Carpe Diem #1842 End Of Year

 

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

The year 2020 is almost over. What a year it was. The pandemic, corona, and the tough times healthcare had (and still has). Even here at our wonderful Haiku Kai, we have had our lockdown and, how sorry I am for it, we still have that lockdown here at CDHK.

As you all know I am an oncology nurse and covid-19 takes all my energy and now it is even more worse, because my Mom has Covid-19 too. She is almost 91 and I am worried about her. As you (maybe) know, my Mom lives in a nursing home for the elderly, because of her dementia, and she lives in the nursing home were I am working myself.

In our nursing home we have a very big covid-19 outbreak and that makes that I really don't know how and when I can start posting our daily posts again.

It makes me sad, but ... well it is out of my hands, I cannot control what is happening at the moment in the world and in my personal life.

If I look back ... than 2020 is a year we will always remember as the "corona-year" and as I look at myself, 2020 will be a year full of loss. At the nursing home we have lost a lot of our patients to Covid-19 and a lot of my co-workers, are suffering of Covid-19 too. We just have to do our work with almost one third less co-workers. So it is tough, very tough.

I really hope that 2021 will be a year in which we all can return to a (more) normal life without Covid-19. I really hope that you all, my dear Haijin, are okay and in good health. Take care my dear Haijin ... take care.

I wish you all a wonderful new year and I hope that 2021 will bring us joy again.

In classical Japan (following the Lunar calender) there was a fifth season ''New Year", and this season was from approximately 20 december 'til 20 January. I have a few haiku which have been written for this season:

the Great Morning:
winds of long ago
blow through the pine trees

© Onitsura

The Great Morning is the morning of New Year's Day.

for this New Year's Day
the sight we gaze upon shall be
Mount Fuji

© Sokan

And a last one:

the first sunrise
there is a cloud
like a cloud in a picture

© Shusai

All wonderful haiku on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day.

And here are a few haiku by Issa and Basho:

my shadow too
in good health...
"Happy New Year!"

New Year's gift of tea--
where did you go
on your journey back to me?

© Issa

Both are wonderful "new year" haiku. Let me look at a few haiku by Basho on New Year:

has spring already come?
I feel wealthy this New Year
with five sho of old rice

New Year's Day
I feel lonely just like
an autumn evening

And what do you think of this one by Yozakura, the Wandering Spirit?

nothing changes
every day will be the same
this new year

A wonderful series of haiku about New Year's Eve of New Year's Day. Let those haiku inspire you:

after New Year's Eve
life hasn't changed a bit -
another year gone

listen! listen!
the sweet silence
the day after

New Year's Eve
fireworks enlightens the sky -
bad ghosts flee

© Chèvrefeuille

Well ... I hope you enjoyed this episode of our Haiku Kai. And I hope you are inspired to create your own haiku, tanka or other Japanese poetry form for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until January 7th at 10:00 PM (CET). Enjoy your New Year's Eve and I hope that 2021 will bring us more joy ...
You can find the linkinking widget hidden in our logo below.

Carpe Diem #1841 Just a special challenge

 

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at this special challenge here on CDHK. You all have noticed that posting is less in here, it has to do with covid (again). It's again a very busy time for me as a nurse, so I just don't have time to post regular.

Today I have a nice challenge for you all. I love to challenge you all to create a "double Troiku" with the following haiku:

mysterious landscapes
rise and unfold before my eyes
worlds of clouds

© Chèvrefeuille

Maybe you remember this haiku, I shared it earlier in here. What is the goal? You all know what a Troiku is, and if not, you can find it above in the menu.
The result of a Troiku is three new haiku starting with the separarted lines of the given haiku. A "double troiku" is the same, but you have to create three new haiku from the first three haiku you created from the given haiku. So it's a tough challenge. 

First create a Troiku, three new haiku. Than the "double" ... create three new haiku with the separated lines of the first three new haiku. I hope you will understand what I mean. The end result is that you have created 12 new haiku sprouting from the first given haiku.

Well ... not an easy challenge I think, but ... you all can do it.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until December 15th at 10:00 PM (CET). You can add your submissions to the linking widget hidden in our logo below. Have fun!