NOTHING MISSING, LOOKING TO THE DAY, & "This close..." (a haiga)

"Nothing Missing" is in my "for haiga, etc." category. That is, I imagine that one day I might put one of my haiku on it in the tradition of Japanese haiga. Though I have to admit I have always hesitated to do so, therefore its title. Although in the title I am also referencing the idea that each moment is in itself perfect. (And much of which we'll miss if we're not present to it. E.g., this above photo version is the result of a mistake I made in copying over to another program.)

I thought of this photo this morning as I've been re-reading a book of haiku by a woman haiku master of the Edo period in Japan, Chiyo-ni. (It was one of the many books I could just not afford to ship when I moved here, and gave away. What a delight when a friend loaned me a copy recently.) There are a few of Chiyo-ni's haiga -- brush paintings/drawings with calligraphed haiku on them -- in the book. Which makes me think maybe I might start trying some sketches again (actually I've been feeling that particular itch for some time). And wondering if haiku might come along naturally in that process.

In any event, "Nothing Missing" is a very recent new version of a photo I posted here late last summer. At that time I hadn't named that older version yet. It's now called "Looking to the Day" and is posted below:


The shapes and "trajectories" of those four buds on their graceful stem almost mesermized me when I saw them "live." The first photo version above I like for it's resonance (at least for me) with Japanese brush paintings, and the second photo version for what it manages to capture of those simple living shapes.

Oy! I just recalled a really old haiga of mine. The drawing is from the late 1970's and the haiku written for it probably around the turn of the century. Although this is a photo blog, I thought I'd share it as an illustration (:-D) of one of my attempts at haiga:


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‘til next take, may you enjoy life in the ever changing light,

[aka: Patricia Kelly] **** If you wish to copy or use any of my writing or photos, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”) ****