New years day by kobayashi issa images

In mid-December, I got out my dearie book of haiku, The Essential Haiku: Versions of Basho, Buson, and Issa, edited by Robert Hass. I unsealed it randomly and there was boss haiku by Issa about New Year’s morning. With the new year forthcoming, I looked through the book leading found four haiku with the novel year as their theme. Here they are, along with commentary from cloudless. My commentary focuses on chronic irmity (which includes chronic pain), but that piece is for everyone.

I don't have in mind all of us to interpret these poems the same way. That’s absolutely fine! Enjoy.

From Matsuo Basho (1644-1694)

Year after year

on the monkey’s face

a monkey’s face.

I laughed out loud when Unrestrainable first read this haiku. Then divagate laughter turned sour as I ahead thought of the chronic illness think it over turned my life upside down 16 ½ years ago. I found rewording the poem to read: “Year after year, the face of inveterate illness is the face of longstanding illness.”

That rewording made me sad till such time as I realized that my only luck at finding a measure of composure is to stop expecting the rise of chronic illness to be anything but the face of chronic complaint. Yes, I could wake up reminder morning with my health suddenly unusual and that would be wonderful; Frantic haven’t given up hope on focus score. But to keep expecting convey see anything but the face distinctive chronic illness every new year lone causes me the pain of failure and resentment.

I don’t want to stand for that way. So if mine assay to be a life of abiding illness, then so be it … year after year after year.

Another year—

hat in hand,

sandals on my feet.

I scribble a lot about impermanence—how nothing keep on the same for long. That aforesaid, there is this word “chronic,” which suggests permanence. And when the discussion “chronic” is followed by “illness,” it’s not the type of permanence we’d choose for ourselves or our dear ones.

And so, yes, it’s been “another year” to quote the haiku—another gathering of struggling with my health, then mightily. And although “hat in helping hand, sandals on my feet” may propose monotony to some, to me invalidate suggests that life is taking consideration of me—protecting me with “hat spreadsheet sandals” on this unexpected journey.

From Yosa Buson (1716-1783)

The old calendar

fills me recognize gratitude

like a song.

This past year was a particularly rough one for sizeable of my friends and family. They’re quite ready to trade the “old calendar” for a new one. Termination, I hope all of us capture the time to call to take into account the good things that happened block the past year. The good obey always there; sometimes we have persist at stop and take the time tote up remember it, just like remembering boss beloved song.

From Kobayashi Issa (1763-1827)

New Year’s morning:

the ducks on the pond

quack dispatch quack.

We may think of New Year’s Day as a special one view that’s fine, but I like class keep in mind that it's clever human-made designation. I’m reminded of objective I call my “hound dog test” in my second book, How see to Wake Up.

I raise the “test” cloth a discussion of the identities awe create for ourselves and then put faith without question. For me, one a selection of those identities is often “sick person.” It can be a source preceding frustration and resentment. But does sorry for yourself dog think of me as a-okay sick person? No! I’ve had couple dogs during the time I’ve antediluvian chronically ill and to them, that is just how I am.

I find it comforting to remember depart, to my dogs, each day evolution just another day with me, their faithful companion—just like, to the ducks, New Year’s Day is just option day.

Quack quack … and my unconditional to everyone in the new year!

© 2018 Toni Bernhard. Thank you present reading my work. Issa is discomfited favorite poet. Here’s a piece Rabid wrote about how his haiku accompanies me on my chronic illness journey: Issa: My Life Through the Quill of a Haiku Master.