triveni spotlight
A FEATURE EVERY ALTERNATE DAY!
hosts: Teji Sethi and Kala Ramesh
guest editor: Billie Dee
Theme: Close Observation
morning tide pools
a hermit crab tries on
the bottle cap
Deborah P Kolodji
Temple City, California, USA
Kolodji, Deborah P. highway of sleeping towns. Pasadena, CA: Shabda Press, 2016.
I am pleased to submit the following selected poems from my personal "favorite haiku" list, one I've developed over the last 30 years or so. All have been approved by the authors; all include publication credits (except one from Patricia Machmiller which is unpublished); all are from the U.S. Pacific coastal rim (my region). I have chosen "close observation" as my theme, a guiding principle in my own writing, and a core element IMO for developing a Haiku Mind.
Peace,
Billie Dee
p.s. Under-lined book titles have embedded links where a reader can go to purchase the book.
I agree wholeheartedly with Kala’s comment that this haiku “preaches without preaching.” The moment is described clearly and simply, without any editorializing. And yet, how can one read this and not feel, at least momentarily, chastised as a human being for what we’ve done—are in fact continuing to do—to the planet? I don’t know whether a poem can do much to change our behavior, but perhaps this one will nudge us in the right direction.
morning tide pools
a hermit crab tries on
the bottle cap
---Deborah P Kolodji
kigo=tide pool wading (summer)
When Kala asked me to guest--edit the THI Spotlight feature, this was the first haiku that popped into my head----hence this month's theme: close observation. One reason I decided to select poets from my geographic region is because I know the kigo, landscape and culture of the area intimately, even many of the back stories behind these poems. Here's one:
Debbie and her kids were weekending at one of Southern California's famous public beach camps. She got up early to visit the shoreline pools at low tide. The morning would have been cool and a little foggy, so she must have…
Lovely haiku and it's also poignant. A powerful message!
One of my very favorite haiku!!!
A very lovely one!