I recently acquired the complete works of Matsuo Bashō, the 17th century haiku poet, considered by many to be the greatest master of the form. I’ve only just begun reading through it, but I’ve already noticed that his poems do not always adhere to the classic 5-7-5 pattern. The collection is in chronological order, so perhaps he becomes stricter about this later as his style “matures”, but for now, many stanzas do not. Regardless, I am very much enjoying these early poems and would like to think that Bashō was more concerned about the image he is drawing with his words than the technical requirements of the form. Yes, haiku is an interesting intellectual exercise, but also a creative one, so if that image is lessened by the insistence on the former to the detriment of the latter, then the exercise fails. I’ve rambled on about this because I’ve been crafting a piece that also does not conform to 5-7-5. However, I feel like adding more would reduce it, so (hopefully with Bashō’s blessing) here it is: Dreaming of broad leaves The acorn sleeps Beneath an oak tree With my own dreams of the summer sun and winter far behind, here's some more (US) morning mellow.

#MorningMellow

William Basinski - Melancholia II
williambasinski.bandcamp.com/track/melanc...

Full story in the alt text. #NMM #Day893 #ambient #piano #slow #soft #dappledsunlight