Point Grey resident Lesley Donaldson is usually displaying haiku on her hedge during cherry blossom season, but this year is different. She writes:
“I can’t assemble my Haiku Hedge this year because of social distancing and no gathering rules. So instead I am organizing a digital Haiku Hedge.”
Since March 25, Lesley sends to her family and friends a daily e-mail featuring a photo of her cherry trees and a haiku written by herself or by haiku masters. Here are some photos and haiku shared by Lesley.
Listen! Hear the voices
six feet apart –
between the blossomed trees
Lesley Donaldson
In these latter-day
degenerate times,
cherry-blossoms everywhere!
Kobayashi Issa (1763 – 1828)
Pale mountain sky:
cherry petals play
as they tumble earthward
Kusama Tokihiko (1920 – 2003)
The light of a candle
Is transferred to another candle—
Spring twilight
Yosa Buson (1716 – 1784)
Lesley, whose hedge has been featured in the Georgia Straight, wrote about her beautiful Akebono cherry trees:
“I have four huge cherry trees planted over 30 years ago along the west side of my house. I live on a corner lot and I remember when I planted them my mother saying “people going places will say, ‘turn at the corner where the cherry trees are’”. I liked that idea.”
She might have been wrong though – I think people mainly notice my deep green yew hedge, 6 feet high that encloses my property. It is clipped and maybe 200 ft long (…) and in the spring, when the pink blossoms fall from the cherry trees, it reminds me of sprinkles.”
At a time when the global order is in chaos (…) I find comfort in looking out of my windows at the giant cherry tree trunks “
Lesley has been participating in the VCBF Haiku Invitational for many years, winning an honourable mention in 2008:
The carpet of blossoms—
my granddaughter in her pink dress
does a twirl
Lesley Donaldson (VCBF haiku invitational 2008 Adult Honourable Mention)
You too! You can share your love of cherry blossoms through haiku. Submit your poem to the VCBF haiku invitational.
