(Etching by Brian Dunlop.)
Birds into windows
sound like a heartbeat stopping.
Are we stunned, or dead?
sound like a heartbeat stopping.
Are we stunned, or dead?
~~~
Dear friends, I think this haiku will come as a kind of shock to many of you. This is not what most folks think of when writing to a prompt of "Windows and Doors." But as I was opening myself up to follow where this leading would take me, what I was remembering was closed doors and broken windows. I used to listen to the news every morning, but I cannot do that anymore. I have a five year old son, and he cannot start his day with roadside and suicide bombs. 2,702 US families have now been rent asunder by the war in Iraq. And the Iraqi civilian death toll, although less precise, has been no less devastating. In my day-to-day life, I appear well. But when I sit in the silence and let the words well up...
(Thanks to the women of One Deep Breath for their continuing inspiration.)
15 comments:
Beautiful. A moving, poetic image.
I think I might feel sort of the same way you do. I've been tearing up a lot lately, as if I were pregnant. But I'm not. I think I'm just sad.
Very profound poem. Well done!
Your haiku is honest and beautiful. It's refreshing to read a bit of a different perspective.
POwerful image there.
Great words, Shelley, I'm thinking we are stunned.
Touching haiku, lovely etching. You are not alone in your grief.
This haiku is poignant, and it echoes my own thoughts perfectly. Every morning, more death in the news, more heartbreak and more sundered families. I look at my dear precious grandchildren, and I feel sick at heart thinking of the world I will be leaving to them. It is a poisoned legacy to be sure.
Thanks so much for sharing this. Sometimes we need a different view.
All of your words seem very powerful to me today ...
Great Haiku.
now this is an exceptional notion in a few words!
i realise you had a different emotion in mind from your description but just those first two lines for me...
nevertheless, it's a great haiku as it is.
lovely and strong
so much truth and emotion in so few, but poignant, words
very moving and powerful
I have been away from all sources of news for a week. I came home last night and read a few blogs and saw what new hell Congress has agreed to and felt guilt -- like this wouldn't have happened if only I hadn't been off enjoying myself and not guarding the country. And yet, the people who are creating this hell feel no guilt at all.
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