Thursday, December 10, 2015

Carpe Diem Special #186 Georgia's 2nd "days of Christmas" (choka)


Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

What a joy to read how much you all appreciate Georgia's CDHK e-book "old bamboo wind chimes", she is indeed a great poetess and very gifted. Together with her son she created her e-book and I made the final publication complete by adding a foreword to it. I have read "old bamboo wind chimes" several times and every time again I find new ideas and feelings. It's really an awesome e-book. And I am proud to present to you Georgia's second CD-Special. For this episode I have chosen to bring a choka written by her.

I had never heard of choka until I read several choka at Georgia's weblog and I must say ... Georgia is one of the most gifted choka peotesses I know. She gave me the guts to write a choka myself, which I will share here too later on, but first I love to share a choka Georgia wrote in response on one of the themes of last years "seven days to Christmas" feature.

candles burn bright
Christmas trees twinkle
symbols of rebirth
in dark days of winter
school children home
play in snow-covered lawns
an old beggar stands
alone homeless and cold
angels smile sweetly
on a street corner at dawn
in newspapers
words of peaceful harmony
on the radio
sweet carols play day and night

Christmas card scenes
melt under the heat of hate
we know too well
the children are being good
anxiously awaiting gifts

© Georgia (a.k.a. Bastet, 2014)


Credits: Christmas
The goal of this CD-Special is to write an all new haiku, tanka or in this case an all new choka, inspired on the given one by Georgia.

As I told you above ... Georgia inspired me once to try choka and this was my very first choka ever: It's not themed Christmas, but I love to share that choka here with you, which was earlier published at my personal haiku blog.

the cooing of pigeons
resonates through the gray streets –
ah! that summer rain
refreshes the dried out earth
filling its scars
the perfume of earth tickles
my nostrils
after the hot summer days
I dance in the rain
naked on the top of the hills
I feel free at last
nature around me comes to life
field flowers bloom
I see their beautiful colors
the perfume of Honeysuckle

ah! that summer rain
the perfume of the moist soil
tickles my senses
I lay down, naked in her arms
surrounded by Honeysuckle

© Chèvrefeuille


Credits: Chèvrefeuille (my penname meaning Honeysuckle)
And now it's up to you my dear Haijin to write an all new haiku, tanka or choka (if you want too) and share it here with us all at our Haiku Kai.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until December 13th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our next episode, making the coolness; crawling out, later on. For now .... have fun!

6 comments:

  1. very impressive one.

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  2. What a beautiful post, Chèvrefeuille!! Georgia IS definitely the Queen of Choka. She can tell so many stories beautifully in this form, but then even free verse flows like honey. I love the choka of Christmas, helps me get in the Christmas spirit. Your choka, on the other hand makes me long for spring and summer:)

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  3. Oh Chèvrefeuille how you've honoured me in this wonderful episode! Thank you very very much. I do so enjoy it when you write choka, you do it very well, as you've shown us in this episode, though I know it's not "your cup of tea" as you've told me before, this is a real beauty and as Tournesol said ... it makes one long for spring and summer. Bastet

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  4. Beautiful poetry and a real challenge for me this one. I have struggled with my choka which I don't know is a choka. Is it?
    Is it OK to involve happenings in the world?

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  5. Such a beautiful episode -- Chevrefeuille, your choka is magnificent -- and Bastet, oh how I still envy your skill at the choka!

    Namaste

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