curled-up at dusk
enshrouded by rugged peaks
cougar awakens
Author notes
I entered this in an anonymous contest, so please don't use my user name if you are kind enough to leave a comment. Thanks in advance. 
A contest entry
- Dust Off Those Old Haiku (Traditional 5-7-5) by Pollycheck.
425 points, ended December 15, 2007, 57 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - Haikus by MyDecember.
450 points, ended March 17, 2008, 19 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - Prompt: Five Poetic Forms by Manda Kathryn.
1000 points, ended July 2, 31 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Comments
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Thank You for Your Entry ~
I rather like the sound of the cougar awakening
Sounds ominous, and adventure-filled 
Best of Luck
♥
Stay safe
~Manda
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Thank you so much, Manda.
I will be reading up on more of your own work when I can. My computer has been on the blitz recently. I think it's got a major virus that needs to be taken care of. I'm so glad that you enjoyed all of the haiku I submitted for your contest. I love writing haiku from time to time.
Don
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a good poem, i can just imagine the scene - one eye opens and a stretch and a yawn with thoughts of right i need my breakfast.
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This is one of my favorite haiku.
I don't write 5-7-5 haiku as often as I used to, but this one worked out really well with 17 syllables. Often, poets get so caught up with 5-7-5 that they end up using too many filler words, not taking into consideration that haiku is so different when it's adapted in a foreign language like English. I tend to frown on haiku contests that insist they be written as 5-7-5. I think my best haiku are closer to 12 syllables.
Okay, I'd better go lie down before I pass out. My wife's going to go get me some medicine. I think I need some chicken soup and a ton of Gatorade. I'm feeling pretty dehydrated. Thanks for commenting on my poetry. I'll be checking out more of yours later on tonight if I'm feeling better.
Don
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Your haiku are just terrific, and penned the way haiku are supposed to be. I once saw a cougar with red hair awakening at dusk, and it scared the hell out of me.
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Thank you so much, David.
Haiku will always have a warm spot in my heart.
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love your vocab
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hey this is a wicked haiku!!
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Excellent
Such a creative haiku, best of luck in the contest
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You do know how to write
a gorgeous Haiku!!!
~Pastel
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wild pumas in the crevasses scare me. nice job on this one, too.
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Thank you so much, Redphish.
I think "wild pumas in the crevassess" would scare the crap out of me. I don't know what would be scarier to be confronted by....pumas or cougars. Sometime today, I will return the favor, and read up some of your poetry. I've got a paper to write for a college final this morning. Don
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I love this...absolutely love IT!! **hugs**
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Thank you!
I love to read and write haiku. There's so much out there, just waiting to be written about. Don
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great imagery with this
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Thank you, Cara!
I sure hope I never run into a cougar, though. Don
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incredible imagery!! the first line i read thinking about reading a book curled up on my window seat with a blanket over me... what a surprise i got reading on... REALLY good.!
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Your imagery is amazing, and you are quite simply one of the very top haiku composers on this site. Your various other styles of poetry are not to shabby either. Best of luck in the contest with this terrific poem.
(p.s. I've run into a few cougars curled up at dusk, but they were of the voracious female variety. They were quite scary man-eaters as well.)
David
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Thank you so much, David.
Your comments always uplift me, David, and I've learned so much from them. I hope I never run into a man-eating cougar. The "voracious, female variety" just sounds more inviting. Ah, that brings me back to my Navy days. I just finished up a long haiku chain, called Glazed Opacity. I wrote 5 single haiku, and chained them together, since they are also all about mountain scenes, like this one.
I really loved writing those, because the host allowed haiku, both in 5-7-5, or less. Contemporary haiku should never have to be limited to 5-7-5. If it's written in Japanese, then it's 5-7-5, without question. The most common misconception about contemporary haiku is that it has to be written 5-7-5. I love to write both ways, so it offers much more flexibility to be able to write captured moments. Don
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I have ran into two cougars in my life and I wish they wer both asleep. To hear them scream will send shivers down your spine. This is good though As they tend to like rocky terrain in steep ground.
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Thank you!
I've never seen a cougar, personally, except for the photos I looked at online the other day. I would probably lose all bodily function if I saw even one of them "scream." I'd probably drop dead of a heart attack first. Extreme heights really get to me, too. I really love the mountains, especially Mt. Ranier, but I don't know if I could go up to its summit without being overcome by panic. My friend, Todd, showed me some photos he took from the summit of Mt. Hood a while back. I couldn't believe how close he was to the edge when he took some of those photos. I got dizzy, just looking over the edge in one photo. When I was little, my seat belt broke on an amusement park rocket ship ride, and I was seconds away from being tossed out like a rag doll when it came to a stop.
I was holding on for dear life for at least 45 seconds. I don't know how I didn't get flung out, in all honesty. It's kind of a mystery to me to this day. I was only about 45 pounds at seven years old. It whipped around several times with my tiny voice screaming that my seat belt broke. That was the scariest thing that has ever happened to me, and I've had trouble with extreme heights ever since. Planes don't bother me, unless I'm dropped out of one. Then, it would be cardiac arrest the moment I left the plane. Thinking about that is what "sends shivers down my spine." On my author page, my motto is "I never jump from a perfectly good airplane." I'd like to try to overcome that fear of heights one of these days. Don
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curled-up at dusk
enshrouded by rugged peaks:
cougar awakens
Thank you for entering my ku contest. This is a great haiku that portrays a great image that is imprinted on the readers mind. -
I love this, brilliant. I just have an image in my mind of a close up of this cat's face and one eye opening in a really sly way
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"Enshrouded by rugged peaks" that has to be one of your best lines ever!
Wonderful, I love it x take care! x
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Thank you, George!
I love to hike in the mountains. I haven't been able to do it in a long time. It's so much fun to just be completely surrounded by nature's glory. It's a humbling experience. I hope I don't ever run into any cougars though. They're gorgeous, but best kept at a distance. Don
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Haha yeah that could be quite a sticky situation if you met one
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Wonderful....Lovely imagery...
Peace and many blessings my dear brother...smiles
~A~
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Thank you, Asdzaa!
I've been looking at some really cool mountain wallpapers the last few days. I found one of a cougar yesterday that is gorgeous, but it doesn't fit very well with this haiku. I'll have to write a longer cougar poem to go with that cougar photo. It's a cougar cub, with the bluest eyes I have ever seen, and it's peeking in between two branches on a tree. They're gorgeous. I just hope I never run into one when I go hiking. Don
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Yes you have awakened the Cougar with this one! love the haiku! ~blessings always~ Excellent poem as usual
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Thank you so much!
I've seen a few poets with face images that morph from one image into another. Where do you get those? That's really cool how yours turns into a cougar.
Don
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This is a nice haiku you do very well with these thank you for sharing this with me best wishes alwasy
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