Status Updates From Far Beyond the Field

Haiku by Mayuzumi Madoka:

Mother’s Day—
I end up making
my mother cry

impelled to dream
Of soaring in the sky—
goldfish at night

pretending
not to have heard, I sip
a soda drink

watermelon is served,
ending the quarrel
between brothers

choosing a swimsuit—
when did his eyes
replace mine?

By Tsuji Momoko:

about you
it knows nothing—
a spring crab

with a man
at Kentucky Fried Chicken
I grieve spring’s departure

the butterfly—
its face is the same
as a caterpillar’s

Read thee selection of haiku by Kuroda Momoko tonight. More traditional style haiku. My two favorites:

while the one
peels a white peach
the other weeps

whispering
something to the rose
she cuts the rose

By Uda Kiyoko:

a scrap of iron—
without fail, menfolk
stop to look

beautifully
the cremation ends
before noon

dangling wisteria—
how could aging be this
beautiful?

mountain leeches too
have something to say—
let’s listen

By Uda Kiyoko:

a scrap of iron—
without fail,
menfolk stop to look

beautifully
the cremation ends
before noon

dangling wisteria—
how could aging be this
beautiful?

mountain leeches too
have something to say—
let’s listen

By Inahata Teiko:

as if happiness
were waiting, the New
Year’s calendar

icefish—
their lives transparent
in the rippling water

By Tsuda Kiyoko:

not knowing
the height of the mountain
an ant crawls on my knee

flying across the dunes
a butterfly and a crow
each without company

by the moonlit ocean
bereft of song
a bird and I

From the selection of haiku by Katsura Nobuko:

the woman at high noon
untiringly watches
a distant fire

with nothing
to touch, a dead branch
grabs at the sky

though it flies and flies
the wild goose cannot escape
from the moon’s rays

the first day of spring—
a wind from the ocean
but no ocean in sight

Read the selection from Ishibashi Hideno tonight. Probably my favorite so far. Will have to see if there is a translation of her book available.

cicadas at nightfall—
every face passes by
without speaking a word

in the chilling wind
hands of a woman
splitting a fish’s belly

glorious sunset—
feeling a chill, my teeth,
twenty in all, rattle

the summer moon—
my lungs keep crumbling
while I am asleep

Read the selection of haiku by Mitsuhashi Takajo tonight.

heaven and earth
suddenly changing places–
falling ill in autumn

where the turtle
has gone down, a dimple
floats on the water

up on a hydro pole
the electrician turns
into a cicada

among thousands
of singing insects, one
singing out of tune

the balloon
filled with sorrow
rising upwards

From Hashimoto Takako:

the typhoon passes—
quietly asleep
a man near death

a flash of lightning
coming from the north,
I look to the north

one moon
and one frozen lake
sparkling at each other

a heron is shot!
feathers, like scattering blossoms,
come falling down

on a snowy day
my bathed body, a finger
a toe—I love all of it

This one was written a day before she entered the hospital for the last time.

A couple haiku from Sugita Hisajo:

reading a play
dishes left in the sink
this winter night

chasing a butterfly
deep into the spring woods
I am lost

Read the section of Takeshita Shizunojo's haiku today. Some favorites:

the more callouses
the more brightly
my ring sparkles

in the rain and wind
uttering no cry
a shrike in winter

grief and anger—
I spit out black, black
watermelon seeds

Read the selection of haiku from Enomoto Seifu tonight. Some faves:

at daybreak
speaking to the blossoms
a woman all alone

stillness—
out of the rain a butterfly
Roams into my bedroom

like a fish
in the sea, this body of mine
cool in the moonlight

a market day in the hills—
hailstones ricochet
off the horns of a cow

unchanging dolls’ faces—
I’ve had no choice, except
to grow old

trout going downstream—
day by day the water
frightens me more

--Chiyojo

Finally finished the introduction to this book and got to the actual haiku. First up is Kawai Chigetsu, who was a good friend and student to Basho.

alone in bed
I hear a male mosquito
humming a sad tune

like scarecrows
as solitary and charming—
my sister nuns