One Year

The seasons, turning once all the way round — the most traditional arc in the set, and the closest to classical haiku. It begins in the indecision of late winter (freeze, melt, refreeze), then spring arrives in order: robins, lilacs, daffodils, May rain, cherry blossoms. Summer is cicadas, sunburn, fireworks and a derecho; autumn is the harvest moon, woods ablaze, and geese across the moon; winter brings snow, fog, icicles, and a single flower blooming inside the cold. It ends by stepping off the calendar altogether — the old oak, the bamboo creaking as it grows, and a swirl of birdsong.