Haiku/Senryu

I have a super short poem that goes nicely with this photograph, so I’m sharing it here, with you. There will be a short discussion on the poetic form of the poem after:

My face in mirror - remembering stories
the lines tell …

This short poem is in the Japanese poetry form ‘Senryu’, often portrayed in Western literature as a short three lined poem, dealing with people, and often humorous, as it is in the country the form came from.

The senryu has similar ‘rules’ as the better known Japanese poetry form, ‘Haiku’ which is usually refers to Nature, and particularly the seasons, in some way.

I hope my little poem brought a smile to your face, as it does to me, every time I read it, and particularly when I notice, yet again that little tear on the shoulder of my old, old windcheater! If only I’d been wearing something nicer!

But if I’d been wearing something ‘nicer’ would that smile be as genuinely amused? Nah, casual and calmly confident, and amused at myself and my thoughts, looking good still, in my own opinion, and maybe in that of others too.

With crinkly lines around the outside corners of my eyes, and mouth, and a crinkly wrinkly neck, as well as those grey/silver hairs showing through the brown hair, I look like what I am, a middle aged woman not wearing any make up, and not caring a hoot about it!

And while I could colour my hair if I wanted to, I don’t actually want to, and I’m happy to let nature take its course with my hair colour, giving me slight highlights in summer from the sunshine, and the slowly increasing silver shade coming along.

I’m happy with that, and I have this lovely smile to show that to others!

Real smiles have crinkly eyes!