Listen!
from the mouth of this tree
––whose voice?
Implied in this question is that there is something we hear beyond what we can see. Like a dream, the song is something we can experience and feel, but cannot hold.
Is the tree a vehicle for the song, or is it dreaming the song into existence? Is the song the gift of a bird? Or is this Gaia’s or God’s voice singing through the tree?
Which then is the singer and which is the song…?
Perhaps the song, to quote Robert Bly, is here for its own joy!
Inherent in haiku are references to nested circles, cycles, and seasons. The “limited but unbounded” form of the platter is both a reference to this tenet of the genre and acknowledgment of our continuous capacity for learning, that even within the sounds of the forest there is greatness yet to be discovered.
Part of the wonder of these small poems is that they seem to grow with us. Layers of meaning appear with the passing of years, and revisiting the poems we see our own awakening reflected in their spare words and simple images.
Enjoy!
Words and Imagery Copyright 2013 Harry D. Hudson
