Haiku | hillbillyzendotcom

Hillbilly Zen – Hazelnut Coffee and Pancakes on a Stick

I’ve had what I thought was difficulty writing before: no inspiration/motivation, trying to find just the right phrasing, sweating a deadline, etc. That all pales in comparison with this last week. What began as a simple writing exercise morphed into a maelstrom the likes of which I’ve never experienced.

Surgeons are discouraged from operating on family members, detectives aren’t assigned to cases involving relatives or friends, judges and juries are dismissed from deciding the fate of anyone with whom they’ve had prior contact. So why is it that writers are driven to fill pages with visceral thoughts and feelings?

I’ll ponder that later. Right now I’m going to seek out the most mindless recreation available, while drinking hazelnut coffee and scarfing down a couple of pancakes on a stick. The reason for these neuron-numbing, pound-producing indulgences? The “Haiku for Two Trees” series is finished.

The story it tells may be impossible for anyone but me to follow, but I hope readers will find some beauty in the words. The memories and emotions that swarmed from this Pandora’s Box have been duly noted and properly dealt with, for now anyway. I know they will always haunt me, but they are less strident, less accusatory. Grief has been softened by retrospection. A fringe benefit of that inexplicable writer’s drive, I suppose.

As stated before, this series was inspired by a photo posted by lovinchelle. I admit that during this last week I vacillated between wanting to thank him and wanting to throttle him for starting all this. Now that it’s in the rear view mirror I can sincerely say it’s the former.

If you’d like to see the series presented in one chronological post, it’s here. I’m still debating whether to use the subtitles or go with I, II, III, etc., and would greatly appreciate feedback. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to all who have visited and shown their encouragement.

Online Bingo, here I come.

Hillbilly Zen – Eating My Words (Haiku on the Side)

My friend lovinchelle posted a photo that has just grabbed me and won’t let go. Since I’ve been trying to use words more sparingly in my efforts at poetry, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to attempt Haiku. Just one Haiku. Seventeen syllables. That was the plan.

I visited bussokuseki yesterday, and Gassho has written another of his beautiful Haikus, which seemed to affirm my decision to write one myself. To my surprise, he also lamented notebook pages covered with ideas that would not manifest themselves in cohesive writing. I searched for words to encourage him, but all I could think of was “Sometimes you’re the windshield, sometimes you’re the bug.” Needless to say I left without commenting. The inability to think of anything remotely intelligent to say should have been my cue to close the lid on my laptop, but sadly I did not.

The photo embraced me like a pixellated python, my muse was on me like white on rice and I was damn skippy gonna write me a Haiku. But then I found myself unable to stop. Words tumbled onto the page like Gremlins fed after midnight. I was up until 3:00 a.m. I’m too old for this crap. I finally published what, in the wee hours of the morning, seemed like reasonably decent work.

When I viewed the post this morning, I literally cringed. I don’t hate everything about it, but it does not do justice to the photo or the vision I was trying to convey. Thank you to those who “Liked” and commented, but it’s got to come down. If this were a meal I had spent all day on that turned into such a congealed mess, I’d fling that sucker into the trash and microwave a corn dog. But that picture won’t…let…go.

So despite the heat I’m heading back into the kitchen. Instead of cramming it all together, I’m going to prepare it one course at a time. It should be presented with finesse, not haste. I adore corn dogs, but guests deserve better.