seagulls

the skiff

the path

frog pond

this is Bashō most famous haiku. prehaps one day i will post additional translations of the same haiku.

crow

wandering crow

warbler

A warbler singing -
somewhere beyond the willow,
before the thicket.

~Bashō

harvest recipe

spying a recipe
over mothers shoulder
- the harvest moon

while on thanksgiving holiday vacation in Montreal my wife looked over her mother's shoulder for a holiday recipe as the moon shone so large and bright behind them.

pheasant cry

Father and mother
long gone, suddenly return
in the pheasant cry.

~Bashō

interesting that Bashō had two versions of the same haiku.

yellow petals

winter grass

Withered winter grass -
waves of warm spring air
shimmering just above.

~Basho

sleepless autumn

Was it all a dream -
I mean those old by gone days -
were they what they seemed?
All night long I lie awake
listening to autumn rain.

What might I leave you
as my lasting legacy -
flowers in spring time,
the cuckoo singing all summer,
the yellow leaves of autumn.

~Ryōkan

Ryōkan was famous for his poetry and calligraphy. His poetry is often very simple and inspired by nature. poems show he had a good sense of humour and didn't take himself too seriously.

pale moon

memories

returning home on a flight with my eyes closed remembering. opening my eyes i noticed out the window the clouds pressing in around the plane are very much like the memories pressing into the fore front of my thoughts.

seashells

cicada cry

Lonely stillness -
a single cicada's cry
sinking into stone
~Bashō

two versions of the same haiku experience

clouds

Bashō a true master of the haiku art form. Click on his name for a bio at Wikipedia.

kicking leaves