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Apr 2017 · 389
haiku no. 88
Christian Bixler Apr 2017
glistening
there beyond the hedge is
a gibbous moon
I have been feeling stifled for a while. I find myself yearning now, for some change, sudden or otherwise. And yet constantly, I am in dread of it. But perhaps the longing will outweigh the dread, one of these days.
Apr 2017 · 448
haiku no. 87
Christian Bixler Apr 2017
perhaps after
four or five winters it will come
splitting raindrops
Striving for focus, and a clear eye, in order to mark the Herald's approach.
Apr 2017 · 305
haiku no. 86
Christian Bixler Apr 2017
anticipation
listening to this track in the dim
in place of food
Apr 2017 · 315
tanka no. 1
Christian Bixler Apr 2017
after searching, at last
I find it
a great block of many names
softly the dark pines
sigh with my heart
Finding out that in a scholarship I'd applied for, I had been rejected. Clear eyed I see, and take a step forward.
Apr 2017 · 381
haiku no. 85
Christian Bixler Apr 2017
seeing the effect
in the place of adonis now
is a sapling

or

seeing the effect
now in the place of adonis
there is a sapling
Apr 2017 · 450
haiku no. 84
Christian Bixler Apr 2017
twisting fish
now they turn and do it again in a space
of six or seven inches
Apr 2017 · 212
haiku no. 83
Christian Bixler Apr 2017
these fish
swimming in a barren world
our eyes reflected
Mar 2017 · 338
haiku no. 82
Christian Bixler Mar 2017
dried plum
now at the pivot I turn
a lump of dirt
Eating a number of dried plums. Their seeds were bright and orange, but they will not grow. I cast them on the ground, to do what they will.
Mar 2017 · 231
haiku no. 81
Christian Bixler Mar 2017
for nine days
cupboard dust has smoothed it
affection
that which is careworn, old, mended, lacking in some way from the ideal of perfection...these may by some be accounted as perfect in another way, for the express reason of their flaws.
Mar 2017 · 263
haiku no. 80
Christian Bixler Mar 2017
for nine days
dust has smoothed it
this worn cup
sometimes through disuse, for a little while, those things we thought familiar and essential are shown to us, perhaps and perhaps not so; and in either case in a new and unexpected light.
Mar 2017 · 230
haiku no. 79
Christian Bixler Mar 2017
for nine days
this worn cup has lain untouched
wake-up call
I have not written or given much thought to poetry for about nine days, or near enough, as far as I can reckon it. It is time to put away the dreams of the past, and of the future, and to live in truth, in the present.
Mar 2017 · 243
haiku no. 78
Christian Bixler Mar 2017
what chance
meeting in a locked door
two kinds of fortune
Coming to the door late, after a nights work, I found it locked. Before entering the other way, I looked up, and all the stars were burning, marvelous in their number, and in their light.
Mar 2017 · 483
haiku no. 77
Christian Bixler Mar 2017
locked out
with no other recourse I look
up at the stars

or

locked out
in the quiet between scattered lights
star viewing
with the passing of time, to some recollections there comes a greater richness, and depth; and this is because he who views these things has grown, though in what way it may be hard to determine. But even the smallest of steps forward yet is a step forward, and, with the will to be, that is all that is necessary.
Mar 2017 · 366
haiku no. 76
Christian Bixler Mar 2017
even now
rain soaked roots are withering
reminiscence
Mar 2017 · 312
haiku no. 75
Christian Bixler Mar 2017
this growing town
perhaps it will learn
fallen seedpod
Recently I saw while on a walk two seedpods; one lay cracked and empty, while the other was whole still. There were no other seedpods about, except high in the tree. This struck me as so poignant a scene, that I could not help but write this verse around it.
Mar 2017 · 320
haiku no. 74
Christian Bixler Mar 2017
fallen seedpod
now curb your appetite
you sparrows
Mar 2017 · 240
haiku no. 73
Christian Bixler Mar 2017
hanging red
beneath an old nest
branches
Mar 2017 · 266
haiku no. 72
Christian Bixler Mar 2017
winter echo
buds
and an empty nest
A sketch, perhaps a metaphor.
Mar 2017 · 239
haiku no. 71
Christian Bixler Mar 2017
clean air
even with nothing, my hands
grow still
While waiting for work in my part time job, I stood in front of the cutlery cupboard and noticed an u usually fresh and clean air. After breathing this for awhile, my anxiety left me, and I grew calm. So, this verse.
Mar 2017 · 194
haiku no. 70
Christian Bixler Mar 2017
day's end
to the last open flower
a drop of rain
Composed in response to the lyrics of the main theme of the film Princess Mononoke, composed by Joe Hisaishi.
Mar 2017 · 333
haiku no. 69
Christian Bixler Mar 2017
winter sky
the passing road, unshaded--up
lids falling
My attempt at Sabi. Its definition here: an understatement hinting at great depths.
Mar 2017 · 226
haiku no. 68
Christian Bixler Mar 2017
after waiting
this poised air, released--
sound--tuning
Mar 2017 · 228
haiku no. 67
Christian Bixler Mar 2017
after waiting
this deep chord--
we turn to empty seats
Waiting outside the auditorium, we were at last allowed in when about ten minutes had past. filing past, I heard a deep, rich note from where the students were tuning their instruments. It impressed me so much that my annoyance vanished, and I sat eagerly to hear the rest of the performance.
Mar 2017 · 306
haiku no. 66
Christian Bixler Mar 2017
for spring snow
even it must wake
this late tree
Mar 2017 · 213
haiku no. 65
Christian Bixler Mar 2017
in the morning
the old tree droops, black--
a nut falls to earth
Mar 2017 · 258
haiku no. 64
Christian Bixler Mar 2017
in spring
robin wings to robin--
this empty cup
sitting outside, I saw a styrofoam cup, left carelessly in the middle of the yard; and all around me birds were singing: so I composed this verse.
Mar 2017 · 634
haiku no. 63
Christian Bixler Mar 2017
after the buds
have closed, I sit to write--
morning air
Listening to a light tune, my thoughts were caught completely up in its melody...so I wrote this verse.
Mar 2017 · 252
haiku no. 62
Christian Bixler Mar 2017
standing, on the
edge of green, the wind roars past--
a white tarp

or

standing, on the
edge of green, the wind roars past--
the white cloth, rippling
An impromptu verse.
Mar 2017 · 542
haiku no. 61
Christian Bixler Mar 2017
petrichor
in spring the verdant tresses
waves under blossoms
Mar 2017 · 282
haiku no. 60
Christian Bixler Mar 2017
air as fish's breath, so
we rest under eaves--
wet feet
A memory of sheltering from the rain under the low hanging branches of the trees while hiking the Appalachian trail.
Mar 2017 · 268
haiku no. 59
Christian Bixler Mar 2017
sleeping tree, roots
how deep--my heart
even in apathy
Mar 2017 · 352
haiku no. 58
Christian Bixler Mar 2017
scene
of love transcendent--my eyes
are wet with tears
Feb 2017 · 403
haiku no. 57
Christian Bixler Feb 2017
once seen, this
hillside--a chill stone, dropped
in a hotspring
Feb 2017 · 324
haiku no. 56
Christian Bixler Feb 2017
in Nicaragua
discarded children--raised
with a wooden flute
Perhaps more akin to senryu in terms of message, but nevertheless it is still a haiku, for there are some haiku which contain messages of the type commonly found in senryu, just as there are some senryu which contain messages most commonly found in haiku.
Feb 2017 · 675
haiku no. 55
Christian Bixler Feb 2017
the eager child
runs to the hanging fruit--weeps
at picked stems
a note to the feeling of wanting something all the more, after it is gone out of reach.
Feb 2017 · 253
haiku no. 54
Christian Bixler Feb 2017
feet bare, in bare
sand, I walk--always mindful
of seashells
Feb 2017 · 682
haiku no. 53
Christian Bixler Feb 2017
the green cloth, held
in a new wind--let the birds
come again
Feb 2017 · 364
haiku no. 52
Christian Bixler Feb 2017
in summer, soft
in lights dying, this still pool...
here rest my heart
Feb 2017 · 241
haiku no. 51
Christian Bixler Feb 2017
coconuts
how small, swimming in a
balsamic sea
Feb 2017 · 251
haiku no. 50
Christian Bixler Feb 2017
as the wind blows
the dog cherry tapers off
like a tail
Basho

in the wind
tail streaming--the grass
a scattered mirror
A poem in response to one of Basho's early verses.
Feb 2017 · 402
When the Rain has Passed
Christian Bixler Feb 2017
In walking, ones thoughts become still. This is not to say that time stops; instead, in peace, each moment becomes clear, bright, as if seen through crystal infinitely delicate, held to the eye in wonder. In walking, I have felt these moments.
I saw once a great tree, standing beside the wooded trail. Approaching, I laid my hand on the roughness of its bark--and in doing so my heart was lifted, and reverence fell upon me, as dew blown from the highest boughs. I bowed my head, silent. Then I continued on my way.

as the lifting
of the gossam veil
this deep tree
My first experiment in haibun, a form consisting of both prose and poetry developed by Basho. In these, titles are usually accepted.
Feb 2017 · 224
haiku no. 49
Christian Bixler Feb 2017
bright mist
cold, the moon's rim hangs
yet young their song
Feb 2017 · 179
haiku no. 48
Christian Bixler Feb 2017
white road
sound--the grey fox
turns to flight
Feb 2017 · 325
haiku no. 47
Christian Bixler Feb 2017
message, at day's close--
the woodpecker
knocks again
Feb 2017 · 496
haiku no. 46
Christian Bixler Feb 2017
in the cool room
desks, white light
my head slowly nods
Feb 2017 · 332
haiku no. 45 alternate
Christian Bixler Feb 2017
frustration
worm bores the heart--whistle
the woodpecker comes
An alternate version, a bit wordier; yet perhaps more descriptive?
Feb 2017 · 230
haiku no. 45
Christian Bixler Feb 2017
frustration
as tea's steam, I must learn
to let it go
Feb 2017 · 384
haiku no. 44
Christian Bixler Feb 2017
the film ends--
within
too hot for tears
outside, the trees
drink deep
Feb 2017 · 218
haiku no. 43
Christian Bixler Feb 2017
words, on a
glowing screen
a leaf falls to rest
Feb 2017 · 407
haiku no. 42
Christian Bixler Feb 2017
soft, in
day's darkening, when
a flower blooms
In winter, spring; perhaps the wonder, in beauty rising, out of all darkness.
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