A Springtime Distraction: Austen in Haiku

This has been a challenging spring. My personal life has become consumed with eldercare issues as we find ourselves managing some difficult issues with aging relatives. Without divulging too much, a lot of my time has gone towards these issues, and my writing has suffered accordingly.

We have also been doing work on the outside of the house, finally dealing with problems that we didn’t take care of when we moved here nearly 20 years ago. The jungle of weeds and scrawny trees that were starting to damage the roof and the foundations have been cleared away, and we’ve created a bit of a garden oasis in the middle of this busy city. That, too, has taken up a huge amount of time and energy, and the work will continue well into the summer, as we replace a crumbling porch and a hopelessly cracked driveway. Also not conducive to creativity.

I have, however, somehow managed to complete two manuscripts over the last month. One is a full-length P&P adventure novel and the other is a novella for an anthology; both are in desperate need of ruthless editing, but the first draft is vital since you can’t edit a blank page. I hope to have more information on these in the coming months. I also have a short mystery that will be released in an anthology later this summer – again, more info will be available soon.

But, all this craziness aside, it’s May. May is beautiful here, with warmer temperatures and fresh leaves and blossoms everywhere. It’s also the month of Mayku.

What, you ask, is Mayku? It’s something a friend mentioned to me several years ago, where the idea is to write a haiku each day in the month of May. It’s a lovely way to take a deep breath and experience the world in a different way once a year, to find those moments, to encapsulate them in poetry. While I don’t claim to be a brilliant poet, I really enjoy this tradition I’ve started.

And so, with Mayku on my mind, I’ve put my few remaining functioning brain cells to capture some key moments in Jane Austen’s brilliant books in this ancient and essential poetic form. I hope you enjoy my thoughts and please, I’d love to read some of your ideas and haiku as well. Mayku, like laughter, is something best shared with friends.

Pride and Prejudice

Ten thousand a year
Is not nearly sufficient
To outweigh contempt

No conversation
Had between steps of a dance
Ever leads to love

The queen of Rosings
Sits upon her gilded throne
The piano untouched

Lies spoken baldly
Sway more injured, angry heads
Than tacit candour

A letter, tear-stained
Rips away the ardent hope
Of love’s soft blooming

Emma

Cupid’s gold arrow
Pierces all hearts, but sometimes
Needs a helping hand

A humble farmer
Despite a well-drawn letter
Just will never do

A damsel distressed
Must seek her knight in the lanes
And not the dance floor

Sense and Sensibility

Beyond Norland’s gates
New worlds and friend await you
And—just perhaps—love

Bitter jealousy
The lover neglected taunts
Her hapless rival

Weep no more, young lass
The noble prince might just be
He you called a frog

Please add your own haikus in the comments. I’d love to see what others come up with.