March 31, 2023

pink cherry blossoms against a blue and white sky — visibility



March 30, 2023

sun slowly slipping
blinding as I drive towards
the edge of the world



March 29, 2023

we send each other
photos of the night sky
the place where we meet



March 28, 2023

showing through
my tracing paper heart
the shape of the ache



March 27, 2023

when our son was nine
his favorite shirt was too big
he grew into it



March 26, 2023

with a few quick steps
the fox puts us in our place
we are merely guests



March 25, 2023

rain slows to a drip
so the cardinals start up again —
staking their claims



March 24, 2023

across the window
a ladybug's tiny steps
who else is awake?



winter receding
ice leaves behind a new crop
of field stones



March 22, 2023

you can look to me
when you lose sight of yourself
I will remember



March 21, 2023

dark night offers up
broken necklaces of stars —
we each restring some



March 20, 2023

cardamom cake
we fold in the baking tips
your mother used to share



March 19, 2023

red-winged blackbirds
and their raspy-throated calls —
spring hits snooze again



March 18, 2023

under the ice

tumbling down the hillside

sound becoming spring




March 17, 2023

 


Friends, today is my #haikuversary! 

(I have been posting at least one haiku I can stand to share here every day for TEN YEARS.) (!)

In celebration, I hereby invite you to join me in celebrating the art of haiku.

Here are some ways that you might decide to join in the fun. (Put whatever you decide to share either here in the comments or over on Twitter, where I am @butwait. I was traveling most of the day today, so we can push this all to tomorrow, no rush.)
  • Poke around in the archives, find a favorite, and share it! Bonus points if you tell me why you like it. (But sometimes it's hard to say why, so no pressure.)
  • Find a photo that you think pairs well with one of my haiku, and either tell me about it or create a haiga (image + haiku, e.g. this one)!
  • Pick a date that is meaningful to you - just the date, not the year - and let me share a haiku I wrote on that date. Bonus points - again, no pressure! - if you tell me why the date is significant to you.
  • Send me a word that you'd like to see me try to incorporate into a haiku (no promises!)
  • Tell me about a moment that seemed "haiku-worthy" to you, but that you haven't quite managed to capture in the way you were hoping to
  • Share a haiku of your own! (And don't worry too much about the whole 5-7-5 thing.)
  • Tell me about your haiku reading practice! Do you come here and read mine, or do you only read them on Twitter? Who else writes haiku that you enjoy?
  • Got any other ideas? In the past I've had a few friends write a haiku in response to one of mine, which has been lovely and thrilling.

Thank you for considering dedicating some of your time and energy to helping me celebrate this small thing amidst everything big and scary that's going on right now.

snowy fields stubbled
with the stalks of last year's crop
tractors still in barns




March 16, 2023

hold the kite up high
and I'll get ready to run
touching the sky



March 15, 2023

hard frost warning
we wonder how to explain
this to the tulips


March 14, 2023

mid-morning squall 
for one thrilling moment we're 
inside the snow globe



March 13, 2023

a hole in the sky,
dampened feathers underfoot
a hawk came calling


March 12, 2023

sunrise reminder
that the deer were here first
headless stalk garden



March 11, 2023

we can almost see
the view from their first walkup —
grandmother's stories



March 10, 2023

each wave carrying
the unfolding gift of self
its removal, too



March 09, 2023

sunny March mornings
time to remember
the word for crocus



March 08, 2023

the sound of wings
followed by my sudden gasp
mutual surprise



March 07, 2023

windchill factor
listening to the gale as we
reach for more blankets



March 06, 2023

purple dusk falling
the mourning dove and I 
have a little talk



March 05, 2023

snowdrops pushing up
through the leaves from last fall
more light every day



March 04, 2023

how amazed we were!
in the car ride home from camp
mom knew the songs already



March 03, 2023

storm clouds obscuring
stars and the stories they tell
we call it a night



March 02, 2023

hands gone dry
from a winter of slipping
in and out of gloves



March 01, 2023

every tiny bud
wrapped in bristling ice
can we afford hope?