Heeding Haiku and NaHaiWriMo – Classical Haiku – February 4, 2016

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pussy willow buds

“Classical Haiku”

evening walk
even in the cold snap –
plants blossom

old sea-gull
creeling and fighting
– his old age

winter oasis
palms bend under the snowfall
– for one afternoon

© G.s.k. ‘16

 

Heeding Haiku With Chèvrefeuille, February 3rd 2016

“I love to challenge you to write a classical haiku, which means you have to follow a few classical rules:

1. Your haiku must be the “impression” of a short moment, as short as the sound of a pebble thrown into water;
2. Your haiku has a “kigo” (or seasonword) in it;
3. You also have to use a “kireji” (or cuttingword, like e.g. “;” or “!”);
4. You have to use the classical count 5-7-5 or 3-5-3;
5. Your first and last line have to be interchangeable;
6. Last, but not least, try to catch a deeper meaning in your haiku.”

NaHaiWriMo – February 4

29 thoughts on “Heeding Haiku and NaHaiWriMo – Classical Haiku – February 4, 2016”

    • Thanks … I think we can all feel for the seagull at least every once and a while as for snow, actually we kind of look forward to a few days of snow .. but the fascination passes quickly 😉

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  5. I really enjoyed all these – particularly the second one. For me, it is the one that best captures Chevrefeuille’s last classical rules.

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    • Thanks Suzanne .. I see what you mean .. it’s more of an impression than the other two which are more descriptive perhaps … on the other hand it seems to lack a kigo – what do you say?

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      • I’m the wrong person to ask about technique – I feel a bit like I’m wading through quick sand when it comes to technique at the moment. I’m still confused as to whether what I write even counts as a haiku half the time. I just liked the open ended feel of your last haiku – it made me start thinking of the deeper implications of your words. I guess that’s the bottom line for me – regardless of technique what moves in is a haiku that has a deeper layer of meaning.

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        • It sounds to me you described very nicely what a goo haiku is (I though it was the second one you liked best 😉 ) as for what is a true haiku … I think that is a useless preoccupation. We in the west can write one of the forms of English haiku (or Italian or Dutch ect.) But we won’t be writing a true haiku … because we can’t follow the rules created by the Japanese for their poem… The writers of haiku over the decades have argued among themselves as to what is a true haiku … and have become rather heated about the thing too. I’m not going to get huffed because someone thinks I shouldn’t write 5-7-5 or 3-5-3 or long short long or whatever … the whole kigo thing is absolutely absurd at times .. what does a certain kind of grass have to do with my country where that grass doesn’t grow! No I agree with you .. if it moves – if it makes you stop short – if it speaks to you – it’s a haiku.

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          • Such a carefully thought out comment. Thank you – you have expressed brilliantly what I intuitively feel. I find kigo words weird – they rarely correspond with the seasons in Australia. We hardly ever have snow apart from in the highest mountains for example. Your comment is a wonderful conclusion to the discussion I got embroiled in this week.

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          • Thanks … so sorry you had that run-in. I’m afraid that when we start attaching ideology to things we tend to become intransigent and emotionally involved – here there actually shouldn’t have to be something to defend .. we’re talking apples and oranges …

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          • All water under the bridge now – which weirdly enough was the theme of my haibun which started all the fuss. I’ve deleted everything to do with the post and all the cmments it provoked. I return to the internet writing a great deal wiser.

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    • Hello Jules … yes it is and in our valley both happen relatively often. We were having flowers blossoming late do to the odd heat this year … as for the snow on the palms I posted some photos last year of the snow fall in Arco … lasted if I recall maybe two days.

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in shadows light - walking under weeping pines - spring rain

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