june's end haikus

smoke fills the canyons
rivers carry ash and tears
one thousand fires burn

I dream of japan
rice flowers and clean streets
cherry blossoms floating

the world is on fire
to cool my famished skin
I drink the river in

june days are long
we swim in glass green water
for hours, far away

in the dark night
we cross the ancient bridge
where miners hung

spirits fill the skies
in the smoke of burning woods
they sing in the night

crash, shattered glass,
midnight at the riverside
a black bear plunders

I dream of laughter
a tribal path to the river
trickster’s strong limbs


Comments

mattbeatty said…
So good heather! You are a beautiful poetess. Did you write this/these on your trip? Great images in the somewhat limited form of the haiku. Have you ever read Matsuo Basho? The second haiku made me think of him and his pilgrimage.

Wow this is really good (I'm reading it again).
Susan said…
These haikus are beautiful. They fill your mind with imagery. I imagine that is what they are supposed to do. It is amazing to me that so few words can create such powerful feelings and mind pictures.
Unknown said…
this is absolutely beautiful...i'm putting a link of it in my post i am doing right now...

Popular posts from this blog

pretty baby

"I, now thirty-seven years old in perfect health begin..."

handmade homes take to the open road