A Poppy Blooms
โA Poppy Bloomsโ by Katsushika Hokusai is a thoughtful poem about writing. The poet uses a metaphor to depict how his process works.
I write, erase, rewrite
Erase again, and then
A poppy blooms.
Katsushika Hokusai is a famed ukiyo-e artist (a form of 17th-century Japanese art) and printmaker. He produced the famous series of woodblock prints called “Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji.”
Alongside his artistic talent, Hokusai experimented with the haiku form, frequently adding his illustrations to the Haiku we composed. He co-authored “Ehon Sumidagawa” (Picture Book of the Sumida River), a compilation of Haiku and drawings that enthralled readers with its brilliant wordplay and bright imagery, with fellow poet Takizawa Bakin.
โA Poppy Bloomsโ by Katsushika Hokusai is a thoughtful poem about writing. The poet uses a metaphor to depict how his process works.
I write, erase, rewrite
Erase again, and then
A poppy blooms.