Haiku Invitation
This week’s haiku invitation is to write a haiku or senryu about a seasonal insect. Share your haiku in the comments below, or post on your page and link back. I can’t wait to read what you write!
Written for Mark at Week 21: Silkworms and A Flower Moon The 21st week of
2024 brings the Solar Term of Grain Buds and the micro-season of silkworms
feasting on mulberry leaves. Basho, Issa, Buson, …
Yesterday, husband and I drove to the countryside to see the first fireflies emerge
and start the season. It’s still early, so not expecting too much we set off.
We ended up in a lovely little town wetland called Itsukushima Shissei Park (not to
be confused with the famous Itsukushima Island in Hiroshima Bay in Western Japan.
Itsukushima, within Kanagawa Prefecture, (Eastern Japan) was built to restore and
preserve wetlands (considered rare because of the freshwater produced).
Inside the park, there is a large pond surrounded by greenery and a wooden walkway
that stretches over the pond. Visitors can walk on it to enjoy the surrounding plants.
Fireflies can be spotted over the pond in summer, which makes the park a popular
spot for firefly viewing.
Perfect!
An entire park
beaming with activity
for the fireflies
*
Water lilies wait
tall bamboo sway lightly
the pond frogs excite
*
Only the fittest
were in attendance
on opening night
*
under soft drizzle
the fireflies weren’t ready
for a rendezvous
*
Much ado about
what really matters in life:
peace and harmony
© selma
There was a matsuri going on, with vendors and kind people that made one want
to taste everything. But when it got dark, everyone got down to the business of
trying to spot the bugs–We saw a few and were pleasantly serenaded by frogs.
A tremendously pleasant time was had… wish you were there…
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A lovely day spent with nature. Loved your Haikus.
So thrilled you enjoyed the post dear Sadje.
Happy pilgrimage to you. (Soon —I forget when, but I think soon. Enjoy).
Thank you dear Selma. 2 weeks left till we start.
Beautiful Itsukushima Shissei Park,.
Lovely photos. Great photography. Nice your Haikus. I like. You are lucky joyful day spent. Have a good night Selma!
Thanks so much dear friend. Good night.
Welcome my dear friend, Selma! Same to you.
Hi Selma, What a wonderful outing! So much material to capture in photos and in verse! Thanks for sharing!
It was fantastic, Mark. I was locked up all last week. Couldn’t make it out to places I wanted to visit, like your blog to write about bamboo shoots. And things. So this outing was special. Thanks for reading. Thanks for promoting me to share. Thanks for appreciating. Xo bless you.
Sounds like a lovely trip.
Yes it was amazing. A bit early for the fireflies but they are coming out to mate. Thanks for reading. Diana. Blessings.
❤️💯
ohh, it all sounds so lovely and soul-nourishing
Soul nourishing and health balancer it was. Thanks Beth.
Wow. Thank you for the vicarious journey. Loved it!!
Delighted to share it with you Dawn. Blessings and Good night.
Blessings right back to ya Caribbean queen 🙏🏽🎉🙏🏽
We both wrote about fireflies.😊
‘Tis the season 👏🏽
You are inspirational, lady 🙏
Love all your haikus and photos, Selma. I love the sense of nature’s unfolding beauty in your haikus. I enjoyed.
So pleased you enjoyed dear friend. 🤗
I’ve only seen fireflies once or twice in my life, but how beautiful they were! ✨
This is the season for seeing them, Ingrid. Very short time. Go to a clean stream or pond with overgrown weeds and catch them. A little drizzle is nice too. Oh, we see them every year here.
But that you’ve seen them at least once. That’s great. 👏🏽
Enjoy 😉
I love fireflies.
Me too. 🤗
lovely Selma (K)
🤗
What a lovely outing it must have been! Your beautiful haiku are a testament to that. ❤️
Thanks sweet Pae 😜
Lol. This is the first time my name has been shortened to “Pae”! 😂
You are welcome.
Wanted to call you sweet Pea 🫛 but then the spelling …
Hope it’s not offensive. 😜
Haha! Not at all. You can call me anything you like. 😊❤️
Very lovely haiku Selma. Great that you were able to get out and enjoy nature and view fireflies. Thank you for sharing your experience. 🙂
Hi Selma, I love your haikus and photos, and would love to visit that park. How beautiful nature can be! 🩷
Fireflies are so special! Seeing them makes me giddy. Love the line about what really matters in life:
peace and harmony… and fireflies. 🙂
And fireflies. Yup. Yup! Fo shur ¡! Thanks so much for reading