Carnation

this one stem -
carnation for
mother-in-law

original haiku "いっぽんは 姑しゅうとめのため カーネーション" (converted to modern orthography)
composed by KAI Michiko
roughly translated by the blog owner

In Japan, there’s a common stereotype that wives and mothers-in-law don’t get along. But how true is that in real life? And does the same idea appear in other cultures as well?

This haiku invites many interpretations, which is part of its charm. Perhaps one carnation was taken from a bouquet intended for her mother-in-law, with the rest given to her own mother. Or maybe she picked one for her mother, and another for her mother-in-law—on behalf of her husband.

In haiku, the carnation is a season word for summer.