of them combined. ๐Ÿ˜€ Anyway, I appreciate your comment and thanks for stopping by. ๐Ÿ™‚

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  24. Pingback: #TankaTuesday #Ekphrastic #Poetry Challenge, 1/24/22, No. 304 – Word Craft Poetry

  25. Mike,
    Your writing never fails to impress me. Every time I read another one of your pieces, I am amazed by how much emotion the written word can truly convey. Sometimes I canโ€™t bring myself to read your writing because I donโ€™t know if I am ready for the response it will provoke in me. My most recent example is of tonight, reading #325. I must have spent a solid five minutes staring at it, repeating it aloud, pacing around the house, and muttering different variations of โ€œHow is it possible to write something this wonderful?โ€ to myself. I would be remiss if I didnโ€™t mention my repetition of โ€œItโ€™s only eleven words!โ€ every now and then. I know that among the different replies, this might be lost, and that these words probably donโ€™t begin to scratch the surface of what you accomplish with your writing. Hopefully, you know. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us, for interacting with your readers, and mostly, continuing despite all. My relationship with writing has often been rocky at times and I frequently put it down. At the end of the day, I am ultimately selfish with my writing and work with language to help me. When I find that it creates more pressure and stress than release, I leave it. Anyways, this is a long-winded, self-centered way of saying โ€œtake care of yourself when you need to.โ€ Many thanks to you again, Mike.

    ~ A Bookwormโ€™s Life

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    1. This is one of the nicest things anyone’s ever said to me. Thank you so much for this wonderful, thoughtful comment. I love writing, but it’s so difficult for me sometimes to find the words. Anyone who’s read my blog knows I deal with major depression and deafness and PTSD and some other things I’ve not talked about here, and at times my mind is an empty, barren void where words go to die. Writer’s block is the bane of all writers. It’s especially worrisome when writing is a form of therapy. As for my emotional content, I’ve never really known how to write any other way. Being so introverted and socially isolated causes everything to come out in my poetry. Many people have commented on the emotional pain that’s apparent in my poetry. “Write what you know,” right? It feels good to get it out, and you should see me when I complete a piece and click the Publish button–I’m pumping my fist and doing a happy dance, it feels so liberating! ๐Ÿ˜€ And at the same time, there’s that ever-present fear of “Is this good enough? Is this the piece that everyone will hate? Am I just a hack?” Lots of self-doubt, even at this late date. But what I’ve discovered since I began my blog in July 2021 is that WordPress is a safe haven for creative types, and brimming with some truly special people (like you) who support and encourage and nurture the creative spirit. I don’t pay much attention to WordPress stats, but what I do value is the comment section. Anyone can give a Like to a post–even without reading it–but when a person takes time to write a comment, I know there’s been a human connection made, and I value each comment that appears on my blog. So many people, so many varied locations around the world, and they take time to talk to me… It makes my heart glad and gives me that little spark of hope I need to make it through each day.

      I’m so happy to know my words speak to you. I can’t even begin to tell you how important that is to me, and how good it feels to have someone not only validate my writing but also acknowledge me as a human being. Thank you, sincerely, for taking the time to talk to me. I’m truly grateful. You’re always welcome here. And let it be known I’m a fan of your writing. You’ve got a wonderful blog and you’re an amazing writer. ๐Ÿ™‚

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    1. Thanks so much, my friend. Seriously, it means the world to me when a connection such as this is made through my writing. I’m glad this little verse resonates with you, and I’m so happy to see you drop by for a visit today! ๐Ÿ™‚

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    1. Aw, thank so much,. dear Saima! It’s a wonderful feeling to know something I’ve written has connected with someone else. I value your kindness and friendship so much. Truly grateful for you, my friend. ๐Ÿ™‚

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    1. Thanks, Jeff. It’s sort of strange that beauty can be found in sorrow, but it’s true. Tears can cleanse a broken soul and leave us feeling renewed. Your kind reviews mean more than you can ever know. You’re a poet I greatly admire, with a delicate, masterful touch when it comes to writing, so when my own poetry connects with you, it means a lot to me. Thanks as always, my friend. Much appreciated. ๐Ÿ™‚

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      1. Youโ€™re very welcome, Mike. It took a lot of years for me to fully understand how brokenness and wholeness are related, and mutually dependent. Ah, thank you for the kind words, my friend. Your poetry is amazingly crafted and very inspiring. ๐Ÿ˜Š

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