Haiku #2: Lotus Rising

My second haiku I wrote after doing some research on an art project for my sister. I wanted something that was symbolic of rising above hardship and difficulty and becoming something new, pure, and beautiful. It didn't take long before the lotus flower became my obvious choice. This flower represented rebirth to the ancient Egyptians, purity to Buddhists, and divine beauty and spiritual enlightenment to Hindus. Chinese Confucian scholar Zhou Dunyi said, "I love the lotus because while growing from mud, it is unstained." The lotus flower was exactly what I was looking for. Here's a picture of the charcoal drawing I made for my sister. (Next time, I'll remember to take a picture before I frame my art. The glass made it impossible to take a picture without a reflection.)

I used a photo by Bahman Farzad to make this drawing.
If you see a beautiful photo of a lotus anywhere, he probably took it.

That seems like a lot of build up for a little haiku, but that's exactly the beauty of a haiku: it says so much with so little. Here it is:

From out of the mud,

Through the dark water, rises

The pure white lotus.

I'll post another one tomorrow.