Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Jisei as Jibe


image from buddhistchannel.tv


Jisei as Jibe

“Life & death are one, even as the river & the sea
are one.”--Khalil Gibran.

Kanshi

No one prepares for train wrecks,
when calamity runs amok;

As karma moves at breakneck
speeds when the Bullet jumps rails.

Can we learn to be a speck,
or recognize a portal,

Give up French as we leave Quebec?
Time to enter the Station.


Waka (Tanka)

Our loved ones have gone
on before us, & now they
gather in Bardo,
with smiles, open arms, bright faces--
as warm welcoming spirits.


Haiku

How lovely to know
my transition comes on
summer’s last sweet day.





image from teenink.com


Glenn Buttkus

Posted over at dVerse Poets Pub MTB
where Gayle asks us to write Japanese Death Poems.


17 comments:

brudberg said...

Your haiku is glorious.. filled with joy to leave. I wonder if it would be so, or is it a heroic grin? Great to see you branching out.

Mary said...

Well, we all have to enter the station sometime....even if it is kicking and screaming!

Like the haiku...yes, I suppose that would be the best way to go, right before the leaves begin to fall, still enjoying the green!

Grace said...

I never thought of karma that way ~

And it would be nice to see all those welcoming smiles surely ~

I do love the haiku very much, summer last sweet day ~

Have a good week Glenn ~ And you are welcome to write more, smiles ~

tonispencer said...

Truly lovely senryu at the end. both of us on the same track with loved ones in our tanka. Because it is the autumn Equinox, it is time in Japan to honor ancestors who have gone before. The higan is the river that separates the land of the living from the land of the dead. We both anticipate crossing that as a happy crossing to those on the other side. Almost the same words used. Most def great minds running on the same path. I am going to be doing an MTB on tanka at some point, not sure when.

Bodhirose said...

Excellent! I think those loved ones will be waiting for us on the other side with beaming welcoming smiles. Yes, I think so. Your sweet haiku...just love its simple sweetness. No, we don't prepare for train wrecks...love this jisei jibe, Glenn.

Pleasant Street said...

Stunning. I was touched

AnotherFearlessYear.net said...

All very nice "short" poems. I suspect this was a challenge for you, and you rose to the challenge mightily. I love your tanka especially -- those waiting loved ones with outstretched arms and smiles. Peace, Linda

Snow's Fissures and Fractures said...

Your haiku is so lovely, a perfect execution. One almost wishes she/he could choose the last day of summer for the final departure.

Marina Sofia said...

The French and Quebec puzzled me a little, I have to admit (perhaps because I'm heading over there soon). But I enjoyed the sentiment in the other two poems - that haiku is especially joyous!

Katie Mia Frederick said...

Ah.. for me it IS ALL so
simple.. only look
at life as now..
and all
there is
is life..
but yes..
i have faced
the specter
of death
twice..
and no
matter
how bad
the pain was
or how empty
my life was..
i wanted to
still live
at that
moment..
so yeah.. at
the time i go..
i will want
to stay..
as i Love
Life..
and i already
know that
Life never ends
in an ULTIMATE
kinda way..
but nah..
it's intuitive
and i can
not
prove
it IN science
equations..
however.. it is
a way of NO FEAR
IN LIFE THAT WORKS..
PRICELESS LIVING LIFE
WITH NO FEAR
AND ONLY
LOVE..
AS i
already
die AS Life
and Living
IS PRICELESS
WITHINLIFE..
NOWFULLY..:)

Victoria said...

Good for you--using a selection of Japanese forms. You did well with all and my fav is the Haiku.

Sherry Blue Sky said...

Wonderful - especially the last one, which is gorgeous.

Kathy Reed said...

I love all three! The idea of meeting in Bardo sounds wonderful. Good job with the form.

Anonymous said...

Much as I like the Karma bullet train and the Bardo station, the haiku is simply the best..perfect!

Rosemary Nissen-Wade said...

Each of these has so much to offer!

vivinfrance said...

The haiku leaves me with happy thoughts. Thank you.

Unknown said...

Lovely. I especially enjoyed the welcoming tone of the tanka.