Saudade

The idea of a Western Haiku, is that it freezes a moment in time. In this case we have a moment of thought, of meaning (rather than Nature...). The symbolism in this haiku speaks of a house, the symbol of where one resides, or in this case, where one once 'lived'. Houses have long been symbols of ones Life, as they represent emotions and possessions, beloved by those who reside in it.

When we dream of our 'house' we will often describe it as "not REALLY my house", meaning not the one we actually live in, but in our dream, we know it to be our home. This inherent understanding of possession, is our attachment to it.

This haiku plays out, very much a dream, with the first line, there is a sense that the reader has privy to a sleeping thought, not the act of painting, but the idea of it. The 'full-to-brim' rooms illicit feelings of immobility and difficulty in the act of laying paint to surface, but it is the third and final line that awakens the Reader, and the Dreamer to the realization that in-fact the actions of painting are labors of repair, not to a faded wall, but a fading memory.

A strong haiku, with stark emotions. The only subtly is the remorse and regret that the reader feels for knowing the feeling of loss is universal.

Beautiful piece.