AS THE CROW FLIES

AS THE CROW FLIES

... a poetic journey of wisdom

Don Baird

The Little Buddha Press Burbank, California

2013

"Revealing nature and her ways through the lens of haiku/hokku."

don baird

THE LITTLE BUDDHA PRESS 1600 W. Magnolia Blvd.

Burbank, California 93551 USA

As The CROW FLIES . . . a poetic journey of wisdom

Copyright 2013 by Don Baird

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, except by a reviewer or scholar who may quote brief passages in a

review or article.

Editor: Bridget Streb Proof Reader: Diana Ming Jeong Cover Design: Diana Ming Jeong

Cover Photograph: Haiga, Copyright 2013 by Don Baird

Printed in the United States of America

2013

Published by The Little Buddha Press Burbank, California USA

ISBN #: 978-1-300-43690-4

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Once again, we meet between the pages of nature, poetry, and the powerful actions of the Universe. I continue to be deeply thankful for the wonderful family and family-ships that have been so completely supportive of my humble endeavors as an observer of the actions and interactions of nature and its ways. Thanks and a dozen haiku roses to Maria, my wife, for the zillions of things you have supported me in and loved me for. Your precious love and encouragement has been, and is, paramount in my desire to continue creating, wandering, writing, and teaching. And, as I have mentioned many times before, thank you mom and dad; "without you, I would have been late for the party." (my father has passed but I know he keeps an ear and eye on me) Bridget Streb. I know I provided yet another challenge in asking you to watch over my shoulder and assist me in putting this book together. I appreciate you trying to keep my English honest, especially during my more "creative" moments. As I mentioned in the acknowledgements in Haiku Wisdom, "without you, my old English teacher would backdate my class grade to an F." Thank you Diana "Bones" Ming Jeong! Your tireless efforts in preparing this book for publication are very much appreciated!!! To everyone ... students - friends - family ... thank you for all you do and for all you are to me in every perfect way. You are indelibly etched in my heart, mind, and soul for all of eternity. love and harmony ... Don

INTRODUCTION Books including haiku and/or about haiku (in English) are on the rise. The differing points of view are expanding commensurately and haiku is being affected by it on a global scale. The following is my introduction to Haiku Wisdom and I find it crisply appropriate to include here as well: "It has been quite a while now that haiku poets have been active in writing haiku in non-Japanese speaking countries. The realization that haiku is poetic and rich in philosophical resonance has spurred a large number of American poets to explore it as a legitimate genre of poetry, rather than a way to teach children how to count syllables." cont. ... "While haiku seem to fall naturally into a 5/7/5 pattern in the Japanese language, there are a few poems written by Japanese masters that do not follow that matrix. It happens. In Japanese, they count 'sounds' (sound syllables) while poets writing in English, historically count syllables. There is a difference and it's a profound one. Geisha, for example, is considered two syllables in English: it is considered three in Japanese. While 'haiku' is considered two in English, it is also considered three in Japanese." Other languages have their difficulties as well. Haiku is a genre - a worldwide genre that involves thousands if not millions of poets. The Japanese language is rich, pictorial, and comes with a particular structure, both visually as well as in resonance, that cannot be easily duplicated in other languages. It naturally flows in a 5/7/5 rhythm and travels the page with mystery and depths that other linear languages are challenged to emulate. The haiku in this book are my humble attempts to keep as much as possible (in English) the charismatic aesthetics found in Japanese poetry. Elements such as zoka, ma, kire/kireji, yugen, koto,

kokoro, and line lengths (short/long/short) are admired and emulated by me in the poems I present here. These are just a few of the aesthetic attributes found within the resonance of Japanese haiku. Basho was a leader in his day and a champion of these qualities. Zoka, and following zoka is a command/demand of his if you were a serious haijin (haiku poet) or personal student. Within these pages is zoka - the creative force of nature and all humanity - of all things. There are poems and tid-bit wisdoms of humanity that lead from one-to-another easily . . . allowing space for the reader to ponder the creative force of nature as well as the wisdom of humanity. This book, As the Crow Flies, arrives on the shoulders of my fifty year career as a Kung Fu teacher and humble student of the Eastern ways - Eastern philosophies and poetics. Somewhere, in the midst of it all, I am wrapped in the cocoon of the Tao.

ZOKA Zoka, the continuum of creation (the creative) and transformation, may very well be the soul of modern haiku (hokku). As David Barnhill mentions in his interview with Robert Wilson, “it is the vitality and creativity of nature, its tendency and ability to undergo beautiful and marvelous transformations.”1 It is the inclusive recognition and hearty embrace of the activity of things and, in particular, the interactivity – the comings and goings of everything. (I’m using “haiku” in the sense that it is currently considered, in general, to be the common name for modern, stand-alone hokku.) The poet’s real enlightenment is his or her ability to open up to it, tap into it, and translate the zoka at hand into haiku. The poet recognizes what’s going on before his eyes and begins the journey of placing it into a haiku that relays what the poet has been vitalized with. Written in plain and common language without trickery, the activities of zoka do not demand intentional complexity or layers as poetry. Those aesthetic attributes naturally occur through the pen of an attuned poet. From the Wu Chi there comes the Tao – the Great Tao – the yin and yang of things – the becoming of things (koto). These qualities interact in various ways. Some collide; others cohabitate in a quietude of refined harmony. Strategically, the poet of the Edo period would look to the elegance and harmony of these natural activities while buffering the rougher sides of life. There was a dignity in their approach; there was old and tailored honor. The Japanese approached poetry in a sensitive, humble dignity in regards to nature and her essences. By combining this tradition with a sense of mono no aware, zoka, koto (becomingness), kigo (season root/indication), and a proper structure, the hokku grew in beauty, strength, and depth of meaning. Basho became a hokku hero – and possibly the most famous person of all time in Japan. Within the zoka, transience and the sense of impermanence are additional aspects and clearly Basho haiku/hokku aesthetics. They

are uniquely entwined in the guttural tide of zoka. In this, there is no link needed “between” haiku and zen; they are one and the same. even in Kyoto hearing the cuckoo’s cry I long for Kyoto (Basho, translated by Robert Hass)2 You can sense the longing in this hokku. It is fraught with a lingering of feeling that puts you in deep touch with the inner workings of Basho’s psyche – his heart psyche. This isn’t a poet “using wabi-sabi”; this is a poet “living it” and doing so effortlessly. Clearly, Basho was deeply connected to the “what is” of things. He himself “follows zoka, returns to zoka.”3 I connected with this very deeply when I realized my German shepherd, Kimbo, was dying. While I was petting him and stroking his soft fur, I was missing him at the same time – while he was alive. I was longing for him yet he was in my arms. There was no separation of things; there was no esoteric link between me, him, zen, or the Tao. Not at all. There was only unity; there was only one – a perfect, harmonious oneness. It isn’t something anyone can try for; it’s just what happens when . . . In some way, “there is nothing that you can see that is not a flower; there is nothing you can think that is not the moon.” (translated by Reginald Horace Blyth).4 It is said that “the Tao that can be described is not the Tao.” 5 And, in some way, the zoka that can be described, therefore, is not the zoka. Nevertheless, by discussing around and in of it, one can begin to see its vastness. One can begin to sense its richness and meaning without it being exhaustively defined. Through the expansion of understanding, the poetic mind is set free. It is through understanding, intuitiveness, engagement, and knowledge

of the aesthetics of writing haiku (hokku) that brings a moment to life – that brings a haiku to light. (the) old pond a frog jumps in the sound of water (translated by R. H. Blyth) This hokku/haiku is one of the most interesting of Basho’s. It’s very revealing as to how he creates and develops his poetry. As it appears today, Basho wrote lines 2 and 3 before he composed line 1. He did not actually see a pond; he did not actually see a frog. But, he heard a familiar frog-plop or at least one that clearly reminded him of a frog plopping. He didn’t know for sure as to what factually happened. But, from the sound of water-plop, Basho determined the scene in his mind – in his creative self. From reacting to water’s sound combined with the possibility of a frog, Basho figured the possibility of what took place and began constructing through his profound imagination, a poem. The final touches of the “where” became all he needed. “Old/ancient pond”, Basho completed his memorable hokku. This poem birthed from the collectivity of Basho’s poetic skills and experiences. It arose from the belly of his knowledge and imagination combined. It became clear to him, through his intense understanding of the Tao, of zoka, and of the mutual interactivity of things and their importance to poetry, how he must write his poem. As the common story goes, an associate with him at the time had a different suggestion of which Basho summarily discarded for his preference - “ancient pond”. We have before us, in Basho’s haiku (hokku), an action packed transient moment of nature – of life and one that is demonstrative of zoka. Millions and millions of times a day nature repeats these activities and yet, none of them are identical. And, if they were, the Tao wouldn’t care. To the Tao and zoka, it’s impersonal. To the poet, it’s the richest of things colliding into meaning. As Barnhill continues in his interview, “rather than the crude notion of pretty

flowers and moon, everything is beautiful, because everything is the transformation of zoka . . . we should see everything as beautiful (flowers and moon).” Zoka is a constant changing within-it-all and yet never changing as an aspect of existence or truth. We, when aligned with the zoka, are able to dwell in a constant state of readiness without tension, control, demand or force in its company. In our relaxed readiness, we create the balanced internal environment for a poem to become. “By surrendering ourselves we become ourselves,” Young Ik Suh.6 We see, feel, and sense the essence of zoka all around us and we are engulfed deeply within its activities. In that surrender, our openness and child-like freshness connects with What Is – the comings and goings of all things – the interactions of all activity – and the activity itself. There is nothing happening and yet everything is happening. It isn’t important and yet its importance is succinctly clear to a poet with an empty mind; a mind without thought in a pure, pristine, ready position. This unique place of non-thought may be the abode of the primal creator of all poetry. Notes and References: 1 David Barnhill, Simply Haiku, Spring, 2011 - Interview by Robert Wilson 2 The Essential Haiku, edited and translated by Robert Hass. Copyright © 1994 by Robert Hass. First published by The Ecco Press in 1994 3 Basho’s Journey, Translated by David Landis Barnhill, State University New York Press, 2005

“Nothing one sees is not a flower, nothing one imagines is not the moon. If what is seen is not a flower, one is like a barbarian; if what is imagined is not a flower, one is like a beast. Depart from the barbarian, break away from the beast, follow the Creative (Zoka), return to the Creative (Zoka).” (Zoka in parenthesis is my clarification) 4 Matsuo Basho, translated by Horace Blyth 5 Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu, 6th Century B.C. 6 A comment that martial art master, Young Ik Suh, would make during class. It endured as one of his class mantras. (1970s).

In realizing one's own imperfection, humbleness becomes the new beginning. Through humbleness comes love, forgiveness, and tolerance — a sincere commitment to others as you have for yourself. Without weaknesses, strengths would go unnoticed. While we fix our weaknesses, our strengths become more defined; and through the process (our life), we hone this unique thing called Self.

raining shadows . . . the spring moon between

heartbeats

sacred spring . . . leaves dazzle in the wind

of a bassoon

hesitant; the butterfly shakes hands with itself

Listening to your imagination is the beginning of your dream; tenacity keeps you in the fight for it; and, passion is the driving, restless force behind its achievement. Follow your internal, creative world/force/chi. See it and feel it work - its truth - and know the Tao. In the end ... ... in some interesting way, you will never be any greater than your imagination will allow. Therefore, cultivate your imagination and you will cultivate your life.

an owl's silence . . . the milky way measures

his patience

deepening . . . the shadow there long

before the leaf

silence cracked; the pine borrows a crow's caw

If you fear death, you will fear life. If you fear life, you are already dead.

long winter . . . the moisture in his

breath

mid-afternoon . . . the slow summer breeze of

a butterfly

caught in a moonbeam — the moon

winter's veil . . . even stillness glows in the dark

I find inspiration from the voice(s) of nature over and over. Nature is active – it’s interactive. It’s vibrant. It is movement within movement and the stillness next to a cricket weaving stars together with his voice. It’s activity — interactivity, and beyond. Haiku crawl up branches, sing to the stars; they twinkle and wink ... and they snow. Haiku breathe, and follow shadows into frozen ponds. They dodge mantis attacks; and, they scurry with rabbits under the shadows of hawks. The continuum of these little moments linked together like pearls on a necklace, is nature's generous and abundant spiritual lessons for those that will listen.

thawing ice . . . the descending song

of a blossom

faceless . . . the shifting clouds of my mind

cherry blossoms . . . the invigorating taste of the universe

beggar's prayer . . . the unusual song of a twinkling star

You are involved in an expansion. By observing nature - the way of nature, you open the door to a galaxy [of knowledge]. By opening one door, you are opening ten. Your potential is exponential! Everything you learn opens the gates to the Kingdom you desire!

through the hole of a cheerio . . .

spring!

I am the ocean; I am the crashing of waves. I am thunder, and lightning. I am an earthquake, a volcano, a tornado, and the wind. I draw my power and creative force from the entirety of the Palate of Nature. raining breeze. . . cherry blossoms light my mind

summer spray . . . the salty airwave of a blowfish

Instead of waging war, wage peace. Instead of waging hate, wage love. Instead of waging animosity, wage forgiveness. Why are war, hate, animosity, bitterness, selfishness, dissonance and judgment so attractive? There's nothing about any of them that's beautiful or soul building. However, look at peace, love, forgiveness, sweetness, generosity, harmony and tolerance - notice how amazingly beautiful they are. Live by hate: die by hate! Live by love: die with love at your side.

snowflakes . . . the slow meander of my thoughts

heaven's gateway; under the pouring quiet, sea calls

Finding your passion is really a journey of finding yourself.

filling in the distance between stars . . .

a cricket

waning moon . . . the scent of autumn in a tea cup

The body has limitations and boundaries. The Spirit is infinitely free. whispering . . . the butterfly's unusual path

summer night; the hoot of an owl through my mind

Each one of us is limitless. The problem is Perspective. Change your Perspective to embrace the Limitless You, and watch your Whole Life change.

wild geese; the cluttered sky

of spring

reckless shadows — between falling leaves "hide and seek"

Codependency is like having the laces of someone's shoes tied with yours. It's difficult to walk that way; it's more difficult to live that way. Shoes have their own path and while they can travel in the same direction, they should be free to do so rather than tied together to do so. Be free to love the person you are with, without the need or angular attachment.

tundra . . . the lion's path to orion

fast track — from zero to sixty

on an ant hill

twilight dusk . . . the moon jumps through

a ring of fire

shadow play uncovers the cloud . . . covers the cloud

between breaths . . . thunder sequesters

the cricket

You are what you are in some accidental way. What are you going to be on purpose? lost in the tide . . . my face no longer a child's

rustling leaves . . . the sound of the moon

in a wolf's mouth

pillow talk . . .

the maundering dreams of a full moon

It is the subtraction of the extraneous stuff (ego, intellect, control) that frees the most magnificent You.

Tsunami; yesterday's treasures return

What we can’t see is sometimes the most powerful thing there is.

apogee moon; her shadow disappears

with mine

sideways in this lightning . . .

a raven's call

milky stars — the sea storm splashes

moments

The Kingdom (of Heaven on Earth) was never a place to go; it is a place to be. You envision your Kingdom, and you choose to be there, or not. If you want something (love, prosperity, joy), create the feeling of it within you. You are fully empowered to live in the Kingdom 24 hours a day. moonbeam — the restlessness in your shadow

riding too with the fog bank . . . wind song

fading . . . a winter's memories drop by drop

longest shadow . . . a familiar hoot between breaths

Question without answers. Propose without control. Ponder . . .

The Universe doesn’t listen in English; it listens in feeling. red tricycle . . . the loneliness of a playground

autumn . . . the last few leaves slip away

deep south – the slow-motion jazz of smoke

tea cup moon . . . the scent of jasmine

from the temple

The principles of the Tao are contained in the depths of the ocean. Their expression is in the crashing of the waves.

summer night . . . a barking dog weighs my patience

global warming . . . the seal's voice also lost at sea

Excess stubbornness is damaging to one's energetic system (chi). It blocks, not opens the gates to excellent health. Being tenacious is one thing; being stubborn is another. One keeps you alive; the other slaughters you eventually (if your friends don't!). Surrendering yourself and wanting the very best for all those you come across, empowers your chi - opens the gates to vitality.

wild geese . . . the settling dust of a sunbeam

star fest; a demure caw in the wind

If you don't show up for yourself, don't expect your self to show up for you. empty hands — the autumn fluster of a hobo

lingering howl of the hunter's moon . . . child's play

spring chill . . .

the muted rise of dawn

In recovery, recover. Know yourself. Know your opponent better. Keep the spirit strong; the option is weakness. Recovery doesn't come from weakness. It comes from finding yourself within and following the passion of your life and its quality. In the last round and the last second, you can arrive. radiation . . . the unexpected depth of silence nuclear waste; the muffled galloping of a seahorse shoreline . . . the translucent sunset of a child washed ashore — the endless faces of her rage

Language becomes imagery. Imagery becomes Feeling. Feeling becomes Power.

eye shadow — the sound of a crow lost in a moonbeam

waning wheat;

once again, the seedling lies dormant

periwinkle – spotlighted in a slow mist

lengthening the family discussion . . . a shooting star

If you want to live in the Kingdom, start in your heart. The Kingdom is all around you; stand up if you love to be loved and you'll see for yourself how vast the Kingdom is.

heaven's river . . . the shimmering path

of the sea

moonbeam — the restlessness of your shadow

leap year . . . an ol' frog sleeps in Anytime you live your life half-heartedly, don't be surprised if you have half-hearted results.

settling . . . cloud-cover lost in shadows

lazy star . . . your silence whispers to me

red moon . . . in the stillness between hoots

The only rush you have is the one you make yourself!

In the time it takes to explain why you do not have enough time, you had enough time!

Because death is imminent, so is life. five shades of death the shadow under the oak . . . is it mine?

empty swings . . . the rolling shadows of autumn

longest night . . . a familiar hoot between breaths

teetering grass . . . just moments ago a dragonfly

leaf belly; the backlit shadow of a mantis

winter bones; young buds emerge on wall street

iced beam . . . the moon flickering

in the wind

It's very important to give attention to intention - to have an intention driven life. To live your life without intention means to live your life unintentionally - by accident. Why would you choose to live your life unintentionally? Wouldn't that bring you unintentional results?

sado isle — your golden leaves wave the breeze

Anybody will listen to something they want to hear. It takes very special people to listen to something they do not want to hear. In fact, it's character defining as to who they are . . . deepest within themselves - their soul.

starlit morning – the voice of spring in the waterfall

between ducklings . . . the color of silence is space

blue canoe . . . the sound of a pond’s stillness

About the time you think you know something, that is also about the time you should emerge, yet again, with the Beginner's Mind.

summer's grip — sunrays stretch the bark of a bonsai

The intellect caused most of the problems on this earth. How can we, therefore, expect the intellect to be what solves them? Solutions must begin in the heart - not the intellect.

summer thirst . . . sunlight splashes from my hands

sneakers . . . my thoughts run wild through poppies

Making a good decision is actually very simple. It's people that make it so difficult.

Humanity spends much time learning 'facts' that just aren't true.

spring break . . . mackerel clouds clutter

the football field

eyes-wide-shut; an old leather flask

pours ants

under the weather . . . my umbrella forgot to join me

frozen pine . . . my pockets fill with knuckles

darkening sky . . . the crow disappears into a cloud

distant peaks – the shifting shades of fog

When you can look in the mirror and recognize the miracle [of you], you will understand the true beauty of self. You will then know, instantly, the beauty in others . . . from butterflies to rhinos. When the garden is cultivated from within, the mystery of your life will unfold.

kneeling . . . under new leaves

a shadow

INDEX OF PUBLISHED HAIKU

Simply Haiku, Summer Issue, 2011 tundra . . . the lion's path to orion deep south - the slow-motion jazz of smoke whispering the butterfly's unusual path last leaves; the slow exhale of autumn distant peaks – the shifting shades of fog Simply Haiku, Winter Issue, 2013 red moon . . . in the stillness between hoots empty swings . . . the rolling shadows of spring

deepening . . . the shadow there long before the leaf fading . . . a winter's memories drop by drop waning moon — the scent of autumn in a tea cup silence cracked; the pine borrows a crow's caw     WAAJ Anthology, 2011, Sasa Vazic winter's end the barren grove comes alive Shiki Kukai, March 2011, First Place darkening sky . . . the crow disappears into a cloud

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Don Baird, shortly after his birth, moved with his family to live on his grandfather's ranch in Wyoming. He lived in an old converted chicken coop building for some time. Eventually, he and his family moved to San Diego, California and remained there until he was 19. At 15, Baird entered the world of martial arts of which remains his career today. He has been featured in most of the major industry magazines including Inside Kung Fu, Black Belt, Inside Karate and Fighting Stars. In 2009 he was inducted into the Masters Hall of Fame and was featured in two videos regarding police defensive tactics (Hands On - Police Defensive Tactics). During his years of training kung fu, Baird became interested in Asian poetry and philosophy. Haiku became his first serious pursuit as a poet. While he had written various free styles of poetry over the years (threw most of it away), it was haiku that raced his heart. From haiku, he soon included haiga (with photographs), tanka and haibun. Don is published in numerous anthologies and online journals including Ambrosia: Journal of Fine Haiku, Simply Haiku Journal, World Haiku Review, Notes from the Gean, Haijinx, Modern Haiku, the Heron's Nest, and others. He placed 3rd two years in a row in the Kusamakura International Haiku Contest, 2004/2005. He was also awarded 1st place in the NHK Radio International Haiku Contest where his poem was read by Sokan Tadashi Kondo (2009). His most recent book is Haiku Wisdom. It was published by Modern English Tanka Press, (METP), Denis Garrison, 2011. When Baird has free time, he likes lounging on his big-fat-green-puffy chair and pondering this whole thing called life. For more information regarding Don Baird, please visit his website: http://www.kungfukarate.com

shape shifting . . . a summer cloud's reflections last leaves; the slow exhale of autumn escaping through the window . . . this one fly