My son takes photos of the changing panorama before him throughout the day and night looking out from the hills of the Santa Barbara Riviera. Today he posted this beautiful early morning image on Instagram. It inspired this haiku.
Photo by Nathanael Chawkin
Santa Barbara Riviera Haiku
mystical seascape
white waves rolling in to shore
morning mesa mist
© Ken Chawkin
February 13, 2016
See a haiku, Translation, inspired by a painting of Egrets by Australian artist Gareth Jones-Roberts. The poem was published in two poetry anthologies. Nathanael also likes that combination so I’m mentioning it.
About 6 years earlier, Nathanael had lived in San Leandro as an uchideshi. I had visited him there and witnessed his Sensei demonstrating Aikido, which inspired this tanka, My Son’s Sensei. Someone posted it with a tree that reflected the image in the poem. Nathanael happened to be visiting the dojo and sent it to me. Perfect fit!
Tags: haiku, Ken Chawkin, Nathanael Chawkin, nature photography, photography, poetry inspired by nature
The Uncarved Blog 
February 17, 2016 at 2:39 pm |
Lovely! I’ve seen that view many times when traveling into Santa Barbara. You capture the image perfectly in your haiku.
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February 17, 2016 at 8:30 pm |
Thank you, Deborah. My son thought so too.
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April 20, 2016 at 10:56 am |
[…] My son Nathanael recently moved to the Santa Barbara Riviera and would send me photos of the view from his home. One early misty morning he posted a surreal photo taken from his balcony. It inspired this haiku. […]
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November 23, 2017 at 9:36 am |
[…] this beautiful city and the ocean. The panoramic views are spectacular! It’s like living in a constantly changing painting. My first visit a year and a half ago resulted in a spontaneous haiku. Early one morning, Nathanael […]
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