back home —

the widespread arms

of a scarecrow

cattails

This haiku captures the moment of return to one’s home. Oh, to have widespread arms to

welcome one back! The joy of that image quickly turns in the last line to one of pathos. Instead

of the arms of a loved one, here are the arms of a scarecrow. This decidedly autumn haiku

leaves us with a tinge of loss or perhaps, some longing. Isn’t there anyone else to welcome the

poet back home? On another level, in many countries where the crop is scarce (and so are

resources), the scarecrow is an important part of the farm. To come back to the reassuring form

of the duty-bound scarecrow in a farm, may not be a bad thing at all!

Geethanjali Rajan

Haiku Editor