Kanku-dai haiku/senryu

My friend, Alex Poerwo, an experienced karate instructor is working on poetic karate training manual to be made available on print. After Sheienchin, he invites me to write more haiku/senryu on another move called Kanku-dai. The haiku/senryu below are my take on his challenge.

1/
ancient spring
cherry blossoms
throughout okinawa

musim semi purba
bunga sakura di sudut-sudut
okinawa

2/
sweet distraction
a little bird darts through
the strings of sunlight

distraksi yang sedap
burung kecil menerobos
dawai-dawai cahaya matahari

3/
in between
the sky and the inner hollow
a handful of sun

di antara
langit dan hati hampa
segenggam matahari

4/
where am i
between the sky up there
and within

di mana aku
antara langit di atas kepala
dan dalam hati

5/
daybreak
the darkest cloud for the sun
to sweep away

fajar pecah
awan tergelap untuk disapu
oleh matahari

6/
a girl with ponytail
learns to count her fingers
first day at school

gadis kecil berambut kepang
belajar menghitung jemarinya
hari pertama di sekolah

7/
pathways to interior
a rosebud unfolds and surrenders
to the light

jalan dalam jiwa
kuntum mawar mekar dan berserah
kepada terang

8/
regular dish
she washes her hands and
forgets the chopsticks

hidangan rutin
dia mencuci tangan dan
lupa sumpitnya

9/
mayan apocalypse
a bucket of rice to save for
the last harvest day

kiamat bangsa Maya
seember beras sebelum tiba
panen terakhir

10/
peaceful mind
how the queenbee misses
her honeycombs

hati damai
begitulah ratu lebah merindu
bangsal bayi-bayinya

Seienchin haiku

These haiku were inspired by a karate move (kata) named seienchin. I am greatly indebted to shensei Alex Poerwo who teaches karate and generously shared with me his work-in-progress on karate lessons.

1/
misty morning wind
stands out in a crowded bush
blooming dahlia

2/
newborn awaits
a cocoon under dahlia leaf
sways in the wind

3/
on dahlia petal
a butterfly gently lands
yin and yang

4/
breeze over the pond
a riffle fish freezes the current
for a ladybug