early bus—
catching my reflection
in the police van window
previously published in 3Lights, September 2009
Published by
Helen Buckingham
Helen Buckingham lives in Wells, UK. Her work appears regularly in journals and anthologies including: Frogpond, The Heron's Nest, Modern Haiku, Haiku in English: The First Hundred Years (W.W. Norton, 2013) and nada annunaad: an anthology of contemporary world haiku (Vishwakarma Publications, 2016). She won first prize in the Martin Lucas Award, 2016. Her most recent collection is the Touchstone Award shortlisted sanguinella (Red Moon Press, 2017).
View all posts by Helen Buckingham
I was wondering if it needs something to set the scene, but it's perfect as it is. Nicely done!
A classic experience–catching our reflections at unexpected times!
seeing my reflection
in store windows
feeling younger today
than I look
days grow longer
Happy New Year
the heron
motionless
his reflection ripples in time
early bus—
catching my reflection
in the police van window
Helen Buckingham
For some the daily routine is a bus to work, or for some other purpose, while for others it's the early visit to criminal courts. Life goes on in all its forms.
There are other layers to this haiku as well, so I hope readers come back to this excellently crafted haiku.
Alan
Thank you so much for your comments, everybody.