Deepening Autumn

One of the very great pleasures of participating 

in the YT haiku writing group, is the chance it provides

to meet other people with varied artistic interests.

Today I went for the first time to a monthly

sketching group to which one of these friends, 

Carolyn Fitz, belongs.

We met at Capitola Produce

and looked for a space to sketch in the shade.

I am very fond of writing haiku in autumn

because I have an affinity for the slight sadness

and melancholy in the thought of autumn.

Our challenge kigo invites the members to participate

by writing a haiku using a suggested season word.

Below are haiku I gathered 

for a Challenge Kigo column in a recent GEPPO

about the kigo (season word)

AUTUMN DEEPENS.

One of Basho's most highly regarded haiku 

(which exists in countless English translations) 

is this one:

autumn deepening

my neighbor-- how does he live

I wonder 

  

     (translation, Haruo Shirane)

autumn deepens

the man next door

how is he doing 

(translation, Jane Reichhold)

autumn has deepened

I wonder what he does

the man living next door 

(translation, Toshiharu Oseko)

Autumn deepens –

the man next door, what

does he do for a living?

(translation, Makoto Ueda)

*****

he says a word

I say a word

autumn deepens

--Kiyoshi Takahama

deepening autumn

I rub the pain in his neck

that won't go away

--June Hopper Hymas

autumn deepens

a black butterfly

visits the old pine

am I the butterfly

or the pine?

(posted by Gabi Greve on Yahoo Groups)