Tuesday, January 31, 2012

The Poetry Pantry, new haiku

For Poets United, the Poetry Pantry:





A new series of haiku. Well ... finally my country (The Netherlands) have winter weather. Strong frost and snow fall. So at last winter has come to the Low Lands. So I thought to write a few haiku on snow ...

first snow of the year
covers fragile blossoms
tears in my eyes

such a sad event
young cherry blossoms frozen
in a cold spring night


Credits: Cherry Blossom in Snow

And at last another haiku, but this one is inspired on a well known haiku by Matsuo Basho:

autumn evening
a crow perched
on a withered bough

I wrote:

is that a crow
in the bare branches?
it's just black plastic


I loved doing this again of course and looking forward to your comments on this series.


Sincerely,

Monday, January 30, 2012

Haiku my Heart

I ran into a wonderful weblog Recuerda mi Corazon on which Haiku my Heart is a way to participate. In this I love to share some of my haiku. Maybe I will do that sometime again so I have chosen a image to use in the contributions for Haiku my Heart.


Haiku my Heart a new challenge I think, but I have to try ... don't you think?

unconditional
the love between swans
firmly as a rock


early spring
fragile blossoms bloom
what a party



at the seashore
between foot prints of man
shell of a hermit 

It's was great to participate.

Sincerely,

Sunday, January 29, 2012

The Gooseberry Garden Poetry Picnic wk 24 "free linking"

For the: Gooseberry Garden Poetry Picnic
For this weeks "free linking" I have search my haiku archive and have found a wonderful haibun (prose with haiku) about Autumn. I hope you enjoy this read :-)

AUTUMN


departing summer
days become shorter -
the full moon

The above haiku expresses my feelings in the fall. It is now September and fall will soon come. Each season has its charm, but my heart beats more rapidly as autumn approaches. Autumn, the season of renunciation. Saying goodbye to summer and get ready for winter. The trees lose their leaves, after they have had all the colors you can imagine.

The days are getting shorter, the weather changes in to rough rains and storms.

Saying goodbye ... surely that is the keyword for fall.

From the haiku tradition, the moon is at its most beautiful in the fall. Living in Japan this thought is at least very strong. Here in the West moon viewing is best in winter. Maybe that's true, but ... I'm just a Western haiku poet who is really oriented on the east and therefore more at home with the thoughts that the autumn moon is the best.

I like the moon in autumn. I can enjoy the sight of the moon, our natural satellite. In autumn the moon is mysterious and can work miracles. That feeling I expressed in the above haiku, but also in many other haiku.

light of the full moon
shines through colored leaves
at last ... autumn

Sincerely,
 
 

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Haiku Heights "Crimson"

This weeks prompt "crimson" is (again) a tough one. What can I do with this prompt? Well I have to try of course so here I ga:

the day has gone
crimson clouds touching
the wild waves

highlighted crimson
the raspberry in my garden
late summer

ah! that color
the deepest red I ever saw
her new robe

in the frontyard
the young roses blooming
the deepest red


Sincerely,

Friday, January 27, 2012

Springtime

For the: short-story slam of Bluebell Books
I have gotten an invitation to write for Bluebell Books Short story slam week 19. I am glad they invited me, so I will try to write a haibun (prose and haiku) on "Springtime".

SPRINGTIME 

When the dark period of the year goes by and spring is coming I become happy. Spring is my season. After hibernation nature begins blooming and comes to live. As I see the Snowdrops come in bloom I feel how Mother Earth is reborn again.
The Cherry- and Plum-trees begin blossoming and especially when the Cherry tree in my backyard is starting to bloom I am so happy.
I have to give a party when the first Cherry blossom blooms. I call all my friends and family to tell them that my Cherry tree is in bloom again and that's worth a celebration. I love that moment. I feel a little child again and come to live after my hibernation.
Springtime ... nature comes to live once again. It's worthy to celebrate when the Cherry trees are blooming, especially mine of course :-).


I have written a lot of haiku about Cherry trees, but I have never written , as I call it, "my masterpiece" on Cherry trees. Maybe this is the one. In this haiku I hope that spring is present.

on winter's edge
the first Cherry blossom blooms
rain falls softly

Well ... did I succeed in my goal to write "my masterpiece" on Cherry trees? Maybe not, but spring is surely present.

Sincerely,

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Thursday Poets Rally wk. 61

Thursday Poets Rally week 61
Good day to you all,

Another week has gone by. Another week to Rally is ahead of us. I am glad to be in it again and I hope that you will visit my contribution to this weeks rally and read it with pleasure. I have search for some new haiku to publish here and I think I have a nice set put together.


snow falls softly
the statue of Buddha covered
in white silk


Credits: Buddha in the snow
winter night
a lonesome stray cat
in the old barn


lost in the field
only stars as my compass -
cry of a snowy owl


making love
in front of the fireplace
finally home

Well I am happy with tis set of haiku. A nice little story.

Happy Rally!!

Monday, January 23, 2012

Gooseberry Garden Poetry Picnic on New York Times headlines

Gooseberry Garden Poetry Picnic
For this weeks Poetry Picnic the headlines of The New York Times are the prompt. So I read The NT and came on with the next haiku:

mad America
Giants head for superbowl
wild boars


excited
the Snowy Owl has come back
to the States


Well ... I have to read The New York Times to write new haiku I think. I didn't expected this was so nice to do. Thanks for this "prompt" Taylor.

Happy Poetry Picnic :)

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Haiku Heights, prompt "tiptoe"


Also published for:



Such a wonderful idea this challenge of Haiku Heights. An every week challenge with every week a new prompt. This week's prompt is "tiptoe". I have searched some websites to find synonyms for tiptoe, and I found the next ones: 'in the air' 'night walk' 'pussy foot'. I will use these I think, because I have nothing with 'tiptoe', but ... never say never.

high up in the air
the skylarks singing their song 
my heart is listening




on pussy foot
the young boy is walking through
the girls dressing room


every day night walk
through the neighborhood
a Nightingale




dancing swans
on the lake next to the concert hall
tiptoeing love

Mm ... I am glad this weeks prompt has inspired me. It was tough, but also a wonderful challenge.

'till next week :)

Sincerely,

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Sensational Haiku Wednesday on "silhouette"

Join the fun!


Also published for: The Purple Tree House, back to basic

Hello to you all. Another Sensational Haiku Wednesday. This week's prompt is "silhouette", must be an easy one I think. Let's go do it and join the fun of writing haiku.

boy's silhouette
on the white mansion wall 
between sunflowers


under the willow
on the city's graveyard
weeping silhouette




playing with the sun
the shadows of my children
on the white wall

I have tried to write these haiku in the classical form of 5-7-5 syllables, not so easy as I thought, because I write my haiku mostly in the Kanshicho-style. In this style the syllable count is different.

Well ... until next week :)

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Spring, colors, new live and trees

Also for The Poetry Rally week 60

The Gooseberry Garden Poetry Picnic week 22
 Another week has gone. Time flies like sand through your fingers. This weeks theme for the Poetry Picnic is Spring, colors, new live and trees. So I have to write some nice haiku about Spring. The season in which nature again comes to live. It's a lovely season to write haiku about. So here we go.

laying down
beneath the young leaves
the teenage boys


Ah! the cherry trees
in the cool spring breeze -
Ah! that perfume



such happiness
the young cherry tree
comes in bloom


this sunset
colors the white cherry
Ah! such a beauty

Credits: cherry trees in the evening

cherry blossoms
in the evening light
so fragile


the cherry trees
I am longing to sleep
under their colors


Happy Poetry Picnic