Haiku Momentum

nearly at red—

the butterfly can't land

on a breeze

When we do haiku most of us agree that the 'moment' of the 'now' is the source of our material. Some may require that moment to be sketched from nature direct (and quibble over whether urban landscapes count). Others may proclaim their subjectivity to figure as part of the present's objectivity. But, what actually is: NOW? The dictionary informs us that the immediate is the now. '"The momentary present" - WordWeb. This seems fair enough - at least until we start to ponder what that actually means.

A moment is a medieval unit of time equal to 1.5 minutes or 1/40 of an hour [1]. In modern English it usually refers to "a short period of time"[2] but doesn't specifically say how short. - Wikipedia

Scientists explain that the moments are infinely divisible. This is, clearly, of little use to us haikuists, especially when we pause to wonder what a haiku moment's duration is supposed to be when it's at home. Certainly something happens that produces a haiku. Certainly that has a historical time span. And, certainly this might go on for seconds, minutes or hours, even.

I was out and about, getting some fresh air and exercise with a Kodak digital camera and an eye for a haiku. You know, like you do. Then. This butterfly (red admiral) was struggling to land in the face of an awkward wind. I stopped and watched the show. Well, eventually it landed on the roadside grass, in amongst some early fallen leaves, now closing its wings to look like a non-edible, earthbound piece of natural debris, whilst it recharged its depleted batteries. Converting nectar. At this juncture I had to move on to avoid a car. The haiku moment had come to its conclusion.

Therefore, let the haiku moment, the now of the present, be an illuminating sequence of perception which contains a meaningful event. Objectivists can do their thing, subjectivists can do their thing, and blends of those debatable opposites can do their thing, also.

What did Basho have to say about this haiku moment business? According to his disciple Dohô:

"Learn about a pine tree from a pine tree, and about a bamboo stalk from a bamboo stalk."

Here we are advised to do more than simply regard a perceptual experience accurately, in the eternal fountain of now, uncluttered by personal opinion (subjectivity). We are, in fact, invited to participate in the pine tree's life! We do this by getting into the pine tree. By contemplating the pine tree until the observer becomes one with the observed. This shamanic meditation trick, to the extent enabled, allows a haiku response to appear without editorial mediation by the subjectivity of the viewer. A new realisation occurs. Not only this, the empathic realisation clothes itself in words - on autopilot.

I like this ideal. It all ties in with the great man's idea of 'poetic spirit'. His notion that by becoming one with the object of attention, through merging in contemplation, we are participating directly in the flow of life's becoming. Some may call this the flow of Tao, or whatever.

So. The duration of the moment of now that we engage in is flexible. However, it does have a start, beginning and end. This sequence is typically brief enough to fit into a little haiku. My butterfly moment lasted less than a minute. During this time period I was empathic enough to feel sympathy for the creatures plight. Hopefully Basho would have been pleased with my tadpole strivings in the art of makoto.

jp

© 10-05-11