Carpe Diem Tan Renga Challenge #30, "daffodils open" by Jules Paige

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Another week has gone, we had a gorgeous week with our Ghost-Writers and now it's time for a new Tan Renga Challenge. By the way I am a bit behind with commenting on all of your wonderful poems, but I will catch up asap.
This week's Tan Renga is started with a haiku written by Jules of  Jules gems and stuff. I think her haiku is a beauty and will be an inspiration for you all to complete this Tan Renga.
The goal of this Tan Renga Challenge is to complete the Tan Renga with a second stanza of two lines (7-7). You may use the classical count 7-7, but that's no obligation.

Here is the first stanza of this week's Tan Renga, the goal is to write a completion or continuation:

daffodils open

after two days of spring rain  

yellow from heaven

(c) Jules

Daffodils

And here is my completion:

daffodils open
after two days of spring rain
yellow from heaven (J)

reaching for the blue sky
in praise of their Creator (Ch.)

A nice one I think, but well ... that's not up to me to say. Have fun, be inspired and share your completed Tan Renga with our haiku-family.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until April 18th 11.59 AM (CET).

Carpe Diem #444, Ghost Writer 5, Bjorn

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

What a joy it was to make this 'ghost-writer'- week. Today we have our last 'ghost-writer' Bjorn Rudberg of Bjorn Brudberg's writings ... he has used the given prompt from our April-list 'Lingering Cold'.
I hope you all did enjoy this 'ghost-writing'- week and that you are looking forward to our next 'ghost-writing'- week in May. Here is Bjorn's post on "Lingering Cold".

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Carpe Diem Haiku "Lingering Cold"

Hello this is Björn providing the prompt for todays Carpe Diem. The scheduled kigo is “lingering cold”, this fits so well with April. Here in Sweden it seems to be a period where spring hesitate, during the day it could be lovely and sunny, and still filled with cold winds, snow or rain. My first thought for the prompt was not a haiku but a lovely poem by Swedish poet Karin Boye.

YES, OF COURSE IT HURTS

Yes, of course it hurts when buds are breaking.Why else would the springtime falter?
Why would all our ardent longing
bind itself in frozen, bitter pallor?
After all, the bud was covered all the winter.
What new thing is it that bursts and wears?
Yes, of course it hurts when buds are breaking,
hurts for that which grows
                          and that which bars.

Yes, it is hard when drops are falling.Trembling with fear, and heavy hanging,
cleaving to the twig, and swelling, sliding -
weight draws them down, though they go on clinging.
Hard to be uncertain, afraid and divided,
hard to feel the depths attract and call,
yet sit fast and merely tremble -
hard to want to stay
                   and want to fall.

Then, when things are worst and nothing helpsthe tree's buds break as in rejoicing,
then, when no fear holds back any longer,
down in glitter go the twig's drops plunging,
forget that they were frightened by the new,
forget their fear before the flight unfurled -
feel for a second their greatest safety,
rest in that trust
                    that creates the world.

 

Bursting Buds

April is the blessing of sun’s kisses and frosty morning. It’s sudden back-lashes into winter and torrential rain. We have lingering cold and anticipation of warmer weather

sunkissed cherrytree

laments the frosty morning -

tears of white petals

(Björn Rudberg)

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That was our last 'ghost-writer'-post the used photo is different from the one Bjorn used, because I couldn't get his photo into this post, but it's almost the same as he used. Sorry Bjorn I hope you don't mind.

This episode will be open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until April 13th 11.59 AM (CET). I will try to post our next episode, Raindrops, later on today. For now ... have fun and be inspired.
To conclude this 'ghost-writer'-week I love to thank our ghost-writers, Jules, Managua, Ese, Belinda and Bjorn, for their effort to write a post. You were all great ... thank you!

Carpe Diem #443, Ghost-Writer 4, Belinda

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

As you all know this week is 'Ghost-Writer'-week, so the posts of this week are all written by members of our haiku-community Carpe Diem Haiku Kai.
There is some confussion about this week, because this week the prompts of our April prompt-list aren't all used, because I have given the 'Ghost-Writers' the opportunity to choose their own prompt or to use the given prompt. So today I had planned a Carpe Diem Special (number 86) by Soen Nakagawa, our featured haiku-poet, but our 'Ghost-Writer' Belinda has chosen another prompt as you will read here after.

We live in a free world so I will give the haiku written by Soen Nakagawa also, so you have the opportunity to choose if you will write a haiku in response of Belinda's post or will write a haiku inspired on the haiku by Soen Nakagawa. (The goal of the CD-Special is to write a haiku in the same sense, tone and Spirit as the one given.

Soen Nakagawa (1907-1984)

Here is the haiku by Soen Nakagawa for your inspiration:

Into the zendo
Twilight maples
Come dancing

(c) Soen Nakagawa

Soen—perhaps the zaniest Zen master of modern times—was, among other things, an accomplished haiku poet, and this was one of his favorite verses. It is featured in his book "Ten Haiku of My Choice." Soen often recalled the crimson leaves dancing in the twilight of the meditation hall at Ryutaku-ji in Japan, and he frequently brushed this poem. Here the character for dance forms a one-word barrier that is really moving.

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And here is the post by Belinda of Belinda Broughton, have fun, be inspired and share your haiku with us all.

Raw Life

Think of an emotionally charged situation that you witnessed or participated in. (e.g. birth, death, argument, sickness, new love, etc.) The power of these situations is to do with the cycles of life, birth, growing, dying, death, and regeneration what I call “raw life”.

Take some time to re-encounter, reimagine, and relive tangible details of the happening: the surroundings, scents, sounds, sights, touches, or tastes.

Take two “images” that seem integral to, or sum up, or suggest, the situation. e.g. the smell of disinfectant, sound of breaking glass, touch of grass, etc. You can use “images” from a person too: a pale face, shaky hand, shy eyes, dancing step.

Dancing

Present these two “images” and allow them to do the work of recreating the situation and its emotions for your reader.

Don’t worry about syllable count or making sentences.

Avoid unnecessary descriptors (eg the sour smell of disinfectant, everyone knows what it smells like).

Don’t say what it means, or how you feel. Allow your reader to experience it first hand. They will respond. Trust them.

Cut any redundant articles, but keep necessary ones. i.e. if it sounds silly without them, keep them in, even if it takes you over the traditional syllable count. It’s got to sound good and keep its poetry.

Keep it pared back and simple, just the two images. Later you can flesh it out to fit 17 syllables if you want, but notice if doing so weakens the impact. And please share the original too!

Haiku asks a lot of readers, that they will make connections, that they have had similar experiences. I think this involvement is why we love it so much.

I do hope you enjoy and are challenged by this prompt. Please forgive me if I don’t respond immediately; there are some health issues happening in my family.

Cheerfully yours,

Belinda

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This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until April 12th 11.59 AM (CET). I will post our last ''Ghost-Writer" post by Bjorn later on today. Have fun, be inspired and share your haiku with our haiku kai.

Carpe Diem's "Little Ones" #10, Dutch 'Elfje' in another way, shaken not stirred

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

In the 'ghost-writer'- post by Jules she spook about the Dutch poetry-form 'Elfje' and I thought maybe it's a good idea to make a Carpe Diem's "Little Ones" episode about that 'Elfje', but I love to bring it in another form say "shaken not stirred" ... how?

Well I have understood that the original 'Elfje' has five lines respectively with 1, 2, 3, 4 and 1 word(s) (which makes it together 11, or eleven) a nice poetry form I think. Look for more on this poetry-form at: simply elfje

As you all know I love to 'break' rules which are given for a lot of poetry-forms, and so there are rules for 'Elfje' too, but those rules I will ignore for this post. I love to challenge you to write a 'syllables-counted-elfje' which means that I love to challenge you to write an 'Elfje' with in the first line 1 syllable; in the second line 2 syllables; in the third line 3 syllables; in the fourth line 4 syllables and in the last line 1 syllable. That kind of 'Elfje' I call "shaken not stirred"- elfje.



Credits: fench (dutch website)

Of course I have given it a try myself and this is what I wrote, and it wasn't easy. My first ever "shaken not stirred"- elfje:

blue
eyes
watching me
behind the fench
squeak!

(c) Chèvrefeuille

Well ... I hope that you will take this challenge .... and I am looking forward to your responses on this post, this 10th episode of our "Little Ones" feature. Have fun, be inspired and share your 'Elfje' or your "Shaken not stirred-elfje" with our Haiku Kai.
This episode of "Little Ones" is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until April 27th 11.59 AM (CET).

Carpe Diem #442, Ghost-Writer Ese

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I understand that it's somewhat confusing to see these 'ghost-writer'- posts not using the given prompt as mentioned in our prompt-list, but the "ghost-writer" is free to choose his / her own prompt to inspire our Haijin, visitors and travelers to write haiku and share them with us. Of course you may also use the given prompt if you wish too.  (Look for the 'Ghost-Writer'- item HERE.)
I hope this week inspires you all to write wonderful haiku and maybe this week will make you enthousiastic to be a Ghost-Writer yourself for Carpe Diem ... if you would like to be Ghost-Writer for May 2014 than let me know and I will see what I can do for you. As all is going well than I hope to do a new Ghost-Writer week in week 19 (May 5th - 11th).

Oke ... here it is the post of our Ghost Writer, Ese, of Ese's Voice. Enjoy the read and share your haiku, senryu, tanka, kyoka or haibun with our haiku-family here at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai.
Because of the confusion you, my dear Haijin, visitors and travelers, are free to use the given prompt for today as mentioned in our prompt-list. For today that will be, Hazy Moon, or you can respond with your haiku on the inspirational post by Ese.

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Spring is the season when everything awakes - in nature as well as all of the human senses. It doesn' t mean we suddenly start to feel something unexpected and never experienced before, although that is also quite possible. Just with the first green leaves and blossoming trees bringing more colours to life, also our senses seem to be dusted off after the long hibernation.

Sensuality and haiku are a lovely fit. It is the art of indirection, where so much is suggested and left to imagination. Less is more, and the images created in haiku, senryu, tanka, kyoka or haibun are only the beginning of the path our thoughts take. Even a hint is enough to provoke, like in the following haiku by Hashimoto Takako (1899-1963):

Star Festival-
with my hair still wet
i meet him

Star Festival

Sensual touch in haiku is not something new, on the contrary -  it has been present in the art of quite a few Japanese (among others) poets for ages. Almost like a geisha in a tea ceremony - where her presence is sensed and enjoyed but never becomes intrusive. A glimpse of her wrist while pouring tea, a silent smile, a touch that is so mysterious one can never be sure about really feeling or only imagining it. The connection blossoming between her and a guest...just like between a haiku and a reader. Awaking senses, which stay on the back of the mind, making it wonder and wander...

Buson (1716-1784):

how long it seems
when you undo a woman' s sash
while lying in bed

With time the sensual haiku have developed and become more direct. This month our Carpe Diem prompts are modern kigo, based on "A Dictionary of Haiku", compiled by the famous haiku poetess Jane Reichhold. Among all of her haiku there is also a collection of the ones pouring sensuality. 

spring rain
your body
in me

Must admit I have written several haiku of the same mood thus the theme for my Carpe Diem "ghost - post" came to me naturally. I enjoy letting thoughts flow, melt with senses and challenging myself to find the words to reflect them.

kimono slipping
fingertips discover silk road
ecstatic sigh

Credits: Geisha on Bench, woodblock

Most probably you have guessed by now the prompt I have chosen for today is Sensual. Be inspired and inspire - your haiku, senryu, tanka, kyoka or haibun always do... It is lovely when words have the power to awake senses, isn' t it?

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until April 11th 11.59 AM (CET). I will post our next episode, Ghost-Writer 4: Belinda, later on today.

Carpe Diem #441, Ghost-Writer Managua

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Our second Ghost-Writer is Managua Gunn of Hamish Gunn. He takes us to the world of the gypsies. Have fun and be inspired.

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Think of a people, who never planted a bomb, never took over a territory or country, indeed never invaded a country, who love to sing and dance, and indeed are great dancers and musicians. Think of a people who are Europe's largest minority, who are 1 Million strong in United States and Brazil.

An ethnic people originally from Rajastan. A people who love freedom yet have been routinely denied it throughout history. A people who lost 1.5 million of their own in the Porajmos, the Holocaust, for which they receive nothing. A people whose love of family is strong, as strong as their pull of the road.

Romani women sing and dance

They are easily the most abused minority in Europe, and always have been. To be a roma a few hundred years ago in some European countries meant having your nose cut off. Nowadays you can still be murdered in Hungary by a militia group, or ethically isolated and fingerprinted in Italy, or thrown out of France with a few hundred euro stuffed in pocket.

Romani Flag

Today April 8th is International Romany Day. Expect it to be routinely ignored as usual, by companies like google, who despite changing their logo for numerus other festivities stil refuse to do so for International Romani Day, an act of blatant racism. But who cares? Who will speak for the roma?

Proposed google logo for International Romany Day 8th April

I don't remember not feeling an affinity for gypsies, or the roma people, so have chosen this as my topic for my ghostwriter post at Carpe Diem Haiku. I have known a few roma people, and once shared love with a roma woman in Hungary. We didn't speak each other's language but shared real happiness, a lot of fun and a few roads together.

I also stayed with a romany family in Romania – the country's name is not connected to theirs – for a few weeks. What a wonderful family they were. A US Peace Corps friend of mine called Dave and I were travelling in Romania, and a roma woman and her daughter just stopped us and invited us to their home for lunch. We stayed weeks. They were not a rich family at all, and were poor even in Romania, which itself is a poor country. But I have never seen so much love and miss them dearly to this day.

Here's a sampling of romani music:

 

 

and here's two roma haiku, or senryu for the first, to be precise:

we are silent

but our hearts are full
of unuttered words

from Dezider Banga

wheel turns
road calls
-home again

by Janos Balog

and following are my haiku for this theme of roma, or gypsy.

by the campfire
she dances to the violin
only the stars are still

I am not claiming this is a good haiku, but it does do what I think is important in a haiku – the stars might dance in poetry, but in haiku no – the flames move, the violin plays, the grass weaves in the breeze and even the wagon wheels creak as the temperature changes. But the stars are.

I look forward to your haiku on the theme of the roma/romani or gypsy! Thanks again to Kristjaan.

 

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This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until April 10th 11.59 AM (CET). I will post our new Ghost-Writer episode, this time by Ese of Ese's Voice, later on today. For now have fun, be inspired and share your haiku with us all here at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai.

 

 

Carpe Diem #440, Ghost-Writer Jules

 

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Here it is ... finally ... our first Ghost-Writer week. I hope this week will inspire you all to write wonderful haiku and maybe this week will make you enthousiastic to be a Ghost-Writer yourself for Carpe Diem ... if you would like to be Ghost-Writer for May 2014 than let me know and I will see what I can do for you. As all is going well than I hope to do a new Ghost-Writer week in week 19 (May 5th - 11th) ... Oke ... here it is our first Ghost Writer, Jules of Jules Gems and Stuff. Enjoy the read and share your haiku, senryu, tanka, kyoka or haibun with our haiku-family here at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai. 

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Ghost Writer for Haiku Kai: Jules (JulesPaige because words are like Jewels on a Page)

While I only have informal training in the art of haiku I enjoy the challenge of short forms to speak volumes. The haibun, while a good bit of prose can have haiku throughout or just as an ending summation. Though I have only been blogging for about two or three years, I have been experimenting with words for four decades (plus). And one of the things I enjoy doing is mixing short forms, I am a rebel that way. Some of my favorite short forms I have shared on my daily WordPress site on the following pages which explains these forms:

You can find more about these poetry-forms at:

jules gemstone pages and on jules gemstone pages more about haiku, pi-ku and tauku and on jules gemstone pages, more about the Lune

While I know there are many more short forms I encourage you too, to mix haiku with other short forms and share the 'how to’s' and your verse with us. I offer these examples:

Mirror Elfje Sandwiches  a haiku

Water
even lakes
constantly moves, flowing
tugged by the moon
change

returning to start -
looking to go home again
and yet we cannot…

change
tugged by the moon
moments ever changing
forward motion
tears

©JP/davh

Mixed short forms: Elfje Trio, haiku (three lines) and a three words

A Month of Goodbyes #6

I
Am the
Pink rubber ball
Smacked on the curb
Childhood

Childhood
Those days
Youthful carefree summers
Spent playing without fear
Melted

Melted
Memories flutter
Responsibilities grew – rose
To meet the sky
Good-bye

bounce, resiliency
adapt, mature, run the race
until breath ceases

…auf wiedersehen, adieu…

©JP/davh

haiku series with an Elfje closure:

Elegant Equations

careful devotion
dedication to our truths
the ones we were taught

they mattered then, when
in our younger days, counting
was part of the rule

then considered pure
though a borrowed form, haiku
brought us calming peace

and still now to us
in our counted days, matter;
ink in our souls runs

staccato and smooth
as our pastoral thoughts flow -
counting moons and stars…

practitioners preach
reaching new audiences
with calm devotion

counting our blessings
narrowing distances
with our own haiku

~~~

Counting
ever so
gently with ease
every syllable that matters -
seventeen

(c) JP/davh

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This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until April 9th 11.59 AM (CET). I will post our new Ghost-Writer episode written by Managua, later on today. For now ... have fun and be inspired.