a poem in my pocket

This haiku writing technique is often given poet Masaoka Shiki’s term Shasei (sketch from life) or Shajitsu (reality). The poetic principle is “to depict the thing just as it is”. Shiki favored the quiet simplicity of just stating what he saw without anything else happening in the haiku. He found the greatest beauty in the common sight, simply reported exactly as it was seen, and ninety-nine percent of his haiku was written in this style. Many people still feel he was right; there are some moments that are perhaps best said as simply as possible.

(above text taken from Carpe Diem Haiku Kai)

I.

thin rain mists the ground

wet leaves from denuded trees

black soil’s damp compost

II.

sun rays between trees

light cast upon maple limbs

golden leaves tremble

(photos by lynn)