ARTS: Haiku prompt: spring/fall

[Kokuu]

Hi all

I would love to read some haiku about the season in your area! For large parts of the northern and southern hemisphere we are moving into spring or fall, but I know that other parts of the world have different seasonal patterns.

A few to get you started from classical writers (English translations by Robert Hass from The Essential Haiku (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1565561.The_Essential_Haiku)):

Midfield
attached to nothing,
the skylark singing

-- Matsuo Basho

The cherry blossoms fallen
through the branches
a temple

-- Yosa Buson

Spring rain:
a mouse is lapping
the Sumida River

- Kobayashi Issa


Some contemporary poets (from last spring's edition of hedgerow journal #127 (https://hedgerowhaiku.com/2019/06/07/127-the-winter-issue-is-here/)):

sunburst
more flower
than pot

-- Elizabeth Alford

making the meadow
last longer
-- crickets

-- Gary Hotham

day moon
a sick friend
brings me flowers

-- Eishuu (former member of Treeleaf)

first news
of a friend's death
blackthorn blossom

-- Kokuu


So, go feel, taste and touch nature and get haikuing!!!

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday-

[Kotei]

corona virus
flourishing
cherry blossoms


Gassho,
Kotei sat/lah today.

[Hoseki]

This one happened to me this morning.


spring rain
arms out stretch as he
slides to his car

Gassho
Hoseki
Sattoday

[Kyōsen]

Heavy is the crown
Winter's King is slow to sleep
Spring is so patient

Gassho
Kyōsen
Sat|LAH

[Archpoet]

Nice haiku guys! <3

I should warn you upfront that I don't practice the 5-7-5 rule, I practice the "in a breath" rule. :P
And although these are not Spring/Fall themed directly, they deal in the interchangeability of seasons-- and are a couple of my better works.
Glad to share them with you, and hope you enjoy: :)


Summer nights.
How missed you are,
On winter mornings


One hundred islands in winter,
A fiery archipelago:
Clouds at sunset.


Gassho,
Chris

st/lah

[Kokuu]

I should warn you upfront that I don't practice the 5-7-5 rule

Few English Language Haiku (ELH) poets do now and, as you probably know, the 5-7-5 structure refers to Japanese sound units (morae) rather than western syllables which tend to be longer.


another day
in quarantine
the smell of wild garlic


Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday-

[Archpoet]

...the 5-7-5 structure refers to Japanese sound units (morae) rather than western syllables which tend to be longer.

Right, and there were 17 morae-- (was having trouble remembering the unit name), hence 5+7+5=17. :)
Btw, really love your work on this one Kokuu.



first news
of a friend's death
blackthorn blossom

-- Kokuu

[Kokuu]

You are very kind, Chris! It was published in the hedgerow journal of small poems (https://hedgerowhaiku.com/) (issue 127).

I very much like this one of yours!

Summer nights.
How missed you are,
On winter mornings


Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday-

[Naiko]

Ocean mist.
Trees offer new buds.
The world exhales.

Gassho,
Krista
st

[Kotei]

bowing flowers
a cat’s sudden turn
lady bumblebee

Gassho,
Kotei sat/lah today.

[Archpoet]

Awesome haiku KristaB and Kotei! :)

Here's what I wrote today, (two versions):

---------------------
in a breath

Old pines rustle
Flash! --and crack!
Forest fire.

5-7-5-er

Old pines, voice of wind--
Flash of light and thunder crack!
A forest fire.
---------------------

Gassho,
Chris
st/lah

[Nengei]

Muddy day
Frost at night
Melting snow glistens

Gassho,
Nengei
Sat. LAH.

[Heiso]

A quick off the hip haiku as I work from home. I really want to get stuck into Betty Drevniok's haiku writing exercises and put more thought into them:

Patio doors open
Slurping lollies
Sun streams in.

Gassho,

Heiso

StLah

[Tai Do]

Birds eat
Cats lurking
The moment is gone

Here is the inspiration (my cats):
6381

Gassho,
Mateus
Sat/LAH

[Ryokudo]

Hey all,

Hallelujah, I've found the haiku page! I'll be here voraciously reading alot so thank you all for sharing. I've been lucky enough to read Kokuu elsewhere and it is enriching to hear some new voices. I've been blogging haiku for a year now and I find it really helps the practice. Anywho here is one of my latest from sunny old Blighty.

A flower asks "Forget-Me-Not"
But I have already forgotten.
A bell rings
I wake and -
Remember.

Gassho,

Neilio

[Kokuu]

A flower asks "Forget-Me-Not"
But I have already forgotten.
A bell rings
I wake and -
Remember.

Nice tanka, Neilio!


bowing in silence
for the 20 000 dead
bluebell woodland


Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday/lah-

[Ryokudo]

As ever your responding entry is evocative and poignant.

Gassho
Neilio

SAT/LAH

[Seikan]

It's so wonderful to find an active haiku group here! Here are a few recent haiku inspired by Spring (my current season) and Fall (my favorite season):


Autumn breeze—
the empty swing
barely moves


October sky
in the bathroom mirror
streaks of grey


Autumn wind singing—
old wind chimes
translate every word


little by little
the snowman
reveals the spring grass


April showers—
the sky itself
remains dry


I hope these can hold their own here. There is some truly wonderful work in this and the other haiku threads! Please keep writing/posting! :-)

Gassho,
Rob

SatToday

[Kokuu]

Wonderful you are a haiku writer, Rob!

Thank you so much for your contributions.

I love autumn too and your October sky poem is great. I totally get that and wrote something similar myself once:

white hair
in my beard
autumn clover


Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday-

[Kokuu]

looming deadline
I watch the birch sway
back and forth

[Heiso]

barely moves


October sky
in the bathroom mirror
streaks of grey



I love this, Rob.

Gassho,

Heiso

Stlah

[Heiso]

May day morning
the sun bursts through
on a wet plastic slide

Gassho

Heiso

StLah

[Seikan]

Thank you Kokuu. I'm looking forward to spending much of my forum time in this subgroup.

And I also really like your haiku below. It's simply brilliant!





white hair
in my beard
autumn clover




Gassho,
Rob

SatToday

[Seikan]

Thank you Heiso! And you haiku resonated with me as well. I'm often drawn to the play of sunlight on different objects, so I can just feel the glare of the sun coming off that slide. :-)


Gassho,
Rob

SatToday

[Heiso]

Thanks Rob - as a man of a certain age yours resonated with me too.

Gassho

Heiso
StLah

Sent from my E5823 using Tapatalk

[Kokuu]

From yesterday's first retreat sittings...

morning zazen
the sound of the bell
melts into birdsong

[Kotei]

From yesterday's first retreat sittings...

morning zazen
the sound of the bell
melts into birdsong

a ringing bell
global birdsongs becoming one
thank you Kokuu

[Heiso]

Walking through meadows
Daughter on my shoulders
50 shades of green.



Gassho

Heiso

StLah

[Kokuu]

Walking through meadows
Daughter on my shoulders
50 shades of green

Lovely! I like a lot the comparison of spring and children and once wrote:

first flush of spring
I take my daughter
to buy flowers


Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday/lah-

[Heiso]

Thanks, I hadn't made that association but you're right, children and spring go well.

We're very lucky that we have this place within walking distance and we have plenty of time for exploring at the moment so there's plenty of inspiration:
https://www.essexwt.org.uk/nature-reserves/roding-valley

Gassho

Heiso
StLah

Sent from my E5823 using Tapatalk

[Heiso]

A few I've been playing around with recently :

Skimming stones,
My daughter shrieks
Sun on the lazy river.

Dragonflies
In the sun
Dancing on the river.

We wait
Will baby come today?
Spring into summer.

Gassho

Heiso
StLah

Sent from my E5823 using Tapatalk

[Seikan]

Heiso,

Such lovely haiku! In particular, I love the parallel images in the last one where you compare/contrast the transition of the seasons with the anticipated birth of a child. Just wonderful!


Here's a new one that "interrupted" my reading the other day that I think fits this thread:

reading Dogen—
old wind chimes
in the Spring breeze


Gassho,
Rob

SatToday

[Kokuu]

reading Dogen—
old wind chimes
in the Spring breeze

Lovely!

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday/lah-

[Onka]

Jundo suggested recently regarding my verbosity that in Zen less is often more. In the spirit of that teaching I thought I'd have a crack at Haiku. I haven't read the rule book but...

'The Game Changer'. Life?
Surely a bad joke on me.
Autumn sun Kinhin.

Gassho
Onka
Sat today

[Ryokudo]

A few recent attempts here. Not sure even I appreciate them or whether they are even haiku. Any guidance would be appreciated.

Broken flowerpot
Tomatoes quiver
Before the North wind.

Swinging basket.
Dusk-drunk bats
Hunt their prey.

Swaying grass touches his heart.
Night has fallen.

Gassho

Neilio

SAT/LAH

[Margherita]

I am trying to write a haiku (or very short poem) a day, here's a couple I wrote this week.

Green leafy branches
a framed black cat sits
underneath the pale August sun.

Toothless smile in clouds
the sun hides, the sunflowers
bow to the brown leaves.

Gassho,
Mags
ST

[nknibbs]

Crunch—
Fallen leaves amidst mist.
The deep forest

Gassho,
Nick
SatLah

[Kotei]

falling leaves
drawing perfect circles
at the herons feet

Gassho,
Kotei sat/lah today.

[Inshin]

Rising sun
Rays lost in thick fog
November morning

Gassho
Sat