Playing Monopoly in the sky,
a big board game below my eyes.
Little houses, not just red and green,
people trying to live…
the American dream
Snow-kissed Mountains
She brightens his darkness
and softens his edges,
yin and yang of love.
Haiku #50
Here lies cigarettes
and bottle caps in dirt lot
with stories untold
This Saturday, I participated in the Hayward City Clean Up volunteer day and was assigned a certain street to pick up trash. It was a rewarding experience to contribute to improving the city. I was surprised to see so many cigarette butts littered on sections of the street (especially near certain apartment complexes). At the corner of an empty dirt lot, we found a lot of cigarette butts and bottle caps. While I am not supportive of smoking, drinking or littering, I do wonder who these people are. Why do they smoke and why do they drink? Is it for fun, to relieve stress or to drown out their sorrows? Did they drink and smoke alone, or in a group? What is their life story? Cleaning up trash is a reactive approach to beautifying the city. Over time, it may provide a healthier neighborhood. However, what is the root cause of the problem? What can we do to be more proactive to prevent this type of litter from happening in the first place? Everyone’s story is worth hearing.
Haiku #49
A quiet morning
curled up on the recliner
reading a good book
After a week of constant meetings and deadlines, it was a blessing to hold a physical, tangible book to escape to a time before modern day technology and all of the noise, chatter and distractions that come with it. Sometimes you just need to slow down in order to catch up 🙂
Haiku #48
Breathing mountain air
among rows of moss-covered stones
a smiling Rakan
Haiku #47
Petals paint the floor,
I dance through a pink runway
Cherry blossom rain
Haiku #46
Curled into a ball
His body rises and falls
Doggie’s midday nap
Haiku #45
She stood there waiting
next to the cherry blossoms
until the sun set
Kamikochi
Breathing in the fresh mountain air,
I absorb the landscape before me.
Standing tall beneath the wispy clouds,
the mountain embraces the river.
Sandy brown, granite gray,
with streams of white pebbles
flowing down the slopes.
Flowing to
a richer part of the mountain
covered with yellow-green grass,
surrounded by auburn trees,
next to the white pebble beach
by the blue-green water.
The sun shines throughout.
Standing on Kappa Bridge,
I look dull in comparison,
for I am only one color,
the color of my skin.
However, when standing next
to my brothers and sisters
from all over the world,
we are also part of nature’s beauty,
varying colors standing together,
living in harmony.
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year everyone! I’m excited to announce that my haiku won 3rd place in the 2017 Tokutomi Haiku Contest. It was my first time writing with a kigo, so it was a fun challenge 
I look forward to writing more haiku in 2018.
first morning sunrise
shines through the open window
spotless countertop
To learn more about the contest, see last year’s winners, and learn about the Yuki Teikei Haiku Society, visit: www.youngleaves.org
May your 2018 be blessed and beautiful!
Whisperings 