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Welcome to our mini-series on The Auroras & Blossoms Haiku Anthology, which celebrates the poets featured in volumes 1-3.

Today, Julie Blitzer and Larissa Pereira Moraes are telling us what inspired the haiku & senryu they sent us.

Julie Blitzer

Julie Blitzer thrives on creating opportunities to support people in self-reflection and inquiry, as she believes these practices are fundamental to experiencing aliveness. She does this as a Grief Recovery Method® Specialist, end-of-life doula, Hoffman Process graduate leader, JourneyDance FacilitatorTM, wife, mother, hospice volunteer, community builder, and budding writer.

Website: https://www.authenticmatters.net

Julie has nine haiku featured in Volume 2 and is sharing what inspired two of them:

“Duality” was inspired by a dharma talk given at the start of a yoga class that I attended years ago. It came to mind recently because I am getting more involved in the “Death Positive” movement. I’m hopeful that our culture remembers that embracing death is actually life-affirming. 

“Receiving” was inspired by a painting that I discovered after unpacking from a move. The subject in the painting has an outstretched arm with something white in her hand. It’s a beautiful depiction of one side of a peaceful exchange.

Larissa Pereira Moraes

Larissa Pereira Moraes was born in Brazil but feels more Indian than Brazilian, having lived there for 15 years. Her passion for poetry started at a young age, always writing (and drawing) stories capturing her vast imagination and experiences. From writing to learning new things, she is always up for a new, exciting challenge!

Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larissa-p-moraes

Larissa has eight haiku featured in Volume 2:

This was my first ever attempt at writing haiku and senryu, so the challenge was quite exciting. I particularly enjoyed the theme of positivity that Aurora and Blossoms brought to the table because oftentimes I find inspiration in the opposite.

So, when writing my selected haiku, I found inspiration in the poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth. Nature can be an escape to our hardships, especially when there is nowhere to run. Even something, as simple as looking at the clouds, can embrace us in a comforting consolation. And I found that to be the main source of inspiration for my poems, even those not directly referencing nature.

With that being said, I find myself maturing with the seasons, and then starting all over again. These haiku serve as a reminder, to me, that there will be moments in our life that we feel completely alone and that it won’t get better, but those moments will pass because every sunrise we get offers a chance to change our story. 

Julie and Larissa, thank you for sharing what inspired your haiku. We are honored that you sent us your work.

See you soon for the next instalment in our series.

In the meantime, don’t forget to pick up your copies of The Auroras & Blossoms Haiku Anthology: Volumes 1 & 2!

And don’t forget, volume 3 will be out in a few weeks!

Cendrine & David