Carpe Diem Haiku Kai #1363: Summer Has Arrived

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Finally Summer has arrived at the Northern hemisphere and I am glad to find time to create a new episode in our wonderful Haiku Kai. It has been a strange time. The World is at stake and all around our wonderful planet we see still the results of the Covid-19 pandemic. Ofcourse there are several ideas according to this pandemic, but ... well that's not our business here at CDHK.

As you all know I am a healthcare worker and at the moment we have a small covid-19 outbreak again, not only our patients, but also a lot of  my co-workers are suffering from it. So that's why I had again to less time to create a new episode. I had promised you to be back soon, but I don't think I can publish an every day episode of our Haiku Kai. Forgive please.

As you can "read" in our post-logo I have chosen the theme Summer 2022, Let The Sunshine In. That theme brought this wonderful song from the musical/movie "Hair" into my mind. A wonderful song that was created back in the sixties as the so called "Flower Power" was running. I really love this song it gives me a feeling of joy. And that ... JOY ... we need!

I remember that we had a "Light Retreat" back in 2014, a period of 30 days to create haiku or tanka themed "The Joy Of Light". One of the haiku I wrote for that retreat fits this episode so well I think.

thousand orange leaves
counting my blessings every day -
I light a candle

© Chèvrefeuille (2014)

Well ... I hope I have inspired you to create haiku, tanka or another Japanese poetry form. This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until July 13th 10:00 PM (CEST). Have fun!

You can add your submission to the linking widget hidden in our logo below.

Carpe Diem Haiku Kai Sunday Time Challenge #3: Hurricane

 

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

A little bit early, but I love to share our new Sunday Time Challenge already today. As you all know the goal is to create a haiku, tanka or other Japanese poetry form on a given theme within 24 hours, because of this early publishing you have now 48 hours to create your haiku, tanka or other Japanese poetry form.

At the moment I am in the nightshift at the nursing home for the elderly people were I am working. We have, how sad, a new covid-19 outbreak at our health facility and that makes that I am very busy (again). But ... well as you have seen, the theme for today (this weekend) is "hurricane" and that's inspired on a very heavy storm we have here at the moment. We have a heavy storm with Bft 10 to 11 and a lot of damage all over the country, even a few deads. So I thought ... this is a "great" theme for our Sunday Time Challenge.

Uprooted Trees

The goal is to create a haiku (or other Japanese poetry form) themed "hurricane". Here is my haiku ...

the old oak in the backyard
as strong as he always was
now ... uprooted ... tears flow

© Chèvrefeuille, your host

Hurricanes are awfull, but on the other hand ... it shows the power of nature. A power we never can equal.

This Sunday Time Challenge is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until Sunday February 20th at 10:00 PM (CET). You can add your submission to the linking widget hidden in our logo below.

Carpe Diem Haiku Kai Celebrates Its 9th Anniversary: #1854 morning awakenings

 

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a "new" episode of our wonderful Haiku Kai. This month we celebrate our 9th anniversary with a "trip along memory-lane". In our rich history we have seen a lot of different places on our planet. Today I have chosen to "reprise" one of the episodes about the Trans Siberian Railroad, that we followed back in January 2014 on our way to our pilgrimage on Shikoku Island. That month our CDHK logo was the following:

Our Carpe Diem Haiku Kai Logo for January 2014, a picture of the TSR along Lake Baikal

I remember that it was a wonderful trip and today I love to let you all experience that again.

+++++++

Today we are going further on our memory lane along the nine years of Carpe Diem Haiku Kai. We have arrived in January 2014. In that month we started with our pilgrimage to the Isle of Shikoku to visit all 88 temples there. To get there we took the Trans Siberian Railroad (TSR) straight through the former USSR in January 2014. While we were on our way to Vladivostok, the end station of the TSR, we read "Aleph" a novel written by Paulo Coelho in which he describes his search for his former lives. "Aleph" is situated on the TSR and so we went on reading "Aleph" following the story-line and traveling straight through the former USSR.

I remember that it was a wonderful month and that I have read wonderful haiku, tanka and haibun. In that month Alexey Andreyev (a Russian haiku poet who lives in the USA) was our featured haiku poet. I love to share the last CD-Special haiku of January 2014, here again.

morning awakenings:
among window curtains' flowers
a blade of gray sky

© Alexey Andreyev

As I told you above, the TSR drives straight through the former USSR from Moscow to Vladivostok. So this reprise-episode is about the end station of the TSR Vladivostok. Vladivostok was closed for foreigners until the end of the "Cold War" and in 2012, after a major International Event, it became one of the bigger cities of Russia.

Aleph by Paulo Coelho (book cover)

I ended that episode, back in January 2014, with the following quote from Paulo Coelho's "Aleph":

[...] As they arrive almost in Vladivostok, Paulo decides to make a walk through the Trans Siberian Express, which he sees as a city. He walks through that city,which stretched out like an ever-flowing river of steel, a city were he doesn't speak the local language. He heard all kinds of languages and sounds and notices that, as happens in all large cities, most people weren't talking to anyone, each passenger absorbed in his or her own problems and dreams, forced to share the smae compartment with three strangers, people they never will meet again. The Trans Siberian Express, is really a city ... and as in a normal city we live together with our neighbors, but ... do you know your neighbors really? [...]

After his walk through the train he writes a note, which I love to share here with you.

[...]I am not a foreigner because I haven't been praying to return safely home, I haven't wasted my time imagining my house, my desk, my side of the bed, I am not a foreigner because we are all travelling, we are all full of the same questions, the same tiredness, the same fears, the same selfishness and the same generosity. I am not a foreigner because, when I asked, I received. When I knocked, the door opened. When I looked, I found. [...] (Source:'Aleph' by Paulo Coelho)

Let Your Dream Come True

And I wrote to conclude that episode:

With this quote by Paulo Coelho I will conclude our Trans Siberian Railroad journey. Dreams you have ... you have to fullfill, they are not negotiable. So ... go for your dream and let that dream come true.

another day ends
reaching for the stars and the moon
into the dreamworld

© Chèvrefeuille

+++++++

With this haiku I conclude this episode in our "trip along memory-lane" with giving you the task to create a "crossroads" haiku.

(Explanation Crossroads haiku): 

Haiku is still my first love, but during the years of our existence I learned to love and appreciate all kinds of Japanese poetry. And there we find the goal of this new feature "crossroads". In this new feature I love to challenge you to create a new haiku (ONLY haiku) inspired on two or more poems. That can be two haiku or one haiku and one tanka. Or one haiku and e.g. a sedoka. You have to create your new haiku (Only haiku) from the given poems. Sometimes I will give you a "normal" poem and a haiku (or tanka) to use for your inspiration to create haiku (ONLY haiku).

Imagine you are on a crossroad were two haiku come together. The haiku "have a conversation" and "decide" to become one. Together they create a symbiosis of a new haiku.

It will not be an easy task, but I think it will be fun.

Here are the two haiku, from this episode, you have to use. Create a "fuse" of both, you can use the words from the both haiku, but if you are inspired to create a new haiku with new words ... feel free:

morning awakenings:

among window curtains' flowers

a blade of gray sky

another day ends
reaching for the stars and the moon
into the dreamworld

Good luck my dear Haijin. This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until October 30th at 10:00 PM (CEST). You can add your submission to the linking widget hidden in our logo below.

Carpe Diem's Sunday Time Challenge #1: Pebbles (introduction)

 Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at the first episode of a NEW FEATURE at our wonderful Haiku Kai. Maybe you can remember our "former" Time Challenge feature in which I challenged you to create a haiku, tanka or other Japanese poetry form inspired on a theme within 24 hours, I love those Time Challenges, because it fits the main idea that Haiku is just a short moment, as short as the sound of a pebble in water.

With this new feature "Carpe Diem's Sunday Time Challenge", I challenge you to create a new poem within the short time of 24 hours.

For this first Sunday Time Challenge I have chosen the following theme "PEBBLE", a reference to the shortness of the scene on which your Haiku or Tanka is based,

PEBBLES

Pebbles, are mostly found along beaches and on sand grounds. Pebbles are often used for decorating gardens and were found often in Japanese gardens.

On this first Sunday Time Challenge, Pebbles, you have to respond within 24 hours, say (roughly) until Monday October 25th 00:30 am (cest).

Here is a haiku, written by me, taken from my archive, to inspire you:

timeless beauty -
the glint of polished pebbles
in the crystal brook

© Chèvrefeuille, your host (2013)

Here is the Japanese translation, just for fun:

時代を超えた美しさ-
磨かれた小石の輝き
クリスタルブルックで

Jidai o koeta utsukushi-sa -
migaka reta koishi no kagayaki
kurisutaruburukku de

Enjoy this Time Challenge my dear Haijin.

This Time Challenge is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until Monday October 25th 00:30 AM (CEST). You can add your submission to the linking widget hidden in our logo below. !! Remember you have only 24 hours to submit!!

Carpe Diem Haiku Kai Celebrates Its 9th Anniversary: #1851 A Wandering Spirit

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I have to make excuses again, one way or the other, it seems like I don't have time to create our posts. I really had hoped that I could bring an episode every day, but through several personal circumstances, it didn't work out.

This month we are celebrating our 9th anniversary and this month we are looking back into our rich and creative history. Today I love to look back at a nice new feature I started back in October 2016. Maybe you can remember Yozakura (1640-1716), the Unknown Haiku Poet? In that month I started his story with an introduction. I will replicate that first episode here.

+++++++

Wandering Spirit --- intoraddakkushan (Introduction)

Maybe you can remember me I once was your guest at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai as a ghostwriter. I told you a little bit about my life and my sensei, Matsuo Basho, whom I still miss very much. Master Basho taught me how to write soloku (or as you call it now, haiku) and I am still grateful that he accepted me as one of his disciples. Until that moment my life was a complete disaster.

I was an only child and I lived in Edo (or Kyoto) with my dad. I never had the chance to got to know my mother, because she died as she gave birth to me. My father raised me alone. He was a high ranked samurai and taught me all that I know about going to battle, but also about art and poetry.

When I was about 17 years old my dad passed away in the Great Fire of Meireki, a major city-fire in which Edo was destroyed for more than 60 %. I not only lost my dad, but also all of my family's belongings. After that major disaster I became an outcast and a wanderer under the sun, moon and stars of my beloved Japan.

Of course there is no urge to tell you about me and the life I had, but ... hidden deep inside me there is a kind of longing, a kind of hope, a kind of urge to tell you more about my life and so ... here I am again ... this is the story of my life, Yozakura, the Unknown poet.

Yozakura (1640-1716)

ろーすと・あんど・あろーん・あ・わんだーいんぐ・すぴらっと・びにーす・ざ・さん

roosuto ando aroon a wandaaingu supiratto biniisu za san

lost and alone
a wandering spirit
beneath the sun

© よざくら (Yozakura)

+++++++

In our rich history we have seen a lot of Unknown Haiku Poets, but Yozakura was one of a kind. The feuilleton Wandering Spirit is about him and I created (I believe) 12 chapters, but those 12 chapters haven't told the whole story. I hope to write the story further.

The goal for this episode is to create a new haiku or tanka, or other Japanese poetry form, inspired on the Introduction of Wandering Spirit as replicated above.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until October 24th at 10:00 PM (CEST). Enjoy!
Add your submission to the linking widget hidden in our logo below.

Carpe Diem #1839 colors of life

 

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I have to apologize again. We have a new Covid outbreak and so I am (again) very busy with work. I know you all accept it as I not publish, but it feels somewhat ... sad that I disappoint you all (again) by not publishing as I had hoped.

This month I have chosen the theme "autumn leaves", and as it says it's all about kigo for autumn. Today I have chosen the theme "colors of life" and that has to do with autumn, but also with life itself.

Everyone lives her or his life with a kind of vision, a spiritual one maybe, but it can be a vision of love or of making carreer. My life is very colorful with all the things I am doing. Ofcourse there is my family, my children and grandchilderen. And than there is my job as an oncology nurse and last, but certainly not least ... there is Carpe Diem Haiku Kai, that beautiful family of haijin.

mysterious colors
first sunlight of autumn
more brilliant

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until November 22nd at 10:00 PM (CET). You can add your submission to the linking widget hidden in our logo below.

Carpe Diem's Time Challenge ... remake of our Time Glass feature 1 first blossoms

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

During Covid-19 crisis I have done CDHK in Lock Down too, but now we see all around that the Lock Down is brought to lower rules, therefore I love to give you a new challenging feature. It's not completely new, because we have had the CDHK Time Glass feature back in our history, this new challenging feature is a "remake" of that feature.

The goal is to create a haiku, tanka or other Japanese poem inspired on a given theme. You have limited time to respond, only 48 hours! So a "real" time challenge. To bring this new feature up and running I will publish every 48 hours, a new Time Challenge.

Today I have chosen for the theme "First Blossom". Post your inspired poetry within 48 hours here at CDHK through the linking widget below (click on our Logo).

fading moonlight
caresses fragile blossoms
finally spring

© Chèvrefeuille

This Time Challenge starts NOW and will run until Monday May 4th 11:55 PM (CEST). Have fun! Add your post by clicking on the CDHK logo below (it will bring you to Blenza, a website that provides the linking widget for this new feature)

Carpe Diem #1823 The Path Of Enlightenment

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode of our Kai, but before I start with this episode I have to apologize for not publishing last weekend. There were circumstances in private life that needed my attention so I hadn't time to publish our weekend meditation last weekend.

Today I have a more informative episode for you all about the Shikoku Pilgrimage, the pilgrimage that is our theme this month.

The Shikoku Pilgrimage or Shikoku Junrei is a multi-site pilgrimage of 88 temples associated with the Buddhist monk Kūkai (Kōbō Daishi) on the island of Shikoku, Japan. A popular and distinctive feature of the island's cultural landscape, and with a long history, large numbers of pilgrims (known as henro still undertake the journey for a variety of ascetic, pious, and tourism-related purposes.
In addition to the 88 "official" temples of the pilgrimage, there are over 200 bangai — temples not considered part of the official 88. To complete the pilgrimage, it is not necessary to visit the temples in order; in some cases it is even considered lucky to travel in reverse order.

The pilgrimage is traditionally completed on foot, but modern pilgrims use cars, taxis, buses, bicycles, or motorcycles. The walking course is approximately 1,200 km long and can take anywhere from 30 to 60 days to complete. "Henro" is the Japanese word for pilgrim, and the inhabitants of Shikoku call the pilgrims o-henro-san, the o being an honorific and the san a title similar to "Mr." or "Mrs.". They are often recognizable by their white clothing, sedge hats, and kongō-tsue or walking sticks. Alms or osettai are frequently given. Many pilgrims begin and complete the journey by visiting Mount Kōya in Wakayama Prefecture, which was settled by Kūkai and remains the headquarters of the Shingon sect of Buddhism. The 21 km walking trail up to Koya-san still exists, but most pilgrims use the train.

mysterious Island
dedicated to the Path of Enlightenment
four countries* as one

© Chèvrefeuille

(*Shikoku means "four countries")

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until March 16th at noon (CET). Enjoy!

Carpe Diem #1821 Ryozenji (the first temple)

Youkoso at Shikoku dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Today we start with our Shikoku Pilgrimage and so I started this episode with "Youkoso", which means "welcome''. From this day on we will make a pilgrimage along a selection of the 88 temples on the Isle of Shikoku and will trod in the footsteps of thousands of O-Henro (pilgrims on Shikoku-route) and in the footsteps of Kobo Daishi (774-835).

The Shikoku Pilgrimage starts at the first temple, Ryozenji, but before we start with our Shikoku Pilgrimage we first have to learn the "Heart of the Great Wisdom Sutra":

Heart of the Great Wisdom Sutra

When a sincere truth seeker attains the wisdom of enlightenment, he realizes that all the five senses are empty and he transcends every suffering.
Listen: All things are no different from emptiness; emptiness is not different from all things. Form is emptiness; emptiness is form. Feelings, perceptions, impulses, consciousness are also like this.
Listen: The original nature of all things is neither born nor extinguished. There is no purity, no defilement; no gain, no loss.
In this world of emptiness there is no form, no feelings, perceptions, impulses, or consciousness. No eye, ear, tongue body, or mind. Therefore, no color, sound, smell, taste, touch, or thought. The world of form does not exist, nor the world of the mind or of ignorance; no old age and no death.
Yet there is continuous ignorance, old age, and death.
There is no suffering, no cause of suffering, no cessation of suffering; no wisdom and no attainment because there is nothing to be attained. The compassionate truth-seeker depends upon the wisdom of enlightenment.
When the mind does not become attached to anything, there are no obstacles and fear does not exist. This mind goes beyond all disruptive views and attains Nirvana. All the Buddhas of the past, present and future depend upon the wisdom of enlightenment--and so attain the supreme, wisdom of enlightenment as the great unexplainable true word, the great shining true word that is able to remove all suffering. It is true, not false. This true word of wisdom says:
Gyate Gyate Hara Gyate Hara So Gyate Bodhi Sowa Ka.

Ryozenji (the first temple)

Well ... as we are prepared now I say again "Youkoso" and I bow for you. In my heart I chant the Heart Sutra to become in tune with Shikoku. We are on our way and will start at the first temple Ryozenji at Naruto in Tokushima Prefecture. It is here were the pilgrimage starts.

Ryozenji Temple is also known as "Vulture Peak" which refers to one of the sermons the Buddha once gave on a mountain with the same name. It was on that mountain that Buddha started with his religion and wrote the Heart-Sutra and e.g. the Lotus-Sutra.
So this first temple is in every way the start of our Shikoku Pilgrimage.
In the upcoming episodes of our Shikoku Pilgrimage I will try to tell you all more about Buddhism as one of the roots for our beloved haiku. As you maybe know ... in the classical rules of haiku is said that there has to be a Buddhistic layer in haiku. Of course I will use haiku examples written by the classical haiku-poets and sometimes written by modern haiku-poets.
OK ... let us start with our Shikoku Pilgrimage and I love to share my first haiku for this new month with you and I am looking forward to all our new insights and wonderful haiku.

Vulture Peak

pilgrims chanting
the Heart Sutra to honor Kukai -
cry of a Vulture
breaks through the serene temple -
pilgrims chanting

© Chèvrefeuille

Well ... our new month has started ... enjoy our small pilgrimage along the 88 temples on Shikoku Island.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until March 9th at noon (CET). Have fun!

Carpe Diem #1820 Introduction to Shikoku Island

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Maybe you can remember our earlier Shikoku Pilgrimage months back in 2012 and in 2017, we became Henro (as the pilgrims are called) and walked this wonderful pilgrimage along the 88 temples on Shikoku Island.

This month we are going again to walk this pilgrimage together hoping that Shikoku Island will bring us the inspiration for our Japanese poetry. The Shikoku pilgrimage is a once in a lifetime to do pilgrimage for Buddhists ... so this month we will be Buddhists, Henr-o that walk the pilgrimage along the 88 temples established by Kobo Daishi (774-835).

One of the 88 temples on Shikoku Island, the Sakura Temple

Are you with me this month?

first cherry blossoms
winter is running towards its end --
a new day rises

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until March 8th at noon (CET). Enjoy this new month.

Carpe Diem #1818 ... the color of love

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a belated episode of our wonderful Kai. So I will give you only the prompt for today.
Today I have chosen The Color Of Love for you to work with.

too old for new love
the moon rises each night
as I remember
the backseats of strange cars
it's helpful light afterwards

© Jane Reichhold

A beautiful tanka in which we find the beauty of the rising moon, but also the beauty of discovering sexuality as teenagers. Maybe you can remember having the first kiss in a car, or the first time having sex on the backseat of a car. In this tanka you can find that strong romantic atmosphere.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until March 4th at noon (CET). Have fun!

Carpe Diem #1815 Haiku ... the first love

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at this new episode (somewhat belated) of our wonderful Haiku Kai were we are exploring Love this month. Can haiku be a love poem? I think it can, but I also can say it in a different way ... Haiku, the first love ...

That is so true ... haiku really was my first love ... Back in the late eighties I discovered haiku and I was immediately sold to the beauty of this wonderful small Japanese verse ... Well you all know what happened the years after that discovery. It resulted in 2012 in the start of Carpe Diem Haiku Kai (CDHK).

CDHK has grown and has become a family of haiku loving poets. During the years I introduced other forms of Japanese poetry and now ... more than 7 years later we are still alive and kicking.

out of earth
the flower shape
of a hole

© Jane Reichhold 

By actually seeing that the hole dug for the seed already has the shape of a flower, one has a new awareness of dirt and flowers and their relationship. (extracted from: Writing and Enjoying Haiku)

Jane Reichhold was a renown haiku poetess all around the globe and she was our co-host for some time. I still miss her. She brought us her knowledge about haiku and through her my love for haiku became stronger and stronger ... Haiku really my first love.

three lines
enchanted by nature
Cupids arrow

© Chèvrefeuille

Not a strong one maybe, but this little verse, this haiku / senryu, gives words to my feeling that Haiku was (and still is) my first love.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until February 27th at noon (CET). Have fun!

Carpe Diem #1814 lost love

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode of our wonderful Haiku Kai. This month it's all about Love in all its wonderful forms. Today however I have chosen for a prompt that's not that wonderful ... or maybe even a "lost love" can be wonderful.

Our prompt for today is "Lost Love".

Lost Love

rainy day
tears become one with puddles
new moon

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until February 26th at noon (CET). Have fun!

Carpe Diem #1813 Love At First Sight

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

First my apologies for being late with publishing our new regular episode. I hadn't time enough to create it. Because of that I will just give you the theme for today (Tuesday February 18th). As you all know this month our theme is ... Love ... so for today I have chosen that wonderful and exciting experience ... Love At First Sight. I know what I am talking about, because my wife and I fell in love at first sight ...

one heartbeat
her wonderful smile
a blanket of love

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until February 24th at noon (CET). Have fun!

Carpe Diem #1812 The Day After Valentine's Day ...

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode of our wonderful Love Month here at CDHK. Last Friday it was Valentine's Day and today I have chosen a nice theme ... The Day After Valentine's Day ... Ofcourse that was last Saturday, February 15th, but as you all know we have our weekend meditation nowadays in the weekends.

This haiku is about Valentine's day or more the day after. As you maybe know Saint Valentine's Day is on February 14th and is a holiday in almost the whole world, also in Russia. Here is a special haiku by Alexey Andreyev for your inspiration to write an all new haiku in the same sense, tone and Spirit as the one given.

Russian Icon of St. Valentine

To stay in touch with our Love theme I have used the above Icon.

РПУМЕ чБМЕОФЙОПЧБ ДОС -
ЛТБУОЩЕ МЕРЕУФЛЙ ОБ РПМХ, Й
НЕФМБ Ч ХЗМХ
                      
day after Valentine's -
red petals on the floor, and
a broom in the corner

© Alexey Andreyev

A wonderful haiku I think. As I read this haiku I thought "what happened here?" Did the young lovers have a quarrel? Or is the scene more metaphorical? Tells this haiku that the love is over after a long time? Why didn't they sweep the floor? All that kind of questions came in my mind. And with those thoughts I wrote my own haiku inspired on the one by Alexey. I even have tried to write this haiku in the classical way.

petals of roses
scattered through the living room
a ring on the table

© Chèvrefeuille

petals of roses

A sad haiku ... but that sadness is also part of haiku. Haiku is a great medium to share your emotions caught is a few lines. This also is part of Love ... breaking up.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until February 23rd at noon (CET). Have fun!

Carpe Diem #1811 Valentine's Day ...

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Valentine's day, a day to send cards to secret lovers or give gifts to the one you love. But ... who was Valentine? I did some research on Valentine.

Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is a holiday observed on February
14 honoring one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine. It was first established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD, and was later deleted from the General Roman Calendar of saints in 1969 by Pope Paul VI.
The day first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. By the 15th century, it had evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines").

Saint Valentine (in Latin, Valentinus) is the name of several (14 in all ) martyred saints of ancient Rome. The name "Valentine", derived from valens(worthy, strong, powerful), was popular in Late Antiquity. Of the Saint Valentine whose feast is on February 14, nothing is known except his name and that he was buried on the Via Flaminia north of Rome on February 14, he was born on April 16. It is even uncertain whether the feast of that day celebrates only one saint or more saints of the same name. For this reason this liturgical commemoration was not kept in the Catholic calendar of saints for universal liturgical veneration as revised in 1969. But "Martyr Valentinus the Presbyter and those with him at Rome" remains in the list of saints proposed for veneration by all Catholics

Well ... now I know a little bit more of Saint Valentine's Day. Now I can write a few new haiku for today's haiku challenge :-)

behind the clouds
the mysterious moon
'be my Valentine'

Valentine's Day
the postmen brings love cards
someone unknown

newly weds
eating oysters
under the plum tree

her lovely face
smiling at me in the mirror
'love you forever'

newly weds
under the blooming cherries
Ah! how lovely

© Chèvrefeuille

Well ... I hope you all will have a secret lover that sends you flowers or cards on Valentine's Day.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until February 20th at noon (CET). Have fun!

Carpe Diem #1805 Introducing our new Theme ... Love month

credits logo

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode of our wonderful Haiku Kai. We are here to create and share Japanese poetry and this month our theme is Love. This month we celebrate Love in all its beauty. I have chosen this theme because of the fact that we celebrate Valentine's Day on February 14th, but also because I love to explore Love as a theme for haiku.

Love ... we all can relate to it I think, it's not only the love between people, but also between plants, flowers, insects, animals and the love for something. I love my wife and kids, but I also fell in love with haiku back in 1988.

As you all know haiku is about nature, deeper meaning and so on. Tanka once was the poetry of love between people, it was used as a kind of secret love-letter, and is therefore known as a love poem. Haiku ... is mostly not seen as a love poem, but this month I hope to explore it ... together with you all. Are you with me?

Love is a challenge (photo © Sachar Gilad)

Love is one of the most important emotions I think, and Unconditional Love is what we need here on our planet, because unconditional love has no boundaries and will always reach out to other people around you and around the world.

without boundaries
I open my heart to spread love
on wings of birds

© Chèvrefeuille

With love we can reach out towards people around us. Love is really the only way to spread peace all over the globe.

Spread love,

Chèvrefeuille

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until February 9th at noon (CET)

Carpe Diem #1803 New Beginnings ... snowdrops

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode of our wonderful Haiku Kai. This month it's about New Beginnings and it means all things that start new. Today I have chosen the prompt "snowdrops", those beautiful small white flowers that start blooming in Winter already ... Snowdrops are the first signs that Spring is near.

Snowdrops (image found on Pinterest)

snowdrops blooming
waving goodbye to Winter
nearly Spring

© Chèvrefeuille

Look at those beauties ... so fragile, but strong.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until February 2nd at noon (CET). Enjoy the fun!

Carpe Diem #1800 New Beginnings ... first leaf falling

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I hope all have had a wonderful weekend and that you all are capable to do a new week here at CDHK. This month is themed "New Beginnings" and today I have chosen a nice prompt for you to work with.

Today I love to challenge you to create Japanese poetry themed "first leaf falling", autumn is in my opinion one of the most beautiful seasons and it's, according to classical sources of Japan, the best season to see the moon and praise her beauty. Autumn ... gives me always the feeling of departure and letting go ... Leaves are coloring and finally fall ...

light of the full moon
silverly beautiful ... so fragile
leaves are falling

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until January 26th at noon (CET). Have fun!

Carpe Diem #1798 New Beginnings ... Metamorphosis

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode of our wonderful Kai, the place to be if you like to create Japanese poetry and share it with the world. This month is themed "New Beginnings" and there is an amazing new beginning in nature's small world of insects and butterflies.

Today I love to challenge you with "metamorphosis", that awesome idea of a caterpillar changing into a butterfly.

Metamorphosis

What a transformation this creature makes ... awesome!

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until January 22nd at noon (CEST). I will try to publish our new episode later on. Have fun!