The sheer dimensions of mountains means there are a lot of natural and seasonal elements that could be used as a kigo. The terrain of mountains as seasons change, the localized weather around them, the light and shadow play that goes on throughout the day – especially at sunrise and sunset, the flora and fauna, so on.
snow-capped mountainβ
wings of sunlight
on either side
I remember wanting to write about birds, maybe snow cranes, flying out from behind a mountain peak at sunset. I played with the idea a little before I realized when the sun goes down directly behind a mountain peak, the mountain’s silhouette breaks the sunlight into slanting columns on either side. So I did away with the birds and lent the wings to the mountain itself. On reflection, this haiku has drifted a little further into romanticism than I’d have let it had I been conscious about it when I was writing.
windchimes
played by
mountain wind
You could place mountains far off in your image or much closer where you are directly interacting with it in some way.
If placed far off, trying to link the distant mountain to a present moment that you are experiencing provides a great many opportunities for serendipitous moments. I guess that is true for all kigo. Rather, that is one of the goals of writing haiku, isn’t it?
β Sankara Jayanth Sudanagunta
Founding Editor
@coffeeandhaiku
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Do feel free to share your thoughts on this #HaikuSeed prompt, where your thoughts go when you think about it and how they could work in haiku.