Don’t look too hard to “find” a haiku. Let it find you. Be open, receptive, welcoming.

~ Zee Zahava

Welcome.

As haiku becomes a regular practice, we discover that paying attention — teamed with “forgetting ourselves” and connecting to the truth of our belonging — serve to inspire and nourish a sense of wonder, curiosity, and play. We begin, in the words of Tom Clausen, to “feel inspiration in moments freely found anyplace, anytime, anywhere.” We find ourselves with greater capacity to be open, receptive, and welcoming as we allow haiku to “find” us.

Haiku and calligraphy by Br. David Steindl-Rast

Tom Clausen observes that “Haiku return to us the wonder and curiosity we had as a child.” And yes, a childlike perspective is available to us in every moment. As Br. David has said, “That child is in every one of us, a child for whom the cosmos is alive.”

The Practice

Today we invite you to move through your day experiencing the world around you with the wonder and curiosity of a child. Be curious and expansive. Experiment with being joyful, fearless, and a bit silly. Allow yourself to make playful connections and to notice the way that something out of place like a crooked flagstone may be offering you comfort, delight, or surprise. Be open, receptive, and welcoming; allowing a haiku (or more than one!) to find you.

When you are ready, write your haiku in a notebook and feel free to share it, along with any additional discoveries, in the reflection area below.

Enjoy the full eight-day Exploring Haiku practice.