Haibun for Lehi

The haibun is a Japanese poetry form that Basho seems to have developed, where the author uses prose to describe their surroundings or their journey and punctuates the experience with haiku stanzas.

It's cold here, or at least it seems like it must be. I can't feel the warmth of the sun or see much further than the sand under my feet. My eyes are shut, so this must be a dream. Knowing that makes it seem like something more. I meet a guide dressed in white robes, so bright they seem to be a light in and of themselves. How long was he there, could he see me stumbling in the dark?
-
In the darkness, light
Burns the maladjusted eye.
I force mine open.
-
My guide says nothing but to follow. He turns and walks forward into the darkness that surrounds us. He seems so sure of where he is going. I hurry to follow.

———

My body is tired, my mind is heavy, and we keep walking in darkness. There is no one here but me and my guide, nothing but shadows that linger where I would expect trees, hills, a path, anything. No, only shadows. Part of me is tempted to look around, explore the dark — More of me is afraid of what I might find. I stay close to my guide and pray to my God for mercy.
-
Dark and dreary waste,
Nothing but a memory—
My eyes fill with green.
-
My vision adjusts again, taking in light and color. The Lord’s mercy hangs sweet and fresh in the air.
-
How could I forget,
Springy and green underfoot,
The God of this earth

———

The world is spacious, bigger than the darkness which I can no longer see behind me. It’s unclear if it’s moved somewhere else, or if it simply can’t bear to exist in the light of this world. My guide has vanished as well.
-
Gone to find the lost,
Gone to bring them safely in
If they follow him.
-
The light is bright, the colors are vivid, but no sun hangs in the sky. Where is the light coming from? Though faint, my shadow stretches, reaching back from my heels, and I start to walk again. I no longer flee darkness. I now seek light.

———

I left my shoes behind me. At some point in my advance, it seemed a shame to trample golden grass with soles that cannot feel the holy dew that settles on each blade. So my feet are become wet and clean, sands and stains washed away, forgotten. So much forgotten as I seek the light that fills this world.
-
Leaves of living light
Dancing in their own glory
Feeding happy fruit
-
I have found the source of light—a tree.

———

I should be tired after all this time, but I am not. The light from this tree that pushes the darkness out of this world also pushes fatigue and worry out of my mind and body as I draw near to it. I don’t pause to ask myself by what means the tree glows, nevermind how that glow could fill an entire world. It is enough to come, and eat.
-
Though bright as the sun
The fruit of holiness is
Spring snow in my hands
-
Mem’ries of mother
Singing little me to sleep—
The taste of this fruit
-
Stars have one glory,
Greater still that of the moon.
Dim beside this tree.
-
Honey, bitter now.
Pomegranate, faded, gray.
Manna on my tongue.
-
I thought I knew love.
Now I see my childish dreams
Were on the right track.

Ethan Unklesbay is a stay-at-home dad and Mormon poet. He hosts regular Mormon poetry workshops in Provo. He has been (trying to) write a Mormon poem every day since January 2023.