Thematic Poetry Previews (5)

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All Poems © Marie Faverio

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*Japanese-Style Poetry* [1]

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swing

full of blossoms –

still, so still

 

***

 

I left the guitar

under the cherry tree

in the orchard.

In the morning

it was full of blossoms.

 

***

 

Wind stirring trees…

Harnessing my horse,

I think of blossoms

tossed up,

falling on the Way.

 

***

 

seed will soon be bud,

bud will be flower in time,

withered petals

 

***

 

twilight –

chatty cicadas

heralding dreams

 

***

 

Clouds

drifting in the sky…

I was writing a poem –

now it’s gone!

 

***

 

a view of eternity

from the top of the mountain –

go away, clouds!

 

***

 

a lonely cloud

in the evening sky –

runaway twin sister

 

***

 

winter morning –

snow interspersed

with grass

 

***

 

evening whispers –

shadows aping

gestures of love

 

***

 

a pond

rife with reflections –

dry leaves floating

 

***

 

fallow leaves

on the garden’s path –

sunlight

slipping off the edge

 

***

 

6 a.m. –

I open the window

and am showered

with light and songs

 

***

 

twigs in the wind -

a cat playing

with wedges of light

 

***

 

haze

distilling sunlight -

pebbles ablaze

 

***

 

morning sunshine –

gently wiping the dew

off my feet

 

***

 

grey morning –

mist

filling flowers

 

***

 

morning breeze -

blossoms

in my sandals,

hot cup

in my hand

 

***

 

dawn –

a flutter of wings

breaking the silence

 

***

 

full moon

behind clouds –

her face blushing

 

***

 

pebbles

in moonlight –

diamonds of the lost

 

***

 

snail

in moonlight –

jewel of the grass

 

***

 

full moon behind clouds –

silver lining

even in darkness

 

***

 

chunks of moonlight

in the garden’s pool –

white rose’s petals

 

***

 

moonlit walk –

stopping

to pick up

cherry blossoms

in the limelight

 

***

 

frolicking

under the moonlit sky –

insomniac frogs

 

***

 

pebbles

under vernal moon –

Venus' necklace

 

***

 

leaves

full of moonlight –

gems of the grove

 

***

 

climbing

all the way up

to the top of the mountain

only for that one thing –

moon-gazing!

 

***

 

a moon

to fill the sky –

frogs here and there,

hidden in the grass,

looking up

 

***

​

midnight –

the crow’s lament

muffling my own

 

***

 

sitting

under the willow

after the rain –

the world

in black-and-white

 

***

 

So much depends

on a hand

turning a handle

on a rainy night

crowded with owls.

 

***

 

a kite in the sky,

troubles gone –

wave, little fan,

wave!

 

***

 

dawn –

a cone of saffron

spicing up the sky

 

***

 

outback –

sky all around,

heart warm with home

 

***

 

first day of summer –

unfettered sky

smudged across the window

 

***

summer storm,

a lightning bolt –

petals on the Way

 

***

 

sunflowers,

yellow all around –

dazzled by summer

 

***

 

morning sun,

hesitant –

butterflies of light

on my skin

 

***

 

cobwebs

snarling the late sun –

Orpheus’ tears

 

***

 

sun dancing

on mildew and cobwebs –

immortality’s revenge

 

***

 

high tide,

sandals off –

water on my toes

 

***

 

night wind

shaking off leaves –

right into the moonlight

 

***

 

winter wind –

a plum smashed

on the tonsured ground

 

***

 

autumn breeze –

a wasp

chasing the wind,

dangling its legs

in mid-air

 

***

 

filigree of frost

on the window pane,

unfrosted glare inside –

fireplace fairy tales

galore

 

***

 

sunbeams

on snowflakes –

winter diamonds

 

***

 

drizzly

winter morning –

a sparrow

looking for crumbs

in the fog

 

***

 

caught between stars

and flowers –

the fuss of life

 

***

 

intoxicated with colours,

I clap my hands

and breathe

 

***

 

the bell has tolled –

birth or death,

it concerns you too

 

***

 

up in the sky,

barely visible

and yet so strong –

homeward wings

 

***

 

yes, I have dreams

with broken wings -

they can’t fly,

but they still enjoy

sunbathing

 

***

 

a black spider

on the lampshade –

widow’s eyes

 

***

 

How can I write a poem?

A butterfly has landed

on my right hand

and is fast asleep.

 

***

 

scattered petals

on the water –

a lover walks off

without turning back

 

***

 

commuters

at the railway station –

a necklace of black pearls

 

***

 

noon in the outback -

the only life,

a sleeping kangaroo

 

***

 

[1] This poetry is short and poignant like Japanese poetry but doesn’t necessarily follows its rules.