Adjei Agyei-Baah is the co-founder of Africa Haiku Network and an English language lecturer at the University of Ghana Distance Learning Center, Kumasi campus. He writes from Ghana and promotes haiku in Africa.
View all posts by Adjei Agyei-Baah
__ As they sit on up-set plastic buckets, we donate and their eyes smile; then, there is that nod of thank you… and your heart rises. So well felt here, Adjei_! _m
thin faced pleas
beggars sit open handed
plastic buckets
On one level we should all be beggars appreciating the miracle of life of course. So there is that aspect. I always find it both fascinating and disturbing that so many societies want to create beggars but castigate them at the same time.
.
sunlit sweat
the young vagrant
sucks a thumb
Alan Summers
Anthology: Haiku Harvest: 2000 – 2006 (Modern English Tanka Press 2007)
Mind-stretching. Heartfelt and hopeful. So Gut! Much needed and not overused at all. The world will be a better place one day. Very moving indeed. Especially the rich imagery of a beggar's arm, moving from one poem to an other.
Poignant one, Adjei,
Congratulations.
Thanks Kala. I am deeply humbled.
Very moving.
Thanks Dirk. I appreciate your comment
poignant. Makes me want to give attention to that homeless person.
Thanks Mary Jo. We sometimes have to give to open doors to our blessings.
Well done, our minds stretch to get the full meaning.
Thanks so much Marita. Glad you could deduce other meanings
one arm stretched out for anything into what will probably be a long day. A much needed poem. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Michelle. I appreciate your comment.
__ As they sit on up-set plastic buckets, we donate and their eyes smile; then, there is that nod of thank you… and your heart rises. So well felt here, Adjei_! _m
thin faced pleas
beggars sit open handed
plastic buckets
Thanks Magyar. I am as well touched by your story. It's such a common scene in my country, Ghana, as well.
poignant, yet a hint of hope, that the day will be better.
lovely write. :)
Gives me chills. So delightful.
Ahhh – striking, heartfelt, hopeful. I think many of us have experienced this moment , so expertly captured.
I imagined the beggar giving thanks for having survived another day. Well captured, Adjei.
marion
sunrise…
a beggar’s arm
stretching into day
—ADJEI AGYEI-BAAH
Very cinematic couple of lines:
a beggar’s arm
stretching into day
On one level we should all be beggars appreciating the miracle of life of course. So there is that aspect. I always find it both fascinating and disturbing that so many societies want to create beggars but castigate them at the same time.
.
sunlit sweat
the young vagrant
sucks a thumb
Alan Summers
Anthology: Haiku Harvest: 2000 – 2006 (Modern English Tanka Press 2007)
.
Poignant ! Stretching to start afresh !
Mind-stretching. Heartfelt and hopeful. So Gut! Much needed and not overused at all. The world will be a better place one day. Very moving indeed. Especially the rich imagery of a beggar's arm, moving from one poem to an other.