Haiku 22: First Month

Here is today's haiku:

猫塚に正月させるごまめ哉

And in romaji:

neko tsuka ni shōgatsu saseru gomame kana

And English: "The cat's grave, First Month: time to put the dried sardines."

This is one of my favorite poems by Issa. It's not exactly a New Year poem, but it is a "First Month" poem, sho-gatsu, 正月. Issa marks the New Year by remembering a beloved cat from past years. No flowers for this grave, though: gomame instead.

art by Hōzōbō Shinkai Japanese

My vocabulary for today:

塚
つか
"grave, mound"