Oh leaves, ask the wind which of you
Will be the first to fall. ~Soseki*
*cited in Jonathan Clements, The Moon in the Pines
life’s passages … 36
life’s passages … 35
None calls upon me, or remembers me in my mountain village.
On the reeds by the thin hedge, the Autumn winds are sighing.
~The Sarashina Diary, A.D. 1009-1059 (Diaries of Old Japan)
life’s passages … 34
we tell stories
of the far mountains
’round the brazier ~Issa*
Stories, myths, and parables acknowledge and respect the unique individuality of each of us. Myths give voice, through their use of symbols, to what is hidden, unknown, or evasive. Stories that share the dynamics of human interactions silently plant a seed of personal truth in the dark component of each of us, waiting for the appropriate time to bloom and to nourish. They also illustrate the universal theme of suffering and its resolution. Parables, with their multiple levels of meaning, honor the unique perspective and understanding of both listener and speaker. These multiple layers of meaning touch what is salient to the reader and thus gift all readers with an invitation to define for self their own understanding, interpretation, and application.**
*cited: haikuguy.com
**Excerpts from B Koeford, A Meditative Journey with Saldage
life’s passages … 33
only a memory
our neighbor’s tasty rice cakes
at our gate as before ~Issa*
*cited: Trans: Sam Hamill, Spring of my Life
lens-artists … weather
green leaves of spring,
harvest moon in autumn,
cool breezes in summer,
snow in winter …
A mind not clouded by ignorance,
the seasons of home.
Everything changes and nothing lasts forever
images submitted in response to slow shutter speed’s lens-artists challenge: weather. Weather is a specific event—like a rainstorm or hot day—that happens over a few hours, days or weeks. Climate is the average weather conditions in a place over 30 years or more.
life’s passages … 32
As if nothing had happened
– the crow there
the willow here
~Issa
life’s passages … 31
First snow! I see it young every winter,
Yet my face grows old
As Winter comes. ~ The Diary of Izumi Shikibu*
*cited: Trans: Annie Shepley Omori & Kochi Doi Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan
life’s passages … 30
mountain moon–
father pulls the bell rope
his child prays*
~ Issa
*cited: http: haikuguy.com
life’s passages … 29
Sweet and sad
like love overwhelmed
with long sighs,
out of the depths of the willow
little by little
the moon appears ~Yosano Akiko
moon and venus conjunction
monochrome madness 1 – letter b
a well-read book of haiku submitted for Leanne’s Monochrome Madness challenge: the letter B
life’s passages … 28
monochrome Monday
She is like the Moon, who, opening the gate of Heaven,
goes up over the clouds.
We, being in the same heavenly Palace, pass the night
in remembering the footfalls of the past. ~unknown
a meditative journey 
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