Hope and Reason

Another 20 just after I got my second wind. A personal favourite is 'Hope and Reason'

Themes and motifs involving weather, rain, and nature were recurring ones in this particular set, which I suppose is in keeping with the nature of haiku.

Walk the straight and narrow track

Summer

Summer, an open
Kitchen door. A bird hops in
and hops out again.

Rainbow

Rejoice at the rain

Beautiful rainbows await

The parched, dusty earth

Hyacinth

Purple hyacinth
blooming in dark glory near
barely melted snow.

Call of the Wild

The frogs blare and chat
all night long, to be drowned out
by birds of morning

Call of the Wild 2

The birds of the day

Chirp joyously, but still they

Must give way to night

Dragonfly and Trout

A dragonfly perched
The trout leapt from the water
The river ran on

Fall Away

Yellow leaves in trees
soon to fall and sleep - their truths
are told in colors.

Seasons

The seasons have changed

And replaced their coloured cloaks

With wondrous beauty

Poison Heat

The soft falling rain

Bathes the earth in a warm glow

And breaks poison heat

Ocean Breeze

Feel the ocean’s breeze

Warm, Summer days on a beach

Childhood dreams fulfilled

Float On

The Ocean glistens

I wish I could float away

On its warm currents

Sunshine Ray

Cold rays of sunshine

Pierce the sky on cloudy days

Bringing life below

Lion and Gazelle

The Lion runs free

Freedom paid in gazelle blood

Their lives intertwined

Summer Days

Lazy Summer Days

The cold rivers flow sweetly

Fish leap joyfully

Flaming Arrow

Life is an arrow

Let fly from fate’s too cruel hands

Keep faith, persevere

The Road Less Travelled

A fork in the road-

A momentous decision;

Take the less travelled

Hope and Reason

Keep hope and reason

Like a bright burning candle

As your guides through life

Non Sequitur

Hate is a bludgeon

Despair is mankind’s fountain

Drink it in deeply

Feel Good Inc.

Are all men born free?

Or born in cocoons unseen?

Trapped by destiny

Hound of the Baskervilles

Fate’s slings and arrows,

Pursue both good and evil,

From cradle to grave

Forevermore (6 6 6)

Nothing lasts forever

A truth we have to face

A curse we have to bear

As always, yours to enjoy,

Lloyd Webber

Albatross...

I wish I could be an Albatross for one more day...

20 more to slake your thirst, and like the title says, in the cruel days of February, this became more of a bother than it was worth, but the fear of success drove me on.

Fate of the World

The fate of the world

A tragedy told in blood

Who will write the tale?

Happy Lion

A dandelion

Floats by on a cloudless day

Forever so free

Dandy Lion

The dandelions

Flutter above bright flowers

And float for hours

Spider and Fly

Caught in tangled web

Poor fly struggles hopelessly

The spider frees him

Dormant

Clouds float silently

The cemetery below

Lies dormant in bloom

Swan and Petunia Garden

A peaceful garden

Swans and Petunias reside

Such quiet bliss

Swallowtail

The entire world

In a wide field of flowers

Scarlet Swallowtail

One June Day

Rain falls silently

On a beautiful June day

In search of a home

Flower

Gaze on a spring day

As hummingbirds slowly sip

Flowers’ sweet nectar

Wild and Free

The Lioness roars

The gazelle skips joyfully

Only they are free

Lying in Wait

Birds flutter above

Dry desert landscapes as they

Wait for a man’s death

Summer Time

The days are longer.
Sun slowly crosses the sky,
Begetting wild growth.

Sea and Moon

The sea gives the moon

The most beautiful mirror

To reflect beauty

Sea and Sky (5 7 7)

In a tranquil scene

Sea and sky do fierce battle

In peaceful serenity

The Geese (7 5 7)

Do you ever watch the Geese,

On cold winter days,

Who never seem to fly home?

The Geese (Part 2)

A little white cloud
Lost on a clear turquoise day
Guides a flock of geese

Maus (5 7 7 5 7)

I sometimes wonder

What does the field mouse wish for

As she scurries in her hole

No rest for a mouse

No way for a mouse to live

Frozen River

The river of life

What a sluggish pantomime

A frozen tableau

Fly Like an Eagle

Lend me your wings, bird

So I can spread them and fly

To never return

Contradictions

Ponderous on land
yet graceful under water
hippopotamus

Same time, same channel tomorrow for another 20, as the countdown continues.

Humbly yours,

Lloyd Webber

Shed your Chrysalis and fly...

These are the ones where I finally started to get my feet wet. I was slowly getting more comfortable with the format, while also chafing against its restrictions. I started playing with the rules, after all what good are rules if you never break them? Like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis, I was finally taking a step toward maturity

Enjoy the next 20...with plenty more to come

To be a Butterfly must feel like a miracle

Crazy Democracy

What’s democracy?

Majority tyranny

All hypocrisy

Nightmares and Daydreams

Sweet Insomnia;

A good old fashioned nightmare-

Kept at bay tonight

 Around the World

Been around the world

From west to east and north to south

But never to me

Honky Tonk of Fools

Drink away sorrow, 

and nurse all your fears, 

in a Honky-Tonk of fools.

Snowflake
Flutter down gently,
in your majestic glory,
oh special snowflake

   Black Hole

Darkness before dawn?
Falling into the black hole?
Can't distinguish yet.

  Waste of Time

Time forks countlessly

Creating untold futures

For mankind to waste

  Wave Goodbye

Look up in the sky,

As I fly through the dark night

And please wave goodbye

Night Time

Always open your eyes;

Close them, and here comes the night

Like a silent thief

Darkness Falls

To know true darkness,

Is to love the welcome dawn

And fear night’s great fall

Rainbow of Life

Dream in Black and White

Live life in Technicolor

Perish in Sepia

Fireflies (5 5 5)

In time and in tide,

The Firefly sleeps;

Rainfall fills her dreams

To Dream a Dream

Dream a quiet Dream

Sleep the sleep of the undead

Live a life of youth

Invictus (5 7 5 7)

Though the night be black

And nightmares visit my dreams

I will not despair

My fate is but mine to write

  Evening Days

Day was a bright dream
that evening has wound around
with deep blue paper

Chrysalis

In real life and dreams

Shed your chrysalis and fly

Depart the cold earth

Tyger, Tyger

Darkness burning bright

Much too dark to hide the truth

Of our wretched eyes

Ambience

Wolves howl in the night

A stray dog bays at the moon

Hear the wind’s whisper

Whisper of the moon part 1

On a cloudless night

The moon whispers silently

Of places unknown 

    Whisper of the moon part 2

The moon’s quiet whisper

A tale of life, love, loss, and

Humanity’s fate 

 Whisper of the moon part 3

The cold moon’s whispers

Unravel their mystery

Impermanently

Rainbow of life is the only one I really like, the rest are all tired and overwrought. I blame winter blues.


Yours


Lloyd Webber

Remember those days...

18 days till the New Year and so here are the first 20. They really were the hardest, but ended up being the best, at least in my opinion. The nice thing about the Haiku is that they're in chronological order as I wrote them, so it's interesting to see how my mood and style changed, not to mention my themes and content.

I started optimistically, I'm proud to say, but there would come a lot of ups and downs, twists and turns. Such is the rollercoaster of life.

The places we used to be when we were kids...

 

 

1.     In the beginning

Endings are too hard,

Beginnings, impossible.

What am I to do?

2.     What is Beauty?

Beauty is a fact,

Not in the beholder's eye.

An intrinsic truth.

3.     Dandelion

A Dandelion,

Floating in the summer breeze,

Cut down in its prime

4.     Crustacea, Crustacea

A noble lobster,

A sea of boiling water,

The last molt to red

5.     The way of all Flesh

In death, as in life

Dust to Dust and Ash to Ash,

The way of all flesh

6.     Freedom

I now fully know

The sweet, sweet taste of freedom,

But a few do not

7.     Wild Winter Wonderland

For one winter night

Throw caution to the wild wind

Dance in the snow

8.     Moonlight walk

In the pale moonlight

A fedora on his head

He walked, all alone

9.     Spring into action

Winter moves slowly,

and Spring is too far away, 

Will it ever come?

10.                        Flash and Substance

Thunder and Lightning,

Full of sound, light and fury

All flash, no substance

11.                        Master and Slave

If a Slave is bound,

The master is bound tighter,

Neither man is free

12.                        Desert Oasis

Alone and afraid

He trudged through a desert storm

Before he was saved

13.                        Lonely People

We all stand and stare

At those poor and lonely souls

With nowhere to go

14.                        Sunrise and Sunset

Sunrise and Sunset

Promises of a new day

Two sides of one coin

15.                        Life Rollercoaster

I wish I could fly,

Off life’s wild rollercoaster,

Who will fly with me?

16.                        Portrait of a man

A poor tortured soul

Lost in beautiful portrait

Hidden by blank verse

17.                        Poisoned Butterfly

Poisoned Butterfly

Fluttering aimlessly down

To the cold, harsh ground

18.                        Paper Chase

The root of evil:

An endless fruitless pursuit

Of printed paper

19.                        Burnt Fuel

The fuel of hatred

Burns giver and receiver

Wasted Energy

20.                        Paper Mache World

How Fragile is life?

Here today, gone tomorrow -

Like Paper Mache

A personal favourite is #11 - Master and Slave. In between all the pointless angst, I did get rare moments of genuine inspiration. I would soon learn that the killer of inspiration is routine. Any favourites of yours? leave a comment telling me.

I remain always yours,

Lloyd Webber

Hey! Hello! Hooray!

Quite a bit has happened in 2011. I broke a few hearts, got my heart broken a few times, graduated University, found a full-time job, and somehow, when I wasn't looking, I became a Renaissance man.

Follow me over the jump, for the rest of this crazy story...