田に人のゐるやすらぎに春の雲 宇佐美魚目
ta ni hito no iru yasuragi ni haru no kumo
a person in the rice field
spring clouds
above the calmness
Gyonoku Usami
from “Gendai no Haiku” (Modern Haiku), edited by Shobin Hirai, Kodansha, Tokyo, 1996
Fay’s Note: Gyomoku Usami (1926-)
Blue Willow Haiku World (by Fay Aoyagi) 
Hi Fay, Here is a haiku that at first glance appears to just be a word painting…. yet as I gaze on this scene, so many things come to mind… I guess as an artist it always puzzles me that scene haiku mean so little to people… I see a person in the rice fields trying to get that crop planted before the storm moves in (spring clouds can turn quite violent suddenly.) I see a person planting rice and thankful for the rain that will keep it well watered… I see the daily drama of someone’s life here. It’s so quiet no one notices…yet with all the struggles of daily food production etc. of any other life. I rather enjoy scene haiku sometimes … this one just transported me to Japan… Thanks.