HAIKU

BY

TAO TAMMES

PART ONE

HOWMORE

This is a collection of poems in Japanese style, called Haiku.

They were written between 1970 and 1980, and are translated partially from Dutch, and partially from German.

I am to blame for all the mistakes.

A Haiku is a short poem, where the poet has to get the season of the year in, as well as the message, something strange, remarkable, touching.

You are allowed a line of five syllables, then a line of seven, finishing with a line of five.

Since my haiku’s are translations, it was not always possible to adhere strictly to that rule, but I have tried my best.

This book is dedicated to Jochen.

Made in South Uist by

RIVERHOUSE PUBLISHERS

©COPYRIGHT BY

TAO TAMMES

Casa Azul

Porto do Paul

Pernes

2000-500

Portugal

I was staring up

through the darkened branches

when the lightning struck

The endless canal

another goodbye

alone again

You came today

you will have no shadow

in the coming dark

After the cold night

passed, the dog called out

the rain streaming

The rain whispered

about the glorious rainbow

sky-high, so big, so big

A suspicion of

disappearing, snow on

a warm spring day

A smoking chimney

a flowering apple tree

nothing is unreal

Up and up, your way

leads past prickly bushes which

capture your load

So many words to

define it, none to match

it exactly

When you float with the

clouds, you might hit your nose

on a passing bird

A long way to go

no village to be seen

but the singing bird!

A silvery tear

hanging by a golden thread

- a drop from the tap

Oh stupid donkey!

you carry yourself on your

own back

When the wives

are quarrelling, run

and hide, little man

The laughing teeth of

this winter’s snow, watch out now

spring is calling!

The full moon shining

over the empty valley

greetings from a sheep

Soft radio tunes

sea breeze through open windows

-hello butterfly!

Playing the flute

echo from surrounding hills

and more?

Shadows within shadows

hiding under the tree in

this full moon night

Sea breeze touching

my hair, sunlight through branches

-such sweet happiness

Being lonely

beside the summer sea

but not alone

Just that strong breeze

and me. Greetings in a strange

language- this world!

Not enough to tell

but too much to ignore

what a dilemma!

Again and again

victims of terror, everywhere

old, poor, hopeless

Why are you laughing?

sunset follows sunrise

why are you crying?

Tortured by the

Germans, lasting damage

scars and broken minds

Do they matter, the

ones who don’t care?

surely they do!

A pen writes words

on pristine paper, me

looking, amazed

First I wrote with

a pencil, now with a pen

that’s how it goes

To stop my spinning,

tired head, I hit it like

an alarm clock

Utterly empty

the day, but full the evening

-a god arrived

When it becomes

totally quiet, I will tell you

- are you listening?

A red sun over

a green field, a horse munching

from a tree, oh no!

Sometimes a word

sometimes silence

but you don’t hear

you don’t see

Still light in the dusk

radiant the heavens, a star

dreaming softly

When you go real slow

you might just see that flower

opening – hello!

Girl looking at me

one eye old, one eye young

how can that be?

Year upon year pass

the sun rises, the sun sets

what a waste

Oh, cold summer wind

and you, warm summer sun

-why do you disturb me?

Breathing in, once

and breathing out again

twice? A miracle!

So often am I

searching for stillness, the death

don’t give peace

Between the dark clouds

I watch an unexpected

full moon, look there!

Suddenly there

were two policemen

just around midnight

A branch strokes

my hair, a dog follows me

-did I expect that?

My tears in the night

when I am all alone

falling so softly

A suppressed shout

visible in your eyes

old man, and in mine

Sparrows are playing

in the city’s morning mist

-as are the children

The weak mid-winter

sun, shining so rarely

makes people smile

Twilight so poor, that

morning mist and evening haze

are all the same

You think I can’t laugh

you think I can’t smile?

just you wait and see!

With a full stomach

you become very aware

of the gravity

A crying sparrow

so very unlikely

but it’s not raining

He opened his

mouth after a long silence

-and then closed it!

The full summer moon,

noisy birds in the night, does

the pond ever sleep?

Can’t you hear it,

how the sea calls? Come on,

I will carry you away

Always the sound of

the sea, endless the rolling

waves, and sunshine!

The sun shone just

as he closed his eyes

on this rainy day

For a streetlight

When I’m alight at

night I think: was the sun always

shining, I’d be retired

Are birds grateful

that they can fly?

-they just do it

A radiant smile

-goes straight to the heart,

full of golden light

People try not to

look for what they should

be looking for

There is no-one

passing on the highways

but on the small tracks

To me you seem to

be full of radiant light and

almost like glass

First autumn morning

falling leaf, and early frost

no one notices yet

Look, a falling leaf

there is one down already

what do they do together?

Mist rising from the

canal in the grey of dawn

-keep sleeping, fishes

Motionless the reeds

for so long, do you know their

voiceless singing?

Suddenly love

comes, just like that, it seems

hardly possible

At a party late

into the night, waiting

for you to smile

Darkened greyness

days full of rain, autumn

-what doesn’t die grows

Through the surrounding

morning mists I’m on my way

to work this early

Grey fog outside

and behind tired eyes

grey fog inside

Freezing water fresh

from such icy world, I

have to sneeze

The world turns so dark

before my tired eyes, when

the sun goes to bed

In the fullness of

night, my whole mind flows out

-just like that!

Believing what is

believable, or may be

don’t believe

The clock ticks away

as regular as clockwork

-still it escapes

Through a sea of words

I’m getting nearer and nearer

learning to understand

When it could be just

like that! how nice would

it be, how nice

You look totally

unaware and surprised

-but nothing else

After the market

the filling of wheelie bins

in warm autumn sun

Amazed I can

see my own trail behind me

-in the virgin snow

Softly falling snow

gently spreading silence

how beautiful!

Long spells of illness

lonely battles, not

knowing against what

How nice it would

be if you came visiting

and I could kiss you

Water in the bowl

water outside the bowl, who

makes the difference?

I move the switch,

it get’s dark, why does that

happen at all?

She stares at me

hanging low over the field

that full winter moon

The moon mirrors in

the dirty water, yet she

stays utterly clean!

One day I will

wake up beside you, what

a strange breakfast

When men are stupid

and the leaders corrupt, gone

will be justice

In the moonlit night

I suddenly fell ill,

where was my lover?

Going I go and

coming I come, but mostly

I come walking

Blinking against the

blinding light, I feared my

own sudden shadow

Over the houses

I saw the winter moon,

nearly fully grown

Straight track besides

track for a while, than track

besides roads, forests

Where wait wide

plains where wind laughs about

air, water and light?

Taking seventeen

syllables to form a poem

-no thanks very much!

Don’t tell me about

the pains I encountered

long before you

Back to the well

-where the water always

is pure and clear

By day you dream that

you are awake, by night

you dream you’re sleeping

A sudden meeting

with long forgotten people

from your own past- pain

A long, warm walk through

flowering spring meadowlands

-and so much peace!

Above us, in

the heavens, endless coming

and going of clouds

Maybe that young moon

of winter shines a little

bit for me too!

The sudden pain hit,

crumbling I kept walking,

like an invalid

Arriving so full

of pain, I found the place

deserted this night

Longing to regain

the lost peace and quiet, spring

slowly arriving

Threatening rain

-do raindrops travel upwards,

unseen in the dark?

Feverish eyes

with spring hesitating

the sun grows hotter

Why this long journey

why this cold trip? To return

home once more?

Frozen mist on the

icy walls of the tent, how

cold it really was!

Why are you so happy,

little garden bird, now

evening comes?

Slowly the night goes

to sleep, joining the dog- the

stars are watching

A strong wind blows

around the lovely hillsides- what

are we waiting for?

With winter finally

passing, I await the warm

sun of summer

The wind blowing hot

on my neck tells me, spring

is now moving on

What is growing so

slowly between us, wordless

-could it be love?

So much happened

so much was I part of it

it’s always like that

Without leaving a

trail on the water, where

travels the wind?

Impossible to

catch with words, you, him, and me

-better try again

What must happen will

happen, but still the waiting

when will you come?

Quiet living room

with a background of noises

I write my poems

Neither knowing

or not knowing is the answer

to unheard questions

For the one who reads

this, it was written, so long

ago, so recently

Be quiet now dear trees

I hear ancient singing

from the deep spring

You were sailing

so sweetly, little moon, the

stars surrounding you

Be quiet now, let

the sea flow in peace, let

the mountains dream on

You were lying here

for so long, old hill, before

I came to greet you

Enough now, even

you can finally go to

sleep, pen and paper

What is it I am

looking for? Maybe what

all are looking for

You left me far

behind, and on visiting you

are not your own self

Giving my letters

speaking all your languages

-how hard I find it!

Luckily you can

cheer up most people, and

help them along too!

Write wisdom down

on paper, some time it

will be discarded

Since the rain

has started, I’m looking for

a nice refuge

We always travel

from one goodbye to

the next goodbye

Sometimes all the

ill people around me, do

make me feel ill

You went like a

falling leaf, leaving me

to carry the pain

Those stupid birds!

singing in the night when they

should be sleeping!

Maybe being is

more than mind and matter

or body and soul

You brought me

the silence of non-existence

-I grew more lonely

Spiritual love

-never mind how beautiful- can’t

live without bodies

Just to know that you

are there should be enough

-am I dreaming?

To forget all

obligations, sometimes seems

very nice indeed

Sometimes it

is better to let people

care for themselves

To collect strength for

tomorrow, sometimes

you need just to be

Often it has to

be that way, unless you get

worn out too early