Monkey in the Rainforest

In the rain-forest

jungle vines quiver and shake

a squirrel monkey

     When was the last time you wrote a haiku?  How about trying one today?
This haiku is written in the American form of 5-7-5--with 5 syllables in the first line, 7 in the second and 5 in the third.  The haiku should also be about nature.
Summer is a great time for being outside with nature and writing haiku.  Have fun.

Palo Verde HAIKU

Palo Verde blooms

on hillsides and arroyos

draping yellow scarves

 

Everywhere you look, in all directions the Palo Verde trees are in blossom.

 

     Under the trees there is a yellow carpet where the blossoms have started to fall.  The bees are out collecting pollen,and the birds are busy nesting. 
     Are the trees where you live blossoming?  Are they yellow too or another color?  What birds live in your trees?
    Can you write your own haiku about your trees?  You can use the traditional 5-7-5 syllable pattern, or develop your own pattern spoken on a single breath.
Happy writing.  You're welcome to share your creations in the comments.  Can you draw a picture to go with your poem?  Have fun.

 

Nesting Cactus Wren

A desert sunrise

shining on a Saguaro

where cactus wrens nest

      I'm not sure if you can see the wren in this picture.  She is peeking out of her nesting hole on the right side of the cactus.  She has a nest in this Giant Saguaro.  It is spring time and plants and creatures are birthing.  There are lots of golf ball sized quail scurrying over the road and new little western cottontails are the size of a softball.  I counted six on my walk one morning this week.  

    What new is happening in your part of the world?  Can you write a poem about it?

double haiku

inside his burrow

          dug into the arroyo

                    sleeps a diamondback

                    a covey of quail

                              zip and dart, running quickly

                                        snake opens his jaw

        If you enjoy haiku, you might enjoy reading the blog of children's author, poet and quilter Maureen Wartski who makes a practice of writing a haiku a day.
        A haiku journal Simply Haiku has lots of good reading and you might enjoy my friend Lenard Moore's haiku.  He and the North Carolina Haiku Society have taught me a lot about haiku.
      A fun exercise to try is to get a few friends together and try writing linked haiku.  Each person can write one haiku that links to the one before.  Or you can write them yourself.  Take the haiku you wrote yesterday and write another haiku to link to it.  You are welcome to post your double haiku in the comments section.
     Lenard Moore has told me about haiku parties, called renga, in Japan where tables of poets sit to write haiku directed by a haiku master.

bluets

 by the garden path

bluets wave in the wind

promises for spring

    Go through some old magazines and pull pictures that appeal to you.  Can you write haiku to go with your pictures?