A Stone Worn Round

[wave-uponwave-uponwave]

To what strange place

is this we've come

strange creatures

that we are

[wave-uponwave-uponwave]

Stretching out

into the distance

sunsets shadows

[wave-uponwave-uponwave]

A liquid silver

sunlit sea

all asparkle

[journalofanobody]

Haiku

the leaves above

expressing their existence

in fleeting shadows

-- Michael Boiano

[journalofanobody]

This haiku highlights the themes of impermanence, the beauty of subtle nature, and the transient nature of existence. It uses imagery to show that life is often defined by passing, fleeting moments rather than permanent, static substance.  "The leaves above": Sets a scene high above the observer, perhaps in late summer or autumn, focusing on a natural, living canopy. "Expressing their existence": Suggests that the leaves prove they are alive not by shouting or being solid, but through subtle, gentle motion. "In fleeting shadows": The core image. The leaves exist, but their presence is experienced only as changing, temporary shades of light and dark on the ground, representing the "floating world" (ukiyo)—a life that is ephemeral, beautiful, and quickly gone. 

The poem invites the reader to stop and observe the, quiet, almost invisible moments of nature (the shadows), suggesting that true beauty and life are found in these delicate, passing instances. It emphasizes a "no-mind" or "beginner's mind," where one appreciates the fleeting nature of reality without clinging to it. 

[wave-uponwave-uponwave]

Twilight lingers

letting the stars

wake up slowly

[wave-uponwave-uponwave]

I begin again

the same cards

another house

[wave-uponwave-uponwave]

Random chance

rolls the dice

I place my bet

[journalofanobody]

Tanka Diary

Set free a bonsai,

take it away to the woods,

and unbind it there.

Let the roots stretch into soil

and let it reach to the sky.

– Michael Boiano

[wave-uponwave-uponwave]

Out beyond

the speed of light

there be dragons

[wave-uponwave-uponwave]

Just another

bubble on

the stream

[wave-uponwave-uponwave]

Piece by piece

the puzzles

picture

[wave-uponwave-uponwave]

From out of

a wave whipped mist

suddenly a gull

as white as

the surging sea

[wave-uponwave-uponwave]

A faraway look

in the old sailors eyes

as he sits

on his bench

in the sun

[memoryslandscape-deactivated202]

“Everything was so quiet, as if the silence was listening.”

— Anna Kavan

[wave-uponwave-uponwave]

No fool for love

I thought before

I met her

[wave-uponwave-uponwave]

Well we may say

love the light

but light throws shadows

[wave-uponwave-uponwave]

Lightning lit

the night

bright as day

then back

to black