Carpe Diem Haiku Kai Extra January 15th 2018 new prompt Haiku Shuukan

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I have published our new prompt at Haiku Shuukan (our weekly meme). This week at Haiku Shuukan I challenge you to create haiku, tanka or other Japanese poetry form inspired on a nice piece of music.

Visit Haiku Shuukan HERE.

Namasté,

Chèvrefeuille

Carpe Diem Tan Renga Challenge #39, Lou B.'s "the gargoyle takes flight"

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I am a bit late with publishing our new Tan Renga Challenge ... so here it is.
Time flies ... that's such a true word ... I had a very busy day and really I was almost forgotten to prepare our new Tan Renga Challenge in which the goal is to write a second stanza towards a given haiku. Tan Renga is a short chain of two poems/stanza and is written by two poets. It's very similar to tanka, but tanka is written by one poet. In the classical syllables-counting way a Tan Renga has two stanzas, the first 5-7-5 syllables and the second 7-7 syllables. As you maybe know ... you don't have to use the classical syllables count at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai and so you don't need to write your second stanza with 7-7 syllables, but if you like to do so ... feel free to use it.

This week I have a wonderful haiku composed by Lou B of Scatterbraining which he wrote in response on our Haiku Shuukan prompt "gothic". Here is his haiku ... and that said his haiku is the first stanza of this new Tan Renga Challenge.

warm sun gold limestone

embraced by creeping shadow
the gargoyle takes flight

© Lou B of Scatterbraining

Credits: Gargoyle on the Notre Dame, Paris, France (Dutch website)

Gargoyles were viewed in two ways by the church throughout history. The primary use was to convey the concept of evil through the form of the gargoyle, which was especially useful in sending a stark message to the common people, most of whom were illiterate. Gargoyles also are said to scare evil spirits away from the church, this reassured congregants that evil was kept outside of the church’s walls. (Source: Wikipedia)

Here is my completion of this Tan Renga started by Lou B.:

warm sun gold limestone
embraced by creeping shadow
the gargoyle takes flight                             (Lou B.)

scaring evil spirits away
bugaboo high on the church                       (Chèvrefeuille)

Hm ... I think this one is great ... how immodest, but sometimes you have to give yourself a compliment heh.

This Carpe Diem Tan Renga Challenge is tonight open for your submissions at 9.00 pm  (CET) and will remain open until Friday 20th at noon (CET). So have fun ... make this Tan Renga complete with your second stanza.

   

Carpe Diem #452, fishing

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Spring is almost gone for one quarter and here in The Netherlands the spring weather is great. Today we have almost 20 degrees Celsius, feels like summer. The most of the early blossomming trees are blossom-less, but the tulips are starting to bloom and the late cherry trees are in their most beautiful out-fits. So ... spring is really on.

Today we have another new modern spring kigo based on Jane Reichhold's 'A Dictionary of Haiku', fishing, fishing is not my cup of tea, but my youngest son is addicted to fishing so he goes almost every day out fishing and sometimes he takes our grandchildren with him. Mostly he goes fishing in the city-park just around the corner and he can sit the whole day there watching, contemplating and do some talking with his friends (also addicted to fishing).

Credits: Ancient Japanese Fishing boat

Jane gives the following haiku examples for 'fishing':

evening
the river full of fish
fishermen

dusk lake
sinking into darkness
fishermen's voices

the blue boat
a hole in the sea
filled with fish

(c) Jane Reichhold

I recall a haiku by Matsuo Basho about fishing and I love to share that one here. Maybe you know this one written by Basho.

cormorant fishing boat
how exciting! but after a time
I felt saddened

(c) Basho

Cormorant fishing boat

Ukai or cormorant fishing is a traditional method of catching freshwater fish, such as the ayu ( sweet fish ).  The fish are lured towards the boats by torches and then caught by manipulating a trained cormorant.
Cormorants used for fishing are wild Temminck's cormorants.  They are naturaly very agile, smart and adaptable to new circumstances.  Usho ( cormorant fishing masters ) live with them and train them for two or three years to be full-fledged stars of cormorant fishing.

Temminck's Cormorants (used for Cormorant fishing)

Isn't it an unique way of fishing? In some regions of Japan this kind of fishing is still in use. The Cormorants have a small ring around their neck so they cannot swallow the fish. It's a not so nice way of fishing I think.

at the seashore
the fishing-boats are overgrown -
playground for children

(c) Chèvrefeuille

This episode will be open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until April 22th 11.59 AM (CET). I will try to post our next episode, kite, later on today. For now ... have fun, be inspired and share your haiku with us all here at our Haiku Kai.

!!! No time to write an every day haiku on a given prompt? Maybe my new weblog Haiku Shuukan is something for you. There I give every Friday a new prompt on a weekly base ... so feel free to visit !!!

Haiku Shuukan, a new weekly haiku-meme

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Yesterday I have launched a new weekly haiku meme for those who find it difficult to write haiku every day on a given prompt. I have named it 'Haiku Shuukan'. Shuukan is the Japanese word for week.
Yesterday I posted the first prompt 'agony'. I will post a new prompt every Friday around noon. The 2nd prompt will be 'blossom' and will be posted Friday 25th around noon.
If you're interested? Please visit Haiku Shuukan at: http://chevrefeuilleshaikushuukan.blogspot.com you are invited.

Namaste