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.
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.
ReplyDeleteWell, we all have to enter the station sometime....even if it is kicking and screaming!
ReplyDeleteLike the haiku...yes, I suppose that would be the best way to go, right before the leaves begin to fall, still enjoying the green!
I never thought of karma that way ~
ReplyDeleteAnd 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 ~
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.
ReplyDeleteExcellent! 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.
ReplyDeleteStunning. I was touched
ReplyDeleteAll 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
ReplyDeleteYour haiku is so lovely, a perfect execution. One almost wishes she/he could choose the last day of summer for the final departure.
ReplyDeleteThe 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!
ReplyDeleteAh.. for me it IS ALL so
ReplyDeletesimple.. 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..:)
Good for you--using a selection of Japanese forms. You did well with all and my fav is the Haiku.
ReplyDeleteWonderful - especially the last one, which is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteI love all three! The idea of meeting in Bardo sounds wonderful. Good job with the form.
ReplyDeleteMuch as I like the Karma bullet train and the Bardo station, the haiku is simply the best..perfect!
ReplyDeleteEach of these has so much to offer!
ReplyDeleteThe haiku leaves me with happy thoughts. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteLovely. I especially enjoyed the welcoming tone of the tanka.
ReplyDelete