Carpe Diem #461, Ghost

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

What a joy to make our first post for our new Carpe Diem Haiku Kai month May. This month all our prompts referring to worldwide Myths, Legends, Saga and Folktales. And this month will bring us to several places on our planet. Today our prompt is ghost and it starts with a folktale from Japan titled "Kintaro the Wonderboy and His Ghost Mother". The tale goes as follows:

Yamamba is a ghostly, female,  mountain hag who has an unkempt appearance — long messy hair and a dirty, disorderly kimono. She eats children.There are many variations of the story. E.g.: 

[...] A pregnant woman is traveling through the mountains alone and goes into labor. A old woman appears and helps the mother deliver the baby. Halfway through the delivery the mother realizes in horror that the old woman is Yamamba. Despite her child eating ways, Yamamba raises an orphan — Kintaro. Kintaro is a popular hero of Kabuki dramas. His name is often translated as "Golden Boy". He has superhuman strength.Being raised on a mountain by a ghost had its advantages — Kintaro understands the ways of the animal kingdom and possesses many animal-like abilities. [...](Source: Japan-Talk )

Credits: Kintaro rides a Carp

A wonderful folktale I think, something worth reading and knowing as a haiku-poet. It wasn't easy to write a haiku with our prompt, but I think I have succeeded with the following:

high up in the mountains
Yamamba plays hide and seek
waiting for children

(c) Chèvrefeuille

golden carp
rushes through the mountain stream
fleeing a spirit

(c) Chèvrefeuille

This was our first CDHK prompt for May ... I hope you enjoyed it and I hope it will inspire you all to write/compose wonderful haiku, senryu, tanka, kyoka or haibun. Just have fun ...!

This episode will be open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until May 3rd 11.59 AM (CET). I will try to post our new episode, Crystal, later on today. Don't be sad if the posts are a little bit later than planned ... I am in the nightshift so I don't have much time.

Carpe Diem's "Pick Up the Pieces" #1

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

What a joy to host Carpe Diem Haiku Kai. I can share my creativity and knowledge and in return I get insight in all the wonderful people who are part of this warm and loving haiku-family. We are a family and we share all our love for haiku and other (Japanese) short poetry-forms.
When I was a young guy we (my family) were all into playing games such as cards and Monopoly. In my opinion, playing games together as a family, made us a family. So I have created a new feature based on the idea that playing cards as a family makes us a family. Playing games is were this new feature is about. Let me tell you what I mean.

Credits: Uta-garuta

Uta-garuta (歌ガルタ?) are a kind of karuta, Japanese traditional playing cards. It is also the name of the game in which they are used. The game is played mostly on Japanese New Year's holidays. On each card, a poem (waka) is written, and there are a total of 100 poems. The standard collection of the poems used is called Hyakunin Isshu, which is often also the name of the game. The collection was chosen by a poet Fujiwara no Teika in Heian period.

Uta-garuta (歌ガルタ?) are a kind of karuta, Japanese traditional playing cards. It is also the name of the game in which they are used. The game is played mostly on Japanese New Year's holidays. On each card, a poem (waka) is written, and there are a total of 100 poems. The standard collection of the poems used is called Hyakunin Isshu, which is often also the name of the game. The collection was chosen by a poet Fujiwara no Teika in Heian period.

The game uses two types of cards.

Yomifuda: One hundred reading cards with a figure of a person, their name and poem on each one

Torifuda: One hundred grabbing cards with only the lower phrases of poems

At the start of a game, 50 torifuda are neatly arranged on the floor faced up. When the reader starts reading out a poem on the yomifuda, the players quickly search for the torifuda on which the corresponding lower phrase is written. (Source: Wikipedia)  


Credits: Uta garuta contest


This new CDHK-feature, which I have called "Pick Up the Pieces", is based on Uta-garuta as described above. Of course there is a difference. In this new feature the goal is to pick together the pieces of three haiku which I have divided in three groups:

1. first lines
2. second lines
3. third lines

The goal is to pick the lines of one real haiku together to make that haiku complete again. Maybe the picked up pieces belong not together, but they maybe make a whole new haiku ... you'll never know!

Let me give you an example in which I will put together one of the three haiku which we going to use in this episode. After that example there will be two other haiku scrambled for you to put together again. For this first episode of CDHK's "Pick Up the Pieces" I have chosen a haiku by Hokushi (1665-1718); Basho (1644-1694) and Kikaku (1661-1707). These three are by the way connected to eachother, because Hikushi and Kikaku were disciples/students of Basho. 


Credits: A modern Uta garuta game (Anime)

 For every first line I have made a 'card' on which I have written the first line in Romaji and in English with a nice picture ... just for fun ...
 
Here are the first lines:
 

• the pheasant scratches
• in the midst of the moor
• spring rain

Here are the second lines:
 

• flutters a butterfly
• the river willows blow back
• its beautiful face

 
And here are the third lines:
 

• with its spurs
• the straw-coats
• in the rays of the evening sun

 
And here are the 'cards':

1.

 

 

 2.

 
 
3.

 
 
As we look at the first picture with the first line of a haiku by Basho (1644-1694): "spring rain" and we look a bit closer to the picture then maybe we can already get an idea about the second line of that haiku by Basho. What do we see on the picture? A river, a few fishermen and a willow. So maybe the second line has to be "the river willows blow back" ... I think you can follow that for sure, but how do we find the third line? I think that's not that easy, because the third line is not to distil from the picture or the first two lines of the haiku ... or ...? As we look at the both lines we have already found than we can see/read that it rains and that it is a windy/stormy day as you could distil from "willows blow back". Than you have to look at the time in which the haiku is written, ancient Japan. What did e.g. Japanese people wear as it was raining? The answer will be "straw-coat" and by analyzing that we have found the third line of this haiku by Basho "the straw-coats". So this first haiku of which we have picked up the pieces is:
 
spring rain
the river willows blow back
the straw-coats
 
(c) Basho
 
Well ... number two (2) and three (3) aren't that easy, but if you have found one of the last two haiku in pieces than you have the other one all so.
 
I hope you did like this new feature. Please let me know what you think of it and maybe you have ideas to make it better? Feel free to share that with our haiku-family by commenting on this post.
For this feature there is no possibility to link up. So if you would like to share your 'new found haiku' with us please leave that in the comment-field.
 
For now have fun ... and good luck ....

Namaste

Carpe Diem #460, Passing of Spring

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

The last prompt of April has be born. It was a wonderful month and a joy to make it. Jane Reichhold's "A Dictionary of Haiku" was wonderful to use and I think I will make another "Reichhold-month" upcoming July, but I am not sure of that right now ... we will see.

The last prompt is Passing of spring and it's not a prompt from Jane's "A Dictionary of Haiku", because she didn't mention the passing of spring.

spring is over
nature is become all green -
welcome ... summer

(c) Chèvrefeuille

Credits: Passing of Spring (oil-painting)

lying on the beach
dreaming away in a midday nap
departing spring

(c) Chèvrefeuille

Well ... now it is up to you ... have fun!

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until May 2nd 11.59 AM (CET). I will try to post our new (and first prompt for May) later on today. In our next month all of our prompts are connected with one of the Myths, Legends, Saga or Folktales from all over the world. You can find our new prompt-list in the menu above. Our first 'legendary' prompt will be ... Ghost ...

Carpe Diem Extra #5 2014

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

It's my experience that haiku composing isn't easy and sometimes it would be great to share my first editions with other haiku-poets. Asking questions such as:

# do I have touched the scene in the right way?
# what can I change?
# do I have to make changes?

And more questions like that.

It's my opinion that, as Basho once said, "every haiku must have been said a thousand times before it's a good haiku". So maybe ... we can help, eachother, to compose the 'perfect' haiku.

Therefore I have created a new part of Carpe Diem Haiku Kai ... CDHK-forum.
You can find that new weblog at:

http://carpediemhaikukaiforum.blogspot.com

Let me please know what you think about this new part of our haiku-family.

Namaste

Carpe Diem #459, Safflower

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Today our new modern spring kigo is Safflower it's a very nice plant which has an extraordinary history. E.g. there were Safflower garlands found in the tomb of Tutankhamun and it's known that Safflower was already used in ancient Egypt to give color to all kinds of textiles.
Another maybe wellknown use of Safflower was in the alternative Chinese medicine. So Safflower goes far back in history and it's still in use as color, herb and in alternative medicine.

Credits: Safflower

As you know this month all our prompts are based on 'A Dictionary of Haiku', a so called Saijiki (list of kigo), manufactured by Jane Reichhold. As I have done in the most of our posts this month I will give the haiku which Jane wrote for the kigo we use here.

a field of safflower

there at the top of the hill
leaning on the sky

(c) Jane Reichhold

Isn't it a wonderful haiku? Jane has painted a wonderful image with her haiku ... you can see the picture right before your eyes.

Ah! That amazing sight
as far as man can see
field of Safflower

field of Safflower
reaches towards the horizon
a yellow sea

© Chèvrefeuille

That was my attempt to write a haiku with Safflower as kigo and I like how this gives me the same kind of visual as the one by Jane.

Credits: Safflower (2)

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until May 1st  11.59 AM (CET). I will try to post our new episode, passing of spring, later on today. For now ... have fun!

Carpe Diem Special #89, Soen Nakagawa's "awoken from a nap"

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

This month of Carpe Diem is coming to it's end almost. We have had a wonderful month with beautiful Modern kigo for Spring, we had our first Ghost-Writer week and we had the CD-Specials by Soen Nakagawa, our featured haiku-poet for this month. And last but not least we had our first Tan Renga Squared Challenge ...
I am a little bit sad that this month will be over soon and that we don't have those wonderful haiku by Soen Nakagawa anymore, but ... well ... that's life (smiles) all things are coming to an end. I am still busy with creating our new prompt-list for May ... I hope to publish it asap, but before May 1st.

Ok ... another nice haiku written by Soen Nakagawa has to be here in the middle of our attention and I think I have found a wonderful haiku for your inspiration. I hesitated by the way to use this one, because it's a very uncommon haiku in which Soen Nakagawa uses 'penis'.
As I read that haiku for the very first time in the on-line magazine "Frogpond, 32.1 (2009)'' I was in a little shock. I had never read a haiku of a haiku-master in which the word 'penis' was used explicitly, but after a while I thought ''why not it's part of nature''. So I decided to use that haiku for this last CD-Special of April.

Credits: Steppe

This haiku  is one of Soen’s own favorites:

Aiming my penis
out over the steppes
awoken from a nap

(c) Soen Nakagawa

To this haiku he adds, “The word penis had never been used before in a haiku, and I was criticized for exposing such a thing! But a penis is just a penis. Nowadays there is confusion regarding sex. But in truth, sexual energy, like digestive energy, is God’s fine energy, Buddha’s energy, cosmic energy.” 

It's so like Soen himself who used plastic cups for the 'tea-ceremony' and instant coffee ...
As I stated above I was in a kind of shock, but after a while a haiku by Basho came in mind in which he (Basho) is not using the word ''penis'' itself, but hidden in another image.

ought one laugh or cry
when my Morning Glory
withers up

(c) Basho

In this haiku by Basho he refers to his penis ... not using the exact word, but ''my Morning Glory''. Of course its just a word, but I am more of the ''hidden word'' than of calling it by its name in haiku, but that's just the way I honor haiku.

Credits: Morning Glories

The goal of these CD Specials is to write a haiku in the same tone, sense and spirit as the one given. So let me try to write a haiku in the same sense, tone and spirit as the one by Soen Nakagawa.

Excalibur ...
pulled out of the stone -
a new day rises

(c) Chèvrefeuille

Well ... what do you think ...? It's for sure in the same sense, tone and spirit I think ... (blushing).

This Special episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until April 30th 11.59 AM (CET). I will try to post our new episode, Safflower, later on today. For now ... have fun!

Uta-garuta

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I have created a new feature ... it's almost ready and than I will publish it. It's just a new feature for fun, but based on the ancient Japanese playing card game Uta-garuta ... more to come soon.

Namaste

Carpe Diem #458, Magnolia

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Today we have one of the first blossoming trees/bushes of spring. As this tree/bush starts blooming I know its spring almost. Today our prompt is Magnolia.Jane gives the following example of Magnolia:

snow melting
magnolia buds
higher

(c) Jane Reichhold

Credits: Magnolia (Dutch website)

I dont have a Magnolia in my garden, but someday that will change. I love this tree/bush especially when it is in full bloom. Those wonderful colored blossoms almost as big as a child its hand ... awesome!

an empty vase -
without hesitation
I cut the Magnolia

(c) Chèvrefeuille

blossoming Magnolia
one of its branches scattered -

on the credenza

(c) Chèvrefeuille

Well ... what do you think of these two? I like them, but that is not up to me to decide.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until April 29th 11.59 AM (CET). I will try to post our new episode, our last Special by Soen Nakagawa, later on today. For now ... have fun!

Carpe Diem Distillation #7, Tagore's ''Lotus''

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

It's a long time ago that we had a distillation challenge, but I was on a roll today, so I thought to make another episode of this special feature Distillation. In this special feature the goal is to 'distil' a haiku from a long-poem.
For this episode of Distillation I have chosen a poem by Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) titled 'Lotus'. Tagore has written a lot of poems and was adored by a lot of people, not only for his poems, but also for his spiritual thoughts.

Here is the poem which you have to distil a haiku from:

Credits: Lotus

Lotus

On the day when the lotus bloomed, alas, my mind was straying,
and I knew it not. My basket was empty and the flower remained unheeded.

Only now and again a sadness fell upon me, and I started up from my dream and felt a sweet trace of a strange fragrance in the south wind.

That vague sweetness made my heart ache with longing and it seemed to me that is was the eager breath of the summer seeking for its completion.

I knew not then that it was so near, that it was mine, and that this perfect sweetness had blossomed in the depth of my own heart.

Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)

Credits: Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)

This episode of CD's "Distillation" is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until May 25th 11.59 AM (CET). Have fun, be inspired and share your distilled haiku with us all.

Carpe Diem Extra #4 - 2014

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I love to share a few things with you all. First I will love to bring our new weekly meme Haiku Shuukan under your attention. At Haiku Shuukan I give every week on Friday a new prompt to write haiku with. This week the prompt at Haiku Shuukan is blossom and I love to invite you to visit and share your haiku at Haiku Shuukan.
Earlier today I have introduced an all new feature on our Haiku Kai ... it's another Tan Renga Challenge I have called that new Tan Renga Challenge 'Tan Renga Challenge Squared' please go to that post for more information about this new feature.
Of course I have published also a new (regular) Tan Renga Challenge.
For those who will be our Ghost-Writers next month, please if you haven't mailed me your post please will you do that before May 1st (if possible of course).
Than a last thing I love to share with you all. In one of our CD Extra episodes of this year I shared a piece of music with you which was composed inspired on a haiku written by me. Today I visited Soundcloud again and I saw a wonderful piece of music composed inspired on a haiku by me.




The haiku on which this music by Mike J.Dayton is composed was the following:

deep silence
in this Buddhist temple
chanting monks

(c) Chèvrefeuille

This is initiated by the Naviar Haiku Project.

Well .... have a good weekend ....

Carpe Diem #457, Sparrows

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

A new day has come and we are still on our way through the Saijiki of Modern Spring kigo by Jane Reichhold. Today we have a lovely prompt namely sparrows and Jane gives us the following example:

a twitter

nest-building sparrows
a passing shower

(c) Jane Reichhold

As I read this haiku by Jane for the very first time I couldn't help to laugh, because of the word 'twitter' in it. Twitter, as you all know, is one of the most loved social media ... a lot of you have a twitter-account as we have ourselves with our haiku kai. I don't use that twitter account very often, but I enjoy using it sometimes to catch the attention of several of our haiku-family-members.

Credits: Sparrows

Sparrows are very common in the most countries and they all look alike, all the humble and simple colors, no exotic colors or something, but just colors very much in touch with the colors of the earth, soil.

colorless sparrows
playing hide and seek
in the backyard

in the backyard
between the branches of the hedge
a sparrow's nest

(c) Chèvrefeuille

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until April 28th 11.59 AM (CET). I will try to post our next episode, Magnolia, later on today. For now ... have fun, be inspired and share your haiku with our haiku-family Carpe Diem Haiku Kai.

!!! At Haiku Shuukan I have published our new weekly prompt, come visit us also there and be part of it !!!

Carpe Diem Tan Renga Challenge #32,

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Another week has gone and I have read wonderful continuations on our last Tan Renga Challenge in which you had to use a haiku written by myself.
Thank God It's Friday again and next to our new Tan Renga Squared Challenge I will share another (regular) Tan Renga Challenge with you all. As I was reading your submitted haiku for our yesterday's post, crane, I ran into a wonderful haiku by Bjorn of Bjorn Rudbergs Writings which I had to share and use for a Tan Renga Challenge. Bjorn? I hope you don't mind that I use your haiku for this (regular) Tan Renga Challenge?

The goal is to write a second stanza (7-7, not an obligation) towards the haiku given. So here is the haiku by Bjorn to 'play' with and transform into a Tan Renga.

silver wisps of mist

gently swirl with dancing cranes -
melt in rising sun                              (Bjorn Rudberg)

He shared a wonderful photo too in his post on crane which I will share here also.

Dancing Cranes

Really it is an awesome sight to see how Cranes are courting and dancing ... they look almost like humans ... how far are we away from nature?

Here is my attempt to transform the haiku by Bjorn into a Tan Renga:

silver wisps of mist
gently swirl with dancing cranes -
melt in rising sun                              (Bjorn Rudberg)

whirling Dervishes ecstatic
becoming one with the Cosmos       (Chèvrefeuille

Whirling Dervishes

What a wonderful dance they perform the Cranes and the Dervishes. Awesome!

This episode of our (regular) Carpe Diem Tan Renga Challenge is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until May 2nd 11.59 AM (CET). Have fun!

Carpe Diem Tan Renga Squared #1, Cathy Tenzo's ''the steps flow''

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

It is a pleasure to introduce to you an all new special feature here on Carpe Diem Haiku Kai. It is very similar with our weekly Tan Renga Challenge, but with a twist ...
The goal of Carpe Diem Tan Renga Squared is to write a second stanza to a given haiku (as we do in our Tan Renga Challenge) and a new 3-line stanza and 2-line stanza. So the goal is to write a short linked verse of four (4) stanzas.'

For this first episode of 'Carpe Diem Tan Renga Squared' I have chosen a haiku by Cathy Tenzo of Haiku Plate Special. She wrote this one in response on our pilgrimage in March. I think this haiku by Cathy can be of inspiration for you.

Her haiku will be the first stanza (3 lines) and you have to complete this Tan Renga Squared with three other stanzas respectively following 2 lines, 3 lines and 2 lines. To make it a little bit more difficult I love to see that your last stanza (2 lines) has a association with the first stanza by Cathy. Well ... good luck.

Here is my attempt to compose a short 4 linked Renga:

so many temples

all breaths become one
the steps flow   (Cathy)

together with the one I love
on a pilgrimage to happiness   (Chèvrefeuille)

Shantytown Soweto

happiness shared

as we walk through shantytowns
bread and water   (Chèvrefeuille)

unconditional love
as we walk our path together    (Chèvrefeuille)

Pff ... that wasn't easy, it's a real challenge, but it brought me also great happiness. Try it yourself ... by starting your Tan Renga Squared with the haiku by Cathy.

This episode of CD Tan Renga Squared is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until May 2nd 11.59 AM (CET). For now ... have fun, be inspired and share your Tan Renga Squared with us all here at our Haiku Kai.

Carpe Diem #456, Crane

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

What a joy ... I have read wonderful haiku in response on all of these modern spring kigo and that makes me happy. In the classical haiku kigo were a ''must'' and through these kind of ''kigo''-months I hope that we cherish these kigo, because they are part of haiku, every haiku.
Today we have another wonderful modern kigo for spring namely, Crane. The Crane is a majestic bird and it has a very important meaning. Crane stands for a long and happy life, or in other words Crane means 1000 happy years, that's more tahn a lifetime and so it means eternal life.
Last Sunday it was Easter and isn't that the ultimate truth that we all will have eternal life? After we have died we will live eternal, live forever. So can I say that Crane and Easter are the same? I think so.
As I do every day I will give a haiku by Jane Reichhold which she used as an example for the modern kigo, so let us look at the haiku she wrote for this kigo, Crane.

Crane

raising his foot

a crane scatters stars
sunk in the pond

(c) Jane Reichhold

WOW! This is a gorgeous one, could have been written by one of the classical masters .... really this is a beauty, a masterpiece. I can even hope that will become close to this masterpiece with my haiku ...

For today's prompt I have another challenge for you all. !!! Your haiku for this prompt has to be a classical one, so you have to use the syllables-count 5-7-5 !!!

And then there is that other kind of crane, the machine. I recall that I once (very long ago) have read a book titled 'The Lost Language of Cranes' by David Leavitt. It's about a father and his son and their struggle with life especially their sexuality. I couldn't understand why David Leavitt took this title, but after a while I understood it. It resonates with the thought of a youngster who only could see cranes from his sleeping room window and who is personifying itself with it, because he has not a good relationship with his parents.
Both, father and son, in the novel, have that same feeling about sexuality.

Cranes

I wonder ... can I write a haiku with ''crane''? Well ... I have to try don't you think so?

the sound of old cranes

resonates through the harbour -
as if they're talking

(c) Chèvrefeuille

This one was inspired on the second meaning of 'crane' which I gave above, but there is also that first meaning, crane the bird, so let me think ... what to do with that one?

thousand thoughts a day

while writing haiku for the world -
the cries of a White Cranes

(c) Chèvrefeuille

Pff ... that wasn't easy. I can feel how difficult it is to write haiku in the classical 5-7-5 syllables way. I had to use a Syllables-counter to compose these haiku for you.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until April 27th 11.59 AM (CET). I will try to publish our new episode later on. That will be Sparrows. For now ... have fun, be inspired and share your haiku with us all.
!! I have published our new prompt for this week at Haiku Shuukan, our weekly haiku-meme !!

Carpe Diem #455, photographing

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Another day has risen and it's time to prepare a new episode in our wonderful (addictive) Haiku Kai. This month it's all about Modern Spring kigo based on Jane Reichhold's "A Dictionary of Haiku" and today that prompt is photographing. Next to writing haiku I love to photograph and I see many of you have that same kind of urge to make photos or paintings or other kinds of art.
I think that photographing not especially is meant for spring, but I can relate to that choice of Jane to make it a modern kigo for spring, because nature's coming to life again and that gives wonderful photos.
Jane wrote the following haiku as an example for this prompt:

bright colors

of her photograph
when he lived

(c) Jane Reichhold

A nice one I think, but not that strong for the prompt, but that's just my feeling.

To give you inspiration I have chosen to share a photo for your inspiration (as I do in our CD Imagination feature). The photo can be of help to write a new haiku ...

Well ... I hope you all did like the read and I hope that it will inspire you to write nice haiku, senryu, tanka, kyoka or haibun.

after snow and frost
cherry blossoms start to burst open -
the spring breeze

(c) Chèvrefeuille

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until April 26th 11.59 AM (CET). Later on I hope to have time to publish our new episode, Crane.

Carpe Diem #454, midday nap

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

What a joy to prepare an all new episode of Carpe Diem Haiku Kai. Today our prompt is midday nap and it brought a haiku by Basho into my mind. So after I have shared the haiku by Jane Reichhold I love to share that haiku by Basho.

beach nap

plugged into the power
of incoming waves

(c) Jane Reichhold

A lovely haiku based on our prompt for today. Not entirely a midday nap, but I can imagine how it feels to fall asleep on the beach. The warm sun, the crying of seaguls, the soft ocean breeze and the sound of the waves ... really all things to become sleepy and overwhelmed ...

Credits: frog pond

To return to what I said earlier in this post, the haiku by Basho.

As you all should have noticed Basho's my 'role-model', my 'idol'. Several fellow haiku poets have told me that my haiku are touched by Basho's Spirit. In other words my haiku according to fellow haiku poets, are in the same tone and sphere as Basho's. I am honoured that fellow haiku poets are so positive about my haiku.
Basho wrote almost thousand haiku in his lifetime, mostly in the last ten years of his life. A big part of those haiku he wrote during renga sessions and while he was travelling through Japan. He wrote several haibun about his travels. His most well known haibun is titled "Oku No Hosomichu", "The Narrow Road to the Deep North". "The Narrow Road" was and is still a classical one.

One of his most known haiku "the old pond" he wrote shortly after he moved to Edo in 1682:

furu ike ya kawaza tobi komu mizu no oto

the old pond
a frog jumps into
the sound of water

(c) Basho

It's a famous haiku of Basho and it was one of the first haiku I ever read. It stimulated me to write haiku myself.

hiya hiya to kabe wo fumae te hiru ne kana

a midday nap
putting the feet against the wall
it feels cool

(c) Basho (translation by  R.H. Blyth)

chilly coolness
my feet on the wall
a midday nap

(c) Basho  (translation by  Jane Reichhold)

Basho wrote this one in the midst of July 1694. Several months later he died on October 12.

Credits: Matsuo Basho's tumbstone, Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan

'A midday nap' is not a well known haiku of Basho, but in my opinion it's a wonderful one. He goes back to the essential element of summer heat ... to cool down. In this haiku the cooling down comes from the cool wall to which he is putting his feet. It's just the simple experience of the cool wall on a hot summer day.

this summerday
the heat makes me drowsy -
the cool stone wall

(c) Chèvrefeuille

Well ... I hope you did like this episode. If you would like to read more about the haiku by Basho, you can visit Basho Revisited, one of my other weblogs.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until April 25th 11.59 AM (CET). I will try to post our new episode, photographing, later on today. That episode will be a semi-Carpe Diem Imagination post with a photo for your inspiration.(By the way, I am hopelessly behind with commenting on all of your wonderful posts. I hope to catch up asap.)

For now ... have fun, be inspired and share your haiku with us all here at our Haiku Kai.

Carpe Diem Special #88, Soen Nakagawa's "boundless autumn"

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I am busy with creating our prompt-list for May and I have a new idea coming up in which I hope to challenge you all ... to challenge your creativity and maybe yous haiku skills (if I may say that). It's another way to look at Tan Renga, but I think it's a joyfull challenge. It was inspired by a post once by I think it was Patricia of High Five and Raspberries.
Ihave called it Tan Renga Squared and I have created an even bigger challenge Tan Renga Double Squared. I will try to post the first episode of this new feature later on this week.
Ok ... back to this Carpe Diem Special.

Soen Nakagawa (1907-1984)

As you all know our featured haiku-poet this month is Soen Nakagawa (1907-1984). Until today we have had already wonderful spiritual haiku composed by him and today we have another nice haiku by Nakagawa.
All the haiku by Soen Nakagawa have a strong, deeper, Zen layer and in this one Zen is also clearly in there. The goal of this CD Specials is to write a haiku in the same sense, tone and spirit as the one by the featured haiku-poet.

endless is my vow
under the azure sky
boundless autumn

(c) Soen Nakagawa

Nakagawa wrote this haiku when he was bowing to Hakuin's stupa at Ryutaku-ji in Mishima. Ryutaku-ji is a Rinzai Buddhist Temple located in Mishima, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, that was founded by Zen Master Haikuin Ekaku in 1761. Soen Nakagawa was one of the Abbots of this temple until he died in 1984.

Credits: Ryutaku-ji temple Mishima

During the mid Twentieth century Ryutaku-ji was led by a number of influential Abbots, who encouraged and supported the study of Zen by Westerners. Soen Nakagawa was one of them. Soen was highly regarded as a calligrapher and haiku-poet, often referred to as the '20th century Basho'.

departing summer
trees loosing their green leaves -
thousand colors in return

(c) Chèvrefeuille

This episode will be open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until April 24th 11.59 AM (CET). I will post our new episode, midday nap, later on today. At least I will try to be on time (smiles). Have fun!

Carpe Diem's ''Only the First Line'' #6, ''reaching for the sun'''

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

It is time for a new episode of CD's "Only the First Line" in which I challenge you all to write a haiku starting with the given first line. It's really a joy and a challenge to be part in this special feature.

For this episode I have chosen the following first line:

reaching for the sun

I think you can write several new haiku starting with this first line and here is my attempt:

reaching for the sun
stretching towards the bleu sky -
field of sunflowers

(c) Chèvrefeuille

Credits: Sunflower Field

This episode of Carpe Diem's "Only the First Line" is now open for your submissions and will remain open until May 5th 11.59 AM (CET). Have fun, be inspired and share your haiku starting with the first line reaching for the sun.

Carpe Diem #453, kite

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Today our prompt is kite and I think you all know enough about kites, so no big post today, because of a busy birthday today, I became 51, with all my family. So I only will post a haiku inspired on this prompt. And ofcourse share the one by Jane Reichhold.

a kite

raising from sea mists
rainbow colors

watercolor class
the painted blue sky
becomes a kite

(c) Jane Reichhold

Credits: Kite

What a beautiful haiku Jane wrote about kites and I found that picture somewhere on the Internet. 

When I was a child I loved kiting and nowadays it's a joy to go out kiting with my grabdchildren. Mostly we try to make one ourselves, but ... well ... sometimes we have to go shopping for a kite (smiles).

against the blue sky
climbs an ancient dragon-kite
towards the sun

(c) Chèvrefeuille

Credits: Children kiting

Kiting is an ancient Japanese or Chinese kind of play and in those countries they make the best and the most beautiful kites on earth I think.

between green leaves
the colorful face of a dragon
kite-line broke

(c) Chèvrefeuille

Credits: Caught in a tree

Well ... it has become a not so short post as I had planned, but well ... it was a joy to make it for you all.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until April 23th 11.59 AM (CET). I will try to post our next episode, another CD Special by Soen Nakagawa, later on today. For now ... have fun, be inspired and share your haiku with us all here at our Haiku Kai.

!! Visit also my new weekly haiku-meme at Haiku Shuukan !!