Rainy Day Haikus with a Sprinkling of Scripture

Preface Initially, I had asked a couple of very artistic people if they would be willing to do the art work for this book. Much to my consternation, each of them politely declined. So, I then decided to try my own hand at being creative. With colored pencils in hand, I made an attempt to create what I thought would be the final artwork for Rainy Day Haikus with a Sprinkling of Scripture. I should have known better. Drawing, as with writing, turned out to follow this same principle (for me at any rate): The first draft is never the same as the finished product. Meanwhile, I was taking one of my last classes at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire (UWEC) – an independent study on the Shinto Religion of Japan. At one point, I was given liberty to bring Japanese art books and art supplies to class. I thought it would be fun to create some of our own “Japanese” masterpieces. We had a great time drawing, painting, and being amazed at the talent that surfaced in the room; it was there that I discovered tempera paints. Later, at home, I recreated all of the artwork for Rainy Day Haikus with a Sprinkling of Scripture using tempera paints instead of colored pencils and found it a more satisfying medium with which to work for this particular project. Also, while studying the Shinto Religion, we learned that many aspects of Japanese life and culture are grounded in this belief system. Simply put, Shinto is a belief in the gods called Kami, and purity - of place and person - is a very important aspect of worship. Culturally, this idea of purity and simplicity is found in everything from the way Japanese homes are kept, to the lines found in their architecture and paintings, and to the poetry we know today as Haikus. Haiku poetry was born out of a style of poetry called Tanka; a form of poetry practiced in the Japanese courts prior to the 12th century. Tanka was constructed of five lines consisting of 5-7-5-7-7 syllables. Contests were often held with one person creating the first three lines of 5-7-5 syllables, while a second person would finish the poem with the last two lines of 7-7 syllables. As time passed by, the simplicity of the first three lines were distilled into complete poems and made popular by the three great masters of Haiku: Matsuo Basho, Yosa Buson, and Kobayashi Issa.1 Essentially, Haikus are written in a format of three lines consisting of 5-7-5 syllables. The language is simple and each Haiku includes a reference to the season; i.e., snow for winter, flowering crab trees for spring, etc. Haikus often contain a word that gives it a surprising turn in direction. This form of poetry is a way of writing about things in a manner that cuts out extraneous verbiage. It is a picture of life in its most refined telling; Haikus are often images of life that the rushing world has failed to see. It is a type of poetry that requires the reader to become involved, because a passive reading just will not suffice. This is why I love Haiku poetry. * * * * * * * One day last spring, I took a walk on the local walking trail. It looked like it might rain, so I grabbed my umbrella – just in case. I determined that I would look at everything to observe what I might not normally see. I did this with the idea that, afterwards, I would go home and write some Haikus. I wanted to distill what I saw with my eyes into images created with words. Fortunately, I had my umbrella because it did, indeed, rain! Not just a gentle spring rain, but at times a driving rain, with rain seemingly hurled out of the sky and dashed to the ground by the wind. It was exhilarating to be out there in the raw elements of wind and rain. The twenty-two Haikus in this book were born out of that walk on a rainy day. Finally, while I immensely enjoyed the Religious Studies classes I took at UWEC, I hold to my faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and His Word found in the Christian Bible. Believing that Jesus Christ is the Creator of rainy days, I was curious to see if I could find Scriptures that would complement the artwork and Haiku poetry in this book. Sure enough, I found in God’s Word truth that completed this project; and that… is no small thing. Come; go for a walk on a rainy day with me… Susan Steele September 17, 2012