Haiku by Evan Mantyk The Society January 3, 2014 Beauty, Haiku and Senryu, Poetry The Persecution of Falun Gong I. Meditating group One clear crisp day at Shanghai In earth’s sunny loop II. What is Zhen-Shan-Ren? Truth-Compassion-Forbearance Refiner of men III. Police arrive there Frosted breath flies from warped mouths Evil spirits flare IV. The days, weeks, and months Spent making dolls for export With smiles on their mouths V. Torture in damp dark Floods of blood and brainwashing He floats on faith’s ark VI. Communist thinking Godless junk and filth piled high Leaves morals sinking VII. He floats to a shore Where the soft sands of heaven Disrupt his sweet snore VIII. Awake half-dead now Joyous that earth’s red demon Didn’t make him kowtow IX. The majestic sun Behind a wall of gray smog On a day soon done A Catskills Trek I. Trees infused with mist Enchant those just awakened Before their breakfast II. A new mountain trail On soft leaves of late autumn Seems destined to fail III. The deer hunter’s tent I thought I saw was a rock Without an intent IV. From the mountain’s peak Two pagodas stand like Gods Who we humbly seek V. At Heaven I peek A feeling a subtle glow A name I can’t speak VI. Virtue’s lofty peak Amidst unknown wilderness That seems un-unique VII. Descending the cliff A sheer drop to the bottom Scares me slightly stiff VIII. Debris crumbles off As I look for a new way And try not to scoff IX. The narrow path leads Down to a long shining lake That reflects our deeds Featured Image (Top): “Imprisoned Dafa Practitioner” by Yuan Li. Another name for Falun Gong is Falun Dafa. Dafa literally means “Great Way” (en.falunart.org) Featured Image (Middle): “Goju-no-to Pagoda” by Tokuriki Poet’s Note: The Haiku is a poetry form originating from 14th century Japan. The form is most commonly structured as a standalone poem with three lines that have five, seven, and five syllables (or short syllables), respectively. In this case, I have added a rhyme to the ends of the first and third lines. Further, while the Haiku above can each stand alone, each is also part of a larger story. NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. Trending now: Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
