To commemorate all things kayak, and the exquisite details of river and lake that go along with that, I set out to write a haiku to honour each voyage throughout 2011. What a joy it is to paddle and then immediately write a poem - the two acts linked. Each numbered section below represents a separate voyage. When read in sequential order, I hoped to have captured the flow of journey and season. The haiku follow the traditional format of 5-7-5 syllables.
Still Afloat
1.
woman and kayak
inaugural spring voyage
wind against skin
2.
and in the campground
arabesque stitching on yurt
a call to prayer
raindrops slap kayak
what's a little more water
in the midst of lake
3.
rising atop cliff
totem pole spreads eagle wings
over river bank
goslings step from nests
geese stretch long necks above grass
river rushes by
4.
intoxicating
sweet smell of honeysuckle
spread thickly in air
tough guy with tattoos
cringes at water splashing
cold against bare back
5.
woman strums banjo
swallows dip belly in lake
lovers serenade
dog and his human
frolicking like sea otters
dog days of summer
6.
evening paddle
sinking sun lights golden path
eases day’s tensions
man bows to Allah
we both praise in our own way
by the bulrushes
7.
portage boat to beach
body hurts from yesterday’s fall
forgot hat - damn it
paddle limestone maze
light dances on glacier caves
aches and pains subside
8.
muskrat den shoreline
earth gives way beneath my feet
moss, cedar, fern, root
cross bay, cross-currents
circumnavigate island
granite and high winds
9.
paddle against wind
steer kayak through wide arc
surf waves back to start
how glorious this
waves tumble into whitecaps
crashing over deck
10.
rain as fine as mist
fog-shrouded distant mountains
loons or wailing ghosts
waterline marks cliff
lichen and moss cling to rock
ochre and orange
11.
beneath the surface
seaweed swirls like mermaid hair
dangles from paddle
solitary swan
circles as if lost, calls out
disconsolately
12.
ye old sea woman!
oh, how i fit in my skin
sun-drenched and wrinkled
toss me, wind and waves
let me know my own true strength
the course of my heart
13.
the trees stand silent
only the poplar speaks out
with a silver tongue
up through the weeds
turtle pokes periscope nose
sinks like submarine
14.
fat-belly tadpoles
black and whiskered like catfish
dream of bigger things
launch from Nathan’s dock
set among the bulrushes
in memoriam
15.
tiny lilypads
turn cherub-faces upward
back float in clusters
big sky, big waters
big mountains, layered blue-grey
breathe deep the silence
16.
seagulls and sailboats
haze hangs over mountain range
surface mirror-glass
radiant sunset
i paddle into the light
find my paradise
17.
dip dip the paddle
little hands between big hands
rock-a-boat baby
grandson’s first kayak
sit on my lap, sing a song
"life is but a dream"
18.
circling overhead
airplane dips wing to river
i see the pilot
monarch butterfly
moons over my orange boat
it's love at first sight
19.
through the looking glass
waves/light strobe psychedelic
sky and clouds double
deep river crossing
open expanse, streaks of beach
brushstroke horizon
20.
clamshells shimmer pink
winds light, seersucker surface
slips into fine silk
aim for the lighthouse
kayak weaves around houseboats
moored in the harbour
21.
cedars hug cliffs
exposed root snakes along bank
curves into fine art
trees overhang caves
ferns sprout from the crevices
fish flops crescent-backed
22.
water spills from cliff
lilies and morning-glories
open to the sun
scull swiftly skims by
three stilt-legged sandpipers
peck at the sidelines
23.
silent solitude
three thousand acres of marsh
lime green frog on weeds
wetland silhouette
black cormorant stretches wings
stands iron-cast still
24.
sleek-swimmer muskrat
geese point white fannies skyward
wiggle tail feathers
osprey dive-bombs prey
heron moves with tai chi grace
they both get their fish
25.
strumming of green-frog
plucking of a guitar string
rustling bulrushes
season subtly shifts
milkweed, goldenrod, thistle
seagulls like lost souls
26.
wake parts the waters
pleasure boats take their pleasure
rocking chair kayak
exclamation marks!
minnows swiming off to school
overrowded classes
27.
lakeside patios
umbrellas fold into monks
pondering vastness
flocks of goldeneyes
whistling vibration of wings
long slow curve of bay
28.
it is the sky's day
morning moon, soaring bird, jet
single-frame capture
distant tsunami
sun's optical illusion
rolling horizon
29.
tickling under hat
daddy longlegs on my arm
season of spiders
bobbing flowerets
hydrangea lost at sea
rescue for the vase
30.
seven days landlocked
swipe cobwebs from my cockpit
cobwebs from my brain
six-heron blessing
train rumbles over trestle
i'm at peace again
31.
geese float lazily
conserving strength for fall flights
goldenrod mirage
rogue goose talks to me
i talk back, "er-ah, er-ah"
long conversation
32.
tinged red, yellow, brown
leaves fall like rain, rest on lake
red-tail hawk rides high
shadow crosses sand
raven carves sky-circles, sails:
wings spread wide open
33.
burdocks and thistles
fisherman casts silver thread
heron's beak a sword
seaweed matted thatch
sun bright, cold wind foreshadows
things to come downstream
34.
sycamore flames fire
caterpillars spin tent-webs
around green apples
mallards hide in marsh
lift off, body-memory
of hunting season
35.
dark geese congregate
like a penguin colony
populate the beach
one snowy egret
steps among them, odd bird out
crouches and stretches
36.
seagulls sit in the sky
clouds and reflection of clouds
surreal - Magritte art
pied grebe disappears
ghost trees reach for the surface
old man in canoe
37.
concentric circles
raindrops spread into wave-rings
expanding patterns
loon slides out of sight
empty shells of snails float by
feathers curl quill-up
38.
sun melts morning chill
carry kayak on shoulder
heave up onto car
geese fly formation
crayfish skitters toward shore
maples blush scarlet
39.
lake metropolis
swirl of birds lifting, settling
city of seagulls
dragonfly alights
seagull feather set adrift
rides makeshift kayak
40.
indian summer
kayak slips through calm waters
give praise, thanks giving
grandson squats at shore
chants earth songs with grandfather
beats earth-drum with stick
41.
current mimes slow flow
of time, constant and almost
imperceptible
hands cold on paddle
otters scamper across rocks
morning sky bruised blue
42.
exhibitionist
trees shed leaves, bare their branches
reveal waterfall
creek throwing itself
off cliff, hurtling down rock bluffs
sun burns away frost
43.
swift-flowing current
turns bow upstream, stalemate
caught in rock-riffles
can't travel forward
paddle backward to escape
ducks joyride past me
44.
geese kick up water
run in a row like sprinters
at the starter's gun
heron ghost glides by
morning frost ices landscape
wear double layers
45.
fingers and toes cold
condensation drips from trees
like rain, splashes up
devil's day paddle
upriver to devil's creek
church bells clang praises
46.
sun mimics full moon
orb pale behind veil of fog
mist enshrouds river
man in red canoe
black dog standing watch in bow
river silhouette
47.
i know where the hawk
waits, where the heron lingers
near the waterfall
birch tree glows golden
and at the edge of the pond
a skim of ice forms
48.
milkweed spills its guts
charred skeleton of sofa
knee-deep in water
abandoned lawn chairs
beached canoes stored hull-side up
awaiting winter
49.
tears well up with cold
temperature near freezing
bundle in layers
paddle by ladies
in bright parkas, scarves, ear-muffs
wave at me from trail