On Tuesday evening I participated in a free webinar from Highlights with Lesléa Newman called “Poetry to Soothe the Soul”. During the presentation, I realized I had picked up one of her books at NCTE last fall, October Mourning. I went on a search for it and found it and have been reading. It’s a verse novel about the killing of Matthew Shephard. Her use of short form and repetition is affective in that book.
The Patrol Officer’s Report
two thin white tear tracks
Lesléa Newman, October Mourning
one red swollen blood-caked face
this is someone’s child
With us, she shared her own Pandemic Haiku. Her homework assignment was to write our own. I had written a haiku a few weeks ago and sent in a soundbite of me reading it to Alan Nakagawa’s sound collage commissioned by OCMA, Social Distance, Haiku, and You! This week I received a link to all the creative sound recordings. They had more than 500 entries. My haiku is included in Part B. Posted here if you choose to listen.
Loss of who we were before
Waiting for new life
-Margaret Simon
On Wednesday, I collected moments throughout my day in haiku. Here is my collection:
Pandemic Haiku
In a viral time,
let us be grateful for this:
Breath. Green. Life.Early morning sun
slant of light through cypress shades
welcoming hummersWalks with Leo
are a wander, meander
See dat, dat, and dat?Chalk art on sidewalks
greet passersby with colors
“This too shall pass!”A new duck tenant
three eggs today lay
in the wood duck house.Seven green-gold charms
chrysalis-haven for wings
to magically form.Watching my screen
I see Chloe, Rylee, you
in your own kitchen.Don’t know what will be
Margaret Simon, draft 4/22/20
when the viral storm calms down
I hope for a hug.
Reflections on the Teche 
This recording is beautiful. I like hearing all the voices and the tones in them and the words. So many great haiku. “Waiting for new life” is a great line. Yes, we all are. Thank goodness for wood ducks, too.
This sounds like a wonderful webinar and inspiring way to collaborate. The recording was so peaceful and I loved hearing all of the different voices read their poems – and 500 entries! Amazing! The last line in your first haiku: Breath. Green. Life. Aren’t those such precious gifts that we sometimes take for granted?
These are wonderful haiku, Margaret. I especially like the one you submitted and the first one from Wednesday. Ok, Leo’s haiku is also a favorite 🙂 Who can resist “dat, dat, and dat”? I haven’t written much haiku lately. It’s such a powerful daily practice. Thanks for the reminder and for sharing.
I was thinking of you and your nighttime acrostics. I was writing haiku in my sleepless moments.
Thank you for taking me through your day with haiku. It was a beautiful journey and I especially liked walking with Leo. I don’t know him, but if he is like my grandson, you captured him well. I hope for hugs, too!
So much living, wonder, and beauty in your haiku of gratitude – that’s exactly what I sense while reading it. And oh – the patrol officer’s report – Newman’s words wrench the heart. Doesn’t take many words to pierce clean through.
Your Tuesday-Wednesday haiku dive sounds like it was filling and inspiring, Margaret. Your day-in-haiku is a cool idea–exercising the attention as well as the body.
It’s a nice thing to start this morning with the lovely voices sharing, Margaret. And I love your own day, so happy you have that walk with Leo. I was afraid you might be missing him during this time. Have a wonderful weekend looking for goodness!
I keep thinking this is the time for Mary Lee’s #haikuforhope and healing, but haven’t had any success writing haiku during quarantine. I’m glad you have and have shared them with us. They are full of hope. Sending you a virtual hug!
Lovely haiku to track your day. Even in the midst of so much tragedy and fear, there are still bright spots of hope.
Margaret, I may be late to some PF readings but starting my day off with your post gets me ready for #QuarantineLife. My masked wonders, husband and son, just left for their grocery tour. I am playing around with a found poem for my quarantine life based on your glorious words.
Nature and family sing in your “Pandemic Haiku” Margaret. Thanks for sharing the Social Distance Haiku recordings–quite a range of comments… I liked many of them”exploding bird song/I borrow their wings” and “global pandemic/yet the birds sing joyfully/two realities”
I love your haiku journal! I want to do that again!