HAIKU

BY

TAO TAMMES

PART TWO

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.

Made in South Uist by

RIVERHOUSE PUBLISHERS

©

COPYRIGHT BY

TAO TAMMES

Casa Azul

Porto do Paul

Pernes

2000-500

Portugal

Louder and softer

the singing trees almost send

me to sleep

Suddenly I felt

afraid, in the top of the tree,

that I might fall down

For a moment I

watched the fountain, before

the sun went down

Crazy to try for

perfection, that is not to be

reached in this world

Flying through the rain

whilst singing loudly, the birds

cross the greening lands

Not happy with just

being here I move on

-where will I go?

Better be very

quiet amidst such brilliant words

-watch him continue

The wind carries

the sound of singing trees, the rain

carries its own sound

Finally off to

bed, the night has now spread

its dark covering

From no moon to full

moon in one evening, that

is most amazing!

Do I really belong

to this body, is that not just

a big mistake?

Flowers grow even

behind bars, but few people

will ever see them

Everything is

always changing, but the rain

just keeps on raining

The earth carries me

and I carry her never

tiring flies with me

The moon willingly

changed places with the sun

-to light up the world

That is not asking

too much, is it? Just to

have one little star?

Mysterious night,

how many dreams did you give

to all of us?

Money and wine

-too much of both, and it will

just disappear

Silently sharing

the deep felt pain, helping to

carry it away

Somebody who

you despise, who keeps pestering

you- what nonsense

I am not joking

this is the simple truth, just

you wait and see!

The wind is softly

singing about happy places

-to cheer me up!

I get disgusted

at times, with the mean people

of this world

Hello, little moon

you play “catch me” with the

passing summer clouds

Drape your velvet

cloak over me at night’s end

-I seek to forget

To find peace deep

beneath the waves, smiling into

non-existence

To master life

completely, we ignorantly

call it death

Never to wake

up from that deep darkness,

to sleep forever

Your smile is like

sunshine inside my heart

-to drown in there!

The waves are

woven together by the wind

-tapestry of water

No one reaches

the age of the sea, no one

lives through so much

For a short while

the summer wind went with me,

then again summer heat

You came when I

was sleeping in the night, you

softly left again

Whispering trees

always whispering, in this

summer night’s breeze

How small is the world

of a little beetle, working

away – and how big!

Your smile and your

lips, that is surely for

my eyes only!

Fluttering in the

wind, a scrap of paper, my

mind following it

And you back home,

in everlasting rain, we

bathe in sunshine

Hesitantly she

said the coffee was finished

-I smiled back

Streaming streams of

water, storming storms of air,

flowing streams

A thousand poems

I want to write for when

you smile and laugh

A thousand poems

I want to write for your

evening and night

A thousand poems

I want to write for you,

before I say goodbye

The heat of the day

gets lightly covered

by the cold of night

That lazy wind went

to sleep, in the enormous

heat of the day

Waiting for me is

the cool earth, and me waiting

for the cool earth

Just let me be

alone, to make a

less painful goodbye

You said something

nice was growing between us

but you are so rich

Slowly emptying

myself, leaving all behind

-that stupid Buddha!

Drink some coffee

smoke some cigarettes

-acting normally

Playing my songs for

an empty room, very softly

is the applause

To make a poem

for you? No, sorry, I just

can not manage

My inner fog spreads

slowly outwards, reaching

out for you

Let yourself be carried

by the wind, which is carried

by the air, peace will come

Grey air hangs over

grey houses, and my grey words

written on grey paper

For sure this bird

knows what hunger is too, but

how nice it flies!

Thinking and writing

a bit, deep in the night, whilst

the music plays on

Not alone, but

still lonely, love can take

such strange roads

I think of you too

locked up in prison

-waiting forever

There is so much

under the heavens we can not

understand at all

We always want the

impossible, and always

we suffer for that

Soft dreaming leaf,

so green, doesn’t want to be

part of autumn yet

To let a bitter

disturbance lead me to

the end, alone?

Leaves are playing

in the autumn wind, swinging

here and there

Traveller I am

-unasked, how many nights,

how many places yet?

The good ones die

always before the rest,

that is the problem!

Who was it again

that died for all of us,

who was it again?

To spend a couple

of peaceful days on a

quiet farm, how great!

Through my window I

can spot sleepless trees, tonight

it is full moon!

We are living

in a changing era, bringing

all sorts of trouble

My water over

God’s acres, and God’s water

over my acres

Scratching my head a

little, a bit less thinking,

starting to do……

Is it all again

back to loneliness, will

I still keep trying

A woman like

an angel, melodious peace

-so normal to her

The burning tip from

my cigarette in the dark

-alone again

High above the

reflections of my headlights

-pulsating stars

To reach the end of

all limits, all restrictions

could well be my way

Deafening noise,

a basement full of youngsters

-is that amusing?

So you think that you

could be happy in such a

world, really happy?

You can always ask

questions if you’re not certain,

but where, where?

Turning and turning

always turning round your

self, coming nearer?

You milk in the dawn

you milk at night, thus men and

beasts get together

The sun travels down

the day goes by, later

nature goes to sleep

The little flea just

exchanges some blood for

an itch and scratching!

Sentences full of

words full of rules full of

letters full of meanings

Golden September

sun is shining on gurgling stream

-and I am listening!

Oh water, for ever

you flow back to the sea

-singing for pleasure

Come, sings the sea

come, sing the waves, coming!

sings dancing water

Gravity rules-

fast or slow- everything

has to come down

These high mountains,

how deep their roots go, how

big you truly are!

I am so tired

that I write poetry with my

head on the table

The candle burns on

the table, my fire burns and

love burns in me

Two dogs playing in the

park, they can not read the sign

-forbidden for dogs!

Stars twinkle clear in

my heaven, no one can take

them away from me

Why should I always

have an answer to your

questions, my friends?

The day starts when the

goat has been milked and the

hens have been fed

You can not express

the real good, like the real

bad, in normal words

Flickering flames

playing on the ceiling, in

the dark, tomorrow too?

Your breathing beside

me- what have I gained,

what have I lost?

The dog is sleeping

on the couch, not in his basket

-old habits die hard!

Candle light in this

winter evening, I am

smoking quietly

Snow on the fields and

clouds in the heavens, since

that last full moon night

The lizard sitting

in the wet grass- waiting for

me, maybe?

Three deer crossing, just

before the warning sign

-such a fright for us!

Walking over the

water in the river,

it must be winter!

The poet writes

again, from long locked sources

-now overflowing

I am just a stupid

writer, too sensitive

for this day and age

So much anger and

misunderstandings between us,

after all that time!

The coffee pot is

simmering on the stove, you

went away, hurting me

There is so much to

do, so much will happen, there

is so much time

I didn’t expect

the future, it came unasked,

unknown, carrying the past

We are on the way

we come from somewhere

we go somewhere

The rest of this page

I will leave blank, fitting

with the snow outside

Water gurgles, but

where did it come from,

where is it going?

Darkly flows the burn

and dark is the day, will

tomorrow be bright?

Together we

glided over the snowy road

-the car and me

Only when my life

starts flowing together with yours

will I be contend

Tell me, lovely

flower, would you grow on my

branches just as nice?

The smoke rises

up into the sky, or

am I falling down?

She burst with a big

bang, the overripe night,

on my lap!

Sometimes living

in a house can stop suddenly

-where do I go?

For a moment I

was feared, but how long did

my heart go on racing?

Merrily the ghost

ship sails through the darkness, with

shining white sails

Some good friend

always offers me shelter

on this long journey

Frost-flowers grew on

the windowpane, they came

with the sudden cold

The dog eats the apple

with the worm inside, that is

how eaters get eaten!

2004

Look at that goose!

standing on one leg, sleeping

in the middle of the road.

The haystacks, like empty

houses of straw, waiting for

people to move in!