Window Washers at Work – Haiku

As a latecomer to the cryptic art of Haiku, I am fascinated by this collection I came across after I photographed the amazing window cleaners of Abian residential apartments in Brisbane, Queensland.

Abian window washers at work Brisbane City © image Gretchen Bernet-Ward 2023

skyscrapers
orchestrate the wind
window cleaners sing
Carol Jones, Wales

penthouse window
the cleanerman washes
the dirt from the sky
Serhiy Shpychenko, Ukraine

I quote from The Haiku Foundation and Kathy Munro “Haiku Windows—In the book Haiku: The Art of the Short Poem, editors Yamaguchi and Brooks quote David Lanoue ‘A haiku is a window’…” and an expressive compilation was born from a wide range of poets.

window washer
a drop away
from eternity
Peter Jastermsky

sunny morning
man’s shadow
on my desk
Slobodan Pupovac, Croatia

These beautiful, descriptive, short and humorous haiku poems gave me a look into the world of workers who have no need of an office. Their work is perhaps of a voyeuristic nature, they keep fit, can see completed job satisfaction—and obviously they are not afraid of heights.

perfect synchrony
the kitten’s head
and window cleaner’s sponge
Ingrid Baluchi, Uganda

window cleaner
in the museum pauses –
a Monet painting
Tomislav Maretic

There is a cute Haiku from an Aussie but I will let you find that one yourself—full compilation here:

https://thehaikufoundation.org/haiku-windows-window-cleaner/

❤ Gretchen Bernet-Ward

View Through a Window

My photograph of the window (and view to Mt Coot-tha on an overcast day) was taken from Royal Queensland Art Society building on Petrie Terrace, Brisbane.

I don’t know the age of this window but the visual wobble was initially disconcerting until my eyes worked out what was going on! GBW

It wasn’t until afterwards that I saw the bubbles in the glass pane following my visit to the RQAS portrait exhibition. In this case, the bubbles clustered together are called ‘seed bubbles’ and enhance the old-fashioned charm of the window.

Bubbles in old glass bottles and windows are actually air pockets that became trapped during the manufacturing process. True air bubbles are rare in glass produced after 1920, so the presence of a bubble may help to date a bottle or window.

Crude glass almost always contains bubbles, which often adds to its appeal and value among collectors. Apparently collectors do not view bubbles as ‘flawed’ or ‘damage’ and some even prefer bubbles because they add to the visual appeal of the glass.

♥ Gretchen Bernet-Ward