Carpe Diem's Brainteaser #1 Introduction and first challenge

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Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I had some spare time so I thought "let me create an all new feature" and I did. I have created a new feature to challenge you. I have titled this new feature "Carpe Diem's Brainteaser" and I think you will understand the goal already, but let me introduce this feature to you.

Back in 1988 I discovered haiku. At first I thought this is not my “cup of tea” “to difficult”, I thought, because I love long poems and short stories and in my opinion I need a lot of words to say what I want to say. So at first I wasn’t caught by haiku, but after reading a wonderful book about haiku I tried it. I remember that like it was yesterday. I even can remember my first haiku ever:

Honeysuckle blooms

sharing her sweet perfume
I dream away

©️ Chèvrefeuille

Not a strong one I think, but it was the first ever. And because of that I took Chèvrefeuille as my haigo (pseudonym). Chèvrefeuille means Honeysuckle.

As I started writing haiku I struggled a lot with the form. Haiku isn’t easy to create, because of its very short form and its rules. So haiku isn’t easy … haiku can be a brainteaser.

In this new feature I love to explore other “special” haiku forms like “Pi-ku” and for example the “Acrostic haiku”.

For this first episode of “Carpe Diem’s Brainteaser” I love to challenge you to create an “acrostic” haiku. What does that mean “acrostic”? Well an “acrostic” haiku looks like this:

Sweet memories

Under the old apple tree

Newly weds

©️ Chèvrefeuille

Apple Tree (woodblock print by Imao Keinen)

You take a word (in the above example “sun”) and with the separated letters from that word you have to create a haiku. Here is another example, this time the word is “one”:

Only eyes for you

Naked she lays down on the beach

Everlasting love

©️ Chèvrefeuille

To make it a little bit more challenging I have another “brainteaser” for you.

Another acrostic form uses an Acrostichon and a Liaison. In this one the Acrostichon is AUTUMN and the liaison is TUTU. More about this form you can find HERE.

A rainy day

Under the umbrella

Tears of joy

U

T

United again

Music of the Swanlake

Newly weds

©️ Chèvrefeuille

Here is another example of the above kind of haiku, in this one the acrostichon is "POETRY" and the liaison "EAST". In this one I have brought two worlds together:

Perfect way
Of writing haiku
Eastern thoughts A
S
Tulip bulbs
Redder than red
Year by year

© Chèvrefeuille

Enjoy this new feature. I created it just for the fun, but it will not be easy.

This episode of "brainteaser" is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until September 22nd at noon (CEST). Have fun!

Carpe Diem's Little Ones #3,

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Another new week lays ahead of us and I love to share a new episode of Carpe Diem's "Little Ones" with you all. This feature is meant to be for short poetry forms different or related to haiku. So today I would like to introduce another short form of poetry to you SIJO an ancient Korean short poetry form.

Sijo share a common history with haiku and other Japanese forms. Sijo is a modern term for a Korean style of lyrical poetry, originally called tanga (literally, "short song"). The sijo strongly resembles Japanese haiku in having a strong foundation in nature in a short profound structure. Bucolic, metaphysical and astronomical themes are often explored. The lines average 14-16 syllables, for a total of 44-46. There is a pause in the middle of each line, so in English they are sometimes printed in six lines instead of three. Most poets follow these guidelines very closely although there are longer examples. Either narrative or thematic, this lyric verse introduces a situation or problem in line 1, development (called a turn) in line 2, and a strong conclusion beginning with a surprise (a twist) in line 3, which resolves tensions or questions raised by the other lines and provides a memorable ending. An example by Kwon Homun (1532-1587): :

"The wind is pure and clear,

the moon is pure and bright.

The bamboo grove within the pines

is pure of worldly cares:

But a lute and piles of scrolls

can make it purer still"

Credits: Bamboo Groove

Another example by Yi Saek (1328-1396):

"the white snow has left the valleys 

where the clouds are lowering

Is it true that somewhere

the plum tress have happily blossomed?

I stand here alone in the dusk 

and do not know where to go"

Credits: Plum Trees

Korean poetry can be traced at least as far back as King Yuri's Song of Yellow Birds (17BC), but its roots are in still earlier Chinese quatrains. Sijo, Korea's favorite poetic genre, is often traced to Confucian monks of the eleventh century, but its roots, too, are in those earlier forms. Its greatest flowering occurred in the 16th and 17th centuries. 

Sijo is, first and foremost, a song. This lyric pattern gained popularity in royal courts as a vehicle for religious or philosophic expression, but a parallel tradition arose among the 'common' folk. Sijo were sung or chanted with musical accompaniment, and still are. In fact, the word originally referred only to the music, but it has come to be identified with the lyric as well.

The poet should not lose sight of three basic characteristics that make the sijo unique: its structure, its musical/rhythmic elements, and the twist which begins the final line. For best results, poets follow these and other guidelines very closely. (sources: Wonder Haiku Worlds and Asian Poetry, the Sijo) 

My first attempt to write a Sijo I love to share here with you all.

Cherry trees blossoming 

for the very first time

spreading their branches,
reaching for the sun

thunderstorms raging,
fragile blossoms scattered

Well ... I think I am gonna like this new poetry form from the Far East. What do you think about this Sijo?

This episode of Carpe Diem's "Little Ones" will stay on 'till September 8th 11.59 AM (CET). The goal for this episode is to write a Sijo, but you also may share another short poetry-form e.g. Pi-ku or Acrostic haiku. Just have fun, be inspired and share your "Little One" with our haiku community.

Carpe Diem #90, tulips

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

As I told you all already in the Extra post mom's surgery has been cancelled. They have found a problem with one of the cardiac valves. She has had a few new examen's. The cardiologist and surgeons will look at the results and than they will, hopefully, re-schedule her surgery. I hope to tell you more later on this week.

Today our prompt is tulips and that, my friends, is a real Dutch theme. Tulips and The Netherlands are always mentioned in one sentence, but tulips aren't really Dutch, they are Turkish. The Dutch have made it a wonderful flower in thousand different colors and that's why it's called the Dutch flower. Well ... to me ... that doesn't matter tulips are just tulips (smiles).

In last year's February Challenge I posted an acrostic haiku on tulips ... maybe you have read it or can remember it, but I love to share that one here again:

Perfect way 
Of writing haiku
Eastern thoughts
a
s
Tulip bulbs
Redder than red
Year by year 



(by the way: the acrostic was Poetry and the liaison was East)







That's my inspirational haiku for today. Have fun and share your haiku with Carpe Diem.

OK ... another one:

colorful tulip field
Mother Earth's rainbowcoat
what a sight!

This prompt will stay on 'till January 9th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our new episode later on today around 10.00 PM (CET). That will be: seahawk.


  

Carpe Diem Preview, a new creative way to write haiku

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Today the first Carpe Diem Preview of November. I will introduce to you a whole new (as far as I know) form of haiku, Troiku. Later on I will tell you all about this new form, but first I love to look at other haiku forms you and I know.

First the classical form of haiku:

In the middle ages Renga, Renku, Linked verse or Bound verse was a game at the Royal Emperor's court. Renga was a so called 'linked verse', a chain of verses based on the early middle ages form waka. The waka was a five line verse with a strict syllable count 5-7-5-7-7. This form we know nowadays as tanka. In the renga this waka was split in two parts the hai (5-7-5) and the kai (7-7). How did this work?
One player (poet) composed the starting verse called hokku (5-7-5). Through association the second player (poet) wrote 'the answer' (7-7).

E.g.:

all day sunrise
what a joy to live in
my orange house

(c) Chèvrefeuille

This verse (hai) gives enough to associate on e.g. day, sunrise, joy, orange or house. It can go in several ways. Let's look at an association for 'the answer' (kai) on orange.

at the end of the day
white chrysanthemum turns orange

(c) Chèvrefeuille

A third player (poet) wrote the next hai and a fourth player (poet) wrote the next kai and so on. Sometimes renga became a long chain of poems, verses, of at least one hundred links. The longest known renga had over ten thousand links.
Renga is the mother of haiku so to say.

Matsuo Basho (1644-1694) was a great haiku poet and - master. It was he who took the hai out of the renga and made it a new form of writing verses. The classical haiku (by the way it was Shiki (1867-1902), the fourth great haiku master, who gave haiku it's name. It's a re-done name of the starting verse of renga 'hokku'.) was born.
As you may know there are several rules to write a classical haiku. First there is the syllable count 5-7-5; second it has to have a kigo or seasonword, a word that places the haiku in a certain season; third a haiku describes a moment as short as the sound of a pebble thrown into water; fourth a deeper meaning based on the philosophy of the poet. The classical haiku has several other rules, but these four I have mentioned are the most common ones.
In the classical haiku the syllable count is the most important rule and made it known as 'counted verse'.

walking along the beach
heads bend into the Northern wind
a boy with his girl

(c) Chèvrefeuille

Not a strong example, but it will fit the purpose. Let's look closer to this one. Is it a classical one? Yes it is, the syllable count is 5-7-5, there is a seasonword (Northern wind, Winter) and maybe there is a deeper meaning. Yes there could be 'you have to be strong and confident to walk in a Northern storm, maybe these youngsters are in deep love notwithstanding thoughts of their parents who don't like this relationship'.

As you may know I write my haiku mostly in the so called Kanshicho-style in which the syllable count isn't strict. E.g.:

lonely flower (4 syll.)
my companion (3)
for one night (3)

(c) Chèvrefeuille

And than we have the Piku based on the mathematical number pi 3,14 so this piku has three lines with 3-1-4 syllables. E.g.:

balloon fight
run!
not that way, fool

(c) John Governale

or

at the ball
she
waltzed without shoes

(c) John Governale

It's not my 'cup of tea', but I have once tried to write a piku for Few Miles' Haiku Challenge last February.

the Thinker
lone
no more thoughts

(c) Chèvrefeuille

Another form is the Acrostic haiku e.g.:

This acrostic haiku by Lilmoon Godess on the acrostichon SUN

Shining orb of light
Under which we cultivate
New leaves and new souls

(c) Lilmoon Godess

Another acrostic form uses a Acrostichon and a Liaison. This one you may know. I have written it for Wonder Wednesday of Poets United. In this one the Acrostichon is AUTUMN and the liaison is TUTU.

Credits: Rainy day

A rainy day
Under the umbrella
Tears of joy
U
T
United again by
Music of the Swanlake
Newly weds

(c) Chèvrefeuille

Well ... it's a wonderful poetry form, but not an easy one to write.

Let's look at a different haiku form called Naisaiku.
In this haiku form you give a title to your haiku (one of the sentences) and place that at the end of your haiku and than backwards your haiku again.

lonely flower
my companion
for one night
lonely flower
for one night
my companion
lonely flower

(c) Chèvrefeuille

It makes a wonderful new poem. It's important in this form that the first and third sentence are interchangable. (By the way interchanging the first and third line is also one of the rules of a classical haiku, but that rule isn't commonly known).

OK 'till so far several other haiku forms. Back to the subject of this Carpe Diem Preview. As I said in the beginning of this Preview I have created a new haiku form Troiku and I think it's fun, but not an easy form. First I have to tell you something about the source of the name Troiku.
It goes back to 17th century Russia.

Credits: Troika

A troika (meaning: triplet or trio) is a traditional Russian harness driving combination, using three horses abreast, usually pulling a sleigh. It differs from most other three horse combinations in that the horses are harnessed abreast. The middle horse is usually harnessed in a horse collar and shaft bow; the side horses are usually in breastcollar harness. The troika is traditionally driven so that the middle horse trots and the side horses canter; the right hand horse will be on the right lead and the left hand horse on the left lead.
The troika was developed in Russia during the 17th century and could reach on full-speed 45-50 kilometres per hour, which was at that time a very high speed on land for vehicles.

OK ... up to the Troiku. Compared with the troika, haiku counts three lines and the troika was driven by three horses. A troika was (mostly) a sleigh and that ... my dear haijin, visitors and travelers is what a troika made a troika.
In the Troiku, the sleigh is the base haiku from which we will start.

E.g. the 'sleigh' of our Troiku is a haiku written by a classical (or modern) haiku poet.

For the introduction of the Troiku I have chosen a haiku by Basho. A very well known one written by him ... namely 'frog pond'.

furu ike ya   kawazu tobikomu   mizo no oto

old pond
frogs jumped in
sound of water

In this Troiku form it's the intention to write three new haiku (the horses of the troika) starting with the seperated lines of the 'sleigh'.
In this example you have to write a new haiku with 'old pond', 'frogs jumped in' and 'sound of water'. Let's give it a try heh ...

The 'sleigh':

old pond
frogs jumped in
sound of water

The horses:

Horse one:

old pond -
the scent of the Lotus
overwhelmes me

Horse two:

frogs jumped in
the sound of rain far away
thunder and lightning

Horse three:

sound of water
dripping from the gutter
after the hurricane

Nice way of writing haiku isn't it. For closure I will give the 'lay out' as I love to use; this 'lay out' looks somewhat like a troika:

I love it. I hope you, my dear haijin, do like this new Troiku too. Let's do another one. This time I will use a haiku written by myself. This haiku I published on Carpe Diem orange on November 5th.

 

When I was writing this preview another thought came in mind. Maybe two or three sleighs' and six or nine horses? Wouldn't that be something? Maybe it is! I will give it some thought and if I have succeeded ... than I will publish them in a new Carpe Diem Preview.

'Till than? Have fun writing Troiku and if you like this form ... please share your Troiku with Carpe Diem. I have included a linking wizard that will remain open 'till end of this year.

Namaste, Shalom, Blessed Be,

or in Russian

Do Svidaniya