Seventeen Haiku on Covid

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Image 111 – What’s in an image? Sometimes quite a lot, more than meets the eye. I’m posting an image every day or so.

A Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry consisting of three lines; the first provides a topic as a phrase (five syllables), then the second (seven syllables) and third (five syllables) form a sentence about the topic. Five, seven, and five is the basic structure of Haiku.

Back in the difficult early months of COVID-19 I began writing some Haiku about the outbreak, social distancing, the way community develops despite difficulties, and hope for the future. At the time I didn’t publish this poetry, but now I think I’d like to – so here they are.

Writing 17 of these little verses (5+7+5) makes a sort of Haiku of Haiku. Read them all if you like, but if you grow tired, skip to The whole story where something magical happens!

Five Haiku

Covid in our land
Let’s be very close friends in
self isolation

Social distancing
Two metres apart is safe
though hearts beat closer

Needing a helper
We’ll support one another
neighbour to neighbour

Encouragment comes
Find something to make us smile
sunbeam in a storm

Compose a poem
So write your best Haiku now
to lift people up

Seven more

Self isolation
A hug is far, far better
but really unsafe

Thinking of others
Ask everyone around you
can I pray for you?

The King of Heaven –
Jesus says to give others
more than they expect

Things my neighbour lacks
If I have an abundance
it’s on offer now

Anxiety gone
No fears brother or sister
what is mine is yours

Loving Tinglesfield
All the people living here
are filling my heart

More strength in numbers
Togetherness is good and
community wins

Final five

Hope among friends
This trouble will not last so
be patient and trust

Patience and waiting
Work for the day when it ends
and have fun later

An end to struggle
The virus is defeated
and it’s street party time

Time of rejoicing
Be loudly thankful and shout
but think of lost friends

Street community
You stood strong as a mountain
now laugh like a brook

The whole story

Now drop the first line of each verse (the ‘topic lines’) and collect up the rest, add a little spacing and punctuation to make prose. This is what you get:

Let’s be close friends in self isolation; two metres apart is safe, though hearts beat closer. We’ll support one another neighbour to neighbour, find something to make us smile – sunbeam in a storm! So write your best Haiku now to lift people up.

A hug is far, far better but really unsafe. Ask everyone around you, ‘Can I pray for you?’ Jesus says to give others more than they expect; if I have an abundance it’s on offer now, no fears brother or sister – what is mine is yours. All the people living here are filling my heart; togetherness is good and community wins.

This trouble will not last so be patient and trust, work for the day when it ends and have fun later. The virus is defeated and it’s street party time, be loudly thankful and shout – but think of lost friends. You stood strong as a mountain, now laugh like a brook!

See also:

• Haiku – Wikipedia

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Cirencester, Favourites, Irish holiday 2024, Roman villa

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