Haiku

Too beautiful—a sometimes haiku

Big pohutukawa tree in front of a still blue harbour, yachts, and two humans talking in the sun
~ Rachel McAlpine ~ Leave a comment
Photo of blue boat houses, calm water, yachts, houses on a hill
Wellington harbour in autumn

Sometimes the beauty
of my home world
is too big to bear

Big pohutukawa tree in front of a still blue harbour, yachts, and two humans talking in the sun
All my life this planet has been a people playground. Starting from scratch, who could have imagined a home town as perfect as this?

Rachel McAlpine CC BY 2.0

Only a shadow—a sometimes haiku

Photo of NZ mountain cabbage tree with large shadow
~ Rachel McAlpine ~ Leave a comment
Shadow of a creature like a hare beside a pole
A remarkable shadow of who knows what?

Sometimes only a shadow
shows the loveliness
of the thing

Yellow recycling bag casts an appealing shadow
Glimpse the glory of recycling
Photo of NZ mountain cabbage tree with large shadow
A Toi or New Zealand mountain cabbage tree, flaunting its glorious shadow

Rachel McAlpine CC BY 2.0

Your fingers — a haiku

Young man in black robe arranges ferns on the white-painted back of a young Butoh dancer
~ Rachel McAlpine ~ Leave a comment
Young man in black robe arranges ferns on the white-painted back of a young Butoh dancer
Ikebana friend and Butoh friend preparing for a photo shoot in a Kyoto garden, 1992

your fingers
fronding my spine—
green waters

Haiku written in a workshop at Palmerston North on Valentine’s Day 2019. Poem and photo cc by 2.0 Rachel McAlpine: copy and share as you please, with attribution.