Author Archives: Susan L Hart

Escape

Beyond the babel,
my bliss, beauty, sacredness,
soul cradled in calm.

Perhaps it’s just my lens because I’m a traveler at heart, but I think some of the best stories are rooted in travel. Of course, one person’s travel story is another person’s home story – and that is the essence of these journeys – discovering bits of one’s self in other cultures, and by extension, the call of our humanity.

What does any of this have to do with the haiku? The world’s in a pretty crazy place right now, and many of us are looking for calm places where we can heal and center ourselves. (I would say it’s not only crazy, but society has morphed into a quite abusive place of late. This makes our need for sanctuary more important than ever.) Judy Garland wistfully sang about it in Over the Rainbow, that place where “troubles melt like lemon drops”.

This morning I happened to stumble upon a wonderful story about just such a place of healing, created by a community of formerly abused African women. I’m looking forward to many more stories such as these, as the unfolding of a new humanity continues. It’s a saga of hope and possibilities, and beyond that, a confirmation that our best potential for the future lies in our ability to work together to achieve it.

Ghanaian photographer Paul Ninson on how he was able to visit the ‘village with no men’

The haiku Escape is from my Hart Haiku Vol 1. collection. | Susan L Hart

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Dragon

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Gossamer faerie,
neon being of lightness,
a fire-breathing fly?

I have yet to personally spot a flaming hot dragonfly. What a beautiful creature! It makes me wonder about the secret world of insects, a mysterious place to which we are seldom privy. Is the dragonfly legendary to the rest of the insects, just as dragons are to humans? A quirky, but interesting question.

The magical dragonfly is a fond girlhood memory of summer for me. Paddling around the lake on sultry afternoons, I loved to watch their iridescent colors flitting among the graceful lily pads. They captivated me. There was a purity and magic about these tiny gossamer creatures. They seemed to be visiting me from some mysterious, unseen faerie world, to which for a few moments I was privy.

Those dragonflies so many years ago were mainly cloaked in cool green and blue hues. Apparently the red ones mainly reside in parts of the world I have not seen yet. I haven’t done much traveling lately. Methinks it is time to go on a red dragon hunt… 😉

The beautiful dragonfly photos are courtesy TopSeed and ignartonosbg, Pixabay

Dragon © Susan L Hart | From Hart Haiku Vol. 1.

Rejuvenate

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When city voids me,
I flee to garden refuge.
Hummingbird dances.

Hummingbirds grace my garden with their astounding beauty, and whenever they show up, my heart does a little dance. This was one of the first haikus I wrote for my Hart Haiku blog.

Rejuvenate © Susan L Hart | From Hart Haiku Vol. 1.

The beautiful hummingbird photos are courtesy YanCabrera and ELG21, Pixabay. Isn’t nature wonderful?

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Regeneration

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Out of charred remains,
glimpses of green restore faith,
life’s will to survive.

Just as the the forest regenerates after a fire, so is humanity renewing itself after the affront of a pandemic. So it has always been after catastrophes, and so it shall be again. The will of nature and the human spirit to survive, adapt, revitalize, and thrive is astounding. This is creativity in its finest hour.

Does the forest grow back exactly as it was before? How can it? Neither will we. We are changed, and although humans often resist change, we had no choice – it was thrust upon us. Change is a very good thing. It gives us the opportunity to assess what wasn’t working, make improvements, or maybe even do a complete makeover if need be.

So are we currently undergoing a simple regeneration, or will it prove to be an astounding rebirth? This will depend greatly on certain choices we make along the way. What do you think?