In Tsurumai Park
First published in Eastlit, June 2016
Tsurumai Park is in the centre of Nagoya, a place where people congregate to breathe in the greenery, to play games, run around, lie on the grass and escape, for even a few minutes, the city. These haiku were written on just such a day, hanging with friends, a few cans and snacks, a portable speaker, blankets under us, the warm spring sun overhead, watching Nagoya unfurl from the contractions of winter.
in Tsurumai Park the cosplayers gather first day of spring
a murmuration joggers baseball teams stretching in the sunlight
she walks like a dancer the willow bows under the starling’s sway
Look at me Cosplayer Peony Poet
the cosplayers shiver murky in lamplight the setting sun
after dark it’s too cold for poetry
standing on his pedals an old man freewheels sparkle of starlight
the spring moon brittle and blazing a secret in everyday clothes
they pack themselves away ume blossom mauve in the twilight
in Japan farewells are long goodbyes sudden
I think your haiku is awesome, Iain. Feel free to check mine out at:
https://cjryall.com/poetry.html
My Reality
How fragile we find our sanity
As we wake from dreams and face our day
Navigating our reality
Stumbling blindly as we find our way.
Or is it just me?
Am I the only one that feels this way?
Wanting to be free,
But free of what… it’s hard to say.
From our indoor verandah
Over breakfast, I enjoy the views
My thoughts stray and meander
And I try to avoid the world news.
I love the peace and quiet
Of our small mountain town
Such solace - you can’t buy it
But world problems make me frown.
So I get into my writing
While ignoring the internet
‘Don’t want to read about the fighting
‘Don’t want to worry and fret.
I say a prayer - it’s all I can do
Whatever shall be shall be
I write another page or two
And my writing sets me free.
Copyright ⓒ CJ Ryall 2022