bees & boxes

bees rest on blossoms
faint summer steps do not wake
the sleeping garden. - tsl

Haiki baffled me when it was first introduced in English class way back when. My instructor explained it in a way that, once we began to read examples then attempted to create our own, eventually made me view these poems with distance disinterest. Into a box they went along with the poor grades I received for my “clumsy” constructions. So when I found myself piecing together 5-7-5 patterns of words while resting in my treehouse many moons later (enamored was I with not just the view but also a man), a familiarity I could not shake came over me. No longer contained in that box with a teacher’s name long forgotten, haiku had stepped out for us to get reacquainted.

Like so much of my creativity, I color outside the lines as I live outside of the box. What I mean is I have a healthy respect for the instruction it takes to learn various art forms; respect, admire and even own the works of those who have studied and mastered their craft. I never set myself on a path to become an artist/writer/photographer however they were waiting for me to find that part of me as I traverse my life journey. When we met, self-expression became the teacher allowing me to experiment with words and different art mediums. I bring forth what is innate, not what is contained in that box of a house drawn with a square base, triangle roof, and a swirl of smoke coming from a rectangle chimney… you know the one filled with judgment, restrictions and “just like the rest” creativity if creativity even actually resides there. Maybe you live here…where was I going with this? Oh yeah…

I recently purchased a book of haiku and was quite surprised to find it filled with several poems of three lines that did not add up to seventeen syllables. An affirmation that perhaps there is something to seeing beyond the rules and lessons in order to find creative expression? For some, absolutely! Maybe I can’t call my simple constructions “haiku” however, I am inspired to write (and paint and take photos and collage and…) because they exist. You should be too.

And if you own that property I spoke of, climb on out, put that house on the market, unlock your creative spirit and…

keep your peepers open! ®