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About the Book

Haiku is simplicity—brevity is the structure from which its simplicity is driven. Dating back more than four hundred years in Japanese culture, the power comes from the unwritten—what is left out.

In a collection of 380 sights, sounds, and other lyrical glimpses from a year of his life, R. Jeffries shares contemporary haiku that provides encouragement to seek the beauty in the simple gifts and small moments that accompany every day. Through his poetic reflections, others will journey through the sights and seasons of nature as well as experiences and senses that broaden the path to enlightenment and inspiration to view life as a gift filled with beautiful moments.

5 7 5 shares haiku gathered from one man’s year-long journey of reflections on life, his daily experiences, and the world around him.

When did I last run,
full speed as if I were chased?
That marked childhood’s end.

When did I last jump,
Touching my knees to my chin?
Silly is sad gone.

When did I last sob,
Unashamed at how it looked?
The poison remains.

About the Author

R. Jeffries is a middle-aged father and grandfather living in flyover country in middle America. He continues to work through the challenges and complexities of life while trying to carve out time and space to remind him of the nuances of joy that often accompany stressors. 5 7 5 is his first book of poetry.