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Small Wonders

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Small Wonders

a potpourri of recent haiku

A. Christine Myers
Mar 11, 2022
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Small Wonders

achristinemyers.substack.com

As I wrote in my last post, I found a cluster of haiku from my recent experiments. These are widely varied, simply a retelling of everyday experiences in this quintessentially spare yet beautiful form, a form which creates a much larger world in the mind than on the page.

Lest I continue to miss sharing these, I’ve decided to publish this small collection outside my usual Monday posting. I hope you enjoy the bonus post this week!


This first poem is a glimpse from the kitchen pantry.

Silver foil wrapper
pressed carefully around two
last chocolate squares


One of our neighbors has very bright lights which glow into the canyon at night. The light picks out the tall trunks of massive saguaro cacti which grow there, creating a sense of architectural splendor.

Tall saguaro spires~
nighttime lights build cathedrals
under vast black sky


The phainopepla is a beautiful black, crested, passerine bird found from southern Arizona into Mexico. Here is the Wikipedia article for more information.

This haiku began as simple spoken lines which I suddenly realized were very nearly pure haiku in form. With minor adjustments the result was this poem.

Yesterday morning
in still-leafless acacia,
three Phainopeplas.


Of course, haiku can be humorous too.

In this poem the humor was mild while the gratitude was strong. I was so glad to be in a warm place as I gazed up at the beauty of the snow-dusted mountains.

Sunlight falls warm here.
Ah, the beauty of far snow
up on the mountains.


To read about the background to these experiments in classic haiku form, please see my post Studying Haiku.

ACM Weekly
Studying Haiku
As my regular readers know, I enjoy writing haiku. I love its unique goal of reaching a complete thought or vision with a minimum of words, as well as the large role played by nature in its brief lines. My introduction to the form came in grade school, at which time I grasped little more than the traditional 5-7-5 syllable count. But even then I found…
Read more
a year ago · 3 likes · A. Christine Myers

Or for a collection which includes haiku among many other poetic forms and thoughts, you can purchase The Hillside Diary in print or e-book format.

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Small Wonders

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1 Comment
Arjan Tupan
Writes #trpplffct | fresh poetry & fri…
Mar 16, 2022

What wonderful writes, Amy. I love them. They are all gems. I like the humor of the last one, and the cheekiness of the chocolate one. But the other two ignite a wish to travel to Arizona and see for myself the flora and fauna. The one time I was there was too short and packed with other things to really enjoy the natural beauty that is so different than where I am from.

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