Carpe Diem #110, Verdant (provided by Bjorn)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Another month of Carpe Diem has gone by and now we are entering a new month with awesome prompts. This month we will share again on very different prompts and I have used prompt suggestions given by you, my dear Haijin, visitors and travelers. If you have suggestions for prompts? Please share them HERE and I will use them for the months coming. Or if it's a nice prompt I can use it in this month.

As you can see I have created a new logo for Carpe Diem, as I have done every month. The logo for this month is a wonderful picture of sprouting apple blossoms. Well ... February has started and our first prompt for Carpe Diem is Verdant provided by Bjorn Brudberg of Bjorn Brudbergs writings  I first didn't understand the meaning of Verdant so I had to search for it and I found that Verdant is a kind of Green, but it's also 'blooming', 'inexperienced', 'rustic' and 'leafy'. So maybe with those synonyms I can write a few new haiku.
As you maybe know, English isn't my maiden language and sometimes I find it hard to write haiku in English, because of not understanding some words as e.g. Verdant the prompt for today.

verdant plum buds
after a warm late Winter day
the Plum is blooming

Credits: Plums

the Plum is blooming
unexperienced as she is
will once share plums


unexperienced poet
tries to write his first haiku
words blooming in his mind

words blooming in his mind
finally he has managed the form
young haiku master


What a joy to write haiku. Be welcome to share yours on 'verdant'.

This prompt will stay on 'till February 2nd 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our new prompt, provided by YerPirate, 'staff, walking stick' later on today around 10.00 PM (CET)

Carpe Diem #103, Heath (provided by Bjorn Brudberg)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Another day in our Carpe Diem paradise has started. Today another prompt suggestion provided by Bjorn Brudberg of Bjorn Brudbergs Writings 'Heath'. I think this one will bring wonderfully composed haiku ... what do you think?

Heath? It's low growing bush, always green and flowering with white, purple and blue colors. It's also a surname for boys (man). In my country, The Netherlands, we have wonderful outstretched heath fields as you can see here after.

outstretched field
in wonderful colors
shepherd with his flock

shepherd with his flock
wandering every day over the heath -
like an anchoret

like an anchoret
I am wandering in my mind
over silent heath

Shepherd with his flock on the heath

A wonderful set I think, how immodest, but I like this set very much. I am looking forward to your haiku inspired on heath. Have fun, be inspired and share your haiku with us here on Carpe Diem.

This prompt will stay on 'til January 25th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our new episode of Carpe Diem, 'silk', later on today around 10.00 PM (CET).



 

Carpe Diem #96, Ember (provided by Bjorn)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

First of all ... my mom is at home and she will recover totally according to her doctor, but it will take a while. All is well with her ... and I am so blessed that she is home again with my dad and I am blessed with you all my dear friends on Carpe Diem. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.

The last two days were about music and today our new prompt can be called music as well, only in an other way. Today our prompt is ember (or ash, coals, smoldering remains). I didn't know this word so I had to search for it's meaning and some synonyms of it to write my haiku for today.

Credits: Ember

Awesome photo ... can I use that one in my 'ember'- haiku? We will see. I have sought for a few examples of haiku written by the classical masters. This one by Buson for example:

uzumibi ya ari to wa miete haha no soba

Smouldering embers-
You would think that they're buried
Close to mother's side

Or this one, also by Buson:

uzumibiya tsuiniwa niyuru nabenomono

Buried embers--
In the end will cook
A one-pot dish

And another by Buson:

uzumibiya waga kakuregamo yukino naka

Buried embers--
My hidden house
Also in the snow.

And a last one written by Issa:

tabako no hi te ni uchinuite yusuzumi

knocking my pipe's ember
into my hand --
evening cool

Aren't they wonderful? I love to write haiku, but it is not always an easy task. With this prompt I had some difficulties but I succeeded.

smoldering remains
are the only witnesses -
second day of the year


light of ember
mysterious shadows on the wall -
a cool summer night

black wipes of dust
the face of the old coal miner

toothless smile

delicious dinner

delicious dinner
roasted red and yellow peppers
the light of ember



This prompt will stay on 'till January 16th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post 'crocus' our new prompt later on today around 10.00 PM (CET).

Have fun, enjoy the read and the ride to a nice and wonderfully crafted haiku to share with us all.



Carpe Diem #95, Blues

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Yesterday we had Jazz for prompt and today it's Blues another nice kind of music. I love Blues and especially the music of Gary Moore. I fell in love with Blues when I heard his song 'Still got the Blues'.

Really this is my kind of music, those guitars ... wow ... and the voice of Gary Moore a bit raw. Blues? What kind of music is it?

Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the 'Deep South' of the United States around the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads. The blues form, ubiquitous in jazz, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll is charaterized by specific chord progressions, of which the twelve-bar blues chord progression is the most common.
The blue notes that, for expressive purposes are sung of played flattened or gradually bent (minor 3rd to major 3rd) in relation to the pitch of the major scale, are also an important part of the sound.



Twelve bar boogie woogie blues in C

I have found a few haiku on Blues on the WWW. The next three haiku are written by Russ Baleson and are part of a weblog item titled 'I've Got Dem Haiku Blues Without You'.

what are you doing
take your tongue out of my mouth
this kiss is good-bye

i’m playing the blues
touching deep that special place
the depths of my soul

alone in my bed
I’m feeling low down and blue
where the hell are you

(c) Russ Baleson

And I had to try it myself also ... I hope I succeeded on this prompt ... well I will see ...

blue notes
climbing to the blue sky
still got the blues

still got the blues
deep down inside of my guts
blue notes

Awesome isn't it? That deep feeling of the blues ...

This prompt will stay on 'til January 15th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our new episode of Carpe Diem later on today around 10.00 PM (CET) ... that will be: Ember (provided by Bjorn Brudberg of Bjorn Brudbergs Writings )

Carpe Diem #56, Full Beaver Moon

Today it's full moon. The full moon of November is called 'Full Beaver Moon', and today that's the prompt. Why is it called Full Beaver Moon?

A Beaver moon is, according to North American weather folklore, the first full moon which occurs in November. This full moon occurs in fall in the Northern Hemisphere. The moon may also be called the Frost moon or the Frosty moon.

Two reasons are given for the coupling of the November moon with the flat-tailed aquatic animal: (a) November is a month when many hunters used to set leg hold traps for beaver, and (b) November is a month when many beaver families are especially active in rebuilding their beaver lodges and dams. Much of the mammals' building and repair work takes place by moonlight, because the beaver is primarily nocturnal. Both explanations implicate November's position as the last full month before the coming of winter, as beaver (which do not hibernate) need to have ready access to food during the cold months, and need to grow an especially lush pelt of fur so as to be prepared. By the traditional valuation standards of the fur trade, a late-fall beaver pelt was worth more than a pelt harvested during other seasons of the year. (Source: Full Beaver Moon )

Credits: Full Beaver Moon

And does this creature has a spiritual meaning? Yes it has ...Beavers are ingenious builders, orchestrating megalith dams that can change the flowing course of entire rivers. This impressive aspect along with its association with water makes the beaver an analogy for building our up dreams.
In essence, the beaver tells us to believe in our dreams as if they were real. Build on them as if the dream is your reality. Change the course of your life flow by structuring your life with a goal to coax your dreams into your physical reality. (Source: Spiritual meaning of the Beaver )

Well ... isn't it a wonderful creature? 

Credits: Beaver

OK ... back to our goal ... writing haiku ... for your inspiration I have written the next haiku:

chasing your dreams
like a beaver building it's dam -
make your reality

make your reality
keep on dreaming like the beaver -
full beaver moon


In the Classical Japanese Seasonwords November 28th is also Bashooki or Basho's Memorial Day. Today they have a festival in honor of Basho's Memorial. So I love to share a few haiku written by Basho in this post.

Credits: Matsuo Basho (1644-1694)

how wild the sea is,
and over Sado Island,
the River of Heaven

on Buddha's birthday
a spotted fawn is born -
just like that

Credits: Spotted Fawn

on Buddha's deathday,
wrinkled tough old hands pray -
the prayer beads sound

where's the moon?
as the temple bell is -
sunk in the sea

Credits: Prayer Beads

This prompt will stay on 'till November 29th 11.59 AM (CET). I will post our last Carpe Diem Special later on around 10.00 PM (CET). Another haiku by Issa for your inspiration. I will reproduce this (last) haiku by Issa hereafter:

catching its breath
on the pine tree's root...
plum blossom

I have granted Bjorn Brudberg our Carpe Diem Award for November for his continuing post every day in that wonderful cascading form. Thank you Bjorn for sharing your creativity with us here on Carpe Diem. Congratulations!!

Our Award winner for this Carpe Diem month is
Bjorn Brudberg

  

Carpe Diem #53, Rain (provided by Bjorn Brudberg)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Today Bjorn Brudberg provided us with the prompt rain  a wonderful prompt to write haiku with. I can remember that I have once posted on Chèvrefeuille's Haikublog a haiku for Haiku Heights September Challenge 2012 with rain for prompt. I even recall that episode was a good one. So I hope for today that you, my dear Haijin, visitors and travelers, can write lovely haiku on rain. I am looking forward to your posts.

Credits: Rain

What a beautiful rain-photo don't you think too? For inspiration maybe? Let's go and do some haiku composing on rain.

I love to share a haiku written by Kobayashi Issa, our November haiku-master:

spring rain -
growing side by side
the talking pines

The Pines 'voices' refer to the sighing of wind through their branches. And 'growing side by side' refers to married people. With this haiku came a prescript 'Congratulations on a new marriage'.

Another one by Issa:

the bright moon in raindrops
from the eaves ...
the geese depart

Both verses by Issa are well done ... they paint each a nice imagery ... in this Issa was a master.

OK ... now I have to write a haiku or two by myself ... let me think ...

on bamboo sprouts
the shimmering sunlight
in raindrops

Another one:

the old pond's face
trembled by the heavy rains -
my face wrinkled

And what do you think of this one?

every raindrop
a little rainbow diamond
in the early sunlight

Well ... what a joy to write these little gems for you my dear friends.

For closure a nice haiga. Enjoy today's prompt, be inspired and creative, share your haiku with us on Carpe Diem.

This prompt will stay on 'till November 26th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our new prompt love later on today around 10.00 PM (CET).

Namaste

Carpe Diem #46, jade

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

What a joy! We're already in the second half of November and I have read wonderful haiku written by you, my dear friends. I have posted an overview of our first half of November. Really it's a joy to be your host on Carpe Diem. I am glad to see sometimes new names of Haijin who are sharing their haiku with us.

Today we have 'jade' for prompt and it was provided by Bjorn Brudberg. To write a post on jade I had to search for some background. Jade, is a gem-stone and has a spiritual meaning. Its color is green, so it could have been used in our Rainbow-week Green. Let's look to the (spiritual) meaning of Jade.

Jade is an ancient stone that has historically been used to attract love. Carved into a butterfly, in China it is a powerful symbol used to draw love.
Jade is also a protective stone, guarding against accidents and misfortune. Place a piece of jade between two purple candles and let the candles burn for a short while. Then carry the jade with you as a protection amulet.

Symbol of successful love

A butterfly carved from jade holds a special romantic significance. Ancient Chinese legend tells of a youth who wandered into the garden of a wealthy mandarin in pursuit of a multi-colored butterfly. Instead of being punished for trespassing, his visit led to marriage with the mandarin's daughter. Today, a jade butterfly symbolizes successful love.

Healing properties of Jade

The soothing green color of jade makes it a wonderful healing stone. It helps the body in self-healing while working through underlying, non-physical reasons for a precipitation for disease. (Source: Crystal-cure.com )

Well ... now we know something more about jade ... maybe it makes it easier to write a haiku with this prompt. I have given it a try.

everlasting love
my jade butterfly talisman -
the smile of my wife

Credits: Jade Butterfly

This prompt will stay on 'till November 17th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our new Carpe Diem Special, a haiku by Issa, today around 10.00 PM (CET).

The haiku by Issa for our next Special is:

the peony falls
spilling out yesterday's

rain 

Have fun, be inspired and share your gems with Carpe Diem.