Carpe Diem #452, fishing

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Spring is almost gone for one quarter and here in The Netherlands the spring weather is great. Today we have almost 20 degrees Celsius, feels like summer. The most of the early blossomming trees are blossom-less, but the tulips are starting to bloom and the late cherry trees are in their most beautiful out-fits. So ... spring is really on.

Today we have another new modern spring kigo based on Jane Reichhold's 'A Dictionary of Haiku', fishing, fishing is not my cup of tea, but my youngest son is addicted to fishing so he goes almost every day out fishing and sometimes he takes our grandchildren with him. Mostly he goes fishing in the city-park just around the corner and he can sit the whole day there watching, contemplating and do some talking with his friends (also addicted to fishing).

Credits: Ancient Japanese Fishing boat

Jane gives the following haiku examples for 'fishing':

evening
the river full of fish
fishermen

dusk lake
sinking into darkness
fishermen's voices

the blue boat
a hole in the sea
filled with fish

(c) Jane Reichhold

I recall a haiku by Matsuo Basho about fishing and I love to share that one here. Maybe you know this one written by Basho.

cormorant fishing boat
how exciting! but after a time
I felt saddened

(c) Basho

Cormorant fishing boat

Ukai or cormorant fishing is a traditional method of catching freshwater fish, such as the ayu ( sweet fish ).  The fish are lured towards the boats by torches and then caught by manipulating a trained cormorant.
Cormorants used for fishing are wild Temminck's cormorants.  They are naturaly very agile, smart and adaptable to new circumstances.  Usho ( cormorant fishing masters ) live with them and train them for two or three years to be full-fledged stars of cormorant fishing.

Temminck's Cormorants (used for Cormorant fishing)

Isn't it an unique way of fishing? In some regions of Japan this kind of fishing is still in use. The Cormorants have a small ring around their neck so they cannot swallow the fish. It's a not so nice way of fishing I think.

at the seashore
the fishing-boats are overgrown -
playground for children

(c) Chèvrefeuille

This episode will be open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until April 22th 11.59 AM (CET). I will try to post our next episode, kite, later on today. For now ... have fun, be inspired and share your haiku with us all here at our Haiku Kai.

!!! No time to write an every day haiku on a given prompt? Maybe my new weblog Haiku Shuukan is something for you. There I give every Friday a new prompt on a weekly base ... so feel free to visit !!!

Haiku Shuukan, a new weekly haiku-meme

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Yesterday I have launched a new weekly haiku meme for those who find it difficult to write haiku every day on a given prompt. I have named it 'Haiku Shuukan'. Shuukan is the Japanese word for week.
Yesterday I posted the first prompt 'agony'. I will post a new prompt every Friday around noon. The 2nd prompt will be 'blossom' and will be posted Friday 25th around noon.
If you're interested? Please visit Haiku Shuukan at: http://chevrefeuilleshaikushuukan.blogspot.com you are invited.

Namaste

Carpe Diem Tan Renga Challenge #31,

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Another week has gone by and I have read wonderful continuations on our last Tan Renga Challenge ... so it's time for a new Tan Renga Challenge ...
By the way: first this ... I have asked several of you, my dear Haijin, if I may use their haiku for this Tan Renga Challenges, but ... and I am terribly sorry ... I have lost my list of whom I have asked and which haiku. Please if I have asked you if I may use your haiku? Please let me know.
Second: I am hopelessly behind with commenting, but I will catch up asap.

For this Tan Renga Challenge I have chosen a haiku written by myself. It's a 'revision' of a haiku by Kikaku which I published lately on my new weblog "Ancient Haiku-poets Revisited".
I challenge you all to write a second stanza to this haiku, traditionally that second stanza is 7-7 syllables, but that ... as you all know ... is not an obligation.

Credits: Rainbow

Here is the first stanza of our 31st Tan Renga Challenge:

in the backyard
the rainbow in the birdbath breaks -
a sipping Magpie 

(c)Chèvrefeuille

Well ... I like this haiku and I think that it's an inspiration to write a second stanza to it, because Tan Renga is written by two poets, I couldn't write a second stanza to make this Tan Renga complete, but ... I turned it into a Tanka and here it is:

in the backyard
the rainbow in the birdbath breaks -
a sipping Magpie
raindrops shimmer on green leaves
thousand sparkling colors

(c) Chèvrefeuille

This Tan Renga Challenge episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until April 25th 11.59 AM (CET). Have fun, be inspired and share your completed Tan Renga with us all.

Carpe Diem #451, fasting

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

As I am preparing this episode it's the Friday before Easter, which we call 'Good Friday'. On this day we are looking back at the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ and we are looking forward to Easter to re-live His resurrection. In the time towards Easter, I believe 50 days, a period called 'Lent', we are fasting in honor of Him and all He has Created. This brings us to our prompt for today, fasting. Jane Reichhold wrote the following haiku as an example for fasting:

fasting
the sunrise brings
nothing to eat

(c) Jane Reichhold

Credits: Good Friday

I was a child as I saw for the very first time a picture of the crucified Lord and I can remember that I was sad and the first thing I asked my father than: "Why do people this to other people?"

That question was never answered, because my father said: "You will learn that through life. Know this my son 'God has never promised us a save ride through life, but He for sure will give us a save return home'.
Well ... I am not a strong believer, but that I will return Home save that I know for sure. And maybe ... that's why they once crucified the Lord.

silent prayer
deep down inside my heart
Save Our Souls

(c) Chèvrefeuille

Not really a haiku in response on our prompt today, but ... well it's almost Easter.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until April 21st 11.59 AM (CET). I will try to post our next episode,fishing, later on today. For now ... have fun, be inspired and share your haiku, senryu, tanka, kyoka or haibun with us all here at our Haiku Kai.

Carpe Diem #450, Balloon

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

What a joyful day we have today ... this is our 450th episode of our daily haiku meme Carpe Diem. I can't imagine what this will lead to. October 2012 I started with this daily haiku meme and I couldn't have dreamed that it would be still here ... alive and kicking ... thank you all for your participation without you all there was no Carpe Diem Haiku Kai.

Today we have our 450th prompt and that is a very festive one, namely Balloon, I do not place that only in spring, but ... well ...
Jane Reichhold did wrote the next haiku with this prompt:

a popped balloon
breath
a breeze again

(c) Jane Reichhold

A nicely written haiku .... and maybe this one says what it is to have this prompt, balloon, in spring. It refers to the soft spring breeze ...

Credits: Balloons

Must be easy to write a haiku about, don't you think so too? Well ... I tried, but I came up with nothing ... lack of inspiration maybe, but I have to try to come up with something.

a red balloon
stuck between the young green leaves -
finally it popped

(c) Chèvrefeuille

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until April 20th 11.59 AM (CET). I will post our next episode, fasting, later on today. For now have fun, be inspired and share your haiku with us all here at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai.

Carpe Diem #449, springs

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Did you know that we have had already 700 posts here at CDHK? Yesterday I published our 700th post ... that's a lot ...

As I am preparing this episode I have just published a new haiku about the moon at my wordpress-weblog because it's full moon. This full moon of April is also known as Pink Moon and Sprouting grass moon ... so maybe it's another nice kigo for this month, but the moon is a classic kigo ... so no moon prompt for today. Today we have another nice modern kigo for spring developed by Jane Reichhold. So let's go and do some haiku composing on todays prompt springs. By the way it's not as easy to write a haiku about springs as I thought, but of course I have to try it, but before that I love to share a haiku by Jane Reichhold with springs as kigo.

mountain spring
a damp breathing
from a rock

lips
sucking from the spring
a life sound

(c) Jane Reichhold

Hot Springs

Well ... I have to write a haiku as well about this springs ... so here we go.

hot springs hidden
deep inside the holy mountain
giving new life

(c) Chèvrefeuille

Not a strong one, but I liked composing it and now it's up to you ... have fun, be inspired and share your haiku with us all here at our Haiku Kai.

This epsiode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until April 19th 11.59 AM (CET). Our new episode, balloon, I will try to post later on today.

Carpe Diem's "Revise that haiku" #5, Shiki's "The snow has melted"

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I love to challenge you all to 'revise' a classical haiku written by Shiki (1867-1902). I have done this earlier here at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai, but that's a while ago, so ... let us try this again.

One of the most extraordinary things about nature, from the scientific and intellectual point of view, is its asymmetry. Life is asymmetrical in its essential character, and it is natural for us to rejoice in it, for it is the guarantee of our spiritual freedom. Even the Great Buddha, for all the Law of Karma and the inviolable Wheel of the Law, the snow melts irregularly. On the sunny side, the snow is gone; on the other, there still remains a white mantle. To our human eye at least, it is a secretly felt confirmation of our inner conviction that 'with God all things are possible'.
Where does this lead to? Well ... it's to show you the picture which is (can be) seen in the following haiku by Shiki, which we are going to revise.

Credits: Great Buddha covered with snow

Daibutsu no katahada no yuki toki ni keri

the snow has melted
on one shoulder
of the Great Buddha

(c) Shiki

As you all know in this special feature the goal is to revise the given haiku and write/compose a new one. Not an easy task and it needs some courage to revise a haiku by one of the greatest four haiku-poets ever (Basho, Buson, Issa and Shiki), but ... well it challenges you to look in a different way to the classical haiku.

at the sunny side
the snow in the backyard has melted -
snowdrops are blooming

(c) Chèvrefeuille

What a joy. Notwithstanding the snow, the print of winter, new life conquers it. The snow is melting and the snowdrops, the first messengers of spring, are starting to bloom.

on the thin line
between day and night
both, moon and sun shine

(c) Chèvrefeuille

I hope you will take up this challenge and I love to encourage you all to 'revise' the haiku by Shiki.

This episode of 'Carpe Diem's Revise That Haiku' is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until April 30th 11.59 AM (CET). Have fun, be inspired and share your revised 'Shiki-haiku' with us all here at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai.
This post you can also find at my new weblog "Ancient Haiku-poets Revisited".