Happy Weekend!
Today’s haiku is based on the prompt “Indian cotton shirt.” If you are interested to learn about how I approached writing this haiku, I have included a description of my writing process below my signature.
cheese-cloth
lavender scones
over birdsong
Tomorrow’s prompt is “Pilsner glasses.” We’ll see where this takes me!
When composing haiku, I try as much as possible to write from a moment, an experience or memory. Writing from a prompt offers a unique challenge in that I may not have had a direct experience with the subject.
In the case of “Indian cotton shirt” I quickly ruled out writing from the point of view of a traveler since I have never been to India, however, I have sewn clothing for 40+ years and enjoy certain styles of Indian clothing. That got me thinking about muslin, since it is a favorite cloth of mine to sew with. Considered more utilitarian than aesthetically pleasing by many people, muslin serves many functions. It is used to make trial garments, to filter things such as cheese, wine and honey, and is fairly inexpensive, too.
I decided to focus on the culinary uses of muslin for my “Indian cotton shirt” haiku. My younger daughter, Delali, and I have made farmer’s cheese before and I remembered how we used cheese-cloth to filter the whey from the curds. This got me thinking about the way both of my daughters have introduced me (us) to many culinary delights, including using lavender in foods.
All this to say, I have attempted to write a culinary haiku with a sense of delight, springtime, color, beauty and simplicity in it. While doing so, I think I may have succeeded in referencing 3 out of our 5 senses which was not by design and so a nice outcome for me! The last line hopefully catches you by surprise, as food and conversation are usually enjoyed over a meal. However, how often do we eat a meal and have a vague awareness of sounds in the background? This haiku is meant to bring those sounds to the fore.
Thanks for reading my musings on my “Indian cotton shirt” haiku!
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