Awake at night—
~Basho
The sound of the water jar
Cracking in the cold.
As a mindfulness practice, Haiku, the elegant Japanese three-line poem consisting of five syllables in the first and final lines and seven syllables in the middle line, anchors us in the present as we telescope in on the details of a mundane moment. Try writing a poem every day this month- magnifying the intimacy and nuance of being awake and alive right here, right now, and experience the joy of haiku. International peace and reconciliation builder Professor John Paul Lederach wrote a Haiku a day for a year. Read his 2020 “unfolding poem” for inspiration.