Haiku #11: Rosette

Before writing the actual poem, I wrote the title thinking both about roses and rosette ribbons. A rosette ribbon is an imitation of a rose’s physical appearance. Children, too, have a similar appearance as their parents. It’s all genetics, but a rosette ribbon is manufactured.

If you’re familiar with your Japanese colors, you’ll notice that the second line has both kanji for “pink” and “red.” Momoiro or “peach color” means “pink” while aka can mean “red” or “baby,” but the difference is usually clear when red is written as 赤い or akai and baby is 赤ちゃん or akachan.

Keep in mind that 気 or ki can mean “spirit, heart, or nature” as noted in Jisho.org’s entry. A rosette ribbon may not be a living thing, but the inspiration behind the design comes from one.

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