Soon March arrives. Farewell to the cold.

field of melting snow with old toppled tree covered in vivid moss

Winter thaw in rain
Wood decay for mosses' feast
Another spring nears

=-=-=-= Japan 2024 series-part 1 from November to early January

stream passing backlots bordered by some outbuildings and trees, damp snow falling

Wintry weather blows

Away late December fades

As longer days grow

corner of Buddhist temple grounds with border shrubs and stone monument

The old year drops leaves

Shrine visitors come to pray

Before New Years comes

morning sun streams through open commuter train door to silhouette persimmon tree next to the platform

Bright train ride to work

Even Sun boards at the door

Persimmon shadows

Shinto shrine wire frame to hold paper fortune slips tied on

New Years Day they come

Plucking their fortunes to tie

May the gods bless us

line of Shinto shrine visitors waiting their turn to make first of the year worship

Joy and excitement
Parishioners and strangers
All come to pay respects

afternoon sun pours through shop's front windows, festooned with New Year's bouquet over the door frame

Yamamoto's shop

Rests this sunny New Year's Day

Soon open anew

close-up of paper fortune slips tied to Shinto frame at New Years

Tightly tied fortunes

Hold many dreams and worries

May the gods respond

front view of Shinto shrine worship spot with auspicious red and white cloth bell-pulls dangling down

Both temple and shrine
Kawaso-san welcomes all

To come and pay respects

circle of 11 small zodiac animals around 1 standing for 2025's Snake Year

Zodiac cycle

Centers on the year of snake

for 2-0-2-5

rain slicked stone sidewalk under the torii gate of the Shinto shrine grounds lined with snack vendors at New Years

Hot snacks after rain

New Year's shrine visitors come

Sights, sounds, smells, and tastes

waiting lounge at Tokyo's Haneda airport in late afternoon light

Flyers wait to board

And jet across the ocean

A new land beckons

close-up of Japanese tea ceremony: hands holding the bowl filled with foamy green tea

Matcha swirls inside

Generations of hands touch

Times of much loved bowls

purple-robed Buddhist priest prepares to conduct the annual New Year's blessing of a neighborhood shrine

Decades of priests come

At New Years to bless the shrine

Shotoku Taishi

Comments

Defining "Photo Haiku," reflecting on " 写真俳句

https://shashin-haiku.org [added purple text] The webpage about "what is a photo haiku" stirs thoughts about some of the issues and considerations when putting visual and verbal layers together. The joining of word and picture is known in Japan by various references to the 5-7-5 structured image poems; for example, shahai , haisha , photo haiku, photo 575, and so on. The example in this screenshot from the webpage at https://shashin-haiku.org/写真俳句とは has a mother and child peering at the myriad koi (carp) filling a shady spot in a channel of moving water. One way to put the verse into English is: Mama and child / A moment at the streamside / Shining so brightly. Some people begin with their text and then seek a photo that relates somehow to the verbal "snapshot," either closely fitting the haiku, or more loosely associated with the feelings carried in the words. Others will see something that catches their eye for some reason and then later they come up with a ...

Between fall and winter's first hints

Visual haiku from October 6 to ice in birdbath 23 October 2023 Wet October bright Morning wetland colors true Shine in the cloudbreaks Too weary just now The cart can rest in the sun Mind preoccupied Leaves fall stiffly down The wet cement later dries Leaving time's traces Bodhisattva head Fluid essence now made hard Far from East Asia Fresh asphalt and paint Make riding such great pleasure Rolling through the days Racing morning clouds Fly over bright fall treetops Birds watch day breaking One tree so vivid Announcing cold days to come More colors ahead Myriad pond life Diverse microbiota Thrive in quiet rot Living roots' power Push through petroleum crust Thirsting for sunshine Fall color and sculpture Bathe in October sunshine Winter days coming White contrail above Streaks over the fall colors Apples bob below Dappling on green leaves Maples soon red flames to be The nights grow colder Glittering fall light Makes leaves of maple so bright Pushing winter back Pathway statue...

Mild February feels like March

Snow shovel at rest Winter takes a break these days Rising global heat Shaggy frost on stone Fades in the spring-like morning Comes again tonight A lone pine needle Bears the heavy frost for now Knowing it soon melts Winter sumac bows With frost its furry blanket Thinking of spring days Capped in copper frost No need to light the pathway Morning light is fine Gliding under ice Open water for breathing Chilly scales and tails Unmoving boulder Feels winter breaking a little Pines stand ever green Sun-bleached railings stand Zig-zagging across the pond Sumac on one side Boat landing frozen Eight or nine weeks yet to go Before it arrives Flutter in mild breeze February feels like March But winter stays still No baseball today It's still winter after all Teams come in two months Wetland boardwalk bright Buzzing drone high overhead Sees the baseball fields

Picturing Haiku

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