Tag: haiku

A pair of strong wings
Bring me to a land of thoughts
Where hope shines the light.

——

landed home after burying hope to grow with flowers and spreading love with billowing incense smoke

Mosquito

Mosquito’s buzzing,
Scarier than it’s biting
Ears though can’t complain.

——

when i said to my friends that i wanted this, they chorused high toned answer “no, it is not Japan, with this type of water garden, you’ll be mosquitos’ daily party here!” 😁

View Finder

The light that is in,
The angle that frames, both play
To find the best view.

——

About Tugu Yogyakarta

photo taken while my friend was driving fast to avoid some motorbikes; i’ve missed the opportunity of taking its picture many times, this time no although not from a nice point of view

Dripping

This heart is leaking.
Droplets of love are dripping,
Fertilising life.

——

About wedang uwuh

wedang uwuh, a favourite beverage in breezy night of Jogja

inside wedang uwuh

Bloom

Learning, love, Poetic

This heart blooms and blooms
Leaving quiet budding season,
Emerging from mud.

——

One of my friends complained why all my poems are about love, like I am either falling in love or broken hearted day by day.

After some time of chat and juice against wine glasses that friend answered one’s own question.

“Ya! Life is about loving: smoothly or broken-heartedly. Now I know what you mean. I thought all were about romance! Ahhh!”

I tried a sip of wine from that friend’s glass.

“You’ll get drunk more at home and write more love poems!” Said that friend laughing.

“Yes, I won’t give up this love whatever interpretation is thrown about me to me. I am thankful enough to have very few true friends who understand.”

Salaam.

true love is too tasteless for those weighing it with money; yet too complex for those weighing it with faith — for those not knowing the true secrets behind words, love is just a marriage between distrust and fear hidden in sparkling plastic 🙃 i know love is still beautiful whether it is well understood or misunderstood 💕

Light Steps

There are steps prancing
On a line between two worlds
Within and without.
Lotus shows celebration,
Mud purification.

——

Twitter is getting louder and louder before election in Indonesia. Instagram is getting more and more showy with the holidays and parties coming.

I am happier not too much engaged with those two; Twitter is for me to keep abreast with political issues that help me make decision whom to vote in 2024 (I quit abstention this time after for the rest of my life) and Instagram is to tag and be tagged by family and friends. I am now even happier to have stopped stalking unnecessary accounts that made me scrolling and searching to gain nothing but sighs and shivers.

Only WordPress can hug me consistently warmly. Only WordPress can make me realise I have words to travel light, imagination to travel far, values and wisdom to travel with caution and good will to keep moving.

I am safe here.

💕

how warm and jazzy that place was; see you again, Jazz Gunung Bromo next year! I am happy to be part of your warmth and jazz! 🙏🏼

Wonderful

Life’s full of wonders,
Giving awe at the right time
With blooming lotus.

——

sometimes snack from home tastes wonderful during traveling 😊 thank you!

Caution

Learning, Poetic, This Person

Caution, Beloved
Walking down the hill with care.
Climbing hasn’t ended.

——

going downstairs is oftentimes more risky than upstairs — my father’s last words to me before he died was “…. be cautious”

Colours in The Dark

I first saw his works in Amsterdam and Paris in 2017 — stunning and extraordinary! So when “Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience” came to Singapore, I didn’t think twice to go.

While there was so much to enjoy, the huge room where people can just relax within the expo before continuing their look-around or after doing it was my favourite.

This video was of my first entry to the room. After enjoying the Van Gogh VR experience, I went back there to enjoy the time before finally left the expo: children playing, adults chatting, some sleeping, even a lady dancing. There was serenity in this dark room full of Van Gogh’s colours virtually projected to the walls by technology.

I am blessed to be there.

Thank you!

Salam.

🐣

Home

Evening awaits
Trippers who miss home. Hurry.
Go home happily.

——

good evening, commuters — go home happily 💕

never bored with this angle; whatever weather, whatever colour — i love to be home 💕

Now Is Calling Me

Written on a board
Dreams as deep as memories—
Now is calling me.

——

i wish to write this in one ema for JLPT N5 😂 someday 🐣 yet i don’t want to lose my today, the best day i have every day 💕

Day Out

It’s one fun day out
When colours race with the light
Depicting good moods.

——

life is a gambling for those betting against it

♥️ weekend well spent

💕 much to learn in silent colours

sunflowers ♥️

what do you see?

Van Gogh’s bedroom in the asylum

i brought this home together with some souvenirs 💝

Trace of Power

Power that is left
Tells outer layers of truth
That might not be true.

——

And it doesn’t matter as truth might have millions of layers depending on number of thoughts dissecting their stories.

Life is unlimited.

💕

Okayama Castle – front view

Okayama Castle – back view

super fragrant flower in Karokuen Garden

Power

The main cable’s cut,
Power surge’s down. Light’s off.
Ruin of pride sprawling—

——

Mori Tadamasa — the owner of Tsuyama Castle

not taking high IQ to learn that many if not all the daimyos and above were human beings thirsty of power

human beings are both individual and social, original and political, psychological and cultural, good and evil; let life be fair at the right time and the right place to me — i just want to be humane and nothing else 😊 avoiding people with intrigues is paramount even if they are the ones that i love the most 😘

life of non aristocratic is more interesting to me where politic is just about how to stay in self control with some occasional sparks of witty explosions and to gracefully stabilise the society ♥️

rebuilt part of Tsuyama Castle’s Bitchu Yagura (viewed from not so nice a point) — you don’t have to look pretty or grand all the time, dear Castle 😍

when i saw the high stone walls of this castle, i could imagine how it was strongly fortified

just with 6 ruins of hundreds of castles in Japan I visited (Asahi-san has visited 75 and counting) and it is already clear to me what kind of culture this nation was built upon and what type of aristocratic people started the build — all nations are blessed in different ways

this is how beautiful Tsuyama Castle scenery was in one sakura season (foto borrowed from tsuyama.kokosil.net) — i’m blessed enough to see it in Jun ♥️

thank you, Tsuyama 🙏🏼

Note: Castle is open from 8:40am to 7pm Japan time

Green and Greener

It’s green grass back home,
Her grass looks greener, sweeter
Though. Is it the sun?

——

There is a proverb in Indonesian “rumput tetangga selalu kelihatan lebih hijau“ that literally means neighbours’ grass always looks greener. And yes, that’s always what I feel in many countries outside Indonesia and Singapore yet at the same time I miss to be home in either Indonesia or Singapore where sun is both indulging and heating.

I am truly “green-eyed” some time. And I so much miss home.

🧑‍🎤

dancing orange

orange in joy

yellow having a chat

it’s just sweet!

inspiration for the garden right in front of my bedroom; right size to copy — thank you!

Love Is Not Leaving

Learning, love, Poetic

Love is not leaving.
Kernel then seedling then tree;
Stays yet multiplies—

——

After some journey and some work finally dinner was here now and it was an unforgettable one.

This long dragged day is nothing compared to today’s dinner. A dinner accompanied by a poem.

Yes my life is full of flower.

Thanks for the blessings!

Salaam.

♥️

sure it is about flowers — thanks much! i feel a tiny love bouncing and getting bigger and bigger in my heart when eating

they put it under my green tea; what a sweet creativity this restaurant demonstrates — will never forget this!

Nodding Orchids

Those nodding orchids
Complying with breeze flow hum,
Dance then fly away.

——

life is just like that ♥️

found the ID: Brassavola Great Egret

the other one finally bloomed yesterday, both dancing together since then

the slowest to bloom among the gang yet the most gracefully dancing

Today

Celebrate today
‘Coz there won’t be tomorrow
Everyday’s today.

——

Weekend is packing and doing household chores while enjoying rhythm of the rain.

♥️

some for today with grapes before going out after my success with laundry and this lovely jadah

voila! i will bring some for my next week biz trip ♥️ we call it JADAH or TETEL or ULI

steam for about 30 min, 45 min max if softer texture is preferred — while it is hot, pound it slowly until it becomes cake

add grated coconut

up to this consistency

boil it with coconut milk added, salt is optional based on taste preferred

glutinous rice soaked in water for at least 30 min

Mathematically In Love

Learning, love, Poetic

This love is a math
With numbers operated
For an x to solve

——

The x is always the most stubborn to solve. Or, just not even wanting to solve 😊

Summer Is Calling

Summer is calling
With tint pallet of the east.
Bright. Fascinating.

——

colours

Blue on Green

Look! It’s blue on green
Burning spirit to trueness
Of living simple.

——

I love the rice field sprawling along the train track in Japan. It brings feel of peace at the same time reminding me that there are still those who are willing to live as farmers even (according to my Japanese friends) with not so high income.

God bless farmers without whom we won’t live.

Salaam.

irrigation that travels like blood in body

the clouds that travel by the wind like dream in mind

Transit

Life’s a swift transit
Where tripper’s redirected
To where home resides.

——

before going home i made myself a rush to visit this three-tier turret of Takada Castle

behind the pink

behind the white

behind the purple

and right in front of it

Life

The price of good life:
A cluster that can grow wild
On the grey tree bark?

——

which is more precious? bark of the tree or the fungi growing happy? are they mutually enriching each other?

I See You

I see you, beauty
When I walk or sit or rest.
You’re sheer, true yet mute.

——

beauty is everywhere, dancing in silence 💕

Summer

It’s ever summer
When smile is sweet, words are true.
Then sun is joining.

——

thanks, Jasmine-san for bringing me to this place!

summer

pottery is never too cute

it is free opener; two for one diner

my 1st nato in life which was ummm…. and sticky yam or something which was amazing

one of my colleagues who is loving Japanese food will be so happy to finally see me eat sashimi without throwing up 😂

i love tempura and this is one of the best one i’ve ever had!!! and much cheaper than the ones in Singapore ☺️

yesss!!! Joetsu rice is the best and so is the sushi! 💕

sushi, sushi, sushi!

this fish cake that i’ll never be able to recook! perfect!

Blessed Belly

This blessed belly sings
And dances then soon to sleep
With a dream waiting.

——

i politely rejected an invite of dinner so i could eat alone in an izakaya – 😍 having dinner at the window while seeing people passing by bringing joy or anger after work or school brought me to a corner called “thanks god i’m alive”

💕 izakaya with a glass of green tea, carrot juice, and….

potato salad!

edamame obviously

chicken 🫣 oil oil oil!

most of Javanese love this fish! incl me! 💕😍♥️

pickled cucumber

chicken skin and gizzards! i can be joyful just with this cheap food! 😍 but i want the best sushi in town tomorrow! 😁

On A Green Mountain

On a green mountain
She stands, claps and bows to pray
For what’s been wished for.

——

Day was clear, no June rain welcomed me. Black birds were cawing but not noisy when I arrived, the caws sounded more like “this woman is not important and harmless, let her do what she wants to do. Leave her alone.”

The scent of just mown grass infused stronger freshness to the hanging air and sprinkled refreshing vibe to the scenery.

A lady in the shrine shop greeted me excitedly in Japanese which made me feel like attending an oral communication test with a desperate teacher thinking “fail, fail, fail”. Yet her beautiful smile cajoled me to take one ema (wooden plaque in shrine to write wishes and prayer) to write what I wish to wish forever for me and everyone.

About ema

The most impressive that day were the taxi drivers who drove me to the shrine and back to the hotel— both were willing to find the most basic vocabulary and grammar to make me feel good to practice my pre-basic Japanese; two grandfathers who accompanied a confused granddaughter blabbering Japanese gibberish.

Yet the shrine itself was the cherry on top of the cake that day. Shrine and castle never fail me!

Thank you, Kasugayama Mountain for welcoming me and letting me enjoy the shrine and its surrounding.

Thank you for letting this heart throb seeing what can grow in silence and for letting this soul sit still observing what can leave with no trail.

I am lucky. Always.

💕

going in to the Kasugayama Shrine compound

my friend asked me in Instagram “how many steps?” i said to her “i didn’t count, i will next time” but in my heart “one third of my breath” 😀

torii at the front gate of Kasugayama Shrine

ablution station before stepping to the shrine inner area to pray

i wish prosperity and blessings for my company ♥️♥️♥️

ema: after almost 50 years living, i can only wish the loudest possible in my heart “May All Beings Be HAPPY. All my dreams come true. ♥️”

prayers are hanging everywhere, tied anywhere — people want their wishes come true; as simple as that

if people don’t believe in the power beyond powers, why do they want to pray? to boost confidence? formality? culture? i’m sure they do it because they’re sure it is there whatever people call it beyond what’s taught in religions — i pray as others do

do you know the guy standing on the hill? Uesugi Kenshin — respected daimyo in his era

About Uesugi Kenshin

there is Kasugayama Castle ruin on top of the Kasugayama mountain — i didn’t go though, maybe next time

In Some Frames