Haiku : Measure For Measure
“Measure what is measurable, and make measurable what is not so.” Galileo Galilei
Haiku : Measure For Measure – The Golden Rule prevails
Measure for measure
Justice weighs good and evil
We get what we give
Measure by measure
We march to mortality
Each soul a set date
Measure by measure
We drink from the cup of life
Full or half empty
Is judgement measured?
To favor the corrupt? pure?
Golden Rule … prevails
This haiku, written in response to a daily post prompt, – measure – is a reflection on the delicate balance that rules our lives and how we make choices. It is also drawn from a William Shakespeare play by the same name. The characters are faced with their own flaws and corruption and are forgiven by the King who responds to a heartfelt plea from the beautiful Isabella. We are all flawed and, instead of spending time judging others, we must look within and work on our own issues. We must remember to extend the same measure of kindness we expect from others. While those eager to jockey for power and position might try anything to get their way, we must stay centered on our principles and value human life; do not stay silent in the face of injustice. During this Easter and Passover season, may we find understanding and forgiveness in our hearts. At the end of the day, may the Golden Rule prevail.
More Below!
“The depth of darkness to which you can descend and still live is an exact measure of the height to which you can aspire to reach.” Pliny the Elder
Haiku : Measure For Measure – The Golden Rule prevails
Measure for measure
Some rise by virtue, some vice
Karma shadows all
Measure by measure
Compassion calls forgiveness
To open heart’s door
Measure by measure
Life coursing through rich and poor
Guides us on hope’s path
What measure is life?
What we value awaits us.
Make your choice wisely
When we think about it, life is lived not only in moments but in measured time that we devote to a wide range of things that interest us. Instead of wasting time focusing on minutiae, we could do ourselves a world of good by staying anchored to our close connections and what fuels our lives and work… Start with love, forgiveness and an appreciation of the grace around you. Easter is a time to celebrate our renewal and Passover a time to celebrate our freedom from oppression. May we all find those qualities in our lives and in the lives of others around us. Have a Happy Easter and Passover weekend!
This post was inspired by a Daily Post prompt – Measure – This week, Write a new post in response to today’s one-word prompt. Not sure how to participate? Here are the steps to get started.
Positive Motivation Tip: Things are not always as they seem. Stay alert and compassionate
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All Photos: From Measure and Door on Pixabay and/or my Personal Collection
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
I remember writing Haiku in school as a kid, they were so much fun! These are beautiful pictures!
Thank you. I enjoy the challenge of writing Haiku. 🙂
The haiku is really thought provoking. The lines I loved most is – “Measure by measure
We march to mortality, Each soul a set date” It hit home because I have come to realize that no matter how big our dreams may be, if it is our time to go, no amount of money will help us escape that. It is living in the moment, being one with nature, loving, giving, and hoping that we were able to make the best of the life we were given. May you have a blessed Easter, Elizabeth.
Beautiful insight Eileen. Thank you and Happy Easter too!
Fantastic haiku – one whose meaning I feel we can all apply to our own lives. I especially feel I need to measure my moments in life – and what better time to start than on the Easter weekend?
I’m with you on that… same applies to me. 😉
This post is really nice. Haiku, is a reflection on the delicate balance that rules our lives and how we make choices.
What a great post about measure. The pictures are so cool
This is a great and powerful message. I am a believer in karma and definitely agree that “we get what we give.” That is why I try my best to put in 100% effort with the things I do.
Such a good post once again. Yes I so agree not to judge others and to deal with your own issues. If everyone did that the world would be completely different for the better.
Karma shadows all – I love this line in your haiku. And this is so true!
Thank you! 🙂
This post has such a lovely & truly inspiring message. Society has double standards & sadly we sometimes get caught up in this circus. It’s good to be reminded that not one of us is perfect. The way we live our lives & how well we treat other people, even strangers define who we are as a person.
Well said…
What a great post for the season. A great reminder to be forgiving and more patient with others. It is something I need to be reminded of from time to time, and the approach of spring feels like a perfect new beginning to refocus myself.
It’s a beautiful way to interpret what measure means in our life. The haiku made me realize how our actions affects the things in our lives and what we get in return for it.
We all can a purpose in which we decide to be successful or leave a mark to make the world a little better off.
Loved this Haiku. We do get what we get and what we give others. It is always good to be the best person we can.
Very well written. Love reading your articles! We need to be kind and forgiving. Happy Easter and Passover!
Thank you! Happy Easter & Passover!
Fixing ourselves is enough work, we don’t need to focus on others. I do believe that we have a duty to help each other if we’re ruining our own lives. I would want someone to stop me if I were out of line.
It’s so hard to not want to try and fix others. It’s easy to see the flaw in someone else instead of ourselves.
Yes, I am all about love and forgiveness. Life is too short for anything else.
I hope you have a wonderful Easter.
Loved reading your post and you are right! We should focus on our attitude towards life and others and concentrate on the good, fill our hearts with positivity!
I concur. 🙂
I love the idea of spending time anchored to our connections! Once I became a Mom I have realized that the priority in my life is the connections with people I love and spending time with them.
I feel the same way…
I had to tell my eight year old what Easter really meant today. It wasn’t fun, but it was necessary. These teaching moments can be sting a little when you have to take their innocence away.
I love being around my kids and family and spending time with them and strengthening that bond. This is important.
Our attitude toward life determines life’s attitude towards us. We will only find the happiness we seek when we drop our negative attitude towards life, embrace life and be happy.
As always you write something that is meaningful and genuine! Spending time doing what is right is always the best road to travel. Showing love and compassion to others, sharing the positives in life.
Thank you and I agree with you…
What an amazing post. I really like how your voice always come through. I love spending time with m family it is so important.
Thank you Andrea! Happy Spring season to you and yours!
What I especially like about haiku (from the reader’s perspective) is how significant messages can be boiled down in very few words, words that grab your attention & demand to be read.
I love that about it too.. It forces you to be succinct. 🙂
I used to love writing haikus as a kid. Your photos you posted are amazing.
You should try writing them again,.. TY!
This is beautiful. I resonate with “We get what we give”! It reminds me of the law of sowing and reaping. Indeed Easter is a season of love and hope. Every year I take time to reflect on the connection between natural spring and spiritual renewal.
In spring nature comes alive, just as Jesus did. We too can celebrate renewal and growth.
Wishing you a Happy Easter and Passover weekend as well Elizabeth!
Thank you for your beautiful comment… I love this season too. Happy Easter and Passover!
Loved Haiku, especially when we were kids and used to write essays on it. I still help my son write about it at school.
Great. Your son is very fortunate.
Wow, really great work. Reminds me to be mindful and appreciative
Same here too. 🙂
I love Shakespeare but I have never read this play. I will have to check it out. I don’t know what it is- maybe the meter- but haiku always have a solemn, peaceful feel to them. Thank you for sharing your lovely poetry.
Yes, some do… I have read some upbeat even funny ones too.
this is awesome keep posting more! good work I actually think you are very good in writing your thoughts and I learned a lot from you 😀 love the pics btw 😀
I appreciate the feedback. I learn a lot from my readers and fellow bloggers like you too. 🙂
This is such a beautiful haiku.You broke this down so well.
Thank you!
What a beautifully written Haiku. I had to read a lot of Shakespeare in School.
I love the quotes and the haiku. And I am a sucker for anything Shakespear, although I have not seen that play yet. I really should. I hope to soon.
I forgot all about haikus. I learned about haikus in middle school and loved when my teacher would make us make it.
Love this! You are right – no one is perfect and we should not be judging each other. We are just trying to do our best.
Sometimes the people who grouch the most about kindness, do forget to extend that courtesy to others. Such a good reminder for us all.
Very thought provoking and the pictures are really cool. Makes me think I need to do some self measuring, thanks for the motivation
Finding the right measures is so important in our lives, an appropriate balance is the key of all!
Such an beautiful haiku. I remember writing these back in high school.
Great haiku. I used to love making them in school, and your photos are always so lovely to look at!
Your writing style is beautiful. The haiku was wonderful, a nice tribute the the theme for the day. Forgiveness and accepting oneself. Very important yet seem to get lost in the shuffle.
Thank you for writing this, it was beautiful. I identified a lot with what you wrote. I’ve been spending a lot of time evaluating life and time and mortality, etc., your poem really was a refreshing perspective on my own thoughts. Thank you.
Beautifully put. As a Libra I crave balance but this concept of the measure for measure is an intriguing one. Like it says we have to focus on the present and not focus on the past. After all we only live once and we don’t know when our ‘cup’ so to speak will run dry x
This such a beautiful read thank you for sharing.
You chose a beautiful poem to share here, and I loved how you worked Easter and the Passover into your message of being careful with our treatment of others. The old saying is true, “what goes around, comes around,” but I think there’s so much more to it than that, too – the simple need to recognize and respect those around us is not (should not be, anyway) borne of the fear of our own futures, but of the valuing of each other in an honest and heartfelt manner.
Indeed… we must do good for its own sake not for ours. 🙂
This is a very interesting article! I agree with most of the ideas here, However, I’d like to point out that in every measure system there is some arbitrarily, thus a bit of injustice. The golden rule is a good way to live by, however, we shouldn’t forget not everybody is like us and not everybody has the same needs we have. Sometimes we have to give way more than we take, simply because the other person is unable or incapable of doing the same for us.
I have not written a haiku in so long. Took me back to grade school. Lovely poem.
I have not written a haiku in so long. Took me back to grade school. Lovely poem.
Happy Easter! I totally agree with you! People should mind their own business more instead of being to focused on other peoples lives. For me, that is such a waste of time!
This haiku is so powerful. I love what it said about karma
Very well said. I especially like the reminder to be mindful of our impulse to judge those we think are doing wrong. At some point in our lives we will be in need of leniency or kind words. Great work!
What a beautiful haiku! I agree time is measured by how we spend it and so it’s important to spend it doing what you love and with no regrets.
I love the quote from Galileo at the beginning! For somethings, there are no forms of true measurement.
What great advice you have. Life really needs to be about being grateful and enjoying it to the fullest. The haiku was very beautiful.
xo
Molly
I love the Haiku, Elizabeth. It made me look back at the years that past. Was I doing anything to accomplish my mission in life? When I come face to face with God, how will He measure my accomplishments? How many people have I helped? How much love did I give? Everything. Everything is measured. I am taking this post as a wake up call to be a better person.
Thank you Kristine, your comment spoke to me too… so true. <3
Wow read a Haiku after ages. I lived in Japan for two years and was always impressed by the precision of that society in everything. Taking up from Shakespeare for Haiku – awesome!
You really write haiku so well. The word measure is not easy to use, and yet you were still so eloquent about it. Your choice of words to fill in the syllable requirements was impeccable.
I don’t know how you get your inspiration but you do. I really loved this one especially the haiku part. It was really nice to read. I can’t explain myself, I just love it. Besides this is the best collage you’ve made. It’s pretty
I taught middle school English we wrote Haiku when we started poems, my students love to do this. This is beautiful, great job!!
You always have such beautifully written posts. My life seems to be measured by small steps I accomplish following failed back surgery.
This is truly deep thoughts to ponder on measuring our life in many ways. Thank you so much for sharing such a positive post. This reminds me that in anything I do there should always be some measure.
You can write about everything in such a nice and inspiring way. I love that post
It’s a beautiful poem Elizabeth. I definitely agree that we should look in the mirror first before we try to judge others. Happy Easter.
I remember writing haiku in college .. and they were some of my favorite assignments. It was such a challenge to distill my message down into just a few words. Those exercises definitely improved my writing overall and prepared me for blogging today!
This is a great post and I love your pictures! Reading this in my morning has ensured my day is going to be full of nice thoughts
I love Haiku. What an inspired post! I love how you discuss measure and how it rules our lives. I have never heard of such a play by Shakespeare, so now I will research it. Wonderful point that we must take our own flaws into account before judging others.
This post reminded me of the song “Seasons of Love” from the Broadway musical Rent. I measure life in love!
This is such a lovely poetry! I agree that our lives here are not moments but measured time. Happy resurrection!
I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
I love writing haiku. My daughter writes them all the time.
That is a great Haiku. I remember learning about these in high school. I am going to look up the play by Shakespeare too.
I agree with you, we should focus more on the things that matter to us. For me it’s my family and the things I experience with them
This post is really awesome Haiku, is a reflection on the delicate balance that rules our lives and how we make choices. thanks for sharing.
I love this year’s Earth Day theme. I hope we find it to be a rousing success to get more people to mind our impact on Mother Earth.
Your posts are always so very inspiring. The photos are beautiful and these haiku are extremely thought-provoking! It’s always best to start with love. Doing all with love is the best way to live, in my opinion! Thank you, Elizabeth!
I appreciate the feedback. Glad you enjoyed your visit!
So eloquently written, I really like what you’ve come up with. Goes perfectly with that collage of photos too!
I don’t judge people so easily especially if I don’t know them that much. I don’t want to be judged the way I do, I wanted to be weighed the way I weigh others.
Fiding balance in our lives is really difficult but so much needed! I agree we should stop looking at others and focus on ourselves and our happiness.
Haiku expresses deepest of the meaning in such short form…Extremely beautiful! This topic makes me think about balancing the life and getting the most of it.
“We get what we give”– completely true! Nicely made haiku and very thought-provoking. Good job!