The Great Wall – Haibun – February 17, 2015

Original Photo by Jakub Hałun (Wikimedia)

Under the shadow of the wall which stretches for miles and miles, I walk. Down in a  nearby valley a farmer with his oxen works his hilly spring fields.  Flowers blooming fill the air with a soave perfume, a mixture of honeysuckle and fresh turned earth.  Going up the steps, I enter one of the numerous  towers that raise periodically along the wall and contemplate the elevated road of the wall. I can look for miles and miles across the vast countryside.  On the one side, China and the other the “barbarous” outside world and could only feel marvel at the wondrous feat that is the Great Wall of China.

that stone dragon
winding through hills and dales
silently vigilant

© G.s.k. ‘15

I’ve always wanted to visit the “Far East”, the land of dragons and the Tao, to walk the Great China Wall, the forbidden City and see the clay soldiers in all their glory. I’d also like visit the temples of Thailand and japan … but I think probably I’d only really like to do this in my dreams, far from the realities of the twenty-first century.

I love to challenge you to write a haibun (prose and haiku) in which you describe a journey (it doesn’t need to be a real journey you have undertaken) to a place you would love to see once in your life. For example, I would love to visit Japan once in my life, but I think that will not happen, but I can (of course) make that journey in my mind and dreams.

 

A Rooster Crows … Carpe Diem Haiku Family

Morning Haiku and Waka – February 15, 2015

this tree
just a vision
I dreamed
this morning

oniric garden
wingless flight in boundless skies
fire-birds fly

gardener of sleep
dream weaver works day and night
creating new worlds

what is reality
this lucid dream of here and now
or lucid night worlds

© G.s.k. ‘15

This first video was made many years ago … and below is our pianist in 2010 for his 85th birthday … he plays the same wonderful piece … He left us on the first of February this year.

 

that August evening
from infinity to “now”
you entered my dreams
accompanied by Satie
thus you were born my dear son

© G.s.k. ‘15

Haiku Shuukan #4, Dreamcatcher

hung above my bed
dreamcatcher weaves
poems from my sleep

beads and feathers
bind my night visits
through oniric lands

each drop of dream dew
like honey flows
back to me in melody

let the nightmares lie
they rarely inspire
beauty in verse

---

I particularly liked this Shuukan … I’m a vivid dreamer and of course I have a dream-catcher hanging in my room, which is part of a mobile windchime!

Inspired by Carpe Diem Shuukan – Dreamcatcher

Haibun: Awake in a Dream

 

Haibun

Awake in a Dream

Awakening from a dream, when it is still so close to you, is like walking in a new world.  The lovely sensations that were born of the night, follow your footsteps throughout the day, giving it a quality of magic.  Colors seem brighter, the wind is a caress, the birds sing with new vigor.  To be awake in a dream and dream when you’re awake.  Such a marvelous state of being!

world of dreams and song
accompany this sweet day
gentle winter rain

Written for Carpe Diem #353, Awake in a Dream with heartfelt thanks!

Carpe Diem’s Tan Renga

This is the fantastic haiga written by JRB of Five-Seven-Five in response on ”Beautiful Dreams”

Haiku

the sweetest of dreams
flowing like silk on her skin
sharp intake of breath

© John Belchamber 2013

my response:

her soft flowing emotions
our passionate evening song

Fun renga!  Hope you’ve enjoyed!

Carpe Diem #344, ”dreamtide”

Haiku

in hallowed halls
walking through tomes and volumes
Akashic Library

by night I walk
through my worlds composing poems
each passage inspires

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Carpe Diem Haiku Kai once again we are inspired by this fantastic musician!  Below you can get more information about him…enjoy!

More of and about Adrian von Ziegler:http://www.facebook.com/AdrianvonZiegler
http://itunes.apple.com/artist/adrian…
http://adrianvonziegler.bandcamp.com/

Mag 196 – Kyrielle Sonnet: Black Angel

Mag 196

Kyrielle Sonnet (variation 6 syllables)

Black Angel

Dark angel of the night
Black wings ready for flight,
Temptress, lady of sleep…
Come now my heart to reap!

I dream, so see her face,
Lovely and full of grace.
Yet tears I’ll surely weep.
My heart is hers to keep.

Alas, sad cold morning!
You came without warning!
I long to be asleep…
For need of her is deep.

Dark angel of the night
My heart is hers to keep.

Instructions

1) Write a poem or short vignette using the picture featured in this post as your inspiration. Feel free to take the image to use for your post.

2) Link back to Magpie Tales from your post.

3) Sign up in the Mr. Linky list, linking directly to your post, AFTER you’ve posted.

WDBWP-Poetry Prompt #003: Dream States

From Sahm at WDBWP

Prompt: We all have dreams, though sometimes they’re hard to remember.

  This week, pay close attention to your dreams.  If you remember to do so, upon waking, attempt to write a poem about your dream (unless it’s too personal, that is).  Use whatever form you wish, whether it be the Ghazal, Sonnet, Haiku, or what have you.  As an optional step, try interpreting your dream and telling us what you believe it means.

———————————————————————————————-

Free Verse

 Dream City

I walk down streets
crowded people bustling
pushing all me along,  in a rush
until I find a quiet corner that leads
into the familiar alleyway I visit often
welcome small shops beckon and call
each one a familiar stall
full of my favorite products
the smells
the sounds
the very air
shimmer and tempt
then, the shops suddenly close
the streets are abandoned…

 I’m here
inside this plaza
familiar yet unknown
the buses hurry by
driven by ghosts
in this world
only wind
no voices
no song
no one
until
I enter…

a wide open thoroughfare
sun shines and beckons me
into a city park
flowers all in bloom
peaceful and perfumed
young people holding hands
old people feeding pigeons
I hear the crunch of gravel
a plane flies overhead
sitting on a bench
I see your face
and I
smile before I awaken
back to my everyday world

——————————————————————————————————

N.B. This is just three variations of a dream I often have…there’s another one that I dream often it’s about too, it takes place in an old abandoned house full of treasures to be discovered in each room.  Who knows maybe I’ll write about it someday both the city and the house leave me with a feeling of serenity. The only them is that while I’m dreaming I’m pretty much aware that they are dreams and I ask myself where I’ve seen the places before.  Hope there are no Freudians or Jungians among my readers!

I thought it was cool that the three verses formed figures for me today…a lamp, a key hole and a vase!

Carpe Diem #340, ”beautiful dreams”

Carpe Diem Haiku Kai today offers this beautiful piece of music to help us dream!

Sedoka

walking through these woods
each night in my winter dreams
birds uplift my soul
meeting with my love
though his face I’ve never seen
summer’s rose blossoms

(c) Georgia

 

Diamante: Sleep

Diamate

Sleep

Sleep
wondrous, adventure
dreaming, refreshing, escaping
sweet, respite, fearful, fretful
worrying, projecting, rejecting
sad, fearful
Insomnia

(according to shadow poetry this is how it should be written, so I did)

@)—>—>—

Sleep
walk through
strange magic corridors
into sweetly tempting dreams
hold my hand, come
into my kingdom
to meet
Love

(but Bastet perfers to write it like this 😉 )