This special (and late, thank you confusing time zones…) edition of Poetry Friday is coming to you all the way from Japan, where I am still backpacking my way through this strange and enthralling country. I’ve missed participating in this wonderful community so much that I’m typing up this post on my phone while sitting on a local train in Osaka. That’s how much I love you all!
In honour of my current surroundings I’ve decided to try my hand at penning an original haiku. A haiku is a traditional Japanese poetry form with roots reaching back through hundreds of years of literary history. Contemporary western haiku typically have three lines – the first line has five syllables, the second has seven, and the last has five.
This haiku in particular was inspired by my experiences as a foreigner plunging headlong into a six-week journey across Japan. I truly am a stranger in a strange land – I thought I’d done my research before arriving in Japan, but nothing could quite prepare me for how spectacularly unique this country is.
One thing that immediately strikes you about Japan is the sheer volume of information being blasted at you every minute of the day. There are signs literally everywhere, crammed with text, while shops, train stations and even city streets are filled with speakers broadcasting endless announcements and advertisements. It’s enough sometimes to make you want to run for the peace and stillness of rural Japan.
And so, in honour of all this, I bring you an original haiku, penned by yours truly:
Words, words everywhere,
Send you spinning round and round
What does it all mean???
Have a great weekend, everyone, and all the best from the Land of the Rising Sun!
WOW! A haiku from the birthplace of haiku! Thanks for joining us, and I hope you’ll share more about your travels in the weeks to come!
Oh, I’m jealous of your travels. Enjoy every moment! You are on a journey to gather writing content and so much more. Thanks for checking in. Poetry Friday isn’t quite complete without you.
I’ve backtracked and read more of your trip. My daughter spent a week there in high school, staying with a family. She absolutely loved Japan. What a rare experience you are getting! Write lots! I have a former student studying in Japan now, too. She also loves it. It’s a “someday” thought for me. Travel is such an eye-opener!
PS How about making your own sugar cookies today?
https://cookeatshare.com/recipes/japanese-cookies-japan-310563
Merry Christmas!!!
Happy travels and I hope you have many more haiku inspiring moments. I am fond of the rural places where you can hear echoes of the past and catch glimpses of your own inner heart. I find the cities, with their beseeching signs and ads, dull or diminish me, bouncing me too quickly between ideas.