sun behind clouds
a stranger not yet open
to kindness
_______________
Father's Day
I sign the card and
give it to myself
_______________
popsicle stick
the past still tastes
purple
_______________
apple tree
I give it a shake
and forgive myself
_______________
Robert Epstein is a licensed psychologist who lives and works in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has edited several anthologies: The Breath of Surrender: A Collection of Recovery-Oriented Haiku; Dreams Wander On: Contemporary Poems of Death Awareness; and The Temple Bell Stops: Contemporary Poems of Grief, Loss and Change; as well as two books of haiku: Checkout Time is Noon: Death Awareness Haiku; and A Walk Around Spring Lake: Haiku. He is currently editing another anthology, The Sacred in Contemporary Haiku, due to be released in 2014.
These are very emotional verses. The first holds an aura of hope, the second is so sad, yet evocative of what is becoming normal in society today. The purple popsicle is a reminder that our past is always with us, hopefully in such a happy way. The apple tree is a reminder that mistakes are part of human history and have been since the beginning. This is a very rich read for me. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThe stages of man, however many;some beautifully captured here. Great themes eloquently written. Enjoyed. Ralph
ReplyDeleteHello, Robert! I have thoroughly enjoyed your Haiku/Senryu. I don't know how I missed them! Very interesting and clever! Sheri
ReplyDeleteDear Robert,
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot of humanity and wisdom in these haiku/ senryu you have written. I enjoyed reading your work and thank you for sharing your thought provoking words with us.
Sandra