#poem, «I Listen, Delight and Pray» (An Euro-Ku)

I don’t need to think when I’m close to the sea…
Instead,
I let her blue waters, creative and pure,
fill my head with her blessings.

I don’t push away thoughts I just let them be,
as my mind connects peacefully with her soft rolling waves,
and my spirit renews with the sun’s holy rays.

On the shores stand the mountains
misty and grey rising proud and majestic.
And I listen as the voice of the wind whispers deep in my brain,
I listen, I delight, and I pray.

C.2025 – Francisco Bravo Cabrera – 16 JUL 2025 – Ilica, Turkiye

I invented the Euro-Ku on 22 FEB 2022 because I wanted to write a Haiku that would make sense according to the ancient Japanese tradition but also to what I had to say as a Westerner. I found the rules of the traditional Haiku limiting when applied to my language and in no way suitable to my European way of thinking, history and culture. But I honour tradition and I do not think one should ignore it. So, to be faithful to the tradition, but also to my desire to express thoughts, messages and emotions through poetry, I decided I would create a new style that would render honour the traditional Haiku and would fit in well with the European mentality.

So the “rules” for the Euro-Ku are that you still produce a short poem with three verses, but there are no syllabic counts or restrictions. I think the syllabic count is suitable to the Japanese language, but it does not work well with English (or Spanish, my native toungue). Also the verses must flow one into the other without the words/thoughts floating off into outer space. And finally, the poem must be accompanied by a suitable image of the author’s creation.