A wilted tree stands
Daggers of icicles hang
Surrounded by life
For my haiku there are a couple different kigo's. It could either be the word wilted or icicles, but with either one, you get the same feeling of winter. One thing about winter is that it is generally a very cold, dark and dead time. The majority of plants are dead and have no leaves on them anymore. But even in the winter time, life still goes on. Many animals are living their lives as is nothing has changed, except the weather. Humans as well, you can't put your life on hold simply because the season has changed. The twist at the end has to do with contrasting life and death. The words wilted and dagger refer to death while the last line discusses how life is still abundant.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Friday, March 2, 2007
Ancient Voices Paper
It is pure jade, a wide plumage, your heart, your word, Oh Father! Ehuaya.
You pity man, you watch him with mercy! Only for the most brief moment is he next to you, at your side! Ohuaya ohuyaya.
I am a prisoner, a hostage to a group of native tribesmen. People that I have neither seen nor heard of ever before. They are speaking a different language, I can’t understand. It is a tongue that I have never heard before. They are dressed in the most peculiar manner. I think they are wearing costumes, but only of animals; like birds, snakes, and jaguars. They act like animals as well, very barbaric. They appear to be warriors but wear no armor. They don’t hold guns or swords; they use spears and small knives. I don’t know where they are taking me. We have been walking for ten days now through the jungle. I haven’t eaten a good meal in days and am beginning to get scared. Where are they taking me? What will happen to me when I get there? Are there more of them? I am very worried.
I was captured on a beach. I had heard rumors of great treasures in this land and I wanted an adventure. My name is Alejandro Gonzalez, and I am a Spanish sailor. After hearing of Christopher Columbus’s discovery I couldn’t wait to leave my dreary life and start over new, go someplace exciting. I left in the year 1507 and made my way towards the new world, at only twenty six years old. I docked after weeks of travel and instantly found myself in this precarious situation. They surrounded me after moments of arriving and I have been in their possession ever since.
It has now been three weeks. The trail has gotten more treacherous and even more dangerous; swimming through swamps, climbing rocky mountains and also just eating enough to survive. Last week, one of the natives was eaten by a crocodile while crossing through a river. I am now on a constant watch of any sort of animal, insects as well. I have read that the jungle is home to many poisonous insects and snakes, and I wouldn’t want to die in some land far from home. I do have a better idea of where they are taking me though. A fellow captive has learned some of their language over the past few weeks. He says that we are going to a city, a city deep within the jungle. It is the capital of their empire and is called Tenochtitlan.
We have arrived! After two months of travel and almost dying from exhaustion and hunger we reached our destination. The city of Tenochtitlan, very surprisingly, was a magnificent site. I realized that it took an amazing level of intelligence and sophistication to build. It is filled with tall buildings, roadways, canals, irrigation ditches, fields full of crops, and even street vendors. However one of the most amazing accomplishments was the four bridges that were built. Since the city is located on an island inside a large lake, bridges were there for people to travel in and out of the city. The roadways are lined with hundreds of people trying to sell goods and I then realize that they even have a working economy. As I go deeper into the city I am even more amazed. Tenochtitlan appears large enough to rival cities such as Madrid, Paris, and London. It is much more advanced than I could have ever imagined. I then look into the heart of the city and spot a tall pyramid. The pyramid reminds me of the ones that the ancient Egyptians built, but then I notice something else. One side of the pyramid is completely stained with blood. I then jump back into the reality of the situation that I am in, and become scared. I am still a prisoner and now my biggest fear is that I will die as well.
I am taken into a building and while we are walking through I look inside a room and become amazed. The room is filled with treasure; including, piles of gold and silver, many different precious stones and entire statues made from jade. I, and most people, have never even seen or heard of riches this ample, let alone see it. This is the treasure that I had heard about, but never expected finding it would come at such a price. I continued walking and just imagined what fate was coming my way. They placed me into a small, dark room; probably used as a holding cell. I began thinking about how my life has been and what a mistake it was to come here. I came for an adventure and ended up in a trap. I had been waiting a couple hours, just sitting with my thoughts, when they came for me.
---------------------------------------------------
The captive could have only imagined what was to be done to him. Even though these people were very sophisticated in their architecture and government, their religious beliefs were barbaric and inhumane. The captive never knew the Gods that these people worshiped required a human sacrifice daily. The human heart was believed to be necessarily sacrificed to the sun god, Huitzilopochtli, for the sun to rise the following morning. The moment he was captured, he had been pegged as a sacrifice and had no way of knowing or changing his fate. He could only stand on top of the pyramid praying. Moments later, as his bloody heart glistened in the sun, his lifeless body rolled down the pyramid, staining it with more blood along the way.
You pity man, you watch him with mercy! Only for the most brief moment is he next to you, at your side! Ohuaya ohuyaya.
I am a prisoner, a hostage to a group of native tribesmen. People that I have neither seen nor heard of ever before. They are speaking a different language, I can’t understand. It is a tongue that I have never heard before. They are dressed in the most peculiar manner. I think they are wearing costumes, but only of animals; like birds, snakes, and jaguars. They act like animals as well, very barbaric. They appear to be warriors but wear no armor. They don’t hold guns or swords; they use spears and small knives. I don’t know where they are taking me. We have been walking for ten days now through the jungle. I haven’t eaten a good meal in days and am beginning to get scared. Where are they taking me? What will happen to me when I get there? Are there more of them? I am very worried.
I was captured on a beach. I had heard rumors of great treasures in this land and I wanted an adventure. My name is Alejandro Gonzalez, and I am a Spanish sailor. After hearing of Christopher Columbus’s discovery I couldn’t wait to leave my dreary life and start over new, go someplace exciting. I left in the year 1507 and made my way towards the new world, at only twenty six years old. I docked after weeks of travel and instantly found myself in this precarious situation. They surrounded me after moments of arriving and I have been in their possession ever since.
It has now been three weeks. The trail has gotten more treacherous and even more dangerous; swimming through swamps, climbing rocky mountains and also just eating enough to survive. Last week, one of the natives was eaten by a crocodile while crossing through a river. I am now on a constant watch of any sort of animal, insects as well. I have read that the jungle is home to many poisonous insects and snakes, and I wouldn’t want to die in some land far from home. I do have a better idea of where they are taking me though. A fellow captive has learned some of their language over the past few weeks. He says that we are going to a city, a city deep within the jungle. It is the capital of their empire and is called Tenochtitlan.
We have arrived! After two months of travel and almost dying from exhaustion and hunger we reached our destination. The city of Tenochtitlan, very surprisingly, was a magnificent site. I realized that it took an amazing level of intelligence and sophistication to build. It is filled with tall buildings, roadways, canals, irrigation ditches, fields full of crops, and even street vendors. However one of the most amazing accomplishments was the four bridges that were built. Since the city is located on an island inside a large lake, bridges were there for people to travel in and out of the city. The roadways are lined with hundreds of people trying to sell goods and I then realize that they even have a working economy. As I go deeper into the city I am even more amazed. Tenochtitlan appears large enough to rival cities such as Madrid, Paris, and London. It is much more advanced than I could have ever imagined. I then look into the heart of the city and spot a tall pyramid. The pyramid reminds me of the ones that the ancient Egyptians built, but then I notice something else. One side of the pyramid is completely stained with blood. I then jump back into the reality of the situation that I am in, and become scared. I am still a prisoner and now my biggest fear is that I will die as well.
I am taken into a building and while we are walking through I look inside a room and become amazed. The room is filled with treasure; including, piles of gold and silver, many different precious stones and entire statues made from jade. I, and most people, have never even seen or heard of riches this ample, let alone see it. This is the treasure that I had heard about, but never expected finding it would come at such a price. I continued walking and just imagined what fate was coming my way. They placed me into a small, dark room; probably used as a holding cell. I began thinking about how my life has been and what a mistake it was to come here. I came for an adventure and ended up in a trap. I had been waiting a couple hours, just sitting with my thoughts, when they came for me.
---------------------------------------------------
The captive could have only imagined what was to be done to him. Even though these people were very sophisticated in their architecture and government, their religious beliefs were barbaric and inhumane. The captive never knew the Gods that these people worshiped required a human sacrifice daily. The human heart was believed to be necessarily sacrificed to the sun god, Huitzilopochtli, for the sun to rise the following morning. The moment he was captured, he had been pegged as a sacrifice and had no way of knowing or changing his fate. He could only stand on top of the pyramid praying. Moments later, as his bloody heart glistened in the sun, his lifeless body rolled down the pyramid, staining it with more blood along the way.
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