Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #90 Crossroads ... Summer Solstice (Troiku Hineri)

!! Open for your submissions next Sunday June 23rd at 7:00 PM (CEST) !!

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new weekend meditation here at our wonderful Haiku Kai, the place to be if you like to create and share Japanese poetry. I hope you all enjoy this Troiku month and ofcourse I hope that your muses are active to inspire you.

This weekend I love to challenge you with a Crossroads episode. As you all know in the Crossroads feature I will give you two (sometimes more) haiku from which you have to create a so called "fusion-haiku". That "fusion-haiku" you have to use to create a Troiku with. This weekend I love to challenge you a little bit more.

This weekend you have to create a Troiku Hineri. What does that mean? Well .. as you all know a Troiku starts with a "source-haiku" from which you have to create three new haiku using the separated three lines as the first line of the new haiku. You created than three new haiku. In a Troiku Hineri you are repeating that same creating proces with the separated lines of your three new haiku. Doing that you create a total of nine new haiku (in total a Troiku Hineri gives you 12 new haiku).

Summer Solstice at Stonehenge (UK)

Today (June 21st) on the Northern hemisphere Summer has started, so for this weekend meditation "Crossroads" I have chosen Summer Solstice as theme. Here are the haiku to work with, one by a classical haiku poet and one by a modern haiku poet:

this short night -
from a shallow well I scoop
a persimmon flower

© Yosa Buson (1716-1784)

solstice splits
between the peach halves
a red stone sun

© Jane Reichhold (1937-2016)

Two wonderful haiku I think. It gives you the opportunity to create a "fusion-haiku", a symbiosis, between ancient - and modern times.

Enjoy your weekend ... This weekend meditation is open for your submissions next Sunday June 23rd at 7:00 PM (CEST) and will remain open until June 30th at noon (CEST). Have a wonderful sunny weekend full of inspiration, but also time to relax ...

Carpe Diem #759, long day/summer solstice

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

nagaki hi mo saezuri taranu hibari kana

even a long day
is not enough for the singing
of a skylark

© Basho (Tr. Jane Reichhold)

The above verse says it all ... Today our prompt is long day/summer solstice and it points to the beginning of summer (on the Northern hemisphere). Today it's June 21st and that's the real start of summer. At last ... summer has come ... after a long period of cold and semi-cold weather .... summer is here.

I am busy with preparing our list of haiku which are submitted for the second CDHK kukai "summertime" and I hope to mail it to the participants this week, but during lack of time and being in the nightshift, I can not guarantee that. I have read wonderful haiku submitted for this kukai and I am looking forward to your judging.

Ok ... back to our prompt for today long day/summer solstice ... Jane shares the following haiku for this modern summer kigo (seasonword):

longer days
I love to go to sleep
with sky in my eyes

long day
the reading lamp stays
unplugged

© Jane Reichhold

And these she shares on summer solstice:

a bluish shadow
our shortest night
in Norway

solstice splits
between the peach halves
a red stone sun

summer solstice
the gypsy wagon bright
with music

© Jane Reichhold

All wonderful haiku as I may say so ... it will not be an easy task to write/compose an all new haiku inspired on these beauties. So, forgive me, I have ran through my archives ... and I found this one:

Summer Solstice
the longest day of the year
welcomed with music

© Chèvrefeuille (You can find the whole story at Chèvrefeuille's Haiku on WP)

Observatory Robert Morris, near my home-town

celebrating
and welcoming Ra -
summer solstice

© Chèvrefeuille

*) Ra is the Egyptian Sun God

I hope you did like this short episode and that it inspires you to write/compose all new haiku and share them here with us at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until June 23rd at noon (CET). I will (try to) publish our new episode, star gazing, later on. For now have fun!

Carpe Diem Time Glass #30 summer solstice

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

We have missed it a little while, but now it's here again ... our time challenging feature "Time Glass" in which you have just 24 hours to respond on a given prompt and photo. And today I have a prompt for you in the theme of this month "summertime".

This Time Glass episode is about the "summer solstice" and the following image:

The goal is to write a haiku, tanka, kyoka or haibun (or haiga) inspired on this prompt and photo and to submit that within 24 hours. With this time challenging feature I try to "learn" you all to respond in a short time, just as a haiku is that short sound of a pebble thrown into water, ... not an easy task, but it's not impossible.

Share your inspired haiku within 24 hours with us all here at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai. Have fun!

This Time Glass episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open for just 24 hours until June 8th at 7.00 PM (CET).

On The Trail With Basho Encore 3, washing my feet

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

As I promised you all last month I love to stay in touch with Basho by bringing you all a new episode of our special feature "On The Trail With Basho Encore". Maybe you remember that in one of the posts in the last days of May I spook about "unconfirmed" haiku by Basho. Today's episode of "Encore" is about another "unconfirmed" haiku.

The following haiku was published by Daichu in a collection of Basho's handwritten poems, but actually this verse is 'unconfirmed' at being Basho's. Let us take a closer look at the verse.

ashi arote   tsui ake yasuki   maro ne kana

washing my feet
I fall asleep for the short night
with my clothes on

© Basho

When I read this the first time I thought 'this is a nice haiku by Basho', but when I read further I was struck by lightning as I read the comment of Jane Reichhold that this was an 'unconfirmed' haiku by Basho. I was in shock. This couldn't be. I read the haiku again and again and it stays a haiku by Basho, but why than 'unconfirmed'?

Let us take a closer look. Why do I think this is a haiku by Basho? I don't pretend that I am a Basho connoisseur, but (as other haiku poets say) I write my own haiku in the same tone and sense as Basho. So I think I can say that I know how Basho wrote. Am I immodest ... that's up to you my dear visitors.

Summer Solstice at Stonehenge (UK)

This haiku has Zen in it, it has humor and it has a season word 'the short night'. Basho was very tired while he crafted this one, he even don't had the strength to wash his feet and put off his clothes. While washing his feet he falls asleep and misses the shortest night of the year, the summer solstice. In that part is the Zen. The shortest night missing because you're too tired, it feels like emptiness and also brings enlightenment.

Time is such a rare thing, time flies. Time doesn't exist is what this haiku says. It's a wonderful haiku. Although mentioned an 'unconfirmed' one by Basho. I think it's 'now confirmed' that this is a haiku by Basho. Daichu was right when he enclosed this haiku in the collection of Basho's handwritten haiku.

And now ... I have to write a haiku by myself in Basho's Spirit.

at dawn
I wash my feet with dew
the longest day

© Chèvrefeuille

Well ... it's not completely in the Spirit of Basho, but it's for sure in the Spirit of Chèvrefeuille ... and that is CONFIRMED :)

This episode of "encore" is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until next Thursday June 11th at noon (CET). have fun!

Carpe Diem #487, Summer Solstice

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

The coming days I will publish our posts earlier than on other days, because I am in the nightshift. I hope you don't mind. Of course the submission-time stays the same ...
It's all about summer this month and today our prompt is summer solstice it's a bit early maybe, but I have decided (after re-thinking) to let this prompt stay on the day I planned it ... and that's today.

The summer solstice (or June solstice) has been associated with many ancient summer traditions and continues to be celebrated in modern society. It is also known as the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere and the winter solstice in the southern hemisphere.
The June solstice occurs on June 20, 21 or 22 in the Gregorian calendar, which is currently used in many western countries. In ancient times, the date of the June solstice was an important source to help people manage their calendars and organize when to plant and harvest crops. This time of year was also a traditional month for weddings. Some societies invested much effort to establish the length of the year.


Credits: Druids gathering at Stonehenge for the Summer Solstice

Jane gives the following example(s) inspired on summer solstice:

black pine
against the never dark sky
Mid-summer's Eve

mid-summer
day and night balanced
no wind

© Jane Reichhold

Here is my response on Summer Solstice, it's an oldie from June 2012 and it was one of the first post on Chèvrefeuille's Haiku my Wordpress-weblog ...

the longest day
spirits are rejoicing nature
Summer Solstice

Summer Solstice
spiritual energy stronger than ever
the longest day

© Chèvrefeuille

In Shinto Religion there is a great Summer Solstice Festival in which the shinto-believers rising early at morning as it is still dark to go to the sacred wedded rocks. There the shrine priest of Futami Okitama Shrine salutates the rising sun. After that salutation the shinto worshippers are taking a dive in the cold water of the ocean reciting prayers and after that they go in a long row back to the shrine feeling reborn and purified.


Credits: the sun salutation by the priest of the shrine at the summer solstice a Shinto festival.

The following haiku I wrote in response on the above information and photo, just an impromptu-verse as I call it, composed at the same moment as I am writing this post.

between the wedded rocks (*)
the sun rises to her highest throne
summer solstice

© Chèvrefeuille

(*) Meoto Iwa, or the Loved one-and-loved one Rocks, are a couple of small rocky stacks in the sea off Futami, Mie, Japan. They are joined by a shimenawa (a heavy rope of rice straw) and are considered sacred by worshippers at the neighbouring Futami Okitama. According to Shinto, the rocks represent the union of the creator of kami, Izanagi and Izanami. The rocks, therefore, celebrate the union in marriage of man and woman. The rope, which weighs over a ton, must be replaced several times a year in a special ceremony. The larger rock, said to be male, has a small torii at its peak.
The best time to see the rocks is at dawn during the summer, when the sun appears to rise between them. Mount Fuji is visible in the distance. At low tide, the rocks are not separated by water.

Basho also wrote several haiku about the summer solstice and I wrote a haiku, about the summer solstice, inspired on a haiku by Basho.

departing spring
along with the people of Omi (**)
missing it

© Basho (1644-1694)

(**) Omi is an old Japanese Province in which is Lake Biwa situated. Basho is at the festivities for the summer solstice in Omi

at the seashore
wind of summer through my hair
the shortest night

© Chèvrefeuille

Credits: Summer Solstice at the seashore

It's such a wonderful festival the Summer Solstice I can go on with this prompt, but than this post will become much to long and that wasn't the plan ...

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until June 10th at noon (CET). I will try to post our next episode, our second CD Special featuring music for your inspiration composed by BrunuhVille, later on today. For now ... have fun, be inspired and share your haiku with us all here at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai.