East Meets West #1

Ojibwe Haiku

Recently while setting up my new office I began to shuffle books around. We have a library downstairs in the studio that has our reference books covering everything from native american studies, sewing, homesteading, flintknapping, basket making, tracking, foraging, psychology to personal growth and shamanism. I also have a bookcase upstairs that used to house novels. As I was setting up my working area I gathered my reference books but I also brought up all my poetry books. I was taking a break and dipping into books as you do when the weather is August hot and you are carrying boxes up a flight of stairs and wondering how in the world did we get so many books. My poetry collection includes Louise Erdrich, Linda Hogan, Leslie Marmon Silko, Mary Oliver and haiku - native american, nature and japanese simplicity. From there it was just a short jump into Ojibwe Haiku.

I love the Ojibwe language - Anishinaabemowin. The syllables running together like the sounds of water. The morphemes coming together in a teaching - akiwenzi: old man (aki - earth, wenzi - to care about). I love haiku and the way just 17 syllables create a gestalt. So dear ones, prepare yourselves to indulge my writing playtime. There will be a lot of these little babies coming along.

Mii’iw nongoom.