I love a challenge but this one was initially daunting. At tankatuesday, we were given a mission to write a bussokusekika, a Japanese form that is generally found at a specific Buddhist temple. It was challenging enough to write 3 verses with a 575777 syllable count, but I also wanted to honor its spiritual roots.

Luckily I had just taken a hike that provided an perfect image. Nature being a place of great spirit, I thought that this was fitting.

I stop on the path
That ice has taken over 
A giant puddle
That stretches into the woods
And covers the trail forward
Ahead thin ice blocks the way

These woods are our home.
The right of the path slopes up
Boundary to ice
Water cannot puddle there.
I gaze through tangled branches 
I look for a way through trees

Anna cracks through ice
She shakes a wet paw and turns
Following my steps
I find a path through branches
A way through brush sticks and stones 
A soft trail through leaves and loam.