Carpe Diem #999 Ivy

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

First I have to apologize for being late with this new episode, I am on the nightshift, so I hadn't time to create this post earlier. Of course there is more than only CDHK, so sometimes I cannot publish on time. After this nightshift I am three weeks free from work.
Second ... our first Carpe Diem Summer Retreat has started, 30 days of writing haiku without a prompt themed "One With Haiku". Are you in already? You can find a link to this post at the right of our Kai.

This month it is all about the mysteries of nature especially trees and bushes and today our prompt is Ivy. Let me tell you something more about Ivy.

Ivy deals with connections and friendships because of its propensity to interweave in growth. Ever furrowing and intertwining, the Ivy is an example of the twists and turns our friendships take - but also a testimony to the long-lasting connections and bonds we form with our friends that last over the years.  
Another tribute to friendship as well as the test of time is the Ivy's ability to grow in challenging environments. The Ivy is incredibly durable and can withstand harsh conditions. This is symbolic of our ability to stick by our friends no matter what.

Ivy

It is a symbol of vibrancy as the druids admired its bright green hue. Often, sprigs of Ivy would be woven into chain necklaces or head adornments to represent clarity of thought as well as celebrate the vitality of nature surrounding them.
Ivy is a symbol of survival of the human spirit and the strength we all have to carry on regardless of how harrowing our setbacks may have been.

Lastly, most Ivy has five-pointed leaves which makes it a symbol of protection as it signifies the harmony of the elements unified by common bonding energy.

Ivy is very similar with our prompt of yesterday, Vine, it also moves in a spiraling way to become stronger. Ivy is a symbol for invinity, it Always will return even after been destroyed. I think that makes Ivy a very strong part of our mysterious nature ...

As I was doing research for this episode I also sought for haiku with Ivy in it and I found a wonderful haiku by Kakei (17th-18th century), he was a disciple of Matsuo Basho:

leaves of Ivy –

quiver

in the autumn wind

 

© Kakei (Tr. Chèvrefeuille)

And I also found a nice one about Ivy written by Matsuo Basho:

Paulownia blown
at autumn's end -
frost on the Ivy

© Basho (Tr. David L. Barnhill)

A car overgrown by Ivy

We even had a haiku by Basho in March 2016, that haiku was the following:

swinging bridge
lives are intertwined
in Ivy vines

© Basho (Tr. Jane Reichhold)

And in 2015, when we were on the trail with Basho, we had also a haiku in which Ivy was used:

buried in moss
and Ivy leaves, but from within
the tomb, a faint prayer

© Basho (Tr. Sam Hamill)

Ivy ... as we could read above is a survivor and can grow everywhere or as in the above image overgrow everything. With that in mind I love to share a haiku from my archives with you all here:

an empty bucket
thrown away in the backyard -
overgrown by Ivy

© Chèvrefeuille

And not so long ago when we visited Spain on our Europe Ginko I shared another haiku in which I used Ivy:

rusty railroad
overgrown with Ivy and grass
the final station ?

© Chèvrefeuille

Ivy ... another nice example of our mysterious nature. And now it is up to you to create haiku (or tanka) inspired on this very strong Ivy.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until July 21st at noon (CET). I will (try to) publish our next episode, Reed, later on. By the way that will be our 1000th regular post / prompt. So a new milestone to celebrate.