A Year of Haiku

"Forever--is composed of Nows" Emily Dickinson Writing haiku is one way to stay present, in the now. This collection contains one "now," one haiku moment for each day in 2012, along with a zendoodle for each month of the year. The seasons change and personal, local, even worldwide events may be found in these haiku. Even more than that, these haiku focus on the poet's home and the beauty found there amid diversity and color. Life in a purple house with a blue metal roof, an outdoor shower and a hot tub in a yard surrounded by conifers of all kinds on a rural island comes alive as the haiku explore a world of dogs, cats, birds, snails, slugs, frogs, hummingbirds, spiders, squirrels, occasional deer, and myriad other inhabitants. All life is celebrated, and there is rarely any need to leave home to find wonder and beauty. Wherever we are, we are surrounded by miracles, whether it is the dew on a spider's web or a slug making its way along a purple walkway. Meditating on these moments, using them to craft haiku, presents a powerful way to stay in the present, the only place where life is really lived. If we take time for now rather than worrying about the future or fretting over the past, our forever will take care of itself. I hope you enjoy sharing my year with me. I have studied the two cover concepts which you have provided me and I certainly appreciate all the hard work you did to make them. While one of the concepts is definitely closer to what I had in mind, neither one makes use of my primary requests. Both in my questionnaire and my phone consultation I stressed that color, bright colors, was very important. I am color challenged so I need colors which are definite and clear, and my concept of color, as I also mentioned, does not mean black or brown or neutrals, but vibrant colors. In addition, I asked that if nature was included, that it had to be distinctly Pacific Northwest with conifers--firs, pines, spruces, hemlocks etc. and not deciduous trees. I am attaching a zip file with three photos of my home and yard to give you a sense of who I am. And I have completed my back cover text and if you read that you can, I hope, see why I need a cover that meets these specifications. Many thanks for understanding.