#3 - Together on a Rainy Day
Spring Rain; Birthday in the Dark; Street Scene with Pants
Hello, my friends,
Lots of rain in Los Angeles these days, amirite? Those in and around places like Portland, where it rains 155 days out of the year, hear our cries and are nonplussed. But it is a lot for people whose roofs are leaking, who work outdoors, or who commute by bike. Me? I like being inside where it’s warm and dry, staying busy with activities like writing a newsletter. I do appreciate that the moss on the side of our building seems happy with the moisture. It’s easy to imagine it smiling with its brilliant green.
Spring Rain
Spring officially starts on March 20th and I’m hoping we’ll get a little bit more precipitation into the new season since it’ll inspire me to delve into haiku. Why? Well, “spring rain” is a popular kigo (or season word) in traditional haiku, “April showers” is another one. What do we think about when we think about spring rain? A soft patter rather than a wintry clatter, a bit of cool in warmer weather, and as William J. Higginson, author of Haiku World: An International Poetry Almanac (an English language saijiki, or list of season words) points out, April shower “…literally reads ‘herbs and seeds rainy season’ or seed rain [in Japanese], characteristic of March and April and seen as a rain to make the plants grow…” (pg. 52).
And since we’re already on this stroll together, I’m going to sprinkle in some spring rain haiku by my favorite of the four immortals of haiku, Issa (rhymes with pizza!). All of these are translated by David G. Lanoue:
spring rain--
a child gives a dance lesson
to the cat
licking a bamboo leaf's
spring rain...
mouse
spring rain--
a doghouse thatched
with azaleas
watching the river
through a window of trees...
spring rain falls
dawn--
in a stone's hollow
spring rain
Selecting five wasn’t easy because Issa is so delightful and David Lanoue’s translations are so elegant and enjoyable. But don’t take my word for it, it’s easy to go and get lost among the poems yourself! For now, though, I recommend re-reading the poems above and reflecting on each poem’s unique, yet universally relatable, “spring rain” feeling.
Birthday in the Dark
It was an evening a few weeks ago when Ashley was working late, and the kids were in the middle of their bath when we got a knock on the door and an unexpected warning: “There was an electrical emergency and power would be shut off in 10 minutes!”
No problem, I quickly got everyone out, dry, and dressed. It was nearly Sophie’s bedtime anyway so off she went to bed. Michael, however, still had a couple of hours. What to do? First, we had an adventure turning off all the lights and putting candles around. Then, we gallivanted around in the dark because it was different and interesting. Finally, after the power was off for good, we ended up cozy and warm under a blanket on the couch. Watching the candle flickering on the mantle, we made up a story.
Michael turned four this week and it just so happened that I was alone with the kids on the evening of his birthday. Once Sophie was in bed, it was the two of us just like that day a little while ago. After I sang him happy birthday over a double chocolate brownie cake, Michael made a suggestion: Let’s turn off all the lights again like the time the power went out! Did he enjoy that evening as much as I had? I guess so because on his birthday we recreated our electrical evening under the blanket. This time it was with an story about a boy named Matilda learning how to ice skate from Sunny Allis, the author of Hooray, What A Day!/¡Viva,Qué Día!, a book we like. Why is Matilda a boy? Where did Michael get the idea of ice skating? Can Sunny Allis even ice skate? Who knows? Anything is possible when you form a narrative collaboration with a four-year-old!
Whatever happens: Happy birthday, Michael! May your life be the most wonderful of narratives!
Street Scene with Pants
I was taking a walk in our quaint and charming neighborhood a couple of week ago and came upon an unusual sight: Two empty bottles of Stella Artois and a pair of jeans. I was overwhelmed with curiosity! This wasn’t some basic street spotting of a single baby shoe or cushionless couch. At that very moment some hooligan was running loose among our avenues two beers in with no pants! And you know what? They’re probably still be out there.
Do you know where your pants are?
