Haiku, Secret, and Wisdom - 1. Chapter 1 Wisdom

All of your haikus (with the exception of # 2) speak to your love of nature, I enjoyed the snapshots each evoked…. #6 made me think of your grief for your beloved Sky and at first saddened me, then I thought I detected a sort of grace in your mourning that only time can bring….if there is comfort in your grief now, I’m glad for you, Gary.

This poetry format finds its rhythm in line symmetry instead of rhyme, I’ve always found it an interesting challenge and like your efforts here.

I’ll review “Secret” and “Wisdom” in other posts.

The “Secret” that we should love ourselves as much, if not more than the others we are fortunate to bestow love on is a lesson that all too often isn’t learned until we are much older, if we learn it at all.  

Oh how masterful a life one can live if we learn that healthy love for ourselves first, can only enhance the quality of every single love we experience….circumstances of our environment can derail or destroy that lesson but if that lesson is learned early, the possibilities are limitless.

Our “Wisdom” is always so much easier dispensed to others than to ourselves, lol. 

I love the passage

 “Would that I had 

A magic looking glass 

Such tool to surely help 

The covering of my own ass” 😊

Physician heal thyself, indeed.  Lol.

I have always admired your poetry, Gary; I admire all who attempt this form…. I must admit I’m inspired to see if expressing myself this way will help life as it looks today.

Thank you for sharing. 🎁 

All wonderful in their individual ways. 

Haiku has always been one of those forms of poetry that is beautiful in its simplistic way of expressing an image. 

'Secrets' and 'Wisdom hold some great imagery too. 

Thanks Gary!

# 5, # 6, and # 8; truly spoke to me...  Loved Secret and Wisdom both; hard to learn and so few really do.  

I really enjoyed reading the Haiku's, Secret and Wisdom. The last line of Secret resonated with me "Some of my best moments came despite all the rain." As I get older, looking at life makes that a very true statement.  I've been away from the site for a while and this was the perfect post to get me back in the flow. Haiku 1 tickled me because at this moment the wind is trying to blow everything down in the ATL. 😊

So much verse! Of the haiku, 1, 8, and 14 spoke to me the most, though I recognise the deep feelings that permeate 5 and 6. 14 is so true - there are so many invertebrates and small plants just waiting to be discovered and admired. 'Secret' with its hard-earned self-knowledge is one to be read and re-read, understanding where you are now and where a variation of the same journey has taken me.

On 4/11/2024 at 4:00 AM, Mancunian said:

Thank you for sharing your work Gary. They are part of you and as such they each contain their own inner beauty as do you. Thank you, again, I appreciate you sharing a part of your inner self. 

I guess it's true that my poetry reveals me, nuanced by my past, present, inner voice, and my hopes and experiences. I think I benefit from the sharing more than anyone, for the release it provides me will often give new clarity. Thanks, Craig. I appreciate the support.   

On 4/11/2024 at 8:48 AM, Mikiesboy said:

All wonderful and well written. Haiku 5 and 6, well those touched me most.   Secret; is a great poem, but i'm not sure i agree with the message.  Wisdom, is full of truth. Thank you for all of them.

Thanks, tim. I appreciate hearing your thoughts. Yeah, "Secret" is my convoluted way of looking back and seeing some truths. My circle is so much smaller now, through passings/deaths I didn't see coming, and just the natural process of drifting away. If there is a message, it is that it is okay to choose ourselves first, to be selfish sometimes, blocking out all the noise and doing what we truly want with an eye towards our own future. It kind of ties into "Wisdom". Cheers!

On 4/11/2024 at 10:16 AM, Parker Owens said:

I enjoyed this set of poems. I enjoyed Haiku #7,8 and 13 particularly. Secret made me read and reread each stanza. Wisdom made me smile, for I can connect with it thoroughly. 

Thanks, Parker. The 'dance of the hares' was written on an evening walk after a snowfall. Fortunately, I remembered to write it down when I got back inside. So many have been lost because I forget to do that.   I'm pleased "Secret" elicited a response. I know what I felt that caused me to write it, and that process led me straight to "Wisdom".  Glad that one could make you smile. I think many can understand that one. Cheers!

22 hours ago, FanLit said:

All of your haikus (with the exception of # 2) speak to your love of nature, I enjoyed the snapshots each evoked…. #6 made me think of your grief for your beloved Sky and at first saddened me, then I thought I detected a sort of grace in your mourning that only time can bring….if there is comfort in your grief now, I’m glad for you, Gary.

This poetry format finds its rhythm in line symmetry instead of rhyme, I’ve always found it an interesting challenge and like your efforts here.

 

I’ll review “Secret” and “Wisdom” in other posts.

 

#5 and #6 are both about Sky. #7 is also about the birdsong I heard while sitting at her grave, the joy of it lifting my mood. Yes, your comment makes me realize there is some comfort in my grief now. It is a comfort to have her here on the property instead of being carted away on a dirty truck. 

I love Haiku, and write them constantly in my head. Most of them are forgotten before I have a chance to write them down, but that's okay. It is a form that almost feels like meditation as I count my thoughts out in syllables on my fingers as I walk around the farm.   They really are snapshots of a fleeting moment in time, allowed to drift away on the breeze. Cheers and thanks, my dear friend.  

21 hours ago, FanLit said:

The “Secret” that we should love ourselves as much, if not more than the others we are fortunate to bestow love on is a lesson that all too often isn’t learned until we are much older, if we learn it at all.  

Oh how masterful a life one can live if we learn that healthy love for ourselves first, can only enhance the quality of every single love we experience….circumstances of our environment can derail or destroy that lesson but if that lesson is learned early, the possibilities are limitless.

So true that it is a hard lesson to learn. Before we know it, large chunks of our lives have passed, and we've missed the point. It's taken a lifetime to feel centered, and to love myself at least equally to those I always considered more important than me. You are very wise, and I'm pleased you felt this poem as you did. I can't say I don't have regrets, but I'm still satisfied with most of my choices. There is one, though, I wear like a millstone around my neck. I lacked courage and wisdom, and let something slip away with only myself to blame. Cheers! 

21 hours ago, FanLit said:

Our “Wisdom” is always so much easier dispensed to others than to ourselves, lol. 

I love the passage

 “Would that I had 

A magic looking glass 

Such tool to surely help 

The covering of my own ass” 😊

 

Physician heal thyself, indeed.  Lol.

I have always admired your poetry, Gary; I admire all who attempt this form…. I must admit I’m inspired to see if expressing myself this way will help life as it looks today.

Thank you for sharing. 🎁 

 

Through our many interactions, I expect you would excel at poetry. In saying that, I believe what is most important is what poetry gives you. If it is a vehicle to impress, I find it often loses its integrity. It must be honest and vulnerable, and you most certainly are those things.  

I meant for "Wisdom" to be amusing, but that doesn't diminish the truth of it.  

20 hours ago, Bill W said:

The Haikus gave snippets of the various seasons and I can relate to the descriptions in many of them.  At first I though Haiku 5 was referring to a loved one that you’d lost, and then I read Haiku 6.  That referred to the death of a horse, and suddenly I wondered if they were related.  My only question is, where did you see the elves in Haiku 9?

Secret has me torn.  I’m not sure if you meant living to help others, or merely living to please them, but the love of one’s self was very clear. 

Wisdom tells me that you can see what others need before they do and that he unerringly makes the correct choices for them.  The problem is, that gift does not pertain to making choices for himself.   Thank you for sharing, Gary. 

Yes, Bill, those two are related. My horse passed after almost 31 years. I had her since birth, and her loss has been monumental. 

The elves might have been my imagination.  

"Secret" seems to have gotten people thinking. For me, it is about putting ourselves first. I was raised to look after others, or rather, I put that pressure on myself, to take care of everyone in my orbit. The thing is, there comes a time when people are fine on their own, and I think I've been guilty of not realizing that... or maybe accepting that as a truth. The thing is, it's okay to be selfish... to put myself first sometimes. I have learned to love myself, but that by itself is not enough. There was wistfulness in this one for me, and my perspective has changed... it's been forced to. 

"Wisdom" you have exactly right as well. It is connected to "Secret" and how I was feeling after I wrote it. Thanks and cheers, my friend!

20 hours ago, kbois said:

All wonderful in their individual ways. 

Haiku has always been one of those forms of poetry that is beautiful in its simplistic way of expressing an image. 

'Secrets' and 'Wisdom hold some great imagery too. 

Thanks Gary!

Haiku has always been one of my favorite forms of poetry, especially when it comes to nature. "Secret" and "Wisdom" belong together.   Happy you liked them. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts, kbois. I appreciate it. Cheers!

18 hours ago, centexhairysub said:

# 5, # 6, and # 8; truly spoke to me...  Loved Secret and Wisdom both; hard to learn and so few really do.  

You picked my favorite Haiku, buddy.   Happy to hear you liked the longer poems as well. I hope you see the connection between the two. You support is much appreciated, sir. Cheers!

17 hours ago, LadyDe said:

I really enjoyed reading the Haiku's, Secret and Wisdom. The last line of Secret resonated with me "Some of my best moments came despite all the rain." As I get older, looking at life makes that a very true statement.  I've been away from the site for a while and this was the perfect post to get me back in the flow. Haiku 1 tickled me because at this moment the wind is trying to blow everything down in the ATL. 😊

It's the only way "Secret" could have ended, my dear friend. Life is nothing without the rain. Welcome back! I've been missing you, and quite frankly, I was a little worried about you.  

Haiku allows so much freedom despite the confines of the syllables. I'm so pleased they are appreciated. Hope you are doing well. Stay in touch, sweet lady. Cheers! 

1 hour ago, northie said:

So much verse! Of the haiku, 1, 8, and 14 spoke to me the most, though I recognise the deep feelings that permeate 5 and 6. 14 is so true - there are so many invertebrates and small plants just waiting to be discovered and admired. 'Secret' with its hard-earned self-knowledge is one to be read and re-read, understanding where you are now and where a variation of the same journey has taken me.

And another entry to come.   Guess I was on a roll. 

#5 and #6 are of course very personal, but I like the form as expression. The 'dance of the hares' is that bit of secret magic I need to believe in.  

We seldom think about what is at our feet. We are a world within worlds, and there is wonder all around us. Haiku is perfect for explorations of nature. 

"Secret" is truly about so many things... and though I can simplify it, it still has dimensions others can find. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment, northie. Cheers!