Carpe Diem #1653 passing spring (yuku haru)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at the last episode of this month in which we explored the beauty of modern and classical kigo for spring and because of the fact that this is the last episode I have chosen for a classical kigo that fits this last episode ... passing spring (yuku haru).

At the end of spring we are longing for summer, spring has passed by and has spread new life all around us. Nature is in full bloom and the bare branches are covered with blossoms and young green leaves. The meadows are sprinkled with the most beautiful flowers on earth ... isn't it exiting? Finally we can say ... the light has returned to us and now we may celebrate summer.

Spring passes
and the birds cry out—tears
in the eyes of fishes

© Matsuo Bashō (Tr Sam Hamill, taken from "Narrow Road Into The Deep Interior")

The above haiku is an example of this classical kigo, passing spring (yuku haru), isn't it a beauty?

lying on the beach
dreaming away in a midday nap
departing spring

© Chèvrefeuille

I couldn't come up with a new haiku, so I shared a beauty from my archive. This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until May 6th at noon (CEST). I will try to publish our new (first) episode of May later on. Next month all the prompts will be Tan Renga Challenges. For now ... have fun!

Carpe Diem #1645 Abalone (modern kigo)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

A new episode in our journey through the classical and modern kigo for spring and today I have (again) a nice modern kigo by Jane Reichhold, extracted from her saijiki "a dictionary of haiku". As you all know Jane was an awesome and renown modern haiku poetess and she was once my co-host here at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai.

I can say she was a real friend and I still miss her every day, but I believe that her spirit is dwelling here at our wonderful Haiku Kai, because she loved CDHK and said about CDHK "it's the best website on haiku, tanka and other Japanese poetry forms on the World Wide Web".

Abalone shell

shades of art deco
lying on the beach
abalone shells

colors of seafoam
in the abalone
a cup of fog

© Jane Reichhold (extracted from: "A Dictionary of Haiku")

As you can read and see our modern kigo for spring is "abalone" and I love to challenge you to create haiku or tanka according to the classical rules. (See CDHK Lecture One).

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until April 17th at noon (CEST). I will try to publish our new episode later on. For now ... have fun!

Carpe Diem #1632 Desire ...

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode of our wonderful Kai. I hope you all have had a nice weekend full of inspiration. I had a very busy weekend at work and at home. We had visitors the whole weekend and the last visitor has just left ... that's why I am late with publishing. Forgive me ...

Last week I decided to leave the Kumano Kodo and start a new route ... classical and non-classical kigo (seasonwords) for spring and today I have a nice modern spring kigo taken from Jane Reichhold's "A Dictionary of Haiku", a modern saijki. The modern kigo I have chosen is "desire" and that's a wonderful "emotion" for spring. I desire for the beauty of young green leaves, lots of spring flowers and of course the blooming of the plum and cherry.

Maybe you can remember our theme week about the "Latifa Prayer", one of the main lines of that prayer is "I desire". However the "Latifa Prayer" is not about spring but about "finding the way to inner balance and enlightenment", but isn't that also spring?

As you all know Jane Reichhold was a close friend of mine, but also a close friend of CDHK, she even was one of the hosts here. I have only warm loving memories about her and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to get to know her ... I still miss her, but I know for sure her spirit is still dwelling here at CDHK.

Snowdrops are mostly the first flowers that trumpeting the coming of spring ... so they are in my opinion the natural "desire" the longing for a new day, a new season ... spring.

cold winter night
dreaming about the coming of spring -
Ah! the first snowdrops

© Chèvrefeuille

I hope I have awakend your muse and I hope I have inspired you today.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until March 31st at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode later on. That will be another wonderful kigo for spring.