I love writing in all of its many forms, and that includes poetry. Poems are great for capturing emotions and inspiration. Haiku especially is designed to capture a single moment and the beauty in it. This short form of poetry can be powerful and traditionally focuses on the beauty of nature in a fleeting moment.
Life is fleeting and each moment can pass in the blink of an eye. We, however, can train our minds to stay in the present and appreciate this moment. We can, because of the nature of the moment passing, see the beauty even more poignantly.
A good example of this is the haiku of Katsumoto, the last samurai in the movie of the same name. He has spent a long time trying to find the last line of a haiku that he is composing. And finally, when he is dying, he sees the beauty of the cherry blossoms drifting down. With his last breath, Katsumoto finishes his last line. This is the best understanding of his poem:
the perfect blossom is a rare thing
you could spend your life looking for one, and it would not be a wasted life
it is perfect…they are all perfect!
In the movie, he is dying, just about dead and done. Yet he takes the moment to appreciate the beauty of the cherry blossoms. And the moment, and his life, are not wasted.
Here is my own haiku that attempts to capture the beauty of the fleeting moment:
Conjured
by Jenifer Tull-Gauger
conjured on the breeze
the dragonfly alights on the tip
of the car’s antenna
And a longer poem I wrote, also about the beauty of the fleeting moment.
Forever
by Jenifer Tull-Gauger
The tea trivet
you gave me
needed washing.
As I carried it
toward the sink,
I turned it to admire
its hand-made beauty.
The word – “Forever”
stamped on its face.
Distracted, my hand loosened.
It slipped my hold
and crashed on the floor.
“Forever” destroyed,
irreparably.
Is it irony?
Or reality?
No thing is forever.
And that seems like a good note to end on. Stay in the moment, my friends.
-Jenifer Tull-Gauger
P.S. Here are some more of my poems: Butter Flutter Gutter, Doggy Sweater, and Valentine’s Poems.
P.P.S. Here are some helpful, friendly poetry-writing tips.
