Haiku for You

This week has been incredibly busy, as well as an emotional roller coaster, which I don't even want to get into here. But so hence the blog break. I've been rereading some haiku by Issa as a way of trying to stay calm, and I thought I'd put some of my new favourites on here. These are from a different collection, translated by Robert Hass, from the Blyth translations I posted last year, so they have a slightly more modern flavour. I love the sweet, matter-of-fact way Issa has of expressing that the world is actually a pretty painful place.

Fleas in my hut,
it's my fault
you look so skinny.

Evening moon—
they visit the graves
and cool off.

What good luck!
Bitten by
this year's mosquitoes too.

Hey, sparrow!
out of the way,
Horse is coming.

Mother I never knew,
every time I see the ocean,
every time—

That last one puts a hand grenade in my mind and backs away slowly. Here's one I wrote on waking up to yet another grey and cold May morning:

Elm out the window
Going nowhere in the wind,
Its leaves little sails