Fan on mist setting
Crushed ice giving sweet relief
From the heatwave’s haze
Using haiku as a journaling prompt
Yes, we’re in the mist of Heatwave Number 2 here in the U.K. We’re really thankful to our for the gift of several new fans and ice cube trays. British houses tend to be built to keep the heat IN, not to let it out and if you want air-con, the nearest supermarket is the place to be. Or a coffee shop, of which our little town has plenty! Or a church… Not that churches have air-conditioning but they are the coolest place to be just now. Of course they don’t have a loyalty app (get a free drink with every ten coffees) but round here at least, you’re pretty much guaranteed peace, quiet , a friendly word and if you’re really lucky, a cuppa and a biscuit.
Let’s get back to haiku. I love the simplicity of the form; the traditional Japanese 5-7-5 syllable word count. There’s something so meditative and calming about writing one and seeing it perfectly formed. I once likened it to polishing a pebble. Not that mine will win awards but I find it so rewarding to bring them into existence. They’re simple, easily memorised and I’ve found them to be great journaling prompts. A kind of poetic Lectio. Just as you can turn a word or phrase round and round in your mind as if you were sucking a boiled sweet, imagine your haiku, your stone, being tumbled gently about, gradually taking shape and being polished into a precious jewel. Each one unique to you. Then simply sit with it, let it lead you into prayer. Or journal your poem and your response to it. No rights or wrongs. Go on, try it.
Haiku fit so many different themes, too: Advent, Christmas, the Seasons…and much more. Here’s a selection of Spring and Summer-themed haiku. Enjoy.
To all you haiku-writers out there, do you have a favourite place where you write? Home? Coffee shop? Work? The Great Outdoors? I’d love to hear about it.