Tsurukame Cup: The Unofficial Kurousa Award! Haiku

I am still enjoying the lingering excitement of the Tsurukame Cup. This is Kurousa.

Following the tanka, here are the haiku that caught my eye. Here we go!

Walking alone on that day, the path where fireflies flew

The light of a firefly is like the flame of life, flickering and ephemeral. Since it is about memories of a father, I imagined various things, such as whether 'yuku' (going) implies 'passing away,' or if that day was the day the mother passed away.

Drinking beer, wondering if a masterpiece will emerge, oh the bubbles

I was struck by the final 'awa-awa' (bubbles/flustered). When thinking of haiku, one gets all flustered trying to balance what they want to say with the character count, don't they?

Summer vacation, a barbecue on a night when stars fall

A wonderful memory!

Tucked a paper fan into the gap in the bookshelf

The best place to put a paper fan is between books, isn't it? I thought, 'I do that too!'

It's fine to complain a little, says the summer willow

I imagined that while cooling off under a willow, the gracefully drooping branches swaying in the wind felt like they were encouraging me. A lovely haiku.

Cats gathered on the promenade, a tropical night

A night gathering of cats. I want to join in!

Travel preparations made while putting on sunglasses

The power of sunglasses makes me wonder if they decided to go on a long trip when they only meant to go out for a bit.

The buzzing of a mosquito like the eve of a guerrilla war

Mosquitoes really are like guerrilla soldiers.

Plastic waste becomes a prism on an early summer morning

The combination of trash and a prism really caught my attention.

Learning at the class reunion that she has already had her third memorial service

This really struck a chord because I just had a conversation where I asked, 'I haven't seen them lately, are they doing well?' and was told, 'They passed away three years ago.'

The emptiness on the way back from visiting my father, and moss flowers

With 'visiting,' 'emptiness,' and 'moss,' then ending with 'flowers'! I want to be able to write haiku like this too, Kurousa!

A waterfall at the end of the flow of mountain ranges

The waterfall flows with such force that you tilt your head wondering where it all comes from. And you describe it as the 'end of the mountain ranges.' I felt as if I had been cast out into the great wilderness.

A neighbor's angry shouting, a siren, and summer stars

In the summer, we keep our windows open, so we end up hearing people shouting. When you look outside to see what's happening, there are the peacefully shining summer stars. It happens—or rather, it has happened to me. Things like this.

A gentle breeze's kiss, a summer evening

A breeze as gentle as a kiss. Truly unique to a summer evening.

Summer love, press the reset button and move on

Crisp, fleeting summer love. That's nice. (←I turn into an old man when I touch on eros. This is Kurousa.)

Wanting to see you, suddenly wanting to see you, a rainy moonlit night

It sounds like lyrics. Like Seiko Matsuda's "Daite." Or maybe "Aitakute." Either way, it's nice.

Green storm, clouds floating where it blows through

It feels good to have the perspective zoom far away.

Good for dressing, my late mother's taste, apricot miso

Apricot and miso?! I'll have to try that.

Biting into a cucumber that grew crooked during adolescence

The combination of "adolescence," "growing crooked," and "biting" is exquisite. It really clicked for me.

Congratulations to all the winners!

The "Menopause Declaration Cup 2022" is now open. We look forward to your participation!