By Ehime ALTs
This year is the 150th anniversary of two of Matsuyama’s most celebrated literary icons, Natsume Soseki and Masaoka Shiki. Masaoka Shiki was an inspirational human being, for those of you who aren’t familiar with his work, a visit to the Shiki museum in Matsuyama is a must. Shiki achieved many things within his short life, despite being plagued with tuberculosis for the majority of this. Not only did he help to revive the art form of haiku and tanka, he also acted as a war correspondent during the First-Sino Japanese War and coined most Japanese baseball terminology. In honor of Masaoka Shiki’s 150th anniversary, the Mikan presents to you a haiku extravaganza featuring poetry from ALTs across Ehime prefecture. Also featured are photos by Michael Haverty, depicting the impact of both Shiki and Soseki on present day Matsuyama.
Summer Storm
Head bowed against rain
Where do you see the beauty?
Petite flower’s smile.
Remembering
How’s the weather?
Too hot, too muggy, too much.
I dream of autumn.
Ada Smith
Si Won Yi
Wild wind whispers while
Summer sun sings sapor songs.
Wayward we wander…
くき
Osamurai-san
Long, beautiful nails;
A yukata and geta;
He arpeggiates.
Bugged
Cicadas droning,
Dragonflies flit and flutter.
Mosquitoes stab me.
ugh
Woke up late today…
Cannot… Stumbling through fog…
Fire me back to bed.
Ciaran Doyle
A tinge of yellow
on every green growing tree
Fall, what a relief.
Cicadas are loud
I can hear them in my dreams
There is no escape.
Kate Flake
Poetry
I envy people
Who put words togetherand
get Perfect poetry.
Spring
The ground awakens
“Mushi atsui desu ne.”
Bugs and heavy heat.
Summer
Like a sweaty hug
From that one estranged Aunty
Can’t escape summer.
Why
Turn the lock firmly
Faceplant in front of aircon
Summer is the worst.
The Cyclist
The rain god is pissed,
The heavens open heavy
Unplanned morning swim.
The Cyclist Part 2
The sky has opened
Walls of water spray my bike
Where is my raincoat?
Autumn
Fall clings to the trees
Fog erases the mountains
Freezing wind bites bones.
Local
Float through cityscape
A common yet foreign sight
You, the A.L.T.
Students
Surprise in their eyes
As they see you in the street,
I exist here too.
Work
Tall dull white building,
Eerie disjointed singing,
Children’s laugher too.
Kai Dearlove
Off from work early
Still wearing my business suit
They think I’m important
Rain at the station
“I’ll leave when it gets better”
It only gets worse
Imitation sky
Paint chips off rotting concrete
It’s pacing its cage
Lost petals lost in
Bike pedals form a surprise
Bouquet in my spoke
A twenty-four hour
Vending machine inside a
Twelve hour grocery store
Hit a bump too hard
Groceries jump from my basket
Salt peppers the road
Normal, strange people
Saying thanks five times over
To an empty room
Hilltop children’s park
Brutalist architecture
Lost in knee-high grass
“Under Construction”
Laid against a chipped torii
Taut vines wrap around
Evening Ropeway Street
Sun dims and lights tick on
Soft jazz pianos
Tim Alley
黒いマント 星明かりのネックレス あたしのハロウィーン
夏の夕 セミや鈴虫 ラジオいらない
Kelsey Cooknick
遠くても 潮風に向かい 同じかな
Emily Crichton
秋風に 吾がカールの髪を なびかせつ
Hayley Cox
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