Thursday Haiku

Dripping from my pen
my Thursday haiku gathers
form and satisfies

©Jemverse

Picture – ‘Half Moon Bridge’ by Yoshida Toshi (1940)

Life-words-haiku

Sometimes a haiku
Gives all the words that I need
to make life complete

©Jemverse

Picture – ‘Hayase’ by Yoshida Hiroshi (1933)

Writing at night II

I've been up half the night
as sleep wouldn't come
so I took up my pen
til the morning begun

And wrote down the words
that this page now reveals
as when slumber resists
this writing, it heals

Then as the light grows
and the day takes a hold
I read back the lines
and the story I've told

And most of the time
with no exception today
I know that my words
will have something to say

So I'll keep on writing
by day or by night
as when slumber fails
I can at least write

©Jemverse

Photo – Jempics

Nightwrite II

I couldn't sleep
so wrote instead
to get the words
out from my head
The night was hot
the air was still
and slumber failed
completely 'til
the early hours
and cooler times
when I had written
all my lines

©Jemverse

Photo – Jempics

Jemaiku #1

Syllabic sequence crafted
something that I love
for poetic syntax here
in verse to cherish
and to capture life's essence
in just a few words

©Jemverse

Photo – Jempics

I have long held a deep admiration, respect and fascination with the ancient art of both Japanese and Haitian poetry; specific syllabic sequencing to form short thematic poems. Some for purpose, some for pleasure, some for the simple joy of words. So I thought I’d develop my own, and here’s the first. I’ve called it ‘Jemaiku’ (Pro: “jem-eye-coo”), a six-line non-rhyming stanza with a syllabic sequence of 7, 5, 7, 5, 7, 5.

Something Jack said

"Are you still writing each day"
Jack said and I grinned
for when wouldn't I
like the blow of the wind
For winds are like breathing
I need them to live
and craft them to lines
the syntax to give
The writing my solace
my 'raison d'être'
and the rest you all know
with my poems right there

©Jemverse

Photo – Jempics

New book, nice pen

I have a new book
to write poems in
It'll last me three months or so
as I scribble away
writing words by the day
to capture what life has to show

And I have a nice pen
which does well for me
so I ensure I have refills to spare
as although contribution
it's no substitution
to write with a pen with no care

For it's all about flow
and a passion for life
and the things that I see around me
so with each iteration
from that inspiration
my words when they're crafted set free

©Jemverse

Photo – Jempics

Painting Poetry

The poet wrote a poem
to capture what he saw
just a few lines of simple verse
to have and hold in store

As there will be those moments
when as Wordsworth said
vacant or a pensive mood
will be the thing instead

And then there is the pleasure
to recollect those lines
and rekindle just a little
of the moment and these times

For this it is the privilege
the poet has to give
with words just like a picture
to celebrate and live

And always may that be the case
especially for me
as words they are my colours
as I paint my poetry

©Jemverse

Picture – Jempics (via ProCreate for iPad)

The forbidden word

Yes I know it’s a word

which for me’s rarely hidden

yet as I use it so much

my wife has forbidden

But I really can’t help it

so here as a poet

I’ll resist but I’m tempted

so much, don’t you know it!

…

For example today

on my bench for a while

I sat in the sunshine

which brought on a smile

and there in an instant

is the ‘S’ word again

brought in to rhyme

in this little refrain

…

And though it’s so short

just five letters long

it conveys so much

so its usage is strong

The emotion it carries

is second to none

so here for a poet

what’s done is done

…

So I’m sorry my dear

but try hard as a I might

the use of a smile is

my poet’s birthright

and as what I do

in the words from my pen

is regale the nice things

that I see now and then…

…

…I’m afraid that its use

is inevitable here

as it always describes

the joy and the cheer

that every so often

every once in a while

captures the happiness

born of a smile

©Jemverse

Photo – Jempics

Place to rhyme

My best words it seems flow freely

when the small hours take a hold

when everything is quiet

and my pen does what it’s told

Relays the words I want to say

about the things I’ve done

about what I am feeling

when I’m happy or I’m glum

Thankfully, I’m pleased to say

the latter’s rare these days

scarce is there the need to

remediate malaise

For as a poet ‘joie de vivre’

is a mantra I live by

as there’s so much to be thankful for

and rarely time to cry

So here in the small hours are

some more words from my pen

which find their way from what I see

around me now and then

And with pleasure that will never wane

each find their place in line

as I formulate the syntax

and find the place to rhyme

©Jemverse

Photo – Jempics