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Haiku Photos

Cherry Trees and Haiku: A Digital Haiku Hedge by Lesley Donaldson

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.

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Listen! Hear the voices

six feet apart –

between the blossomed trees

 

Lesley Donaldson

 

 

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In these latter-day

degenerate times,

cherry-blossoms everywhere!

 

Kobayashi Issa (1763 – 1828)

 

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Pale mountain sky:

cherry petals play

as they tumble earthward

 

Kusama Tokihiko (1920 – 2003)

 

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The light of a candle

Is transferred to another candle—

Spring twilight

 

Yosa Buson (1716 – 1784)

 

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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 “

 

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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.

Categories
Haiku

Haiku Hedge by Lesley Donaldson

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During cherry blossom season, Point Grey Road resident Lesley Donaldson hangs some of her haiku on her hedge for everybody to enjoy.

Lesley, who submits poems to the Haiku Invitational every year, won an Honorable mention in 2008 for her haiku:

Carpet of blossoms—
my granddaughter in her pink dress
Does a twirl

— Lesley Donaldson (VCBF Haiku Invitational 2008 – Honorable mention)

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The laminated haiku will go up again this year.  Come to see the four beautiful large cherry trees (on the corner of Collingwood street and Point Grey Road) and to read more of Lesley’s haiku, including:

Children’s tea party giggles—
The cherry blossoms
fall to join in

Blossoms cover the lawn—
my cats proudly walk
the pink carpet

The old man’s sticks fall—
a froth of pink blossoms
Rise from the ground

The smell of bread rising—
the cherry blossoms
slowly open

-Haiku by Lesley Donaldson

 

And don’t forget to submit your poems to the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival Haiku Invitational starting March 1st.