Carpe Diem #1819 romance on the beach (haibun)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

This is our last regular episode in this CDHK Love Month. For this last episode I have chosen a nice theme I think Romance On The Beach, and this time I love to challenge you to create a haibun (prose and poetry) with a maximum of 100 words (including the poems).





Video © Rodica Madan

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until March 5th at noon (CET). Have fun!

Carpe Diem #1710 Beach Party

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode in our wonderful Kai. I write this episode after a very hot summer day. Today we had tropical temperatures here in The Netherlands, it was almost 40 degrees Celsius, very hot for us dutch people. We survived this hot summer day without a lot of trouble. Yes we had to drank a lot of water and we had to slow down our hard working. Laid back ... was the only thing we could think of today. This high temperatures will be our companion for the next three or four days. Yes we have a heatwave. Tomorrow it will be the hottest day ever here in The Netherlands (as far as I know) 40 degrees and higher ... it will be a tough day ...

Beach Party

This has in a way to do with our theme for today. Today I have chosen "Beach Party" as our prompt and there were and will be a lot of beach parties the upcoming days. Your task today is to create a haibun (or tan-bun (tanka instead of haiku) with a maximum of 250 words. Maybe you have been at a beach party or maybe you will attend a beach party ...

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until July 31st at noon (CEST). I will try to publish our new episode later on. For now ... have a great beach party!

Carpe Diem #1698 Hot Summer Night ... Imagination

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode in this "Summer Love" month. This month we are celebrating summer and all that belongs to the time of year. Today I have chosen to challenge you with an Imagination episode. As you all know in an imagination episode I will give you a photo for your inspiration. Ofcourse if you love to use a photo or image made by yourself than that's okay too.

Here is the photo to inspire you. You can choose your own Japanese poetry form this time ... so go for it. Create a Troiku, a haiku, a haibun or other Japanese poetry form inspired on the given (or your own) photo.

Hot Summer Night

A beautiful photo I think to work with. I respect every kind of love, because it's not up to me to disrespect the choices people make.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until July 15th at noon (CEST). I will try to publish our new episode later on. For now ... have fun!!

Carpe Diem #1674 Troiku Month (3) chestnuts by the eaves

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome ... a new episode in our Troiku month and I will keep it short, because of lack of time. Today I will give you only the haiku from which you have to create your Troiku.

For today I have chosen a haiku by Matsuo Basho (1644-1694), whom I see as my sensei. It's one of the 50 haiku he used in his wonderful haibun "The Small Road Into The Deep North" (Oku-no-Hosomichi).

Here is the haiku to work with:

people in the world
hardly notice these blossoms
chestnuts by the eaves

© Basho (Tr. Tim Chilcott

Chestnut Tree in full bloom

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until June 11th at noon (CEST). I will try to publish our new episode later on.

Carpe Diem #1671 Tan Renga Challenge Month May 2019 (18) lightning flash

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at the last episode of this wonderful Tan Renga Challenge Month May 2019. It was really a joy to create this month and I am glad to see all your responses. Thank you all for being part in this Tan Renga Challenge.

For this last episode of our TRC month I have chosen a haiku by my master, Matsuo Basho. This haiku is extracted from his renown haibun "The Small Road Into The Deep North", one of the most beautiful pieces of Japanese literature.

Here is the haiku to work with:

lightning flash–
what I thought were faces
are plumes of pampas grass

© Basho (Tr. unknown; taken from "The Small Road Into The Deep North")

Lightning Flash (above Athens, Greece)

What a spectacular photo this is. It fits the haiku by Basho in a great way and makes it easier to create your 2nd stanza to this Tan Renga I think.

This was the last episode of our Tan Renga Challenge Month and I hope you are inspired to complete the Tan Renga task.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7:00 PM (CEST) and will remain open until June 6th at noon (CEST). I hope to publish our new (and first episode of June 2019) later on. For now ... have fun!

Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #66 On the road again ... Tacna (Peru)

!! Open for your submissions next Sunday January 6th at 7:00 PM (CET) !!

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

As I promised you all the weekend meditations of January will be a "follow-up" of our Pan American Highway adventure last December 2018. This is the first weekend meditation of January and I have a nice challenge for you I think.

We have arrived at Tacna Peru, close to the Chile border, and as you maybe know Peru was once part of Spain and the main religion was Catholic church. For this weekend meditation I have a wonderful image for you of the "Catedral de Tacna" to inspire you. Next to that image I love to challenge you to create a haibun with a maximum of 250 words (including the poetry) in which you try to describe your "inner journey".

Here is the image to inspire you:

Catedral de Tacna

in the old cathedral
the scent of incense
I hear the prayers

deep silence
only whispered prayers -
the scent of incense

© Chèvrefeuille

This weekend meditation is open for your submissions next Sunday January 6th at 7:00 PM (CET) and will remain open until January 13th at noon (CET). Have a wonderful weekend.

Carpe Diem #1560 Crater Lake National Park Oregon ...

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

What an awesome journey this already is, but I hope I can amaze you all with all the natural beauty along the Pan American Highway. Yesterday we visited Vancouver and today we make our first stop in America. It wasn't easy to find a new theme for today, because I couldn't choose ... But I have found a wonderful theme for you ... it's really amazing.

Our first stop in America is at the Crater Lake National Park. Let me tell you a little about this Crater Lake. Crater Lake inspires awe. Native Americans witnessed its formation 7,700 years ago, when a violent eruption triggered the collapse of a tall peak. Scientists marvel at its purity: fed by rain and snow, it’s the deepest lake in the USA and perhaps the most pristine on earth. Artists, photographers, and sightseers gaze in wonder at its blue water and stunning setting atop the Cascade Mountain Range.

Here are a few images of this beautiful Crater Lake to help you awaken your muse.

Crater Lake National Park Oregon

I am in awe ... speechless as I see the beauty of Crater Lake. Wow ... how would this Crater Lake look in autumn ... well even more beautiful as you can see hereafter.

Crater Lake in autumn

As I have showed in the above two images Crater Lake is really wonderful in all seasons. I just had to show you the Crater Lake in winter.

Crater Lake in winter

What to say more ...

seasons come and go
only the sun and moon the same
clouds reflect in the lake

© Chèvrefeuille

Well I hope I have inspired you with the beauty of this Crater Lake.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until December 12th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode later on. For now have fun!

Carpe Diem #1557 Departure ...

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

My excuses for being late with publishing our first regular of December 2018. This month we will go on a journey again and maybe we can create a haibun with each other about this journey. This month we will travel along the Pan American Highway. This highway goes from Canada to Argentina, so we will travel through the American Continents from North to South. Why this choice? Well let me tell you why I have chosen this theme. Here in The Netherlands we have a TV show titled "World Trip On Wheels". In this TV show four groups are traveling along the Pan American Highway by car with their "tiny houses" (a kind of trailer). I love this show and I thought immediately as it started "this is a nice theme for CDHK". So this month ... the theme is "Haiku Along The Pan American Highway".

For this first regular episode the theme is "departure" and our journey departs from Calgary. Let me give you a small background about this Pan American Highway:

The Pan-American Highway is a network of roads stretching across the American continents and measuring about 30,000 kilometres (19,000 mi) in total length. Except for a rainforest break of approximately 160 km (100 mi), called the Darién Gap, the roads link almost all of the Pacific coastal countries of the Americas in a connected highway system. According to Guinness World Records, the Pan-American Highway is the world's longest "motorable road". However, because of the Darién Gap, it is not possible to cross between South America and Central America with conventional highway vehicles. Without an all-terrain vehicle, it is necessary to circumnavigate this terrestrial stretch by sea.

The Pan-American Highway passes through many diverse climates and ecological types, from dense jungles, to arid deserts, to barren tundra, some of which are passable only during the dry season, and in many regions driving is occasionally hazardous.

Calgary Panorama (2011)

Well ... are you ready? Come on let us go on a journey along the Pan American Highway and try to create haiku, tanka or other form of Japanese poetry. This will be an amazing trip ...

Here is my "departure" haiku:

rising sun
from a far away place
nightingale's song

© Chèvrefeuille

I hope you all will enjoy this wonderful journey. This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until December 9th at noon (CET). I will try to pubklish our new episode later on. For now ... have fun!

PS. This month we are using the MrLinky widget. The one we will use opens in a new screen / tab.

Carpe Diem #1554 Haunted Houses (modern kigo)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

"Listen to the wind", he whispers. "Listen ... do you hear them? The weak voices of my ancestors in this ancient family home". I tried to listen hard and than ... there it was a soft whisper "leave this house, leave this house". I looked at him and he nodded. "Yes ... it's one of my ancestors ... my roots are in the native races here in the US". "Do you mean ...?" "Yes I am an indian. Here in this house my ancestors stayed for a while, but than soldiers came and the owners of the house saved us".

Haunted House (photo © Seph Lawless)

Just a small (impromptu) story to introduce our modern kigo, haunted houses, to you. This modern kigo I have extracted from Jane Reichhold's "A Dictionary of Haiku", from the section autumn and the sub-section autumn occasions.

And here is my challenge for you today. Create a haibun, haiku or other Japanese poetry form inspired on the following two haiku by Jane Reichhold:

deserted house
wild roses still have a view
of the remote coast

vacant stares
from the vacant house
no one looks

© Jane Reichhold

I love those old houses were you can hear the wind blow through the chimney, bare branches knock on the windows ... spooky ... ghostly maybe ...

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until December 4th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode later on. For now ... have fun!

Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #60 The Quest For A Masterpiece goes on ... journey

!! Open for your submissions next Sunday November 25th at 7:00 PM (CET) !!

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

It's time again for a new weekend meditation and this weekend I love to challenge you to create a haibun, without restrictions this time. As you all know I see Matsuo Basho as my sensei and I think you all know that his haibun "Oku No Hosomichi" (The Small Road Into The Deep North) is renown all over the world. Here at CDHK we have read that haibun together.
A haibun is a kind of travelling journal in which prose and haiku are in a kind of symbiosis. We have done several journeys here and we will for sure go on a journey again and our new journey will start next month. We will go on a journey along the Pan American Highway, a journey from Canada to Argentina, I hope you all will go with me on that journey.

Basho's Journey Into The Deep North

This weekend I love to challenge you to create your haibun as part of our special feature "A Quest For A New Masterpiece". So take your time focus on a journey you have made or would like to make and create your haibun (prose and haiku).

I hope you will enjoy your weekend and that you can find the inspiration to create your haibun.

This episode is open for your submissions next Sunday November 25th at 7:00 PM (CET) and will remain open until December 2nd at noon (CET). Have a wonderful weekend.

Carpe Diem #1419 Rose Garden (kikobun)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Today I have a wonderful theme for you ... rose garden. The rose is in my opinion the Queen of flowers. I love the colors, the smell, how she looks and I even like her thorns sometimes. Her thorns remind me that I have to be careful with her as I cherish her. She is like a woman, or a man, and she (he) needs our care.

Today I have chosen for the theme "rose garden" and I love to ask you to create a kikobun (above in the menu on the page of our April prompt-list, you can find what a kikobun is) in honor and as a tribute to the beauty of roses, the rose garden. And please try to create your haiku in the classical way (above in the menu you will find the page CDHK Lecture 1, there you can find some classical rules).

Rose Garden (Woodland Park)

By the way I couldn't retrieve the photographer of the above photo, so if you know him or you are him, please let me know.

a wild rose
red delicacy in nature -
my sweet love

red roses
all that remains
after the storm
between the walls
and my heart

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until May 2nd at noon (CEST). I will try to publish our new episode, tears, later on. For now .... have fun!

Carpe Diem #1418 true love (haibun extreme)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new (short) episode of our wonderful Kai. During circumstances and lack of time I have a short episode for you. Today I challenge you to create an extreme haibun with a maximum of 55 words (including the haiku) themed "true love". To inspire you I have a nice classical song for you.

Enjoyed this classical song? I hope it will help you to awaken your muse.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7:00 PM (CEST) and will remain open until May 1st at noon (CEST). I will try to publish our new episode, rose garden, later on. For now ... have fun!

Carpe Diem #1417 apprentice (one-bun)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

First I have to apologize for being late with this new episode of our wonderful Haiku Kai. I had a very busy day and couldn't publish earlier. Than this ... mom is still in hospital, but she is becoming healthier every day. So I hope she can (and may) leave the hospital today.

Today's prompt is "apprentice" and I think we all know what an apprentice is. We all once were and still are apprentices I think. As I look at myself I am learning every day new things. As you all know I see Basho as my sensei, so that means I am his apprentice. I love creating haiku and I am striving to become as good as my sensei.

early morning (image found on Pinterest)

Today I love to challenge you to create a "one-bun" (an invention by Jim Kacian) with our prompt for today. More about "one-bun" you can find above in the menu on the page of CDHK April 2018.

My sensei

still takes time for me to teach me and I am grateful for his lessons

listening to his soft toned voice, full of love, a bird's song

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until April 30th at noon (CEST). I will try to publish our new episode, true love, later on. For now ... have fun!

Carpe Diem #1414 Nakedness (kikobun)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

We are all born naked, but through the Fall of Mankind we became aware of our nudity and started to make clothing to cover our nakedness. Why? It's how we are raised and of course there will be several of you that have been raised in an other way. I had the privilege that my parents were wonderful. They first raised me with religion and the love (and respect) for God, or how you will call it. As I grew up and found my own ways, my own paths, they always were there to help me. They respected my choices and applauded my free reason, my free thought, and that has made me who I am now. I appreciate all humans, female and male, I can say that from the depth of my heart ... I love all and everthing ...

Why this introduction? I don't know, maybe I thought it had to be told, but maybe it was something or someone that guided me I don't know.

Today our theme is Nakedness as you already have understood I think. Imagine ... how would the world look as Eve hadn't taken the apple? Than we hadn't know that we are naked, than we would have no need for clothes or clothing. So ... here it goes your task for today is to create a kikobun inspired on our prompt nakedness.

Here you can find the story of Eve.

I remember that I have done this theme earlier here at CDHK and I once shared a haiga in which you can find "nakedness" in an other way than I described above.

Well ... I think you all love to start writing so I will end this episode. Enjoy this theme. By the way above in the menu you can find our "prompt-list" for this month on that page you also can find an explanation of the kikobun.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until April 25th at noon (CEST). I will try to publish our new episode, perfume of spring, later on. Have fun!

Carpe Diem #1413 Loneliness (Haibun in the classical way)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I love to wander along the beach, only the sound of waves and seagulls, all alone. I love to sit down in the backyard on my own, only nature and my own thoughts and feelings. I love being alone sometimes. I think I need that ... I have a busy life, my family, my work as an oncology-nurse, being your host and being myself, the haiku poet Chèvrefeuille. Loneliness is something you can choose for, but mostly loneliness is not something that we choose. There are enough humans that are alone, who live their life in loneliness but didn't choose for it. Loneliness ... our theme for today. I think we have had this theme earlier here at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai:

Here are a few links to earlier posts:

Carpe Diem #405
Carpe Diem Tanka Splendor #17
Carpe Diem #886
Carpe Diem Namaste, The Spiritual Way #6

Loneliness

Loneliness ... what does it mean for you. Do you choose loneliness sometimes, to find new inspiration and new energy? Loneliness ... a strong emotion with a strong task today, because I love to challenge you to create a classical haibun. In other words, the haiku (or tanka) have to be written in the classical way. (More about this classical way of haiku-ing you can find above in Carpe Diem Lecture 1) Your haibun may have a maximum of 300 words.

Here is a (non-classical) haiku from my archives about "loneliness":

in front of the fireplace
an empty bottle and broken wine glasses 
after the quarrel

© Chėvrefeuille

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until April 24th at noon (CEST). I will try to publish our new episode, nakedness, later on. For now ... have fun!

Carpe Diem #1412 Daisies (extreme haibun)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode of our wonderful Kai. This mnth it's all about haibun and this month got the subtitle "go and tell your story". And you really did and (i hope) will do this. You have told your stories ... you are all wonderful storytellers and that makes me proud, but also humble, because I am not that good with haibun.

Today I have a new task for you all. The prompt for today is "daisies" and you are invited to create an extreme haibun or in other words "your haibun may have a maximum of 55 words including the haiku (or in this task ... tanka).

thousand daisies
around the farmer's house -
lowing of a cow

© Chèvrefeuille

A nice haiku I would say extracted from my archives, maybe it will help you a little bit to become inspired.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7:00 PM (CEST) and will remain open until April 23rd at noon (CEST). I will try to publish our new episode, loneliness, later on. For now ... have fun!

Carpe Diem #1411 praying (one-bun)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I hope you all have had a wonderful weekend and that it has given you the inspiration you needed. Today I have a short episode for you, because I have to create our post on the Spring  Retreat 2018 also today. So I will give you the theme "praying" and the task ... create a one-bun. I will give you the meaning of "one-bun" here again.

The "one-bun" is invented by Jim Kacian. The one-bun is an ultra-short haibun which has just one line of prose (including the title) and a (one-line) haiku.

Praying

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until April 22nd at noon (CEST). I will try to publish our next episode, daisies, later on. For now .... have fun!

Carpe Diem #1407 opportunity (haibun without rules)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode of our wonderful Kai. This month it's all about haibun and today I will give you the "opportunity" to create a haibun without rules. Life is full of opportunities and everyone of us will (I think) agree with me in that. My worldwide career started several years ago. I took the opportunity to publish a first English haiku on the WWW and that haiku became renown all over the globe. I took the opportunity to deepen my knowledge about nursing as I decided to become an oncology nurse. I also took the opportunity to create Carpe Diem Haiku Kai for you and to start with my own publishing company. Opportunities ... one way or the other ... we have to take them.

Today I love to challenge you to create a haibun (without rules) themed "opportunity", maybe you have to use "senryu" instead of "haiku", but that's all up to you. Maybe you will create a haibun in which you use tanka instead of haiku. It's up to you. No rules ...

The Opportunity of a Lifetime

Create your haibun from your heart, look into your life, maybe you find an idea about how to create a haibun on opportunity ... and enjoy your inspiration and creativity.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7:00 PM (CEST) and will remain open until April 16th at noon (CEST). I will try to publish our new episode, gypsy, later on. For now ... just have fun!

Carpe Diem #1406 Meadow (one-bun)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new week full of haibun ... today I haveanother nice theme for you to create a haibun with. Today I love to challenge you again to create a so called "one-bun". The "one-bun" is an invention of Jim Kacian and the goal is to create a haibun that has just one line. That means, the title of your haibun, the story and the haiku are together one line ... that's why this haibun form is called "one-bun". I will give you first an example of a "one-bun" created by myself:

Honeysuckle

shares its sweet perfume as this summer day runs to an end, while I enjoy the coolness and the warmth of her naked body next to mine ...

hot summer day the sweet scent of Honeysuckle and the one I love

© Chèvrefeuille

Meadow

So your task is to create a "one-bun" themed meadow. Enjoy this challenge ...

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7:00 PM (CEST) and will remain open until April 15th at noon (CEST). I will try to publish our new episode, opportunity, later on.

Carpe Diem #1405 New Life ("extreme" haibun)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Time flies if you have fun they say and I think that's true. At the start of this month I already talked a bit about "new life" as introduction to our Easter episode. I just realized today that I had another prompt "lined-up" in the same week with the same idea. But well .... it had to be that way I think.

Today I have an "extreme" challenge for you I challenge you to create a haibun extreme and that means you can use a maximum of 55 words including the haiku. Maybe this sounds crazy, but I think it can. I once created such a haibun for another website I was a regular visitor of. I love to share that haibun with you, but it's not about "new life" as is the theme for today, but it's just to give you an idea that it is possible to create such an "extreme" haibun.

A wondrous place. Trees and streets covered with snow. The bright sunlight. Roofs like crystal.
Love is warming our bodies in front of the fireplace. Drinking red wine, eating marshmallows. This is paradise. Our legs entwined. Lost in each others eyes. Together you and I.

making love
in front of the fireplace -
winter feeling

© Chèvrefeuille

This "extreme" haibun I created back in 2012. I loved creating it. It was a real challenge, because I had to use a maximum of 55 words ... as I ask of you this episode.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7:00 PM (CEST) and will remain open until April 12th at noon (CEST). I will try to publish our new weekend-meditation later on. For now ... have fun!