Connecting to nature through poetry and prose
We have entered the micro-season of “Light Rain Showers”. This is the second micro-season of the mini-season of Frost Descent. As a way to celebrate this season, we will learn about rain, the different classifications of rainfall, and how the sound of rain can quiet a restless mind. After that, we will read seasonal haiku by Issa, Buson, and Basho.
Jacqueline Siskin states that “Awe” lies at the heart of poetry. Awe allows us to see what matters in the world. It helps us find the joy, the sorrow, and the connections that can lead to individual and collective healing.
“I didn’t know it, but I was having a 'haiku moment’- a moment when the mind stops and the heart moves”. This quote is from Margaret McGee, the author of Haiku: The Sacred Art (A Spiritual Practice in Three Lines), and it marks the beginning of her journey toward a haiku life.
Charles Foster declares “I’m losing confidence in words” in the opening lines of his July, 2021 essay “Against Nature Writing”. In this article, I will explore Foster's argument and then propose that haiku could be the solution.
Three resources that explore the challenges and benefits of reading and writing poetry,. These sources also offer insight into the ways we can learn and grow with poetry.
In "The Death of A Moth", Virginia Woolf explores the human experience through the final stages of a moths life.
Naturalist Weekly 