I am fascinated by the traditional haiku – short poems consisting of three lines, and the lines containing firstly five syllables, then seven, then five; and somewhere in the haiku there is a seasonal reference, however oblique.
With that in mind, and the winter season just a week away, I’ve written six of them, and each can be read in succession – either as poetry or as part of your liturgy to celebrate the season of winter and especially Samhain (which is at the end of the month), and think ahead to the hope of new growth in the spring, albeit some months away.
1
The northern winds blow.
Ice and snow slowly creep south.
Life sleeps in the earth.
2
Winter tilts the Earth.
The sun reclines; and winds roar.
White frost cocoons all.
3
Naked are the trees.
Sparse, the green shrubs and bushes.
Harsh, the cold on skin.
4
Hail, winter spirit.
That which dies now at your hand
will come alive soon.
5
The cycle goes on.
And the promises of old
come to fruition.
6
The Deity smiles,
and blesses all, but for now,
the northern winds blow.
Tadhg Talks... 