burdened with dark thoughts
I climbed the hill to find
wild roses blooming

Buson (1715-83)

Whenever I read haiku by a Japanese master, I wonder why I bother to write them myself. What a gem the preceding poem by Buson is. We enter into the "dark thoughts" of the poet, perhaps wondering what or how these musings came about. We climb the hill and like the climber, are surprised and perhaps delighted by the array of blooming roses which greets us. They are a tonic for our doubts and a palliative for our cares.