Haikus About Life, Weather and Politics

As many of you know well, I write a #morningcoffeehaiku on facebook most mornings. I find this literary structure of only three lines and seventeen 17 syllables, 5, 7, 5 perfect for expressing pretty much anything. My early haikus were more about coffee, the weather and life, but as life here in Israel has gotten bogged down in a dangerous war, my haikus also reflect that.

Have you ever haikued? Oops! Can haiku be used as a verb? What do you think?

Which among these is your favorite? Why?

elections approach

haven't a clue which party

is best for my vote...

see winter coming

seasons change so rapidly

even in one day

still feel yesterday's
ASCENT to Har HaBayit
profound holiness

new week, seasons change

humidity increasing

accept and thank Gd...

Friday, Shabbat soon

looking forward... special peace

gift from Gd for sure

Chodesh Elul Tov

hard to believe soon New Year

yes, Rosh Hashana

looking forward, yes,

adventure planned with a friend

Gd willing success

I'm counting blessings

good health, family, neighbors

yes, grateful to Gd

golden dawn hiding

autumn's sneaking up on us

days shrink and darken

thankful bright sunrise

energizes me for sure

reminds me of Gd

Haikus, So Much Said in 3 Lines, 17 Syllables

I've been writing haikus every morning for years and have a facebook group where I post them. Since the war against Israel began, many of my haikus are political, but some just deal with ordinary life. I'll include some of them here.

Honestly, I recommend writing haikus to learn how to express yourself with a minimum of syllables and lines. As I said in the title here, just three lines, five syllables, seven syllables and finish with another five syllables.

Mulling over map

while drinking friend's strong coffee

in Jerusalem

figuring out new route

to Matan* while roads dug up

in Jerusalem

despite worries slept

thanking Gd for energy

long busy day planned

coffee energy

when sleep won't cooperate

life's complicated

Gd willing Shabbat

will herald true peace, please pray

Gd is our True King

*Matan is where I study Tanach/Bible

Life's a Shiputz #2 Keeping a Sense of Humor

I made a decision early in the planning of the bathroom renovations aka the "shiputz." It's important to remember that this is only a house, not a human being. It's a shiputz, not medical treatment, not an operation nor cancers diagnosis. I had also decided that I'd go to one store and find tiles and flooring I like in it. I wasn't going to travel all over searching for what either doesn't exist or something extraordinary. In a convenient store in the Shiloh Industrial Zone, Ceramics Depot, which I can even walk to though walking home is much harder, I found tiles and flooring I really like. OK they were the only tiles in the store that I like, but all who have seen them agree that they're gorgeous. 

To do this sort of renovations, there's lots of destruction before the construction and tons of dust, dirt and more. Even those things can be seen with a sense of humor:

I've decided that these ties coming out of the wall of a bedroom must be some
avant-garde modern art "installation." Please don't worry. On the other side of the wall is the laundry room, and totally new piping has been installed. When the cement closing the piping in the wall dries, these wires will be removed and the holes sealed up. 

Isn't it obvious that Triangular composition is a Still Life? I see it. Do you?

There's still more work to go until this project is finished. I'm doing my best to keep smiling.