Cup of Tea : Friday Fictioneers

Copyright – Douglas M. MacIlroy

I know they all will die. No matter how many times I marry, no matter how many times I try, house of Kobayashi will not last after me. The “Cup of Tea” will remain untouched and unloved. I outlive all of them as I outlived my beloved Kiku. I even outlived my father’s house along with the whole of Kashiwabara village.

After searching whole of Nippon for love, I sit alone in this barn. While I see them come and go under the silent candles, they will find my remains in my five feet of snow.

I hate them;
The butterflies find their flowers
At will.

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Reurning to Friday Fictioneers after taking a break last week I find our wonderful host Rochelle posting a photo-prompt that instantly connects me to my love for Haiku. And what is a better connect than my favorite Haiku master “Issa”. This one is dedicated to him, his life and work

Born as Kobayashi Nobuyuki, Issa is my favorite Haiku master among the Haiku Master quartet. The simple pen name “Issa” roughly meaning “Cup of Tea” wandered through his life in search of love. His haiku poems keep me spellbound as well as with wrenching heart. Some of his greatest works came from his pain –
After returning to his native village and getting some of his inheritance from his stepmother –

“the closer I get
to my village, the more pain…
wild roses”

He wrote after both his first and second born died in a very tender age –

“This dewdrop world —
Is a dewdrop world,
And yet, and yet . . .”

After death of a third child –

“Outliving them,
Outliving them all,-
Ah, the cold!”

and his beloved wife Kiku –

“if only she were here
for me to nag…
tonight’s moon!”

Another, translated by Peter Beilenson with Harry Behn, reads:

“Everything I touch
with tenderness, alas,
pricks like a bramble.”

… and last but not the least if you love Haiku – you may like to visit my poetry blog at – “Rain Starved Clouds”