SPRING*
The spring sea;
gently, quietly,
all day long.
SUMMER
what a joy!
wading through summer rivers,
sandals in hand.
AUTUMN
vacant teahouse,
atop the mountain:
a harvest moon.
WINTER
neighbors detest me
for my whistling kettle:
a cold winter night.
* Translation by: Wilson, William Scott. 2023. A Beginner’s Guide to Japanese Haiku. Tuttle Publishing: North Clarendon, VT.
nature makes no
straight rivers; men make none
that meander.
a squirrel chitters;
its black body against
the ash gray tree.
sunrise orange
sparkles on the lake;
lone fisher casts nets
a quiet harbor
keeps choppy seas at bay,
but all boats are out.
thin moon crescent
shines brightly on a
cold, winter night.
Butterfly shows off
its luminous blue wings
to hot pink flowers.
white silk-cotton tree,
sinuously sprawling —-
chaining earth to sky.
saffron-colored carp
mill about the garden pond.
a cat watches...
Tiger Riding for Beginners 