Carpe Diem Special #62, Garry Gay's "along the way"

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

We are almost halfway our first anniversary month. Until today I have read wonderful haiku and nice loving comments. I love to share some thoughts here, while outside the rain is falling, an autumn storm blows, at the background laid down music played by Chris Hinze (a Dutch musician) and alone at home. Time to sit down and contemplate (smiles). These thoughts were 'triggered' by the title of Garry Gay's haiku of today, "Along the way".

The Long and Winding Road

Since October 2012, as I started with Carpe Diem's daily haiku meme, I am on a journey, 'along the way', so to say. A journey similar with Basho's "Narrow Road to the Deep North". On this journey through the wonderful world of haiku (and other Japanese poetry) I came along different places, all caught in a given prompt. The journey led me to all corners of the world where I met wonderful people ... you all my dear haiku-family members.
During this journey I started a few adventures by leaving my way and introduced new features to challenge you all. They all were welcomed with a warm embrace and made our haiku-family bonds stronger and stronger.
You all embraced the special Carpe Diem months about the Zodiac, the Tarot and the month in which I shared the wonderful music of Karunesh. We learned to use music as a source for inspiration, which we will repeat in December with the wonderful music of a young promising New Age musician, and we learned to write a short chained poem called Tan Renga. The Tan Renga Challenges made our haiku-family really a family, through the use of haiku written by haiku-family members and the responses to complete the Tan Renga. The Tan Renga binds us together and through the Tan Renga we have become a family of haiku-poets.
It's a honor that you all will walk this journey with me. Together we are along the way to a wonderful world in which haiku will binds us together and maybe we will bring a little bit love, light and peace to the world through which we are wandering.

Back to our regular way. Today I have to share a wonderful haiku written by Garry Gay for your inspiration (and mine).

Along the Way (c) Garry Gay

Along with this wonderful photo copyrighted by Garry Gay came a beautiful haiku which inspired me at first for the above thoughts I mentioned.

along the way
an old oak branch
becomes a walking stick

(c) Garry Gay

The goal is to write a new haiku in the same sense, tone and spirit as the inspirational haiku by Garry Gay. By the way: Garry write his haiku in the non-classical style, so you don't have to use the classical rules, but feel free to do so.

My attempt to write a new haiku in the way of Garry's:

on a journey
across the heath of Nasu -
the killing stone

Not only inspired on Garry's haiku, but also on Basho's "Narrow Road" and the Noh-Play "Sessho-seki". Sorry guys I was caught up with the posts of last Sunday (October 13th). I hope you did like the read and I hope that the haiku by Garry has inspired you to write a new haiku. Just have fun.

Oku no Hosomichi stamps

This Special episode will be open for your submissions until October 16th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our new regular Carpe Diem episode, Threnody (provided by Mark M. Redfearn) later on today around 7.00 PM (CET).
!! This Special by Garry Gay is open for your submissions at 7.00 PM (CET) !!