I write a lot of Haiku. Japanese Haiku poets and most of Chinese Golden Age poets were Zen(Chan) monks, priests, nuns or practitioners. Haiku in itself is a discipline whose original and primary purpose was (and for many still IS) to hone one's spiritual edge. It's also a good discipline for songwriters. This song has got three haikus in it about getting old. The haikus are repeated with a little bit of commentary added. It's an experiment in putting haiku to music. Keyboard accompaniment.
Just learned today (Feb 20th), what fawm "First Fruits" are. Most of my songs contain elements of spirituality if not being wholly focused on spirituality. I have chosen to offer "Dust" as my FAWM 2022 "first fruits"
We don't count our days
In the springtime of our life
Too precious to waste
We don't count our days
In the springtime of our life
Too precious to waste
Just too precious to waste
One half century
Eighty thousand two hundred
Sixty-two days. GONE
Gone
One half century
Eighty thousand two hundred
Sixty-two days. Gone
Yeah Gone
Travel on home
To the place where you belong
Destination: Dust
Travel on home
To the place where you belong
'Cause your destination's dust
Travel on home
To the place where you belong
Because from dust you came
And to dust you will return
Dust Dust DUST
@berni1954 Feb 2022
Neat concept to build a song upon the bones of a haiku.
Stardust to stardust... It's all there is. THUMS UP!
@beyondthelimes Feb 2022
Great concept. I consider myself an "elder Gen X" and a lot of my recent material is loosely around similar ideas of getting older, hopefully wiser, and changing perspective. What was so important to me 20 years ago means nothing to me now.
@summerrussell Feb 2022
This is a really interesting idea. The simplicity of haiku can capture so much in just a few words. I think you've done that effectively here, especially with the repetition of key words like "waste," "gone," "dust." A striking and important reminder.