I would like to offer you two haiku/senryu from me this week.
The first is based on one of my favourite places to go for a walk. About 40 minutes walk from my house is a piece of protected land. It’s very marshy, which I always find strange, given that I have had a steep walk up the hills to get to it. In this marshland you will find three or four ponds, depending on the weather.
Spring is my favourite time to visit the ponds. Over the last few weeks the frogs have been making their presence felt. There are so many frogs that there are warning signs on the roads around the area, warning cars that these roads might be heavily populated by frogs heading to the ponds. If you take a certain road near me, you’ll find barriers which are closed to block traffic as it’s frog breeding season. It always makes me chuckle!
So in honour of the frogs:
the pond
vibrates with song
copulating frogs
I worry that I am telling too much with the last line, but for the time being, I can’t think of another version.
My next offering is a senryu dedicated to my favourite football team, Crystal Palace. I grew up in London so close to their stadium that I could sit in my garden and hear the oo’s and ah’s of the crowd and share their jubilation when they scored. Supporting them is like riding a roller coaster though, many, many ups and downs.
Palace play in the English football premier league. Most seasons they lose so many matches that they are in danger of going down a league. This season was no different and with two matches to go they finally secured their place in the premier league for next season. Not only that but they won their match 5-0. Those of us who follow them can breath again. I dedicate this to my fellow Eagles fans:
our eagle watches
from the crystal palace
drying tears
If you support a particular sports team, I hope that they give you a much easier time.
