Carpe Diem Special #187 Georgia's 3rd, a haibun "idyllic spring"

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

It's my pleasure to bring to you Georgia's 3rd CD-Special. We have already seen how gifted she is and she also writes wonderful haibun. A haibun, in which prose and poetry are entwined, is a short story that ends mostly with a haiku, sometimes there are also haiku embedded in the haibun as for example in our monthly theme "Narrow Road" that famous haibun by Basho (1644-1694).

For this CD-Special I have selected a haibun which Georgia (a.k.a. Bastet) wrote in December 2014. Have fun reading it and let the haibun inspire you.


IDYLLIC SPRING

Grassy steps led to an over-grown garden. Looking down Janice wondered who had built the walls and indeed, when those stony steps had last been used. The garden full of wild flowers was weed-choked but the sun filtered down invitingly. She began to descend, half-way down the stairs she stopped surprised.

Piercing the silence, a blood-curdling howl. Robin red-breast rises, screeching, into the sky.

She looked down the remaining stairs and saw a large brindled cat stride out from the undergrowth. Tail swishing she realized the hunter had lost his prey.

idyllic spring
among the wildflowers
the hunt continues

© G.s.k. ‘14

With this haibun went a photo by Bjorn Rudberg

Grassy Steps photo © Bjorn Rudberg

Sorry for being late with publishing.

This CD-Special is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until December 20th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our next episode later on today.

Carpe Diem Tan Renga Squared #2, Björn Rudberg's "Loon is calling"

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

It is my pleasure to bring you a new episode of our Tan Renga Challenge with a twist ... Tan Renga Squared. 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 second episode of 'Carpe Diem Tan Renga Squared' I have chosen a haiku by Björn Rudberg of Björn Rudberg's Writings. He wrote this one in response on our first episode of our new feature Carpe Diem's "Arti-Visual" haiku of yesterday. I think this haiku by Björn can be of inspiration for you.

His 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 Björn. Well ... good luck.

Björn provided us with a nice haiga for our "Arti-Visual" feature and I love to share that haiga here before I start our Tan Renga Squared Challenge.

Credits: Haiga © Björn Rudberg

A wonderful haiga as I may say. I was immediately in love with this beautiful haiga and I just had to use his haiku for this week's Tan Renga Squared Challenge.

evening mist

memories are fading

loon is calling

© Björn Rudberg

A nice haiku to start this Tan Renga Squared Challenge with I think ... so here is my attempt to write a Tan Renga Squared:

evening mist

memories are fading

loon is calling                                             (Björn)

wisps of fog dancing on the heath                

far away the sound of howling                  (Chèvrefeuille)                

at the eastern sky

clouds dressed in thousand colors

a new day rises                                         (Chèvrefeuille)

I awake with the song of birds -

the sparkling of morning dew                  (Chèvrefeuille)

Pff ... this wasn't easy ... so I wish you all good luch with this Tan Renga with a twist ... Have fun!

This Tan Renga Squared Challenge is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until next Friday September 19th at noon (CET).

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 #444, Ghost Writer 5, Bjorn

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

What a joy it was to make this 'ghost-writer'- week. Today we have our last 'ghost-writer' Bjorn Rudberg of Bjorn Brudberg's writings ... he has used the given prompt from our April-list 'Lingering Cold'.
I hope you all did enjoy this 'ghost-writing'- week and that you are looking forward to our next 'ghost-writing'- week in May. Here is Bjorn's post on "Lingering Cold".

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Carpe Diem Haiku "Lingering Cold"

Hello this is Björn providing the prompt for todays Carpe Diem. The scheduled kigo is “lingering cold”, this fits so well with April. Here in Sweden it seems to be a period where spring hesitate, during the day it could be lovely and sunny, and still filled with cold winds, snow or rain. My first thought for the prompt was not a haiku but a lovely poem by Swedish poet Karin Boye.

YES, OF COURSE IT HURTS

Yes, of course it hurts when buds are breaking.Why else would the springtime falter?
Why would all our ardent longing
bind itself in frozen, bitter pallor?
After all, the bud was covered all the winter.
What new thing is it that bursts and wears?
Yes, of course it hurts when buds are breaking,
hurts for that which grows
                          and that which bars.

Yes, it is hard when drops are falling.Trembling with fear, and heavy hanging,
cleaving to the twig, and swelling, sliding -
weight draws them down, though they go on clinging.
Hard to be uncertain, afraid and divided,
hard to feel the depths attract and call,
yet sit fast and merely tremble -
hard to want to stay
                   and want to fall.

Then, when things are worst and nothing helpsthe tree's buds break as in rejoicing,
then, when no fear holds back any longer,
down in glitter go the twig's drops plunging,
forget that they were frightened by the new,
forget their fear before the flight unfurled -
feel for a second their greatest safety,
rest in that trust
                    that creates the world.

 

Bursting Buds

April is the blessing of sun’s kisses and frosty morning. It’s sudden back-lashes into winter and torrential rain. We have lingering cold and anticipation of warmer weather

sunkissed cherrytree

laments the frosty morning -

tears of white petals

(Björn Rudberg)

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That was our last 'ghost-writer'-post the used photo is different from the one Bjorn used, because I couldn't get his photo into this post, but it's almost the same as he used. Sorry Bjorn I hope you don't mind.

This episode will be open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until April 13th 11.59 AM (CET). I will try to post our next episode, Raindrops, later on today. For now ... have fun and be inspired.
To conclude this 'ghost-writer'-week I love to thank our ghost-writers, Jules, Managua, Ese, Belinda and Bjorn, for their effort to write a post. You were all great ... thank you!

Carpe Diem's Tan Renga Challenge Month #III "morning shimmer" by Bjorn Rudberg

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I have tried to ''repair" our weblog and I believe it worked out in a good way. I hope that it will be alright now, but in the meantime I am looking for another solution, maybe I have to migrate our community to another provider like wordpress or weebly, we will see.

Here it is the Tan Renga Challenge with the haiku by Bjorn Rudberg of Bjorn Rudberg''s writings:

morning shimmer
dew frosting on furze
a single leaf falls

If you already had linked up, maybe you have to do that again, please do ... You can find my completion HERE.

Morning Shimmer

Sorry for the last days. I will try to catch up and be on route again with our Tan Renga Challenge Month.

Carpe Diem #336, Galaxy provided by Bjorn)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

This is the final prompt of our first year anniversary. It's was a joy to celebrate this with you all. I loved all the prompt I have used, all suggested by you dear friends, thank you for your warm love and participation in Carpe Diem Haiku Kai. And let this haiku-family grow further ... it's fun to write haiku and sometimes not easy to do, but always haiku writing is awesome and I see and read that every day again in all of your wonderful haiku. Let's go ... to our next anniversary (smiles).

Today our prompt is Galaxy and it's provided by Bjorn of Bjorn Rudbergs Writings and I think this prompt needs no introduction.
We are all part of the Greater Thing and we are part of the Universe in which our Galaxy, the Milky Way, is our place in that unending universe. This prompt can lead us to every place in that Universe even beyond the not seen boundaries of our Galaxy. So have fun, let your inspiration flow and share your haiku with us all here at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai, a great haiku-family.


Orion's Belt
brighter than ever
in a moonless night

in a moonless night
wandering over the heath -
the Milky Way

the Milky Way
a path of thousand stars -
like a river

Orion's Belt

Well ... what do you say about these haiku .... I personally am proud on the second ... that's a wonderful one very much in touch with the prompt and a bit of Zen in it.

This prompt will stay on 'till November 1st 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our first episode of our Tan Renga Challenge month, a haiku by Jessica of Like an Apple, later on around 7.00 PM (CET).
!! Galaxy is open for your submissions at 7.00 PM (CET) !! 

Carpe Diem #317, Ivory (provided by Bjorn Rudberg)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

As the days become shorter, the nights longer and the weather changes I realize that time flies. Sometimes I think that our lives are going faster then ever. Technologies change fast and the computer is granted more 'power, but something isn't changing at all, maybe it occurs lesser, but it still occurs.
"What are you talking about?" I can almost hear that question asked by you all. Well ... let me tell you a little story.

Ivory poachers

Several years ago (2001) I went on a holiday to Florida US with my family to visit the Disney Parks. My children were 10 and 7 at that time and (of course) they, and my wife and I too, had a wonderful "once in a lifetime"-experience. One of the parks, Animal Kingdom, had a Safari-like attraction. During the ride through this wonderful park the guide told an exciting adventure (as part of the ride) and it became a wonderful ride. We were part of that adventure ourselves. There were poachers spotted and we had to catch them and bring them to justice. The adventure was about poachers who were hunting on elephants for their Ivory. Then it was just an adventure which was part of the ride, but as we all know ... elephants are still hunted for their Ivory (as the photo above shows us).

elephants hunted
by poachers with their long guns -
expensive ivory

expensive ivory
makes poachers greedy for more -
hunting elephants

As I was preparing this episode another thing came in mind ... a song titled "Ebony and Ivory" and as I can recall it was sung by Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney. I remember that song very well, because at that time I was a big fan of Paul McCartney and I like that song very much. I love to share that video with you all.

A wonderful song ... don't you think so?

Another thing which came in mind was the saying "Ivory Tower", it means that "someone thinks he/she is better then the rest of the world and that he/she is the most intelligent being on this earth". Another meaning could be taht he/she is hiding in his/her "Ivory Tower", because he/she is extremely anxious for the outside world.

Ivory Tower
like an Eagle's nest
high above the sea

As I am writing the above words ... the legend of the Tower(s) of Hanoi is coming into my mind. So ... I have to tell you taht legend I think, because why (ine heavens name) does this legend comes in mind it has nothing to do with "Ivory", our prompt for today provided by Bjorn Rudberg.

Towers of Hanoi

The legend of "The Tower(s) of Hanoi" goes somewhat like this:

As the world was created, monks built a temple or a monastery commissioned by the gods. As that temple was created the gods placed three time-worn posts surrounded by 64 golden disks in it. The monks acting out the command of an ancient prophecy, have been moving those disks, in accordance with the immutable rules of the gods, since that day. They couldn't place a bigger disks on a smaller disk and they had to replace all the golden disks from the first post to the third post. As they succeeded, playing the last disk to the third post, and so completed their task given by the gods, the world would be come to it's end.

A nice legend, don't worry the end of the world isn't near, because if the monks complete their task then we will be almost 600 billion years further in the future.
Well ... it's not clear why I had to tell you this legend. Maybe ... it was just for fun (smiles).

monks of Hanoi
playing a game of towers
'til the end of the world

'til they end of the world
monks will replace golden disks
life long task

Tower(s) of Hanoi

I hope you did enjoy the read as much as I enjoyed writing it. Let this post be your inspiration to write your "Ivory"- haiku. Have fun!

This prompt will stay on 'til October 9th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our second Carpe Diem Special by our featured haiku-poet, Garry Gay, later on today around 7.00 PM (CET).
!! Ivory is open for your submissions at 7.00 PM (CET) !!

Carpe Diem #311, Eclipse (provided by Bjorn Rudberg)

Dear haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai, a daily haiku meme. Today our first anniversary starts to be celebrated. A year ago I started Carpe Diem to share and promote haiku, a Japanese form of poetry. I am a big fan of haiku and since the late eighties I have started to write haiku myself. Haiku is a short poem of three lines with 5-7-5 syllables (the classical way of haiku writing) and tells about a moment as short as the sound of a pebble thrown in water.
As I started Carpe Diem October 2012 I hadn't dreamed that I could celebrate my first anniversary, but here I am, here WE are, a group "Kai" of haiku-poets "Haijin" still alive and kicking. I have seen this Kai grow and I have seen how all our contributors have grown in their way of haiku writing. I am proud and humble that I may and can say that Carpe Diem Haiku Kai has become a family, a community of haiku poets who write and share their haiku with the Kai and with the world.
I am glad that I can say: "Let's start a whole new year of haiku writing at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai". I hope to see again wonderful haiku and of course I hope that this second year of Carpe Diem will be even better then the first year.
In our anniversary month I have prepared a prompt-list with mostly prompts suggested by you all my dear Haijin, visitors and travelers. So this month is really a festive month, because we all have a part in the prompt-list. The 'kick-off' is a prompt by Bjorn Rudberg

Today we share haiku on Eclipse. I am sure you all know what I am talking about here, so I don't have to explain what it is. We have Sun- and Moon-eclipses and they occur on a irregular base through the centuries.
Around the world, in every country or culture (ancient or modern) there are all kinds of Myths and Legends around eclipses, because of our roots of haiku I love to share a few of those Myths and Legends from Japan.

Ancient Chinese also believed that a celestial dragon ate up the sun, during solar eclipse. To scare away the dragon, they used to bang drums and pots and make loud noises. They even tried to scare the dragon by shooting arrows. They used do the same thing when lunar eclipses occurred.

In Hindu mythology, people in ancient India believed that the demons Rahu and Ketu swallowed the sun during solar eclipse. They believed that Rahu and Ketu sucked all the life-giving light and poisoned food and water.

The Shintos in Japan used to place a talisman - a precious stone studded necklace - on the branches of the scared Clauria tree. The brilliance of these stones was thought to compensate for the amount of sunlight lost during eclipse. At some places bonfires were lit as a substitute for the talisman.

Another great Myth of Japan about eclipse is the next one it's about the Japanese Shinto Goddess of the Sun, Amaterasu:

Amaterasu is a sun goddess of the Shinto religion. It is believed that Amaterasu sent her grandson Jimmu to Earth 3,000 years ago to be the first ruler of Japan, beginning the divine family of Japanese emperors.
Amaterasu was given rule over the sky by Izangi when he handed to her his holy necklace.
Later, in a competition with her brother Susano, Amaterasu gave birth to three goddesses, who with Susano's offspring, are collectively the ancestors of Jimmu.
During this competition, Amaterasu was unwilling to admit defeat. This caused Susano to furiously wreak havoc throughout the heavens and the Earth. Amaterasu fled into a cave, and her absence caused darkness throughout Japan.
Amaterasu's absence caused much dismay on Earth. As the crops died off and the people suffered, the gods decided they needed to return Amaterasu to her position in the heavens. They sought the help of several dieties, and performed ritualis and sacrifieces outside of Amaterasu's cave. They also hung a mirror from a tree outside of the cave.
Hearing all the commotion, Amaterasu came forth and asked why the gods seemed to be rejoicing. They replied that they had found a new mistress who would be the sun goddess' replacement. Amaterasu came forth in curiosity, and peeked out of her cave. She immediately saw the mirror and was drawn to it. Having never seen her own reflection, Amaterasu thought she was looking at her majestic replacement. As she stepped forward to examine it, she was caught by one god and the cave was blocked by another. Amaterasu's presence illuminated the fields and life returned to Japan's land.

I found a nice video on You Tube about this Myth:

It's in short the Myth which I described above. Eclipse ... a wonderful prompt and I thank Bjorn for providing this one for our Carpe Diem Haiku Kai first anniversary month.

I found a nice haiku written by Kobayashi Issa, one of the four greatest haiku-poets, about a lunar-eclipse which occurred in 1819 as it was Harvest Moon (the full moon of September, or the 8th Lunar-cycle):

kake yô no rippa mo sasuga meigetsu zo

eclipsed splendidly

as one would expect...
harvest moon

Or this one, not a wellknown haiku, by Matsuo Basho:

fire-white halo

at the moment of eclipse
I notice your face

All wonderful haiku on eclipse, and that ... my dear Haijin, visitors and travelers is the task for today ... write a haiku about eclipse (which one you are free to choose it's lunar- or sun eclipse).

a halo of pearls

as the moon blackens the sun -
mid-day night fall

I like this one ... it's a joy to write haiku and of course I am looking forward to your haiku inspired on Eclipse. This prompt will stay on 'till October 2nd 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our next episode around 7.00 PM (CET), that will be: Stonehenge provided by Managua Gunn. Have fun, be inspired and share. This episode is now open for your submissions.

Carpe Diem's Tan Renga Challenge #4, 'deeper darkness' by Bjorn Rudberg

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I was reading all the nice completed Tan Renga of our last (third) Tan Renga challenge and I realized that this feature is a success. I think it's also a kind of lesson to learn how you can make a haiku part of yourself by associating on someones haiku.
As I prepare the posts for Carpe Diem I try to become one, to be part, of the theme I use. The theme has to become me or else I cannot relate to it and write the haiku as I do. I know that's not easy, but I think that's the only way to write haiku or as I always say 'to be haiku'.

For todays Carpe Diem's Tan Renga Challenge I have used a haiku written by Bjorn Rudberg of course with his permission. This is one of the two haiku he wrote on our prompt Hanabi (Fireworks).

Well ... before I give this haiku I will repeat the goal of this Tan Renga Challenge. A Tan Renga is a chained poem of two stanza. The first stanza has 5-7-5 syllables and the second stanza has 7-7 syllables. The Challenge is to write the second stanza with 7-7 syllables (or more or less) through associating on the first stanza. By completing the Tan Renga with your second stanza the challenge is over. Please copy and paste the first stanza into your own post and include your second stanza.

Credits: Fireworks

OK ... here we go ...

First stanza:

after fireworks
the silence is clearer
darkness is deeper                 (Bjorn Rudberg)

Second stanza:


????????????


My attempt to complete this Tan Renga:

after fireworks
the silence is clearer
darkness is deeper                                    (Bjorn Rudberg)

only thing left on New Year's Eve
the garbage of fireworks paper                  (Chèvrefeuille)


You can post your completion of this Tan Renga 'til July 5th 11.59 AM (CET). I will publish later on July 5th  our new Tan Renga.