dull day —
the way a raindrop
runs down the banana leaf
Published by
Sandra Simpson
Sandra Simpson has been the editor of Haiku NewZ since its inception in 2005. She is also a Red Moon Anthology nominating editor and blogs about haiku at breathhaiku.wordpress.com. She lives in Tauranga, New Zealand and intends (soon, honestly) to gather a second collection of her work.
View all posts by Sandra Simpson
A banana plant in the autumn gale –
I listen to the dripping of rain
Into a basin at night.
Basho took his name from the Japanese word for “banana tree.” He was given a gift of a banana tree by a student and the poet immediately identified with it: the way the small tree just stood there with its large, soft, fragile leaves.
sandra, you’ve brilliantly illustrated how there comes haiku moments, even on a dull day.
i further observe dull days being akin to cheese cleansing the intellectual palate…
–
feigning my predawn calisthenics–
this ant lifts
twice it’s weight
Sandra, this is lovely!
(Sorry I’m so late getting around to it.)
The focus is intense, and it can be read in
various ways. I see it as a moment
of delight on an otherwise dull day.
Thanks so much for the comments – the haiku was written while on holiday in Vanuatu (Pacific Melanesia) in 2006. There was a small banana palm right outside the villa window and, on a rainy day, I looked carefully at the rain and the palm (and watched the former roll off the latter) as there wasn’t much else to do! A true haiku moment … and one that sneaked up on me.
Happy 2008 to you all.
Excellent!
brown spots
on the banana
Basho’s Death Day
Matsuo Basho(1644 – 1694)
A banana plant in the autumn gale –
I listen to the dripping of rain
Into a basin at night.
Basho took his name from the Japanese word for “banana tree.” He was given a gift of a banana tree by a student and the poet immediately identified with it: the way the small tree just stood there with its large, soft, fragile leaves.
Sandra… a fine one_!
_Often I see the contrary. I hope you’ll not be offended by my non-egoistic rewrite, it simply says… as I see.
this dull day
runs down the banana leaf
a rain drop
_m
Good to see you again on Tinywords! ;-)
eureka!!!
sandra, you’ve brilliantly illustrated how there comes haiku moments, even on a dull day.
i further observe dull days being akin to cheese cleansing the intellectual palate…
–
feigning my predawn calisthenics–
this ant lifts
twice it’s weight
Sandra, this is lovely!
(Sorry I’m so late getting around to it.)
The focus is intense, and it can be read in
various ways. I see it as a moment
of delight on an otherwise dull day.
;)
Lary
Thanks so much for the comments – the haiku was written while on holiday in Vanuatu (Pacific Melanesia) in 2006. There was a small banana palm right outside the villa window and, on a rainy day, I looked carefully at the rain and the palm (and watched the former roll off the latter) as there wasn’t much else to do! A true haiku moment … and one that sneaked up on me.
Happy 2008 to you all.
not exactly my taste