A Life: Contemplated in Haiku, Poems and Senryu: Contemplated in Haiku, Poems and Senryu

This is my second offering of haiku-like poems. These are also about life and living - about the essence of human existence; the essence of being - of love, understanding, human interaction and fate.

I have tried to capture the idea of an 'essence' to life; not just that which pervades the whole physical universe, but that sub-set focussed entirely on our human existence as sentient beings.

In one long poem, I challenge the romantic among us to address the physical essence of being; those insisted on by science and mathematical expression - that boxed-in, hierarchical pyramid of logic, devoid of any fictional romanticism. Both co-exist of course, but the better we understand both, the clearer will be our insight into what essence percolates our existence.

At the moment, romantics can ignore science and scientists if they want, and romantic ideas never need concern the basic scientist.

Fortunately, there has never been any need to certify the free-thinking polymath: one capable of glimpsing beyond the binary; beyond the use of pigeon holes and check-boxes; one able to embrace free-thinking beyond algorithm, embracing both science and fiction.

Both romantics and scientists are happy in their isolation, of course. I am not. The literary romantics can gain self-esteem from manufacturing fiction, translating life into engaging narratives. Scientists, on the other hand, sanctimoniously disallow anything romantic, philosophic or conjectural, in their formal thinking. In private, of course, many (apart from their many esteemed autistic bedfellows) will much enjoy wandering among romantics. Bridging the gap is important to me, and so I have tried to express both the divide and connection between them, here in these works.

My efforts here are best called 'Senryu', not traditional 'Haiku' (given they are neither about nature, nor do they have a 3-line format). Whether alone or grouped together as senryu poems, each piece has a 17- syllable format. I have retained this for two reasons. I regard brevity as a desirable discipline. This, with that other essential component of correct thinking and understanding - clarity - together define the needs of all haiku and senryu construction.

Contemplations: Friendship; Time; More Time; Blessed Time; Beauty; Discipline; Public Interest; Dilemma and Fatigue; Can Truth Set Us Free?; Discovery; False Accusation; In Homage to Socrates; Minds at Work; The Knowable; What Ruins Lives?;Fooling Our-self?; Hunter-Gathering Still?; Why Not Imperfection?; New Era; Going Unnoticed; The Colour of Meaning; Fearsome; Once Balanced; Open-Minded; Predictability; Wisdom; Resolution; Nothing to Lose; Who Cares?; If Angels Watch; Species of Man. etc.

On the Essence of Being: On the Essence of Being; Light & Dark; Love; Spiritual Presence?; Let's Call it: ЖЖЖ . . . ЖЖ . . Ж (Zhe)(Poem); The Quest; Essence; Lying Between the Definable; Our Essence; Essence of Reality; Togetherness.

Getting Personal: Shattered Love; Restoration; Knowing Nothing; Linger No Longer; Reliability; Entangled Love; Never Relevant?; Missed Opportunity?; Giving & Taking; Breaking Bonds; Love's Return?; Existence; How to Live Life; Defining a Friend; The Blessed; Time & Place; Which Place?; Achievement; Progressing; Sexual Gratification; Multiplying Stress; Leave Hubris Behind?; Young & Old; Blame Complexity?; Expressed Emotion; A State of Grace; Alone? etc.

Them & Us: Cultural Mix; No Time?; Detachment; Nagged; A Past Life; Forgiveness; Aspects of Sanctimony; Engagement; Engaging?; From Pre-History; Toddlers' Despair; Why Charlie Kirk?; Solitude; Religion; Insecurity; Find and Seek; Dreams; Inhumanity (poem).