Carpe Diem Haiku Kai #1359: The Beautitudes

 

Dear haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode of of wonderful Haiku Kai. Maybe you can remember that back in the years we had a special feature "Carpe Diem Tokubetsudesu", back in time it was the new title for our former feature "Ghost Writer".

I remember that I loved creating those posts and I remember that we once had a "Tokubetsudesu" episode about the Beautitudes. Today I love to "reprise" that episode to inspire you.

For this episode I have chosen to share The Beatitudes as described in Matthew 5: 1-12 with you all for your inspiration. It fits really our central theme for April, Peace of Mind, and it's based on several ideas from Hinduism, Buddhism and other religions or life-philosophies.

I love to challenge you to bring The Beatitudes back to haiku or tanka or into a haibun ... no need to copy The Beatitudes, they are only used here for your inspiration. 

The Beatitudes

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

It's wonderful and I think The Beatitudes will inspire you to compose haiku, tanka or haibun to share with us.

This "reprise" is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until March 8th 10:00 PM (CET). You can add your submission to the linking widget hidden in our logo below.

Carpe Diem Haiku Kai Sunday Time Challenge #4: War

 Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode of our special feature "Sunday Time Challenge", that special feature in which you have to respond within 24 hours. As you have noticed I have chosen a (maybe) strange theme for today ... "War", but we are at War, not only against Covid-19, but since a few days we have a real war "just around the corner" at the East borders of Europe. Russia started a war against the Ukraine. It's sad to see this happening and it makes me a little scared. As I said this war is taking place "just around the corner".

I never could imagine that this kind of terror could take place at the European borders ... All European citizens are holding their breath at the moment ... What's going to happen in upcoming weeks? Does this "terror" signal a 3rd WW?

A few days ago I decided to sign out of our CDHK Carpe Diem Twitter account, which I used to respond on the things happening all around the world, next to publishing haiku. I really signed out, but within a day or two I decided to login again, just to stay posted on the things happening around us.
What news is true and what news is false/fake? I don't know. That feeling I have since the start of the C-pandemic more than two years ago.

Ancient Warrior From Thailand

Is this so called "Great Reset" (as said by the World Economic Forum (WEF)) really happening? It feels so unreal this whole ... what do I say? This "conspiracy"? Is this a "real" plan? Our future is at stake if this "Great Reset" is real. Than a New World Order will take over, than we will have a Global Government that decides everything, than we will be enslaved!

I really don't know what I have to believe, I don't know how long the "Free World" will stay free. I, ofcourse, hope this is just a Nightmare and that we will awaken in the world as we have known it, but ...

WAR is not what we seek for, we seek for PEACE and LOVE ... I really hope this is a Nightmare ...

Maybe you remember these haiku:

summer grasses
all that remains
of warriors’ dreams

© Matsuo Basho (1644-1694) (Tr. Chèvrefeuille)

ancient warriors ghosts
mists over the foreign highlands -
waiting for the full moon

© Chèvrefeuille

WAR ... can be an inspiration for poets as you can read in the above two haiku. There is nothing wrong with being inspired by such a theme, but in our real life ... WAR is not welcome ... I pray for both Russia and Ukraine and I hope this war will be a short one. I really hope we will awaken from just a Nightmare.

This episode of our Sunday Time Challenge is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will close on Monday February 28th at 3:00 AM (CET). 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: Sunday Time Challenge #2: rainbow

 

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

A few months ago (Oct 2021) I started a new feature here at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai, the place to be if you like to create haiku and other Japanese poetry forms. That new feature "Carpe Diem's Sunday Time Challenge" is challenge to create a haiku, or other japanese poetry form, inspired on a given theme within 24 hours.

For this Sunday (February 13th) I have chosen the theme "rainbow". I think you all know what the "rainbow" means, that gorgeous rainbow with it's wonderful colors, a sign placed by our Creator at the sky to remember us at the "Flood". 
Nowadays we all know that the "rainbow" is more than only that sign ... it's also used for the LGTBQ community. So you can also create a haiku, or other japanese poetry form, inspired on that meaning of "rainbow".

rainbow

I love that colorful rainbow it makes me happy. And it's happiness we all need in a time of insecurity.

To inspire you a little bit more I have a nice haiku for you, it is a haiku written by Issa, one of the four great haiku masters:

evening's fall colors -
the rainbow in the valley
fades away

© Issa

A wonderful theme to work with. This Sunday Time Challenge is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until Sunday, February 13th at 10:00 PM (CET). have fun! You can add your submissions to the linking widget hidden in our logo below.

Carpe Diem Haiku Kai #1358 Clouds

 

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode of our wonderful Haiku Kai. I will try to post more regular, but it is not always possible to create a new post. We have still cases of Covid (mostly Omicron) at the health facility were I am working, Today we have two, maybe three, new cases, so we have to test a very big group next day. 

Today I have chosen to give you a haiku written by Jane Reichhold (1937-2016) to inspire you. As you (maybe) know Jane has compiled a nice dictionary of haiku-kigo for our times. The "modern" kigo for today is "Clouds" and it is taken from the Winter kigo, sub-category Celestial.

The goal for today is to create a Tan Renga inspired on the given haiku by Jane. That means, you have to use the haiku by Jane and you have to create the "second" stanza of two lines with approx. 7 syllables.

Jane Reichhold (1937-2016)

Jane, once, was a co-owner of our Haiku Kai and she taught us a lot about haiku (and other Japanese poetry forms). She is still missed and her spirit is still here at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai.

Here is the haiku to work with:

roaring down the beach
at the height of winter waves
mist clouds

© Jane Reichhold (source: A Dictionary Of Haiku, online version)

A wonderful haiku to work with I think.

You can submit your Tan Renga inspired on this haiku through the linking widget hidden in our logo below. This submission can be done until February 7th 10:00 PM (CET). Enjoy this excercise.

Carpe Diem Haiku Kai Weekend Meditation #100: waves of love

 Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at our wonderful Haiku Kai. I love to challenge you today, in this (restart) of the Carpe Diem Haiku Kai Weekend Meditation. 

As we look at the time we live in, we can see the lack of love and peace. Covid-19 brings all kinds of emotions, for example anger and sadness. Questions like "Is this the truth?" "What is happening?" Or look at the tension around the Ukraine and Russia ... all signs of ... Yes of what? Is this the End Of Times? Is there a global revolution? 

This time is a time of despair and confusion. No one knows how our future will be. Therefore I love to challenge you to create a Tan Renga (two verses: 1st verse 3 lines 5-7-5; 2nd verse 2 lines 7-7) themed "waves of love".

I have given it a try myself (ofcourse):

teardrops fall
in the middle of the night
no more hope

the song of birds, a new day rises
waves of love warm a world in fear

© Chèvrefeuille, your host

You can submit your Tan Renga by adding it to the linking widget below (hidden in our logo) until next Friday February 4th 2022 10:00 PM (CET). Have fun!

Carpe Diem Haiku Kai #1857: Another try to get restarted, a meditation.

 

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Every time I am trying to restart our wonderful Haiku Kai there is always something else coming inbetween. So I give it a try again.

Today, January 27th 2022, I am reflecting on times coming. As we all know the world is still in a pandemic "war" with Covid-19. At this moment we see an increase of Omicron cases here in the Netherlands, but there are also a few tiny lights at the end of the tunnel. A lot of restrictions are ended, so our community is starting to come alive again, but there is still that threat of the QR-code, that eID. That threat is becoming stronger and stronger here and we, the Dutch people, are uncertain about what our Government will decide. And ofcourse it's one of the biggest discussion going on between groups of people who are positive and negative about this eID.

As we look around in our society a lot of children, teenagers, young adolecents and adults are starting to become depressed and fearfull ... we have an enormous increase of suicides and mentally illness. Covid-19 is not only a physical virus, but also a mental virus. A lot of our new generations have missed a lot during all the lockdowns in the last two years, e.g. closure of primary schools, highschools and universities. They really have missed a lot.

It's so sad to see this happening around me and it has influence on me too. It really makes me sad to see what this pandemic has done and still does ..., but I have a little hope that it will all become better ...

dark clouds gather, 

a downpour breaks loose -

ray of sunshine 

© Chèvrefeuille, your host.

I really hope this "dark time" will become better soon ... we need a new rising of light to look forward ... to have a better future for our children, teenagers, young adolescents and adults. 

I pray every day for relief and new hope and love ... and I hope our Creator will bring us a new future.

These are just my thoughts, my heart is crying, but there is sometimes a smile ... one sunbeam ... is enough.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Namasté,

Chèvrefeuille