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Haiku poems composed during the Early Spring Imperial Pilgrimage Tour
March 2005
We cross three bridges
As snow falls. The great cedars
Sing mute, ageless hymns
(voted winner)
Japanese translation of winning haiku
san no hashi
sugi ni yuki furu
eien no kyo
Enticing aromas
Rainbow colors. Gay shoppers.
Fish fry in a pan
Petals fall softly
Upon still water. A sudden breeze!
A dog barks in fear
Udo on a plate
We eat together and laugh
How soon we will part
‘Neath the still water
Secrets appear, hide once more.
A thrown stone splashes
Peaceful mossy glade
An ancient oji stands mute
The monk's laughter peals
Tiny pink dancers
Upon a silver plain. My heart
Saddens to their song
Ernest Alabaster
Mossy covered steps
Beseeching En no Gyoja
Joy and pain combine
Seeking in Japan
Understanding difference
Weary legs move on
Snow etches
Devotion and desires
Buddha and kami observe
Spring green willows lit
Explodes with exuberance
Comes the vernal equinox
Mountain monk proclaims
Smoke and fire carry wishes
Nature heals all souls
Paula Verson
So far from Phoenix
Snow falls on the temple
Where is the sun's warmth?
Late at night we write
Haiku, to hold our visions
For the saké prize
To the hot springs
With my honey by my side
Hot inside, cold out
Many pink sakura
Can be found throughout the land
On billboards everywhere
Hike Japan arrives
We stop awhile and take baths
Eat and bathe some more
Walking the long trail
Up, up we climb, wondering
Will we ever get there?
Dawn through the temple
Answering the dragon's fire
The monk comes running
We find sakura
Lit up for our night viewing
Phones capture the sight
We climb the stairs
Stoop and enter a small room
Dinner is waiting
The conch shell roars out
To the green moss-covered shrine
The monk guides our path
Carol Albaster
What's with all those trees?
Why can't I know the answer?
Where? How? When? What? Who?
Bob san, our guide,
Smiling, always good ideas,
Patient, even with me
Walking with cold toes,
Hiking over sacred mountains
Sharing monk's passion
Alan Verson
Five cups of saké
The afternoon feels warmer
Springtime in Nara
Revealed by the monk
The tiny white flowers of
A spider orchid
Spring in Kyoto
A phone call from Paris at
Five in the morning
Maya sits watching
The fire ceremony
Mother beats the drum
Harbourside sushi
Raw Harley Davidson sound
Our chef on his bike
Delicious ayu
Woodsmoke on a cold spring night
Walking through the mountains
Bob Heffill