Welcome to the Healing Haiku blog, a venue for sharing poetry and other expressions of love and compassion for the people of Japan. On March 11, 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake jolted Japan and generated a tsunami that engulfed seaside towns along the northeast coast. When the tsunami receded, it took with it the lives of tens of thousands of people who lived and worked along the coastline, leaving heartbreak and devastation in its wake. Weeks later, many people are still missing and the survivors are displaced, their lives forever changed.
As the estimation of lives lost grew and nuclear concerns became reality, my heart kept returning to the people. I thought about the Japanese people I’ve known (starting with my first grade teacher), the influence of Japanese art and culture on my life (such as the flowering bonsai in my kitchen that was a birthday gift from a niece), and the products around my home that originated in Japan (like the ceramic coffee mug I’m drinking from and the SUV in the garage). I recalled the Japanese form of poetry, haiku, and marveled at how such brief expressions can convey powerful emotion and insight.
I wondered how I could help the Japanese people in some way. Although the last time I wrote poetry was in school, perhaps I could write haiku poems to acknowledge their situation, express my sorrow, and extend love and hopefulness for the future. I wrote three haiku that morning, including this one:
Gone without good-byes
Water lilies on the sea
Safe within our hearts
Then it occurred to me how wonderful it would be if people around the world wrote haiku for the Japanese people. That idea led to this blog. Through our collective expressions, we can reassure the Japanese people that they are not alone, and that love and healing thoughts are streaming to them every moment of the day. We are all connected in this global community, and together we can share hope for the future.
I invite you to submit haiku poems or other thoughtful expressions on this site. Simply scroll to the bottom of a post and leave a comment.
If you like this site, please share the link with others so they can add a comment and forward the link to people they know. I will seek ways to get your caring expressions to as many Japanese people as possible. (I welcome suggestions for doing this and for translating the submissions to reach even more people.) Check back regularly or sign up to receive email updates of new posts.
With gratitude,
Judy Wolff
Colorado, USA
Judy, thank you for thinking of such a thoughtful way to connect with the Japanese people and offer them hope and healing in the midst of such tragedy.
fallen down
not broken
sadness
not despair
never forgotten
lifted in prayer
forever in peace
Judy, your inspiration makes me have hope for all who have been suffering such horrific tragedies. The Japanese people are resilient and will recover, but the toll on each individual must be terrible. Thank you for sending them our empathy and best wishes.
Ida
Like a phoenix
Rise above tragedy
To soar again once more
Judy,
Thank you for showing your compassion and beauty in such a thoughtful innovative way. I attend a Japanese Buddhist Temple and am sure many of my sangha would appreciate the thoughts. I will pass it on.
In wisdom-compassion,
Lisa
Be here now today
Loving kindness healing
Memories remain
Thanks, Judy, for providing this forum to express our thoughts about Japan. At this time of year, I can’t help but remember sitting under the cherry blossoms during happier times in Japan.
(Ohanami = cherry blossom viewing; natsukashi = nostalgic; the candles on the water refer to the tradition of Obon, the Japanese Buddhist festival for remembering the dead)
Cherry blossoms fall
Like memories on the sea
Washing away tears and hope
Happy days recalled
Ohanami times
Natsukashi feeling
Candles on water
Spirits passing beyond
Remembering the souls lost
Thank you, Judy, for providing this space to express our grief, support, and hope for the Japanese people.
Grief:
Twenty-eight thousand
Origami cranes
Float on my tears
Support:
A tide of love
Washes your shore
You are not alone
Hope:
In the gray mist
A crow’s outflung wing
Movement in air
Water becomes warm
Tight buds of purple iris
Burst open with hope
Sending love and healing to those who have lost and survived.
Saddest moment is
Not knowing what to do for
Those who’ve lost so much.
Thank you Judy for being the catalyst for me to remember my connection to the Japanese culture and to the beautiful people of this country. Our farm neighbors were Japanese and their grandparents came over from Japan to live with our neighbors. My first kiss (and I was sure my only love) was a Japanese teenage boy. I shared a year with a manager from Japan and received many gifts from her family in Japan.
The earthquake and tsunami also reminds me of the power of mother earth.
honor for people
honor for mother earth
Live moment to moment