Haiku Corner.

[lizzytysh]

Ohhh, I like your turn of words and consistency of meaning here, Byron .

~ Lizzy

[Makera]

Speared

No heart spared
Each heart speared
Dying in love

Simply, perfectly - the Way - from agony to ecstasy.

http://www.4umi.com/gibran/prophet/2.htm

[greta]

wow, Byron.
I really like the deepness of your haiku.
great one!

[Taigaku]

Thought I'd share with you this quotation about haiku. The words are written by Cor van den Heuvel, editor of The Haiku Anthology (W. W. Norton; NYC, NY; 1999)

You might also want to check out the home page of The Haiku Society of America: http://www.hsa-haiku.org
Or The British Haiku Society: http://www.britishhaikusociety.org

A haiku is not just a pretty picture in three lines of 5-7-5 syllables each. In fact, most haiku in English are not writtten in 5-7-5 syllables at all–many are not even written in three lines. What distinguishes a haiku is concision, perception and awareness–not a set number of syllables. A haiku is a short poem recording the essence of a moment keenly perceived in which Nature is linked to human nature. As Roland Barthes has pointed out, this record neither describes nor defines, but "diminishes to the point of pure and sole designation." The poem is refined into a touchstone of suggestiveness. In the mind of an aware reader it opens again into an image that is immediate and palpable, and pulsing with that delight of the senses that carries a conviction of one's unity with all of existence. A haiku can be anywhere from a few to 17 syllables, rarely more. It is now known that about 12–not 17 syllables in English are equivalent in length to the 17 onji (sound-symbols) of the Japanese haiku. A number of poets are writing them shorter than that. The results almost literally fit Alan Watt's description of haiku as "wordless" poems. Such poems may seem flat and empty to the uninitiated. But despite their simplicity, haiku can be very demanding of both writer and reader, being at the same time one of the most accessible and inaccessible kinds of poetry. R. H. Blyth, the great translator of Japanese haiku, wrote that a haiku is "an open door which looks shut." To see what is suggested by a haiku, the reader must share in the creative process, being willing to associate and pick up on the echoes implicit in the words. A wrong focus, or lack of awareness, and he will see only a closed door.

Keep posting haiku!

~Taigaku

[lizzytysh]

Thank you for posting this very instructive explanation of Haiku. It's never as simple as it appears, at first glance, to be, is it? Like so many other things. Yet, the 'rules' are a wonderful place to start with something as highly structured as Haiku. It's a wonderful form, and seems to bring a peace of its own with it, regardless the number of syllables It's a form I would love to learn and learn well. There are some here who clearly have that potential .

Thanks again, Taigaku.

~ Elizabeth

[linmag]

Thanks for those links, Taigaku.

I just visited the British Haiku Society site, and I would like to share two haiku I found there.

shipping oars
I hold my breath to hear
snow on the water - David Steele

caught in a storm
wearing nothing waterproof
except mascara - Janice Fixter

The first one conjured up for me a whole snowscape of a scottish loch surrounded by mountains - an incredibly peaceful feeling. The second gave a whole new dimension to being soaked through.

[Makera]

Linmag~
What lovely examples! Thank you for posting them - and Taigaku for the quote and links.

I found this example (while exploring the sites) from the book British Museum Haiku a compilation of classic Japanese Haiku, edited by David Cobb. -

In from the dark
And out into the dark --
That's a cat in love!
~Issa


~Makera

[lizzytysh]

This thread is for you, Jimbo... if you take it from the beginning, you'll find some pleasant, heartwarming, and inspiring reading from a less lofty time when people felt free to post their humble offerings .

The cardinal on the branch that I remember was by one whom, due to the nature of her poetry and its presentation, some ridiculed as being The Hallmark Card Lady.

Lacking perfection, there was active sharing with plenty of heart and caring. Please enjoy .

Perhaps, one day, this section's title will be changed from "Poetry and Music by the Forum members / This is for your own works!!!" to a more apt, fitting, and appropriate "Leonard Cohen Poetry Classroom / This is for the Leonard Cohen Wannabees ~ Instructed by Leonard Cohen's Second String," which I feel ought to come with a disclaimer duly noting that there is only one Leonard Cohen, since no one here whom I've seen possesses his genius with words. There might also be some suggested apparel, such as elbow pads, to prevent infection... since excessive rubbing can make the skin raw. Writing manuals required... lists of potential publishers optional.

In the meantime, however, I hope that you and other brave souls will continue to share whoever you are, in your own words and style... always knowing that correction and instruction are at the ready. All you need do is ask.

Thank you for your kind words.


~ Lizzy

[jimbo]

A man alone.fishing
waiting.patiently.
my father.

well do it again
tomorrow at the lake.were
well catch a giant pike fish.
in the devils hole.

well bring our flask of
hot water for the
tea.or fecking soup

our picnic basket of love
full of hang sand whiches
chocolate fingers for the poor,

yes together once more
where he fished with his father
long ago on this same shore.

for my dad 2/9/2007

[lizzytysh]

I like the image, Jimbo. It's a timeless one.


~ Lizzy

[jimbo]

Thank you for this exercise Elizbeth .so now I will try 5 in the 5-7-5 format.

Standing in river.
moonlit waterfall gushing.
salmon leaping up.

A blue rose opeN
Humming bird likes it now.
feeding till its full.

Ocean waves crashing.
white horses cascade on rocks
A blue sky looks down.

Naked on the hill.
standing looking upwards for
some answers

Love will only look
where its needed the most
Remember this gift...............

[silvergreen]

(...) They were written by Basho, Alan Spence,Andrew McGeever,Moritake, oh, and Leonard Cohen. Match the writer with the haiku! (...)

A fallen flower
returning to the branch ?
It was a butterfly.
(...)
the whole sky and more
reflected in each raindrop
hanging from that branch.

i don't know which one is written by LC , but these above are brilliant!

he who wrote them expressed into almost symmetrical words one of the most beautiful images i have ever "seen" .

[jimbo]

Leonard cohens one is about crickets,, if you go back to the start of this tread.

you will find them...............

jimbo

[silvergreen]

thank you, jimbo .

i am quite new into LC (though i feel like i have known him since ages ...).
and willing to learn everything about him.

[jimbo]

Summers day walking in
rose sweet scented garden
of butterflies.

Eagle soars high
swooping killing singing bird
in silence,

seasons are meeting
at the rendevous
of winter and spring,

September breeze blows
chestnuts from the trees
to us waiting children.


our christmas tree
standing in splendour
in our firelit living room.