72 Seasons

The days become shorter, and the sunlight becomes remarkably weak, and days with heavy, cloud-laden skies grow in number. Looking up at the gray sky, one might be struck by the realization that there are no longer many days where a rainbow can be seen. This sense of the season is expressed in these words. There is a seasonal word used in haiku that means "winter rainbow", but it expresses the rare experience of cold rain easing up, and a short interval of clear weather, and it contains this echo of newness.

©Utsukushii Kurashikata Institute