Carpe Diem's "Little Creatures" #4

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

What a wonderful time we are living in ... on the edge between summer and autumn ... leaves start to change from green to all kinds of yellow and red ... the weather changes. Here we have a nice 'Indian Summer' period ... not to warm, not to cold, not to dry or to wet. Clear blue skies are changing every moment of the day ... white, grey, dark grey and black clouds appear and disappear ... it's really great this time of year.
What has this to do with "Little Creatures" ? We are going to explore the little creatures on the edge of summer and autumn. We have flies, mosquitos, butterflies and dragonflies, but are there also little flowers, trees and bushes specific for this time of year? Yes there are, daisies, sheperds purse, camille and more.
All those little creatures, bugs and bushes can be a source for your inspiration ... Today I have a few wonderful haiku about little creatures written by several haiku-poets, both classic and modern ... I hope these haiku will inspire you to write haiku about those little wonders of Mother Nature.

Here are a few "little creatures" haiku by several poets:

tori naite bimbô-gusa(*) mo saki ni keri

birds singing--
wild daisies too
are blooming

© Kobayashi Issa

(*) Gaby Greve, a wellknown Japan scholar translates bimbô-gusa to "weed of the poor" and advised the translator to use "Wild Daisies"

Credits: Daisies

 

Another set of haiku by Issa, this time on 'dragonfly':

asa-zamu mo haya gatten no tombo kana

he, too, quickly learns
how cold the morning is...
dragonfly

tombô no hako shite iru ya kiku no hana

the dragonfly
takes a crap...
chrysanthemum

Credits: Blue Dragonfly

Aren't they wonderful? Let me give you a few other examples of "little creatures" caught in haiku. What do you think of this one composed by Shiki:

rai harete ichiju no yûhi semi no koe

after the thunder-shower
one tree in evening sunlight
a cicada's cry

© Shiki

Or what do you think of this one by O. Mabson Southard, which we have had last year (September) as a featured haiku poet at CDHK. This one is about another little creature, the mouse.

At the window, sleet…
Here in the darkening hut—
sudden squeaks of mice

© O. Mabson Southard

Credits: Mice

Or this one, also by Southard:

fiery ball
between the trees
crickets sing their songs

© O. Mabson Southard

And than this one written by myself, last year in response on a haiku by O. Mabson Southard:

frogs jump in -
the sound of rain far away
thunder and lightning© Chèvrefeuille

And for closure ... what do you think of this wonderful haiku by Jane Reichhold?

Twilight
neither night nor day
frogs and bats

© Jane Reichhold

Isn't it wonderful to read all those haiku in which the little creatures are celebrated? It's awesome to look close to your surroundings and become inspired by it ...

Well ... this was our fourth "Little Creatures" episode and it was just fun to create it. I hope it will inspire you to write your own "Little Creatures" haiku ... this time ... please follow the classical rules of haiku for your submissions.

This episode is open for your submissions at noon (CET) and will remain open until next Thursday September 18th at noon.

Carpe Diem's Tan Renga Challenge Month #XV, Lolly's ''crossing the footbridge''

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I was reading a few older posts today and I also read the posts about Southard again. What a lovely haiku he has written and today one of his haiku inspired Lolly of a Lovely Thing, to write the haiku which we will use today for our Tan Renga Challenge. First I love to share the haiku which was the inspiration-source for Lolly.

across the still lake
through up curls of morning mist -
the cry of a loon

(c) O. Mabson Southard

Credits: Great Northern Loon

And here follows the inspired haiku by Lolly which is the starting verse of our new Tan Renga Challenge:

crossing the footbridge
a sound that comes unbidden ...
my wild beating heart

(c) Lolly

A wonderful haiku inspired on Southard's ... as I read this one I was in awe ... and asked Lolly for permission to use it and so ... it became our 15th Tan Renga Challenge. We are halfway now and we have still 15 other wonderful haiku composed by you all to go before we enter our new month of Carpe Diem Haiku Kai. December will be a gorgeous month I think. In that month all our prompts are musical pieces composed by a young promising musician of New Age, World fusion music. In that month we also will have again the Carpe Diem Specials. Our featured haiku-poet in December will be Hando a modern times haiku poet who died in 2005. He has a special place in my heart. Why? I will tell you later as I publish our December prompt-list. I love to share a short music video of a composition by Adrian von Ziegler, our young and promising musician next month.

Back to our Tan Renga Challenge of today. Here is my attempt to complete the Tan Renga started by Lolly:

crossing the footbridge
a sound that comes unbidden ...
my wild beating heart                                                 (Lolly)

as I see her standing there
our eyes meet, her sweet smile ... wow                       (Chèvrefeuille)

Ah! Love is in the air ... Well .... my dear friends ... now it's up to you to complete this Tan Renga and share it with our Haiku Kai.
This episode will stay on until November 17th 11.59 AM (CET) and is open for your submissions this evening at 7.00 PM (CET). Have fun, be inspired and share.

Carpe Diem Special #59, Southard's fifth and last one for this month "widening rings"

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

What a joy it was to share all those wonderful haiku written by O. Mabson Southard and your responses were awesome. Today the last Southard haiku for this month, I have called it "Southard's Fifth", with a glimpse to Beethoven's Fifth. I think I have a wonderful haiku by Southard to share with you today. So I am looking forward to your responses."

a patter of rain ...
the lily-pad undulates
on widening rings

(c) O. Mabson Southard

Credits: the lily-pad undulates

This is in my opinion a real masterpiece, and maybe it's one of Southard's best haiku. It will not be easy to write a new haiku inspired on this masterpiece by Southard in the same sense, tone and spirit. So good luck to you all.

ballroom dance
between petals of cherry blossom
raindrops seek their way

This Special prompt will stay on 'till September 28th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our next episode, Sake (Salmon), later on today around 7.00 PM (CET).
!! This Special is NOW open for your submissions !!

Carpe Diem Special #58, Southard's "This morning's rainbow".

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Today our fourth Special by O. Mabson Southard (1911-2000), our featured haiku-poet of this month, and one of the greatest modern haiku poets of the last century. His haiku are all wonderful and very much acording to the classical rules of haiku composing as once given by e.g. Matsuo Basho and other classical haiku poets.

This morning's rainbow
shares its deep violet edge
with the misty moon.

(c) O. Mabson Southard

Credits: Misty Rainbow

The goal of this Special is to write your haiku respons on the haiku by Southard in the same tone, sense and spirit as his one and because of his (strict) 5-7-5 structure, your haiku has to have also 5-7-5 syllables.

This is my haiku in respons on the haiku by Southard and I hope it's in the same sense, tone and spirit as the one by Southard, if it's in 5-7-5 that I don't know for sure.

Credits: Rainbow Cobweb

crystalized cobweb -
dewdrops sparkle in the sunrise
spider crawls the rainbow


I think this is a nice haiku in respons on the haiku by Southard and I even dare to say that it is a masterpiece and so not my way of haiku writing, because of the 5-7-5 syllables count in this one.
I see an awesome image in front of my eyes. It is a wonder of the Creation as it is meant to be.

This Special by Southard will stay on 'till September 22th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our next episode of Carpe Diem, a new classical Japanese kigo for autumn, Tonbo (Dragonfly), later on today around 7.00 PM (CET).
!! This Special by Southard is open for your submissions at 7.00 PM (CET) !!

Carpe Diem Special #57, Southard's "the cry of a loon"

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

As I look outside leaves dance through the garden. A mixture of colors like the palette of a painter. Branches loaded still with leaves with rainbow-like colors, raindrops play hide and seek in the puddles. Yes ... autumn has come. I can smell the perfume, that sweet perfume of decaying leaves. Mother nature is preparing for winter and hides her beautiful face behind curls of mist. Autumn ... is poetry ... is haiku.

Credits: Autumn colors

Today we have our third Special by our featured haiku poet O. Mabson Southard (1911-2000) and the haiku which I love to share here brings all the above images in my mind. It's in my opinion a nice autumn haiku.

across the still lake
through up curls of morning mist -
the cry of a loon

Credits: (Pacific) Loon

The goal of these Specials you all know, but I will write it down for those who not know yet that goal. Write an all new haiku inspired on the one given and try to write that haiku in the same tone, sense and spirit as the one I gave by Southard.
Southard wrote his haiku always in the classical way, so with the 5-7-5 syllables structure. So your all new haiku has to be also written in that classical way. It's not an easy task, but that also can give a lot of joy and fun.

My attempt to write a haiku in the same tone, sense and spirit as the one by Southard:

as far as I can see
curls of mist hiding the meadow -
the bellowing of cows


What an awesome scenery. The meadows hided in curls of mist and still the bellowing of cows, without seeing them you know that it are cows. A nice autumn sphere I have created here I think. Well ... it's up to you now. Have fun, be inspired and share your haiku in the same tone, sense and spirit as the one by O. Mabson Southard.

This prompt will stay on 'till September 16th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our new episode, Kuri (Chestnuts), later on today around 7.00 PM (CET). !! This Special by Southard is open for your submissions at 7.00 PM (CET) !!

Carpe Diem Special #55, O. Mabson Southard's "chanting, the pond's frogs ..."

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

First I have to rectify something. I have written the name of Southard wrong. The right way to write his name is O. Mabson Southard (instead of Mabson O. Southard), so my apologies for that. Today our first Special by Southard is on.

Maybe you know the famous haiku by Basho about the "old frog pond":

an old pond
frog jumps in -
the sound of water

I think that evry haiku poet has written at least one haiku about frogs or a frog pond. I myself have written (at least one) haiku about frogs:

frogs jump in -
the sound of rain far away
thunder and lightning

And I am sure thata I have written other 'frog'- haiku, but that's not the issue today. For this first Special of September I have chosen the following haiku by O. Mabson Southard:

Chanting, the pond's frogs ...
among the lilies' dark pads -
the twinkle of stars

Frogs have always been a favorite topic for haiku poets (as we have seen above) and Southard is not without his frog haiku. These samll creatures that are so often ignored in our busy day-to-day lives often fill the night with enchanting music. In this haiku, Southard is painting the image of the frogs' song at night, with the stars splashed across the heavens and reflecting from the pond. (Source: Millikin University)

As you all know the goal for the Specials is to write a haiku in the same tone, sense and spirit as the one given. This month we have another challenge in the Specials. Southard wrote all his haiku in the classical 5-7-5 structure, so the inspired haiku has to follow that 5-7-5 syllable structure. Not an easy task I think. For sure to me it will not be easy, because I write my haiku without that structure. Well ... I am looking forward to your inspired haiku. Have fun ...

This Special will stay open for your submissions 'till September 4th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our next episode (hopefully) around 7.00 PM (CET). That will be, Amanogawa (Milky Way).