This New Year’s Day, in addition to the traditional Ozoni meal, sake toast, and oseichi meal, we had a group challenge to submit their First or “Hatsu” haiku of the new year. All participated and for some, this was their first haiku they composed. Subjects ranged from preparing for the NewYear’s meal, fireworks and feelings for the year to come. We voted for the top haikus, enjoyed listening to the compositions and, hopefully, will have more haiku created over the course of this year I wrote the lead haiku for this selection, but this is the group’s composition. All agreed to submitting this to Bamboo Ridge.
With Toshi Koshi
Fireworks then haiku,
we greet the New Year.
Pressure cooker fun,
Nothing but the burst for me!
Ready, steady, GO!
Carefully unroll,
Adorn red paper garlands,
Quickly, light, run, bang!
Deafening thunder
Shreds of red paper flying
Roar of a New Year.
Morning sounds wake me
The neighborhood chicken caws
“Where is my first meal?”
Silently I sit,
Next to sound of purring cat
And welcome new year.
Twenty twenty five
Oligarchs and Kabuki
Lanikai refuge.
Dream of Africa
Could the animals survive?
Yes free and joyful.
1 January 2025
Great way to unfold the New Year! Happy to have a part in it.
Sorry, I only meant to submit this once. You can delete the duplicate post. Mahalo