Night wind
the bush comes alive
with dreamtime stories
We continue ou colllaboration with the Haiku Foundation with a beautiful poem by Madhuri Pillai, an English (hons) graduate who studied journalism and has worked as a journalist. Madhuri discovered haiku in 2011, and since then her work has been published in major international haiku journals. Apart from her love of books and writing, she is a passionate advocate for animal and human rights. She lives a quiet life in Melbourne with her family.
About this poem, Madhuri says:
“In my twenties, I lived in a little mining town called Nhulunbuy in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia, Nhulunbuy was leased by a Swiss Mining Company called Nabalco for 100 years for mining bauxite. I would drive for miles on dirt roads, through the bush, thick with eucalyptus to the Aboriginal settlement called Yirrkala. Driving through the bush, through its silence and secret inhabitants was itself an experience. The Aboriginals were always warm and hospitable. I am so glad you picked this haiku, for me it’s a tribute to their wisdom and tenacity.“
Haiku by Madhuri Pillai
Picture by Jeremy Bishop
This haiku poem is part of the Naviar haiku music challenge, where artists are invited to make music in response to a weekly assigned haiku poem. Participation is free and there are no limitations in the songs’ length or genre.
You have seven days from the posting of this haiku to submit your track. For information on how to make a submission, visit the Naviar Haiku Music Challenge page.
Submission deadline: 30th January 2019
I love this haiku. It’s very inspiring from a musical point of view as well.
Agreed, I was going to sit out this week but after reading the haiku so much entered my head that I had to get it written down.