blackbird song
my sumi-e bamboo grows
beyond the sheet
my sumi-e bamboo grows
beyond the sheet
2nd Place
The song of the blackbird is one of the most familiar and loved songs heard in any
garden; liquid and rounded, as in the ink in a brush. Perhaps the artist is
sitting in their garden just caught up in the melodious notes meditating or in
the moment the blackbird takes flight with a loud flushing call, the artist's
brush also flies off the page! In this light-hearted scene we see the contrast of
the blackbird and ink to the white of the paper. We hear the contrast of song to
the silence of sumi-e painting.
Altogether the elements flow nicely between a rhythm of the "b" alliteration. I especially appreciate this haiku for its tone of classical Japanese haiku. It can take us back as early as the 12th century with traditional Japanese ink painting. Zen masters have used ink painting on the path to enlightenment expressing hidden messages of great depth.
Altogether the elements flow nicely between a rhythm of the "b" alliteration. I especially appreciate this haiku for its tone of classical Japanese haiku. It can take us back as early as the 12th century with traditional Japanese ink painting. Zen masters have used ink painting on the path to enlightenment expressing hidden messages of great depth.
—UHTS aha Contest Judge b'oki, USA
