Haiku

By Richard Wright

The naked mountains,

Washing themselves in spring rain

As green fields look on.

That sparrow bent down,

Its head tucked beneath its wing, –

Sewing a button?

A darting sparrow

Startles a skinny scarecrow

Back to watchfulness.

The creeping shadow

Of a gigantic oak tree

Jumps over the wall.

As my anger ebbs,

The spring stars grow bright again

And the wind returns.

On my trouser leg

Are still a few strands of fur

From my long dead cat.

The neighing horses
are causing echoing neighs
in neighboring barns

Whitecaps on the bay:

A broken signboard banging 

In the April wind. 

I am nobody:

A red sinking autumn sun

Took my name away.

As the sun goes down,

a green melon splits open

And juice trickles out.

Spring begins shyly

With one hairpin of green grass

In a flower pot.

An apple blossom

Trembling on a sunlit branch

From the weight of bees.

Make up you mind, Snail!

You are half inside your house,

And halfway out!

Burning out its time,

And timing its own burning,

One lonely candle.

Entering my town

In a heavy fall of snow,

I feel a stranger.

Just enough of snow

To make you look carefully

At familiar streets.

The arriving train

All decorated with snow

From another town.

Holding too much rain,

The tulip stoops and spills it,.

Then straightens again.

Leaving the doctor,

The whole world looks different.

this autumn morning.

A spring sky so clear

That you feel you are seeing

Into tomorrow.

A balmy spring wind

Reminding me of something

I cannot recall.

A valley village

Lies in the grip of moonlight:

How lonely it is.

Settling on the screen

Of the crowded movie house,

A white butterfly.