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| Photo by Michael Ely |
Wednesday Haiku, Week #21
down the sidewalk
an old vagrant
daisies in his mouth
Alan Summers
reprinted from Hobo (June 1999)
cold winter sky--
where will this wandering beggar
grow old?
Issa
translated by David G. Lanoue
best,
Don
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14 comments:
enjoyed Alan!
Liked your poem, Alan. It also made me think of Ferdinand, the bull, remember? He was a pacifist who loved nothing more than to eat flowers and sit under his cork tree all the day long. Thanks for Haiku Wednesday, Don!
This beggar has already gotten old.
Thanks, folks - Alan and Issa are a great combination.
aloha Alan - your ku makes living on the street attractive (to/for me) - i think about that at times altho i know there is a lot that is not attractive, i think there is a lot that is... i like seeing the freedom in your ku.
Thanks for the comments! ;-)
Although life on the streets might look attractive, it's a hard life.
I was pleased to see this vagrant, more a tramp, than a vagrant, enjoying the sun.
For partly practical reasons he might have been eating daisies, but he was certainly enjoying nature.
I've known a few poets who have been homeless for various reasons, and even world famous poet Les Murray said he was homeless for a while, and if single again, he'd consider it again.
He hails from New South Wales so the weather is predominantly sunny, and there is easy access to fresh fruit and vegetables.
Alan
Area 17 weblink: includes this haiku
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Thanks, Alan, it is wonderful to get the poet's POV. Thanks, too, for the link.
exactly. i'm not recommending homelessness. i probably will never choose it deliberately either - altho i do think about it at times. i think about 98% of it would not be desirable and the other 2% would probably be hard to find.
there is a freedom in it in some ways tho and it is in that spirit that i saw the ku. yeah too, there are a lot more homeless in pleasant climates than in harsh climates. for a reason.
it's interesting that your ku brings to light a social/economical issue. ...or at least i think it's a social/economical issue...
...may be it's a freedom/political issue as well. ??
I am thinking that perhaps the man may die walking, based on my just about favorite hokku of all time:
winter bee –
without a place to die
is . . . walking
–Kijo Murakami
Thanks for the thoughts, Wrick.
A real beauty, Donna ...
The haiku and both of those pictures are amazing.
Donna's beauty reminds me of this-
autumn cold-
wherever i go
people have homes
issa
Very fine, Donna and Aditya (for Issa) - thanks for extending the post with fine work ...
Great to see some haiku in the comments area too! ;-)
Alan
Yes, especially such high quality haiku ...
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