September 8th 2018
Early morning brought light rain and mist as a shared love of haiku brought members together at the lovely Gosford/Edogawa Commemorative Gardens. Some travelled very long distances: Gail from near Newcastle, and Kent on a four-hour drive from Bathurst. Colleen came from The Entrance and Maire and I even closer by. Sadly a number of our members were unable to attend for reasons beyond their control and they were missed.
The rain had ceased as we began our ginko but each person commented on how refreshed they felt from it. We walked separately and in silence, noting fragile blossom along a dark bough, wisteria buds fallen among spiky grass, the emergence of light green leaves from within whorls of darker ones. Frog croak from the reeds and the splash of koi, the sight of three ducks crossing a bank of white pebbles all added to the experience of living in the moment, pen and paper in hand.
Photo by Colleen KeatingÂ
Afterwards we gathered at the round table at which we met last winter, in a room tucked away from passers-by and shared the poems members had prepared from a worksheet distributed in advance. Then, around the table again, we shared our haiku and jottings from the day. Everyone contributed in equal measure and enjoyed the thoughts of others. A captivating surprise came in the form of two large haiga Kent had prepared from photographs taken in the countryside. I think they might spark further interest and inspiration at our summer meeting.
Beverley George
Convenor
Australian Haiku Society 