Haiku Wednesday ; "Craft"

A new haiku wednesday, this week on the prompt/theme "craft". I have looked for some synonyms for craft and I came up to the following one's: workmanship; trade wind; craftsmanship; a ship or in the fantasy sphere the craft can be witchcraft or sorcery.

So I will use these synonyms I think.

haiku craftsmanship
only one haiku master
Matsuo Basho

in the old harbour
a new seaworthy vessel
sails off to the world

Credits: Mother Earth

this moonlit night
witches dancing around the oak
worshipping Mother

Sincerely,

The Haiku Challenge, day 2

Day 2 – February 2nd – Theme or Word: Mother

Day two of The Haiku Challenge has come. The theme 'Mother'. Every one can tell stories about his or her Mother, so this must be an easy one to write a haiku on.

when bad dreams come
mother makes them disappear
by singing her song

Another one:

tiny mustard seed
grows in Mother Earth's womb -
shade for summer

Thanks for the challenge it brings back good memories and happy thoughts :-)

Sincerely,

The Haiku Challenge, Day 1

Day 1 – February 1st – Theme: Freestyle

Well here it goes. The Haiku Challenge 2012 to write in february every day a haiku on a given theme. This days theme (as you can read above) is Freestyle. In my opinion freestyle means 'write a haiku on every theme you can think about', but I think also freestyle means 'let loose the classical 5-7-5 structure'. And that's of course my goal. As you can read in the description of my blog I write in the so called 'Kanshicho-style', this is a style in which Matsuo Basho (1644-1694), a haiku master, wrote several years. In that style the classical syllable count isn't used. So here it goes.

such sadness
the spring wind has molested
cherry blossoms

The sadness is in the scattering of the Cherry Blossom. The Japanese were very anxious before wind as the Cherry trees began to bloom.

Credits: Cherry Blossoms

Another one, also on cherry blossom:

cherry blossoms fall -
it feels like an eternity
before summer

I think this first day of The Haiku Challenge was a good one. See you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

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,

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,

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,
 
 

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,

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 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!!

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 :)