once again, child,
just once more,
say, “flowers!”
in that little voice.
~Rako*
Iris
*cited:
The Year of my Life
N. Yuasa
just once more, say, “flowers!”
japanese poetry
peaceful spring
Day by day, day by day, and day by day,
quietly in the company of children I live.
In my sleeves, tiny embroidered balls, two or three.
Useless, intoxicated, in this peaceful spring.
~Ryokan*
*cited:
Sky Above, Great Wind
K Tanahashi
as the long rain falls
the colors of the flowers fade
as the long rain falls,
as lost in thought,
I grow older
~Ono No Komachi*
cited:
Women Poets of Japan
K Rexroth & Ikuko Atsumi
touch of spring
springtime rain,
almost dark, and yet
today still lingers.
~Buson*
*cited:
Haiku Master Buson
Y Sawa
solitary evergreen
I can no longer tell dream from reality.
Into what world shall I awake
from this bewildering dream?
~Akazome Emon (?-1027)*
solitary evergreen
*cited:
Women Poets of Japan
K Rexroth & I Atsumi
brick, metal, glass, & wood
even when you grow old
even the mice avoid you–
how cold it is!
~Shiba Sonome*
abandoned factory
*cited:
Far Beyond the Fields
Makoto Ueda
weekly photo challenge: ephemeral
Although the wind
blows terribly here,
the moonlight also leaks
between the roof planks
of this ruined house.
~Izumi Shikibu*
light prints upon the floor
Krista’s photo challenge for this week is Ephemeral
*cited:
The Ink Dark Moon
J. Hirshfield & M Aratani
115
I can no longer tell dream from reality.
Into what world shall I awake
from this bewildering dream?
~Akazome Emon*
115
*cited:
The Burning Heart
K Rexroth & I Atsumi
won’t you sing?
Won’t you sing?
I will get up and dance.
How can I sleep
with the timeless
moon this evening?
~Ryokan*
*cited:
Sky Above, Great Wind
K. Tanahashi
weekly photo challenge: reward
Take care now;
I am going for
takuhatsu.
You stay in this
borrowed hut.
~Ryokan*
Join Krista’s Reward photo challenge!
*cited:
Sky Above, Great Wind
K. Tanahashi
men gather in harmony…
There is a peaceful little community
in a place of burned up hopes,
beside the track of dreams
that drifted away,
on the edge of a village
where crowds pass by.
There, men gather in harmony
to graze like sheep and fawns.
On all the beautiful flowers
a sun comes and goes
through the clouds in freedom.
~Mitsui Futabako*
*cited:
The Burning Heart
K Rexroth & I Atsumi
watched you without a sound
The leaves of the bush clover rustle in the wind
I, not a leaf,
watched you without a sound.
You may have thought I paid no attention.
~Kenrei Mon-in Ukyo No Daibu*
*cited:
Women Poets of Japan
K Rexroth & I Atsumi
a meditative journey 
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