Zen Course Haiku

Introduction:

These haiku and neo-haiku offerings are from a number of students in the course "Zen Buddhism and Japanese Culture and Society" at the University of Texas at Austin, Spring 1998.
While traditional haiku have a set syllable format (5-7-5) and seasonal words, there were no restrictions imposed on subject matter or form. Traditional and non-traditional haiku were used as points of departure, with the only directive being that some essence of experience/insight/association etc. needs to shine forth from the language and images used.

To those students that participated in this 'challenge,' thank you for your energy, insight, and poems!

J.Nelson, Instructor


*********
A fat old turtle
lives in Pease Park.
You're lucky to see his tail!

Remembering last Christmas.
Then, too, I wrote poems
And wept for your love.

Passing students ignore
The songbird's joyous lecture.
- M.A.


walk, walk,
stop a while
walk again

rock sits
turtle just be there
I walk too much

Seen the unexpected
it only passed me by
nothing left behind
- A.S.


The Clinton Scandal
Is terribly important,
But my cats don' care.

Climbing the screen like
A human fly, my cat
who cannot get outside.
- J.F.


Cold Mountain snow falls,
Mind is forgotten slowly,
Melting flake by flake.

Bird on a tree branch,
The caterpillar crawling.
Who will be seen first?

Moon light in the sky,
Looking at it I see
a face very much like my own.
- M.M.

Hiccup...
Hiccup...
Spring beer sings a song.
In my cup, a fly swims for shore.

In the footprint of a tiger,
A blue beetle rolls
a ball of shit.

Alone on a log,
Miles from here,
A dragon fly stares me in the eye.
- S.W.

Even the rush hour
of the subway:
I miss it too.

Better than
any medicine,
my dear friends.

After the rain,
in the morning sun,
dewdrops sparkle.

- H.I.

The beat taps me on the shoulder
My feet get colder,
So a bird gives me a dripping feather.

I followed the sway,
But she walked farther away.

The robin hopped off,
Right onto the rose,
When the tree leaned over,
The root's moon showed.

- J.M.

The old man has died,
The woods now empty
for the bugs and weeds.

Make roux,
boil the rice,
South Louisiana breathes.

Fishing the stream,
I present the fly,
fish don't bite.
- J.K.

City growls with might
Through the cracks of the sidewalk,
Shoots of grass growing.

Laundry room's noise, heat,
Lint, crickets chirp and mingle,
Respite from the rain.

Pa doom doom tss tss!
Sunday's children bobbing heads,
Hip Hop sounds abound.

Allah and Buddah
Meet for a good game of golf,
I forget who wins.

- M.W.



Oh Wilfred Brimley!
Mysterious, forgotten,
Teach me of the oats!

What is there to do?
I want to go to the zoo.
Where monkeys do it.

Wonderous pudding,
Is there room for Barry White,
Or his duodenum?

- P.K.

Suprised by Baskin Robbin's sign,
31 flavors of ice cream,
31st year of my life coming up soon,
Dazzling green.

Paper due next week,
Bonkura life starts this summer,
my hair grows,
could cut it short.

Yoji farts,
the blue flame,
near tattered jeans.

- Y.A.

Black for streaks across the grass,
Shining web surrounds,
dew drops.

Children's screams of delight,
Bright colors floating in the wind,

Dainty red blossoms
Delicious delights,
How long have they been there?
Gone tomorrow.
- S.S.

Blue sky, white clouds,
Blue bonnets around us
Fragrance.

An old tree with falling bark
Lonely in the rain,
New grass growing.

Wrinkled old skin
Bright eyes
The wind blows the flame out,
Nothing remains.

- M.S.


me watching the snow
slumped in front of the TV
ignoring nature

welcome to arby's
may i take your order please?
no. now? no. now? no.

chocolate easter eggs
seventy-five percent off
creamy Buddha filling

snowmen always dance
on the winter's last full moon
i'm lying- they melt
- C.M.

THE PEACH TREE IN FULL BLOOM,
BUDDHA SLEEPS.

ON ZEN ACTION, ZEN PERSON,
THE BEER BOTTLE
PERCHING,.........
EMPTY.

IN THE WARMTH OF THE SUN
I EAT THE PEACH
WHICH ATE THE FLOWER
WHICH ABSORBED THE SUN
WHICH WILL EAT THE EARTH
AFTER IT EATS ITSELF,
I BURP THE UNIVERSE.
- L.C.

Having not seen Buddha
who lives next door,
maybe I'll climb over
and borrow his shovel.

The stove leaks gas
highway white noise
I think no me and no you

Cows graze in the meadow
Flies buzz in my ear
Moo...moo..

Never mind the slippery slope
Of enlightenment:
My pen runs on and on

- L.K.

Mariposa
bien bonita roa
quiero verte

expanse of freshly
plowed field full of black soft earth
in-- my toes fit perfectly

walking outside
sun clouds air grass
my dog misses and pees on my shoe

crickets chirping are
scary at night when I try
to sleep but I sleep
- I.P.

It is the brightest green
grass and trees after the rain
breathing and living

makeup, new clothes, hair
preparing for the big one
who am I really

tossing and turning
bad pictures sleeping at night
happily living

kaze ga fuku
mimi o sumaseba
uta wo kiku
- B.B.

The alarm blares loudly,
I roll over to face you,
and my heart aches.

For breakfast today,
I ate toast and yogurt.
So, why do I feel bloated?

A large, concrete building
on Airport Boulevard, brings
plastic temptation.

You annoy me now,
always being there.
And I don't want you.
- A.P.

Water flowing in,
fish delight in its coolness.
Why can't I be hot?

Kitty, kitty, cat
sleek, slender, dancing tonight
under the moon light.

Ah, the darkness is,
stars laughing, bells ringing, love.
Which way to my home?

Mind full, Mind empty
Knowledge, bliss, ignorance, null.
Is the truth, truthful?

- S.B.


Sirens outside at midnight
dog howls,
cars pass,
sirens sing.

On 38th Street,
hearing the cars pass
reminds me of childhood-
ocean waves at summertime.

Cat runs, stops, runs-
he says, "she is full of piss and vinegar" we laugh.

Too early to listen to the
alarm screech,
sleepy eyes open.

- D.M.

bulging eyes still as
little pieces make the whole
the rock on which they sit.
wandering eyes
light breeze. quick tongue.
a snake.

little bald head,
Skinny needles,
machines watching bones
thin branch
drifting through my interior
reaching low.
my feet sink quickly into the soft
stone robes open to the
bottom of the ocean
sun.
- A.T.

Sunlight shining on the tree,
The leaves look like stars.

Small house
Taking a look
>>From the top of a hill

The descending sun
through the silhouettes
Of tree branches

Cackle of bird calls,
The green water trudges slowly on

- D.L.


Leaves I saw today
Forgotten with the sunset,
A million blossoms.

Cold tea in my mug
reminds me of the hour.
- M.B.

perched upon that black
plastic tree nothing moved not
the leopard or me

the early yellow
danced leaves behind
the closed blind
- ?


Nelson teaches us
Dreaming of butter rivers
I doze in my chair.

On Top Mount Bonnel
The moon traverses the sky
Traverses my mind.

Cool night in Austin
Riding my bike through the streets
The wind in my face.
- M.S.

Cars flash by...
Here on my bike,
riding with
the hum of cicadas

A ladybug
climbing up my leg,
stops to rest,
then continues
- D.W.

Redness from the body flows
No life was begun
This curse is God-sent.

Deep down melancholy eyes
wandering the blue
Blindness after awhile.

Ecstatic sweetness
sliding past your touch
Glowing embers burning hot.

Cover of stars glistening
to hold back my tears
A welcome mat my pillow.

Little bee of poetry
yearning to break free
How do your feathers fly?
- L.P.

Summer passes
Like a stone: hot, slow, with great
discomfort;
and comes again.

do bluebonnets have
little bells that only
nature hears?
- A.D.

choreography
skyscrapers drive elusive
broadcasts hazard me


outside surgical
steel voyeurs photograph a
slave's evolution

pressure stops vision
surgical breath crawls visible
accidental weeds

mechanics decline
cyber-riffic glory eats
children stop breakfast
- A.M.

icy grey rain falls
the sun slept in this morning
what time is it now?

she starts her ascent
stars linger to catch a glimpse
bees die for their queen

night sky departing
the earth waits with bated breath
butterfly reborn

the salmon have left
two suns meet at two oceans
time to eat supper

beautiful goddess
slowly takes leave in the west
the moon looks alone
- J.J.

Seriously
This same monk returns
No Mu

April third
After heating the water
Light falls away

April seventh
After heating the water
Light falls away

Grackles walk close by
This dried-up stick does not move
Shall we make some tea?
- R.H.

The cold grips me
I lose my grip on the pen
Labor talks marijuana

My girlfriend gabs on
as my Hindu grade drops with
all her welcome words

The cool spring night air
cools the bottom of my feets
as I scratch my nuts
- T.B.

i wanted some words
words from a video store
but now i'm alone

bookcase of colors
bookcase of the stuff we like
but no firetrucks

just the beginning
but they don't come anymore
but i'm not alone
- E.V.S.

The trees are blowing,
Nelson speaks,
I am tired.

I practice Zazen
legs in pain
cats need food.

The five occurs first
then the three
then again.
- M.G.

Blades of grass
Plane above
Ants working

Students walk by
Unaware
The squirrel gathers nuts

This pen on paper
Only words
Small rafts on the white ocean
- N.P.

Always, Eternal
Raindrops fall on my porch steps,
the Sound of the Sea

a Fire roars into the Night,
the screaming voices go unheard,
it is only a dream

a Sound awakens me,
it is only the Wind;
Buddha is breathing
- J.V.


The stars fall from the sky
The sun rises to end night
The cycle of life begins anew

Raindrops glisten on the green grass
An ant crawls to his home
Morning light brings life to the night
- M.H.

Perky blonde ponytail,
follow me!

Foxy leaf falling
Cartwheeling in color,
right on past.

Cideon bellows,
Bevo farts,
The class bell rings.

Yawn, and I will come,
Call and I will go,
Either way, you're staying here!
- J.A.

Tall grass survives the storm,
While mighty oaks perish,
soft and yielding overcomes strength.

A woman passionately invites
some say deny lust,
I do what feels right.

Mother taught me to eat with manners,
because that is the right way,
Now I eat with my fingers,
out of the can, over the sink.
- E.P.

Understanding music,
drone of an open summer field,
buzz of a transformer.

Old record scratches,
carry an infinite warmth,
sounds from cars on bridges.
- J.B.

Standing in the evening fog,
the headlights glistening around me.
I smile--damp, but happy.


I went into the country
to find the quiet.
All I found was the chirping of crickets.


Breathe deeply from the "mist"
at the crowded city corner.
Cough, wheeze--car exhaust.


I speak in furious anger
at the rain.
Windshield wipers do no good.

Lightning flashes through my bedroom window. Blue glows erupt around me.
I can sleep happy.
- B.B.

Sun and sky in you,
Burst forth in dazzling array,
Beaming from your eyes.

The cold Night knows not
Unless the whirling comet
Tells it of the Day.

The wind knows secrets
Spreading the word to all men
The fire races on.
- D.B.

There hangs suspended in the light
Something I can't catch
Is it my thoughts, no, no,
It's just dust.

An ant crawls across the floor,
what a long journey,
And what exotic and beautiful scenery
we must provide.
- B.H.