Thursday, December 6, 2012

Carpe Diem #63, charcoal (sumi)


Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Today our prompt is charcoal (Sumi) it's a typical winter kigo. Several haiku poets used it in their haiku e.g.:

This one written by an anonymous poet

the charcoal vendor
makes other people warm -
his own body cold

(c) Anonymous


Credits: Charcoal Vendor by Steve Goodman

Or this one written by Issa:

after getting up
I hear a crow -
starting my charcoal fire

or this one, also by Issa:

in a flash my home's
dressed to the nines ...
morning's charcoal fire


charcoal fire

And what do you think of this one written by our Special haiku master Buson:

from Ikeda
some charcoal I received -
a spring chill

All wonderful haiku on charcoal (sumi), but now I have to write a new one for this episode of Carpe Diem hm let me think ...

charcoal fire
warms the hands of skaters -
Ah! that winter cold

a charcoal drawing
in the tokonoma
Koan of Life

Tokonoma
What can I say more on charcoal? It's used to paint and draw, but also to set the fireplace on fire. Well ... this was really not an easy one to do.

This prompt will stay on 'till December 8th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will publish our new prompt Tea Flowers (cha no hana) later on today around 10.00 PM (CET).

Have fun, be inspired and share your creativity with Carpe Diem, a daily haiku meme. Namaste.


6 comments:

  1. Ah skating, you make me long for skating season. But not until after new year probably. Wonderful prompt and haiku.

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  2. This post brought up memories of my youth and the charcoal used to heat the homes in Wisconsin, USA. The coal was delivered to a chute into the basement and my mother would complain bitterly about the dust.

    I guess charcoal made hard work for both the husbands and the wives in several ways.

    Thank you for this prompt...interesting post.

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  3. I recall the coal stove in my grandmother's house but it did not inspire meto poetry. Instead, I used another image from a long-ago bonfire ice-skating party I attended! Great fun!

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  4. Wonderful post ~ your haiku seem to get better and better ~ (A Creative Harbor) ~ aka 'artmusedog' ^_^

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  5. Nice topic again. I'm still wondering about the tokonoma calligraphy (一期一令).

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  6. It got my creative juices flowing again, thank you, I needed some relief from all the stress of dealing with a very sick mom.. Gonna try to get caught up here and I'll try to visit you all at last! It's been a while!

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