Celebrate: Winter

I absolutely love this season!  Here in D.C., there are many things to celebrate:  freshly fallen snow; the cold, crisp air…wintertime is definitely upon us. In celebration of both winter and the haiku poetic form, I’ve composed a series of haikus (poems created in the Japanese style of writing unrhymed, three-lined poems--with each line containing five, seven and five syllables, respectively) as a way to pay tribute to this awe-inspiring, sometimes irritating (yet always beautiful!) time of year.

“Winter in D.C.”

#1 -
winter is and was
wreaking havoc on streets/cars
yet we smile.  i marvel.

#2 -
a chilly kiss on
the cheek, to me, means that we
have winter to thank.

#3 -
wintertime means love.
family, friends—loved by all.
celebrate…today!
 

Want to keep celebrating the spirit of the season in verse form? Interested in reading more haikus? Stop by your favorite DC Public Library and request these titles and more today!

Haiku Mind: 108 Poems to Cultivate Awareness and Open Your Heart  edited by Patricia Donegan

Haiku: An Anthology of Japanese Poems  edited by Stephen Addiss, Fumiko Yamamoto and Akira Yamamoto

The Classic Tradition of Haiku: An Anthology  edited by Faubion Bowers 

For the young (and the young at heart):

Haiku: Vision in Poetry and Photography  by Ann Atwood

Flower, Moon, Snow: A Book of Haiku  by Kazue Mizumura

In the Eyes of the Cat: Japanese Poems for All Seasons  by Demi