Carpe Diem #348 Hail to the King

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Today our last part of the short musical-story started with ''Prophecy''. In this episode ''Hail to the King'', the King will be honored for his good reign and the stability of the land. With this episode I also complete my haiku-suite as I told you earlier this week.
This episode I am preparing the day after my nightshift ... so I will not write a long episode, because I have to go to my bed. I had four easy going nightshifts and this last night I was a bit busier than the first three nights, but well ... that''s the life of an oncology-nurse.

Here is the last part of Adrian's short musical-story titled ''Hail to the King'':

Well ... did you like this last four days? I for sure did and I am so glad that I can end my haiku-suite inspired on the music of these four days. First I will share the other haiku and I will write the last haiku of this suite.

ancient master
plays the Shaman drums tonight -
flames licking the sky

burning hearts
finally the land is free again
and it will bloom

his reign is great
he's the King of the free land -
peace forever

hail to the King
who brought peace to the land
may he live long

With this last haiku I conclude my haiku-suite. I hope you like it and ... well ... now it's up to you, my dear friends, to compose your haiku. Have fun, be inspired and share your haiku with our haiku-family. This episode will stay on until December 15th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our new episode, Kingdom of Bards, later on today around 7.00 PM (CET). !! ''Hail to the King'' is open for your submissions today around 7.00 PM (CET) !!

Carpe Diem's Tan Renga Challenge #22, JRB's "The Sweetest of Dreams''

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Another week has gone, just a few weeks to go and than we will start a whole new year. I have great ideas to evolve our Haiku Kai and I hope you will stay part of this haiku-family. Today it's Friday December 13th and several people think this will bring bad luck, but I am not superstitious and so I love to share another Tan Renga Challenge with you all.
For this week's Tan Renga Challenge I have chosen a recent haiku written by JRB of Five-Seven-Five in response on ''Beatiful Dreams'', a beautiful music-video by Adrian von Ziegler. JRB has written this haiku and made it into a wonderful gorgeous Haiga. So first I will share that Haiga and after that I will reproduce the haiku as the starting verse of our new Tan Renga Challenge in which the goal is to complete the Tan Renga with your own second 7-7 stanza. Have fun and be inspired.

Isn't it a wonderful Haiga? I am sure you all like this Haiga and I hope to read wonderful continuations or completions of this Tan Renga.

Here is my attempt:

the sweetest of dreams
flowing like silk on her skin
sharp intake of breath                                              (JRB)

sharing blankets with my love
the afterwards coolness of silk                                  (Chèvrefeuille)

I had to complete this Tan Renga in the way I have done. The haiga by JRB gave me a strong sense of romance and sensuality ... so that brought me to this continuation ... I hope you all like this.

This Tan Renga Challenge episode will stay on until December 20th 11.59 AM (CET) and is NOW OPEN for your submissions.

PM: Soon to come a new Sneak Preview for next year.

Carpe Diem #347, For the King

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

This is the third episode of the short music-story which started with the ''Prophecy'' and it's titled ''For the King''. As I wrote in our yesterday's post I will try to write a haiku-suite based on this short music-story. And I hope that I will succeed in that goal.
Our today's music-video is the following:

It's clearly based on Celtic music and it's a nice piece of music to continue this short music-story. In the two other parts, which already have heard, I saw a nice haiku-suite. So here are the two other haiku which I already wrote inspired on the first two parts.

ancient master
plays the Shaman drums tonight -
flames licking the sky

burning hearts

finally the land is free again
and it will bloom

his reign is great
he's the King of the free land -
peace forever

A nice continuation I think. This third haiku, inspired on our music of today, was written to honor the king who has made the land free. In this almost completed haiku-suite you can easily read also the Peace as is cherished around Christmas.

This episode will stay on until December 14th 11.59 AM (CET) and in our next episode we will complete this short music-story with Hail to the King. Later on today I will try to post this new episode. !! ''For the King'' is open for your submissions later on today around 7.00 PM (CET) !! So have fun, be inspired and share your haiku with us all here at our Haiku Kai.

Carpe Diem #346, Land of the Free

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Yesterday I shared the first part of a musical short story composed by Adrian von Ziegler and today I love to share part two of this musical short story with you all. With this episode I also share the follow up of the haiku-suite I started in our yesterdays episode ... I can see the question-marks on your faces ... let me explain myself.
I thought to write a haiku-suite inspired on the four pieces of music which started yesterday. I have written yesterday haiku and today I share the haiku which I wrote inspired on this part two of this musical short story. And the next two days more haiku will follow. I hope you understand the meaning ... you know English isn't my maiden language so I sometimes can't find the correct words to explain myself so I hope you understand what a meant above.

Here is our music-video for today:

And here is my follow up haiku for this "haiku-suite" inspired on this wonderful, magical and mysterious Celtic music. First I will share the haiku of our yesterday's episode and that one followed by the new one for today.

ancient master
plays the Shaman drums tonight -
flames licking the sky

burning hearts
finally the land is free again
and it will bloom

This set is just the start of the haiku-suite I will write on with our next episode and finally I will publish the complete haiku-suite in the last part of this musical adventure later on this week. This episode will stay on until December 13th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our next episode in this musical adventure, For the King, later on today around 7.00 PM (CET). !! This episode is open for your submissions at 7.00 PM (CET) !!

Carpe Diem's Imagination #10, "Aurora Borealis"

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

It's has been a while ago that I shared an episode of our Carpe Diem Imagination feature, so here it is a new episode of our feature in which the goal is to write a haiku, senryu, tanka or kyoka inspired on a picture, photo, image or painting given.
For this episode I have chosen a photo of 'Aurora Borealis' (or the Northernlight). I came to that choice through a post of Managua Gunn which he posted for our "Prophecy"- episode of today. You can find that post HERE or by clicking on the link in our "Prophecy"- episode.

What is "Aurora Borealis"?

An aurora is a natural light display in the sky particularly in the high latitude (Arctic and Antarctic) regions, caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the high altitude atmosphere (thermosphere). The charged particles originate in the magnetosphere and solar wind and, on Earth, are directed by the Earth's magnetic field into the atmosphere.
In northern latitudes, the effect is known as the aurora borealis (or the northern lights), named after the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, and the Greek name for the north wind, Boreas, by Pierre Gassendi in 1621. Auroras seen near the magnetic pole may be high overhead, but from farther away, they illuminate the northern horizon as a greenish glow or sometimes a faint red, as if the Sun were rising from an unusual direction. Discrete aurorae often display magnetic field lines or curtain-like structures, and can change within seconds or glow unchanging for hours, most often in fluorescent green. The aurora borealis most often occurs near the equinoxes. The northern lights have had a number of names throughout history. The Cree call this phenomenon the "Dance of the Spirits". In Medieval Europe, the auroras were commonly believed to be a sign from God.


Aurora Borealis

Its southern counterpart, the aurora australis (or the southern lights), has features that are almost identical to the aurora borealis and changes simultaneously with changes in the northern auroral zone. It is visible from high southern latitudes in Antarctica, South America, New Zealand, and Australia. Aurorae occur on other planets. Similar to the Earth's aurora, they are visible close to the planet's magnetic poles.



Aurora Australis

Well ... enough inspiration I think ... and here is my inspired haiku on Aurora Borealis.

sign of the gods
the night painted in thousand colors -
cracking snow

cracking snow
reflects the 'dance of the spirits'
aurora borealis

Nice set I think ... it's very difficult to write a haiku on such a theme as Aurora Borealis, because I haven't seen that for real, but the pictures give a kind of idea how this would look, so that's why I wrote the haiku as I did.

This episode of Carpe Diem's Imagination will stay on until January 5th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will try to post than a new episode of CD's Imagination. This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions.

Carpe Diem #345, Prophecy

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Today our music-video is the first of a 'series' of four. Adrian composed these as a kind of story and today the music video is titled "Prophecy" ...

Can I write a haiku inspired on it? Let me see ... a first attempt:

ancient drums
resonate through the woods -
witches dancing

Or this one ... more inspired by the title of this piece of music:

the world will end
someday in the faraway future
the cards have spoken

I must confess that I was also thinking of our Tarot-month earlier this year as I wrote this haiku. And this ... I think will be the best attempt (smiles):

ancient master
plays the Shaman drums tonight -
flames licking the sky

Well ... I think I have shared enough for today and I hope this music-composition will inspire you all to write new haiku, senryu, tanka or kyoka. You're welcome to share on this piece of music until December 12th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will share a new episode with the wonderful music of Adrian von Ziegler later on today around 7.00 PM (CET) that will be: Land of the Free, the second part of this short story. !! This episode is open for your submissions today at 7.00 PM (CET) !!

Carpe Diem Special #66, Hando's "footprints in the sand"

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Another week has gone by and today I love to share another wonderful haiku written by our featured haiku-poet for this month, Hando. I have read wonderful haiku inspired on our first Special by Hando written by you all, my dear friends and family-members.
The haiku for today, is the following:

footprints in the sand
to here and there and nowhere
and the gull flying

(c) Hando

Footprints in the sand

This photo did brought a poem into my mind ... a poem about the Lord carrying us, so I have sought for that poem and I found it. I love to share it with you all here at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai.

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from
anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,
"You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during
the most trying periods of my life

 there have only been one
set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most,
you have not been there for me?"

The Lord replied,
"The times when you have
seen only one set of footprints,
is when I carried you."

It's a wonderful poem I think and I loved sharing it with you all, but now back to our Special haiku by Hando ... this haiku inspired me to write the following haiku:

along the sea side
just the sound of the waves -
finally found peace

This episode will stay on until December 11th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our new episode, Prophecy, later on today around 7.00 PM (CET) !! This Special episode is open for your submissions at 7.00 PM (CET) !!