Welcome
Greetings and welcome to The Haiku Pond. A place to ponder life through haiku. My name is Anthony Nanfito and I’m the caretaker of the Pond.
Each season I share haiku written by myself and others. Each episode features haiku centered around a pre-chosen theme. You can learn more at http://thehaikupond.com.
If you’re ready, let’s prepare for our visit. Take a deep breath and dive in.
Theme
The theme for this visit is spirits and will feature haiku written by myself and others.
A Haiku & Reflection from Me
echoes of the past
coursing through our hearts and veins
ancestral spirits
Everything you see around you is made of stardust. All of the elements that make up both the living and nonliving things of the world, indeed the universe, were forged long ago at the center of stars around 13.8 billions years ago. Upon the completion of their life cycle these first stars went supernova and spread their forged elements across space and the cycle began anew — forming new stars and strange worlds with this stardust.
In a particular region of the Milky Way Galaxy, about 4.5 billions years ago, this dust was reconstituted into a new star with some rocky worlds and some giant gas worlds orbiting around it.
And upon the third rock orbiting this particular star it just happened that the structure of the molecules and the interplay of chemistry was such that life (as we know and understand it) formed from this ancient stardust.
After countless iterations and cataclysms, life morphed into its current form — the form of us humans and all other living things we see in this world of wonder. I, like you, am the descendant of countless generations of previous humans and lifeforms that fought against threats large and small. Survived famine, disease, and war. Constructed large cities and invented new technological gadgets and machines.
All of this from ancient stardust that exploded from stars billions of years ago.
Ancient stardust that courses through my heart and veins as I type and read this.
Ancient stardust that courses through your heart and veins as you listen to this.
Ancient stardust that is contained in everything you see and touch.
In this sense, you and I, and everything, are very ancient and contained within us are the spirits of all that came before us.
echoes of the past
coursing through our hearts and veins
ancestral spirits
Listener Submitted Haiku
Now, let’s hear from our listeners. Each haiku will be repeated twice so you can fully immerse yourself within it. If you’d like to submit a haiku for a future episode, please visit thehaikupond.com for details. Alright, let’s begin.
From Uchechukwu Onyedikam:
Christmas carol
humming happily
noel
From Jerome Berglund:
possession by spirits
will take one on flights depth-finding
splendid places too
From Mark Hitri:
Mystery within
All the light I cannot see
How can I believe
From Charissa Hooyman:
Togetherness
Lush green of the forest
Spirits connected
From Mitja Lovše:
When I’m in your room,
I can still sense your breathing –
that’s impossible.
From Damian Carlton:
The spirits of the dead
Return to the living world
To haunt not but teach
From Linda Sacco:
Third eye wandering,
treading bohemian paths.
Spirit inspiring.
From Katherine E Winnick:
translucent being
blythe tones of white
drifting past
From Nitu Yumnam:
weekend night
lifting our flagging spirits
wine glasses
From James Gaskin:
salt circles
the names we say aloud
in the dark
From Ryan Gibbs:
white dandelions
releasing seeds into mist
shrouded spirits rise
From Chittaluri Satyanarayana:
a moment
a cloud spirits away
the moon
From Rudolf Slöh:
black river boils as
vapours spring to banish ghosts –
breathe in the spirits
From Zahra Mughis:
broken frame
she looks
for Casper
From Tracy Davidson:
the ouija board
my mother smashes
death has not improved her mood
From Sara Hailstone:
Stencil overlay,
Your blanket ether imprint,
When I needed you.
From Linda M. Crate:
a soft eerie glow
soft whisper, kindest embrace;
petals of solace.
From Dana Clark-Millar:
walking with my ghosts
on the day of the dead
the crunch of acorns
From Mona Bedi:
ancestral home
grandpa and his spirit
greet us
From Haiku Fiction DJU:
new year’s eve
in the abandoned furniture store
the spirits whisper
Special thanks to all the poets who submitted their haiku for this episode. It’s an honor and a pleasure to read them. If you’re listening and you’d like to connect with these poets, visit the show notes linked in the description of this episode for links to their websites or social accounts.
Theme for Next Time
The theme for our next visit will be ‘water’ and your haiku need to be submitted by 11:59pm Bangkok Time (GMT +7) on Friday August 12, 2022. You may submit one haiku for this theme. It can be published or unpublished — as long as you retain the rights to share it.
To submit your haiku, follow the link in the description or visit thehaikupond.com and click the red ‘Submit’ button at the top of the page. If you have any trouble, please send an email to thehaikupond [at] gmail (dot) com.
Lastly, I want to say a huge thank you to Ryan and Melissa for your financial contributions on my Buy Me a Coffee page. I’m humbled and honored. Your support helps keep the lights on and the mic recording.
If you’d like to make a contribution to help support the podcast and receive a special shout out in a future episode, visit buymeacoffee.com/wordsbyfifi.
Thanks for listening. See ya next time!
Thanks for visiting The Haiku Pond. If you’ve been inspired by what you’ve heard, please share the show with a friend.
For podcast updates, join the mailing list at http://haikupond.ck.page/ or follow the podcast on Twitter @TheHaikuPond.
For inquiries send an email to thehaikupond (at) gmail (dot) com. Thanks for listening. See you next time.
Haiku Ponderings
A Haiku Collection for Pondering Life
My haiku poetry collection is available as an ebook on 10+ retailers worldwide!
This collection contains over 100 haiku and 5 mini essays focused on Mindfulness, Gratitude, Compassion, Love & Loss, and Give & Forgive. If you listened to the first season to The Haiku Pond podcast, then some of these haiku will sound familiar. I used the same themes for both the ebook and the podcast. More details here.
Currently available on the following retailers: Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Scribd, and more!
NOTE: This ebook is also available for check out in U.S. libraries using apps such as OverDrive and Biblioteca. Ask your local librarian how to sign-up.
Follow the link below to download your copy today!
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Anthony Nanfito 