Grand River Haiku: January Reflections Along The River

By Philip Martin

At the recent dawning of the New Year I wondered: In the midst of this pandemic, in the cold of light-deprived January, what would happen if I went to the river every day?

I love taking pictures and I thought this photography could help me note small and large changes in the course of a month.  Then I thought, what if I write one haiku a day, based on one picture?  Would this be a way of disrupting my lethargy, focusing my attention, extending my wonder, and challenging my presumptions? 

The quick answer to these questions is yes, yes, yes and yes. But for a deeper and more entertaining response, why not go on a journey through January with

Grand River Haiku

This is a Google presentation and can be best viewed in full screen by pressing the “Present” button at the top of the page, after you click on the Grand River Haiku link.

I would love to share some of my reflections with you about this process, and may do so in response to questions that people put forward. But in the sparse spirit of haiku I will leave it, for now, to the collaboration of words and pictures in 17 syllables and 31 frames. Enjoy!