Carpe Diem Weekend Meditation #78 Renga With ... Jane Reichhold ... springtime

!! This episode is open for your submissions next Sunday March 31th at 7:00 PM (CEST) !!

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new weekend meditation here at our wonderful Haiku Kai. That special feature I started a while ago to have some time off for being your host. It has given me the balance and peace I need to stay in tune with nature, and in tune with my muses.

This weekend here in The Netherlands the so called "summertime" is on again. That means that we, the Dutch, will set our clocks one hour forward. That means also that you will see the CEST abbreviation instead of the CET abbreviation. Several of you will live also in that same timezone, but the most of you will stay in their own timezone.

As you all know Jane was a very dear friend of CDHK and of me. She has meant a lot for our Haiku Kai and she is still missed. You also will know that she was one of the most renown modern haiku poets. Her own website AHApoetry.com is still online and will provide you with a lot of knowledge about our beloved haiku.

This weekend I love to invite you to create a renga with Jane Reichhold. Take this opportunity to create a renga together with her, to honor her and give tribute to her wonderful spirit.

Here are the six haiku by Jane to work with and create your renga with Jane Reichhold:

beach diamonds
a new day crystallized
in sunny surf foam

forgotten brook
running the centuries down
locked in rock

white pussy willows
above a muddy swollen river
fat raindrops

White Pussy Willow

rippling grass
wind moves up the hill
light waves

flute melodies
across green ocean waves
spring meadows

floating clouds
down from the mountain
a puddle of rain

© Jane Reichhold

A wonderful series of haiku chosen from the section spring from her modern saijiki "A Dictionary of Haiku". It fits our theme I think ... so enjoy this challenge. You may as always choose your own "line-up" and by adding your two-line stanza you create a renga together with our beloved and so missed Jane Reichhold.

PS. Last weekend I used the linking widget of "blenza", but there are troubles with using it. So this weekend I am going back to our old widget. Sorry for those who prefer the Mister Linky.

This weekend meditation is open for your submissions next Sunday March 31st at 7:00 PM (CEST) and will remain open until April 7th at noon (CEST). Enjoy your weekend together with Jane Reichhold.

Carpe Diem #1273 Into The Sea

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

As I started with Carpe Diem Haiku Kai I introduced several special features to you for your inspiration. And every week we had a Tan Renga Challenge in which I challenged you to create / complete a Tan Renga from a given haiku by a classical or non-classical haiku poet / ess. Today I have a nice Tan Renga Challenge for you that I published on December 20th 2013. It was a haiku by Jane Reichhold, my mentor and once my co-host at CDHK. As you all know she died in 2016 and she is still missed every day. So this episode is in a way a tribute to her, the Queen of Haiku and Tanka.

Logo TRC back in 2013

As you see in the title of this episode, into the sea, is the "title" of the haiku by Jane Reichhold to work with to create a Tan Renga.

melting into the sea
the full moon
leaves a candle bright

© Jane Reichhold (1937-2016)

And this is the second stanza I created back in 2013 to make this a Tan Renga:

soft winter breeze cherishes
the last colorful leaves   

© Chèvrefeuille

For those who are new here. A Tan Renga is a short chained poem written by two poets. It looks very similar with Tanka, but Tanka is written by one poet. You have to write the second stanza through associating on scenes in the haiku (the starting verse).

So let me bring the above Tan Renga created by Jane and my together:

melting into the sea
the full moon
leaves a candle bright               (JR)

soft winter breeze cherishes
the last colorful leaves              (Ch)

Well enjoy. Create a Tan renga with the given haiku by Jane Reichhold to honor her. This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until October 16th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode, Ryuko-ji, later on. For now ... have fun!

Carpe Diem honors Jane Reichhold (1937-2017) G.) whisper of rain

photo © Sandra Simpson

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at the last episode of our special Theme Week in honor of Jane's 80th birthday. We have given her the attention she deserves and now we are going on with our lives. Jane decided to end her life last summer ... and if she would have been alive she would have become 80 on January 18th 2017. Because of that respectable age I decided to create this wonderful Theme Week to inspire you, but most of all to honor Jane. Jane has meant a lot for the haiku and tanka world, but also for several of us personally and I am proud that I can say that she was my friend, my mentor and my inspiration.

Today to close this Theme Week I have chosen a few of her haiku from her "A Dictionary of Haiku" (the online version), the following series of haiku are all extracted from the summer section of "A Dictionary of Haiku":

coming to sea cliffs
the off-shore breeze raises
a flower fragrance

curving with the land

a rainbow of clouds

moves out to sea

sunrise finds
fog in the valleys
fingers in sand

whisper of rain

on a sunny day the surf

wets my feet

sweeping the porch
bright prints of raindrops
followed by splashes

cloudy sunrise

all the bird song colors

on rounded raindrops

darkening beach

the warmth of a person's eyes
for the sinking sun

scattered in sand

embers of a saltwood fire

face to face with stars

shell beach
wind blowing through
a train whistle

© Jane Reichhold

A wonderful series of haiku themed "summer" and I hope that through this last episode of this special Theme Week to honor Jane Reichhold she will be in your heart forever ... for sure she will be in my heart forever ... and she will be here always at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai to inspire us.

a whisper of rain awakens me gently morning on the beach © Chèvrefeuille

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until January 29th at noon (CET). Have fun !

Carpe Diem honors Jane Reichhold (1937-2017) F.) Sierra Mountains (tanka)

photo © Sandra Simpson

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at the penultimate episode of our special Theme Week to celebrate Jane Reichhold's 80th birthday. Jane has meant a lot for Carpe Diem Haiku Kai. She was co-host and she once said that Carpe Diem Haiku Kai is hte best website about haiku and other Japanese poetry forms around the globe. Of course that made me proud, but also humble. Who am I that I can and may do this ...

Yesterday I inspired you with haiku, so this day we will find ou inspiration in her tanka.

the dreamer
never dreaming
to live a dream
leaving everyone else
behind in the future

long meadow
is too short to hold
the emptiness
of leaving a family
longing for their faces

high in the mountains
suspended over the valley
even spirits
smoothing the paths
toe to heel, toe to heel

ocean breezes
a coolness blowing inland
my message
meets hers mid-air
the tie that binds

© Jane Reichhold (taken from: She Alone)

Sierra Mountains (image found on Pinterest)

In "She Alone" Jane describes a trip her daughter, Heidi, made into the Sierra Mountains. Between the stories Jane created tanka, so you can say that this is a tanka-haibun.

high up in the mountains
the air becomes thin and rich
taking my breath away
she ... the beauty of my life
brings me to a higher state

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until January 28th at noon (CET). Have fun!

Carpe Diem honors Jane Reichhold (1937-2017) E.) Fuji No Yama

photo © Sandra Simpson

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

What a joy to bring you a new episode of our special Theme Week "Carpe Diem honors Jane Reichhold'. As you all know the haiku and tanka world has a lot to be grateful of and I think we can be grateful for all that Jane has meant for the haiku and tanka world. Jane was one of the best modern haiku poetesses I know and she was part of our Haiku Kai family for a few years. If she would still be alive we had celebrated her 80th birthday, but as you all know Jane died last year. So this Theme Week is special because we are celebrating her 80th birthday with a lot of wonderful poems created by her.

Today I love to share a few of her haiku to inspire you. This time I have chosen you bring a few spring haiku written by her. These haiku I have extracted from her "A Dictionary of Haiku", a modern saijiki.

spring clouds above Fuji No Yama, the holy mountain of Japan

morning breeze
coming in the window
surf sounds

changing forms

all around the Buddha
clouds in a blue sky

clouds
flooding the river
with spring

spring cloud melt
flooding river willows
green leaves

© Jane Reichhold (A Dictionary of Haiku, spring part)

A lovely series of haiku of spring by Jane. And the image of Mount Fuji No Yama, the holy mountain of Japan, brings me also the possibility to tell you a little bit of our upcoming month. I remember that I had other plans for February, but recently I read a wonderful story, more a diary, about Japan, the land of the rising sun. That story triggered me and it brought me an idea for next month. Next month, February, we will travel through Japan. We will visit places which are important for us haiku poets, but we also will discover that wonderful country where our beloved haiku (and tanka) was born.

Image found on Pinterest

cherry blossoms bloom

in praise of the gods Fuji No Yama

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until January 27th at noon (CET). Have fun!

Carpe Diem honors Jane Reichhold (1937-2017) D. a rainbow bridge

photo © Sandra Simpson

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode of our special theme week around Jane's 80th birthday. Today I have a nice series of tanka for you which I extracted from Jane's "A Gift of Tanka". Jane was not only a great haiku poetess, but also a wonderful tanka poetess in fact she encouraged me to start tanka writing myself. As you all know I do write tanka on a regular base, but I am still very much in love with haiku and that will be my frist love forever.

desert leaving
one of my dream souls
in the lizard
patterns of his back
passport to change

waterfall
torn to ribbons
bright mist
this body someday too
a rainbow bridge

high-tide beach
blue into the clear sky
the openness
for all things to become
the rush of another wave

free to fly
the ocean flows
into a cloud
the spirit released
expands in whiteness

© Jane Reichhold (A Gift of Tanka)

A wonderfull series of tanka I would say, to inspire you to create haiku or tanka in honor of Jane Reichhold.

Here is my humble offering for this episode:

puzzle resolved
the sound of a waterfall
makes me happy
through the thin mist
I can sense her presence

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until January 27th at noon (CET).

Carpe Diem honors Jane Reichhold (1937-2017) B.) musical chord (tanka)

photo © Sandra Simpson

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at the second episode of this special Theme Week in honor of the 80th birthday of Jane Reichhold, queen of haiku and tanka. Jane passed away last summer, but if she would have been alive she would have become 80 on January 18th 2017. As you all know Jane is in my heart forever. Without her Carpe Diem Haiku Kai wouldn't have become "the best website on haiku and tanka" on the WWW.

We all know her from her beautiful haiku writing skills, she really has written wonderful haiku. I hope to become that great myself once, but until than I will bow my head in admiration of her beautiful haiku.
Jane didn't write only haiku, she also was a great tanka poetess and a great renga master / poetess. Today I love to inspire you with tanka written by Jane and I hope you all will honor her with tanka inspired on her tanka. I have ran through the many beauties by Jane and I ran into a few wonderful tanka.

flowered wind
in your wild hair
the will of love
as a bright nimbus
frames your rosy face

waves
flowing over the mountains
wind in rain
the moaning of mothers
harsh breath among tears

musical chord
footsteps on the threshold
where growing up
a house once held a warmth
hearts beating alone together

face of the moon
in the hot tub
a swirl of bubbles
where one naked body moves
a liquid night-time sky

moonlight
breaking to bits
fallen leaves
drawn down to earth
a hammered silver circle

© Jane Reichhold (A gift of Tanka)

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until January 24th at noon (CET). Have fun!

Carpe Diem honors Jane Reichhold (1937-2016) A.) already red

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

As I promised you I would like to honor Jane Reichhold with a special Theme Week around her 80th birthday. As Jane would be still alive then she would have turned 80 today. Today is Jane's birthday, January 18th. This is the reason why I will create a week of special CDHK episodes to honor Jane, whom is still missed by the haiku world and by me and several others.
For this special Theme Week I have created a nice logo (I think):

photo © Sandra Simpson

As you all know Jane died by her own choice last year at the end of July. She will be missed forever. Jane was a great inspiration to me and my mentor. She meant a lot for the growth of Carpe Diem Haiku Kai and she will be here forever, her spirit will always be with us ...

I have only nice and precious memories of her and I remember that I first came in contact with her short after the start of CDHK. Before that moment I never had heard of her, but when I got to know her I have read all she has written. She even became our co-host here at CDHK.

Today I love to honor her with a few wonderful winter haiku:

swollen

the amaryllis bud
already red

already red

melted snow water

trickling over the veins
of a dried beech leaf

moving around
the wind in the pines
comes home

© Jane Reichhold

Three beauties I would say. Jane was a very gifted and loved haiku poetess ... she will always be in my heart.

I cherish the beauty of a queen red amaryllis

© Chèvrefeuille

This special episode in honor of Jane Reichhold's 80th birthday is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until January 23rd at noon (CET).

Carpe Diem Universal Jane #10 New Year's Day

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

It is my pleasure to give you a new episode of our tribute feature "Universal Jane". Jane Reichhold's spirit is still dwelling here arpound at CDHK and I cherish that. I have only warm memories of her and I love to share her poetry here for al long time.
On January 18th I will start our first Theme Week in honor of Jane Reichhold, if she would be alive than she would have become 80 years of age and I think we can celebrate her 80th birtday with a wonderful week.

This week, I am glad to have find time, I have a nice series of haiku by Jane to inspire you. These haiku are extracted from the online version of her "Dictionary of Haiku" and are all chosen from the New Year's part of that dictionary.

last day of the year
walking a country lane
to the end of it

filling
the glass with candlelight
champagne

New Year's snow

a radiance in dark pines
white full moon

© Jane Reichhold

Three wonderful haiku in which Jane shares "the path" from the "old" year to the "new" year. All three are in a way my favorite, but that second haiku is by far my favorite. I have tried to create my own poem inspired on that second haiku ... but it wasn't that easy as I thought, so I love to share a tanka here from my archives.

candles  
champagne and chocolates
your sweet perfume
becoming one with each other
in front of the fireplace

© Chèvrefeuille

I hope you did like this episode and I hope that the haiku by Jane will bring the inspiration you need. Let us awaken our muses in honor of Jane.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until January 9th at noon (CET). 

Carpe Diem Universal Jane #9 Naked Rock (AHA-poetry 2013)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode of our CDHK special feature in honor of Jane Reichhold who has meant so much for us, for me and for Carpe Diem Haiku Kai, Universal Jane.
I only have warm memories of Jane and several years ago she surprised me around my birthday with a wonderful gift. She send me "The Complete Haiku by Basho", "Circus" a tanka-book, a nice calendar and a wonderful haiku book "Naked Rock". And not to forget in that same package she gave me her wonderful book "How to write and enjoy Haiku".

For this "Universal Jane" episode I love to share a few haiku from "Naked Rock" (2013) to inspire you.

In this haiku book Jane starts with a beautiful prologue, I love to share a part of that prologue first:

See on the horizon that tall rock?
Take my hand it is our ticket
Floating above the rolling hills
The narrow road that knows only us
Leads to the tiny meadow center
For the great giant redwoods
Branches bell the ring around
Chanting chanting sea wind breezes
Lay you down
Lean on us
From our roots
Dark travelers from below the knowledge
Bring that which delights the living
Breath in and out
Lick the dew
Let go
We are here
We are you



Ayers Rock Australia

An awesome start of her haiku book "Naked Rock" ... she creates immediately a mysterious scene, a mystical experience and all the haiku following in this beautiful haiku book by Jane Reichhold are in that same feeling, that same mood of mystical and mysterious scenery.

the way of water
opening up a canyon
follow

spirits
carved in rock
saints

Old Testament
water having its way
with rocks

early artist
rusty water on
a granite body

heart of a beach
silvered with polishing
turns to the sun

© Jane Reichhold (all taken from "Naked Rock" - AHA poetry 2013)

All beauties I would say. And I think these haiku will inspire you to create a new haiku or tanka in honor of Jane.

Here is my attempt to create a haiku inspired on these haiku from "Naked Rock" by Jane Reichhold.

reflections
mountains with their top down
clear blue water

rocks rising
to the clear blue sky
a skylark's song

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until December 18th at noon (CET). Have fun!

Carpe Diem Extra November 16th 2016 - Tribute to Jane by Sri Sudha K.

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

A little while ago we had the "tribute to Jane Reichhold" kukai and it was a marvelous kukai. I hope to publish the results today. Unforunately some of you my dear friends were to late with submitting for this kukai. One of them was Sri Sudha K. She was sad that she was to late, so I promised her to publish her tribute separately here at CDHK.

Today, in this CD Extra, I will fulfill this promise.

A wonderful tribute ... thank you Sri Sudha K.

Carpe Diem Universal Jane #6 first frost

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

It is Wednesday again and as you all know on Wednesdays I have our special feature in honor of Jane Reichhold, Universal Jane, for you. I decided that our regular prompt for Tanka Splendor of today, first frost, will be included in this Universal Jane episode.

You all know that Jane was not only a great haiku poetess, but also a great tanka poetess, so this month of Tanka Splendor, I love to share tanka written by Jane Reichhold to inspire you.

Here are three beautiful tanka from Jane Reichhold's "A Gift of Tanka" (AHA-Books 1990):

white frost
tundra swans in the meadow
down from the north
the sharp city boy she loved
when her world was young

windchimes

sudden storm
the silence of wind chimes
tangled in jasmine
gossips speak our names
tying us together


high-tide beach
blue into the clear sky
the openness
for all things to become
the rush of another wave

© Jane Reichhold

These tanka have the beauty of Jane's spirit and I have tried to create a tanka in honor of her, using the prompt first frost 

after the hot summer
finally the beauty of Mother Earth
her crescendo
colorful leaves covered
with the first frost 

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until November 13th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode, the fourth Tanka Writing Technique by Teika, later on.

Carpe Diem Universal Jane #5 autumn scenes

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Last month (October) I started with "Universal Jane" a special feature in honor and tribute of Jane Reichhold who passed away last July. Jane was a very important "key" for Carpe Diem Haiku Kai and she was one of our co-hosts. She will be remembered forever ... here at CDHK ... her spirit is dwelling here and I love that.

So this special feature is for honoring her and to let her inspire you through her haiku and tanka. This week I have a few "autumn" haiku for your inspiration:

October beach
in all the footprints
the tread of shoes

maple hills
stain the evening sky
autumn

autumn river
covering my feet wet
with golden leaves

autumn's dusk
the smell of burning leaves
brings tears to my eyes

© Jane Reichhold

I love these haiku they all give me a real feeling of autumn the season of falling leaves, decay, Halloween and letting go. Autumn is my favorite season. Nature shows her most wonderful colors and as winter is nearing the wonderful structures of bare branches are awesome.

raking the garden the sweet scent of rotting leaves arouses my senses

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until November 7th at noon (CET). Have fun!