Herman Van Rompuy publishes haiku poems

According to the Guardian:

A relative unknown when he served as Belgium's prime minister for just 10 months before becoming EU president, Mr Van Rompuy has become internationally renowned not for his political achievements but for his haiku, a 17-syllable form of poetry originating in Japan.

Those looking for any insights into Mr Van Rompuy's political plans will be disappointed by his poetry and its mystical strain.

[ ... ]

Nobutake Odano, Japan's ambassador to the EU, would not comment on the literary merits of Mr Van Rompuy's haiku.

"He feels that he does not have to worry about the reaction of readers. He wants to express ideas in his own way," he said.

[ ... ]

HERMAN'S HAIKUS

On the seasons:

In a nearby ditch

toads mating passionately

inaugurate spring.

Brussels:

Different colours,

tongues, towers and gods.

I search my way.

A moment of reflection:

Birds in concert,

one sings above all others.

I don't know its name.

Mother:

Are you mute forever?

Are flesh and blood extinct?

I will be your grave.

~ ~ ~

See also:

Speech by President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy
I discovered haiku poetry in the Summer of 2004. It would take too long to explain the circumstances and the reasons but it happened.

Fidel Castro leaves people guessing as he writes cryptic, Haiku-like notes

In cryptic paragraphs of never more than 65 words, the former Cuban president has written about yoga poses, edible plants, a criticism of Cuba by a Chinese leader who died 15 years ago and a former leader of communist East Germany who died even further back.

Castro’s pronouncements have sparked quizzical looks, jokes about his mental state as he approaches his 86th birthday on Aug. 13 and convoluted efforts by supporters to explain his odd words.

“I respect all religions, though I don’t believe in them. Human beings, from the dumbest to the wisest, search for an explanation for their existence. Science constantly searches for the laws that guide the universe. At this time, it is in an expansion started about 13,700 million years ago,” he wrote in a short missive published Tuesday by government websites.