Monday, 31 August 2026

A Haiku a day

In my recurring quest to insert snippets of creativity into my life and routine, here is my latest collection of very short poems. Each day in August I wrote one Haiku, connected to or inspired by something of what that day had brought (with some of the references being more tenuous than others). It is a challenge I have attempted previously. At only 17 syllables, I was certainly not going to be able to argue I hadn't had time, even on the busiest of days, but for someone who has a propensity to use a lot of words, it actually proved quite a tricky discipline! Some are better than others, but for what they're worth, here is the full set:

1st
Sometimes all it takes
To create something beautiful
Is earth, water, fire

2nd
Where memories fade
Winding paths through dappled light
Lead where new life sings

3rd
Sometimes we outgrow
The places that helped make us
Nostalgia lives on

4th
Built of more than bricks
It takes warmth, love and safety
To call somewhere home

5th
Ancient trees listen
To cries and laughter that swell
As kids hide and seek

6th
Beauty to be found
But sometimes it is hidden
By heavy closed doors

7th
Fun, food and sunshine
A picnic to remember
Moments shared with friends

8th
In the big moments
And the fleeting ones we share
Family matters

9th
This is luxury
Gentle unpressured comp'ny
And afternoon naps

10th
A lake shadowed by willows
Promises tranquility
And space to reflect

11th
When you only eat
Breakfast waffles and ice-cream:
You're on holiday

12th
In wonder and awe
We look up as the sun hides
And glimpse mystery

13th
Paths cross and divide
But through time and space we hold
The people we love

14th
Some days must be spent
Wrestling with words and numbers
As the sun still shines

15th
When the road seems long
You have to shift your focus:
Just take the next step

16th
Run, jump, play, laugh, dance, 
And through tiredness you know
Joy is days like these

17th
When we dare to climb
We find beauty on the edge
Hidden in plain sight

18th
Coloured ribbons fly
As friends old and new gather
Beneath bright blue skies

19th
Gentle reminder:
You're never too old to play
And dance in the rain

20th
Sleep rubbed from my eyes
An early morning goodbye
As a flight takes off

21st
Reaching out to friends 
Space made for one another
And our lifeblood flows

22nd
Bring your stress and tears
No need to apologise
That's what friends are for

23rd
Neither genetics
Nor law can really define
Who is family

24th
Scones, sweetened with jam
But more importantly life
Sweetened with friendship

25th
The doorbell, the phone
The person in front of you
Thriving through chaos

26th
A stark reminder
Beauty built from destruction
Remember, forgive

27th
Though it can be hard
To leave the unfinished lists
It's good to be here

28th
Loving your neighbour
Asks us to keep listening
Even when it hurts

29th
Away in a field
Brave the rain to feed the soul
With words and music

30th
It matters that we
Remember to let go, but
Still hold on to hope

31st
Nothing like camping
To make you appreciate
All the little things

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