Winter Haiku

Dan won Professional Masterchef - though how they picked one out of those 3 brilliant finalists - Aaron, Dan and Liam - I do not know.    "Sea urchin on toast for supper?" I suggested.  "No thanks", said Captain B, "I'm off down the Chip Shop." - To be fair the sea urchin on toast menu, though pronounced "delicious", did not make it to the final.

I feel like starting to write again - and am hoping to find some inspiration for a small poem, so here is one from a master of the form:

  Winter solitude by Matsuo Basho

Winter solitude--
in a world of one color
the sound of wind.

Can this inspire me to a Haiku of my own - one that will convey the damp, rather grey and too warm winters we seem to be getting?  What would typify winter now?  Lots of snowy cards and a ton of old movies with Christmas in the title, but no actual snow?  A world full of colour in the form of glittering fairy lights maybe?

Covid Winter... if we are locked down again before Christmas it would be something along the lines of "the silence of cash registers" in 17 well chosen syllables.  But can they lock us down again - as so many business rely on their Christmas cash boost?

Anyway here goes, a Covid Winter Haiku from MatSue Knighto:

Winter dankness--

in a world of fairy lights

the sound of solitude.

Mind you, I am a solitary soul - people make me nervous - and why does anyone, ever, want to have, or to go to a party?  Yet, as most people do, it is clearly me who is out of step.  So this Haiku should not be seen as a lament.   Anyway, as a Jehovah's Witness I would be happy not to have Christmas at all, apart from the family get together side of it, of course.

And I guess I should be humble and admit that I am no Matsuo Basho.  It's fun trying though. He gives me a standard to aspire to. And here is a lovely point from Thursday's Scripture for the day:  We remember that if we are to be truly useful to Jehovah, our humility should exceed our ability. 

So true, because unless we do things Jehovah's way, which means taking the time and effort to find out who our Creator is and what he requires of us, all our best efforts will be futile in the end.