going up and up
reaching for eternity
rigid, tall and straight
.
evergreen bamboo
shoots cut down and thinly sliced
boiled, to feast upon
.
survival circles
displayed around the body
every few inches
.
ward off the evil
takenoko surrounding
lonely Shinto shrine
.
wet and slippery
showered in the morning rain
a bamboo-poet writes
.
a childish cutter
gash shining stalk of bamboo
emerge moon goddess
.
shedding those gold tears
watching in pain, her moon world
born from bamboo stalk
* Written for Carpe Diem # 217 Takenoko/Bamboo Shoots
* The last two haiku are derived from a Japanese folktale; The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. I came to know about it in a Japanese cartoon show once.
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