One day when Bashó and one of his 10 disciples, Kikaku, were going through a rice field, Kikaku composed a haiku on a red dragonfly that caught his fancy. He showed it to Basho
Take a pair of wings
From a dragonfly, you would
Make a pepper pod.
No, said Bashó. “that is not a haiku. You kill the dragonfly. If you want to compose a haiku and give life to it, you must say:
Add a pair of wings
To a pepper pod, you would
Make a dragonfly.
Kenneth Yasuda, The Japanese Haiku
Adding wings…giving life…A subtle shift changes the whole picture. What does it take in our thinking? In our world today?
With the Eyes of the Heart 