First Sakura

Pale pink petals unfurl
Minute against budding branches
Lingering chill of winter

A Rare View

ah, cherry blossoms
braving the bitter wind
this possessive onlooker

Advertisement

Favorite Basho Poems

I received some upsetting personal news and am not feeling creative today, so I thought you might enjoy some of my favorite haiku by Basho instead. The following were translated into English from Japanese by Sam Hamill:

You weren’t home when I came
even the plum blossoms were
in another yard

Between our two lives
there is also the life of
the cherry blossoms

Just one possession
in this lightly-lived life —
a gourd of rice