Carpe Diem #905 Throw That Pebble #3 drinking tea

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

It is time again for our special feature "Throw That Pebble" with (of course) the regular prompt. Today that prompt is "drinking tea" and it is a modern kigo extracted from Jane Reichhold's "A Dictionary of Haiku". By the way ... recently I got a very uplifting email from Jane and I love to share a quote from that email with you.

Quote from email by Jane Reichhold:

[...] "You simply amaze me with the wealth of information you have on your website! You have one of the best sites on Japanese poetry you know! I am proud of you and pleased to be associated with you! Thanks for letting me tag along." [...]

I am honored that someone, that famous, like Jane Reichhold, says this about Carpe Diem Haiku Kai. I am just your humble host and I am glad and proud to be your host and to glorify the beauty of haiku and all those other wonderful Japanese poetry forms.

Today our prompt is drinking tea and as you all know the Japanese have drinking tea raised to an art-form. Tea ... a lovely hot drink, but also as ice-tea a good drink. Tea is worth a ceremony as we can see in classical Japan.

Japanese green tea

In Japan (even now) the tea ceremony is wonderful. I have once written a haibun on the tea ceremony of Rykyu, unfortunately that haibun I have written in my maiden language Dutch. The tea ceremony is full of spirituality and aesthetic.

Tea ... what about tea? Just tea ... enjoy it ... you.re so blessed when you drink tea (it's not my kind of drink, I am more of coffee). Take a cup and be inspired to write a haiku.

drinking tea
together with friends
what a party

what a party
being part of Rykyu's tea ceremony
drinking tea is art

© Chèvrefeuille

And here are a few haiku written by Jane Reichhold about tea for your inspiration

morning light
the taste of snow
in thin tea

heart-shadow
handle of a cup
of herb tea

clear tea
holding a calm
in the storm

out of the cup
cold air giving steam
a shape

© Jane Reichhold

Ah! That wonderful and very spiritual tea ceremony ... awesome isn't it?

As you know for "Throw That Pebble" you have only 24 hours to respond. Why such a short time? Well ... because haiku is the impression of a moment as short as the sound of a pebble thrown into water. That's why I challenge you to respond within 24 hours ... to learn to stay in the moment ... that short moment of time which is described in haiku.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until January 29th 7.00 PM (CET), that's only 24 hours! I will (try to) publish our new episode, Ume-no-hana (ume flower), later on.

Carpe Diem #901 fields

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

It's my pleasure to bring to you an all new episode of our Haiku Kai. As you know we are exploring classical and modern kigo for winter and today I have a nice modern kigo extracted from Jane Reichhold's "A Dictionary of Haiku", fields.

By the way this a "time challenge" episode "Throw That Pebble", so you have only 24 hours to respond on this prompt.

Here are a few examples about this modern kigo by Jane herself:

a field of snow
fenced in by fields
of snow

the winter moon
diminishing into snowflakes
open fields

dark fences
encircling the snowy field
eyelashes blink

stitching together
now-covered fields
blackbird wings

© Jane Reichhold

Credits: Winter Field(s)

And of course an all new haiku written by myself. This one circled through my mind whole night long but I hadn't the courage to write it down. I just had to memorize it again and again, but finally I came up with this version (say a rough diamond which needs some polishing):

virgin field
disgracing it would be a sin
the first bare step

© Chèvrefeuille

I like this version, but I am not sure if it fits the prompt or that it shows the prompt as I hoped.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until January 23rd 7.00 PM (CET). So you have only 24 hours to respond. I will (try to) publish our new episode, Kangetsu (cold moon), later on. Have fun! And remember you have only 24 hours to respond!!

Carpe Diem Throw That Pebble #2 frost

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Last week I introduced to you a new feature "Throw That Pebble" and maybe you remember that the goal was to write a response on the regular prompt, today that is frost, within 24 hours. You all were very positive about that new feature, so here is the next episode of Carpe Diem Throw That Pebble.

You have to respond on our prompt for today within 24 hours. I think that's a time range which suits the most (or all) of our Haijin, visitors and travelers, to respond.

Credits: Frost (©) Zima Kalina)

fragile beauty
cranberries covered with sugar
first hoarfrost

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until January 14th 7.00 PM (CET). So you have only 24 hours to respond. I will (try to) publish our new episode, Neko yanagi (pussy willow), later on. For now ... have fun!

Carpe Diem Throw that pebble #1 dawn

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Maybe you can remember our "Time Glass" feature in which I gave you 24 hours (or sometimes less) to respond. I love to bring that feature back, but with another "name" and as a part of our regular prompts. As you all know haiku is the response on an event as short as the sound of a pebble thrown into water. Haiku is an impression of such a short moment, an eye-blink or a heart beat.
To make you aware of that short moment I have re-created "Time Glass" but now as "Throw that pebble". "Throw that pebble" is a time challenge and I challenge you to respond on our regular prompt within 24 hours. I am aware of the fact that we all live in different time-zones, so I think you all have time to respond on this feature within 24 hours. Let's go and throw that pebble into water.

Credits: Winter Dawn (© Wayne Brittle)

As I said above I will use our regular prompts for "Throw that pebble" (and I have adapted our logo for that, as you can see). The prompt for today (as planned) is dawn. So I love to challenge you to respond within 24 hours on this episode of Carpe Diem Haiku Kai. Say .... this regular episode is an episode "with a twist". You have to respond within 24 hours. Good luck!

praising
birds start to sing
at dawn

© Chèvrefeuille

By the way "dawn" is extracted from Jane Reichhold's "A Dictionary of Haiku" and is a modern kigo for winter, based on the online version of this "dictionary".

This episode with a twist is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until January 8th 7.00 PM (CET). Have fun! And remember ... you have only 24 hours to respond. I will (try to) publish our next episode, Fuyusoubi (winter rose), later on.