JENN McKINLAY: It's national Haiku poem day! Let's give it a go!
When words are planted,
pretty poems bloom in spring—
silence becomes verse.
From the National Day Calendar:
"Observed annually on April 17, National Haiku Poetry Day encourages all to try their hand in creativity. Haiku poetry is a form of Japanese poetry that is non-rhyming and usually consists of 3 lines with a syllable pattern of 5-7-5. Usually, an element of nature, a season, a moment of beauty, or an individual experience inspires haiku poems. Sensory language is used to capture a feeling, image, or moment."
The most famous Japanese haiku (according to Google) is Matsuo Basho's "Old Pond" (Furu ike ya), written in 1686.
The Pond (Matsuo Bashō)
Japanese:
古池や (Furu ike ya)
蛙飛び込む (kawazu tobikomu)
水の音 (mizu no oto)
English translation:
An old silent pond...
A frog jumps into the pond—
Splash! Silence again.
Yes, I do enjoy poetry . . . favorite? Robert Frost . . . "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening" . . . .
ReplyDeleteLove Frost!
DeleteAny mention of poetry conjures images of Mrs. Christianson, my 6th grade English teacher, reading Robert Frost to our class. She was very passionate about poetry. I like Shel Silverstein.
ReplyDeleteIf I can come up with a haiku today, I’ll be back later to share it.
Love Silverstein!
DeleteRead to Ida Rose
ReplyDeleteHer delight in vehicles
Is my greatest joy.
Give me some Mary Oliver any day!
That one is everything a perfect haiku should be!
DeleteAww, thanks - you can't go wrong writing about a toddle granddaughter!
DeleteMary's the best!
DeleteJenn, thank you for the example of Haiku. I thought I knew what it was, but now it's clear that I only knew approximately what it was. This style of poetry is unique to Japanese and you can only imitate, not duplicate it in English.
ReplyDeleteI used to.love poetry and read it a lot, but I haven't taken down any of my poetry books in years. I knew dozens of poems by heart but have just a few that I still remember all the way through.
Happy Haiku Day.
Happy Haiku Day to you, too. I, too, can't remember as much as poetry I used to. Will have to get on that.
DeleteOoo ooo ooo here I am, bright and early, because I see the Reds are celebrating my favorite holiday! Thank you, Jenn for calling it out. But how can I choose just one haiku?
ReplyDeleteThese are the ones I can't decide between, all by Issa. They follow the 5-7-5 form in Japanese, but I love Robert Hass English translations above all others, because they capture all the meanings so perfectly, even though they don't perfectly do the syllable thing.
Children imitating cormorants
Are even more wonderful
Than cormorants.
Zealous flea,
you’re about to be a Buddha
by my hand.
(There's a Buddhist idea that all living things attain Buddhahood when they die, and I do love Issa's sense of humor!))
And this is one he wrote when he was old...
What good luck!
Bitten by
This year’s mosquitoes too.
Those are lovely. I am chuffed that this is your fave holiday, Jonelle!
DeleteI entered a haiku contest and submitted the following. It was fun to write them.
ReplyDeleteNature’s beauty shines
Fully blossomed and adored
Brings eternal peace
***
The face of the book
Gently caters to my whim
As pages go by
***
I wrote a haiku
No rhyme or reason for you
Bet it doesn’t win
Those are fabulous, Dru!!!
DeleteHere is my haiku in honor of my late Japanese Aunt Seiko:
ReplyDeleteTwisted in a knot
Like a crown upon her head
Tresses raven black.
HAPPY NATIONAL HAIKU POEM DAY!
Dru Ann - lovely!
DeleteEvelyn - spectacular!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteLove haiku. Can't think of a favorite. Love poetry--my favorite poet is William Stafford.
ReplyDeletelittle cat nose pressed
in the hollow of my throat
peace purrs in two hearts
I love this imagery, Flora. And from my days of having a cat I remember this feeling of peace!
DeleteLovely.
DeleteI love haikus. Thanks, Jenn.
ReplyDeleteAround the dogwood
Hyacinths pink, blue, yellow
Proclaim it is spring.
I can see that one!
DeleteBeautiful purple
ReplyDeleteAnother spring miracle
Finch sings so sweetly
Sunny or foggy
What surprise will today bring?
Get up and enjoy
I could not decide whether you were supposed to add punctuation? Jonelle, I loved the cormorant one!
Another spring one and then I will take my own advice and go outside:
DeletePeepers coming soon
Oh, the cacophony!
The music of spring
I have no idea but I love those either way.
DeleteWhere is Ann Mason? She is the reigning Queen of Haiku, since she often posts one to go with her FB Wordle results post.
ReplyDeleteLoving everyone's efforts. Alas, I am not a poet, but appreciate certain kinds. The New Yorker used to have a lot of poetry sprinkled around every issue, not so much these days. Haikus are a favorite, though: short, sweet, and often poignant gems.
I do admit to being a fan of doggerel, with Ogden Nash being at the top of the list. And it is not as common these days, but song lyrics are often sheer poetry set to music. Leonard Cohen, John Lennon, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan. The poetry in their songs is one of the biggest reasons why they endure. Taylor Swift can't hold a candle to their lyricism.
I also love Ogden Nash. Here's a silly quote of his: "Too much Chablis can make you whablis."
DeleteAnn??? Yes, the folk artists of the day were amazing. Hub and I were just listening to Cat Stevens and marveling.
DeleteNot my Haikus but funny!
ReplyDeleteI think haikus suck.
Has to be five seven five.
Who came up with this?
Haikus are easy
But sometimes they don't make sense
Refrigerator!
LOL!!! The second one got me!
DeleteAfter reading your monthly newsletter - want to congratulate you Jenn on your upcoming trip to Spain!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Looking forward to it!
DeleteRushing to a class
ReplyDeleteTeaching is my goal today
I will learn as well.
Good one!
DeleteA haiku is hard/You need the right syllables/Or the furshlugginger thing just won't scan properly!
ReplyDeleteLOL!
Deletethough Poetry is not my forte, I loved this poem with the painting, Jenn!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteSteep, white Alpine peaks
ReplyDeleteBrown cows graze green fields below--
Switzerland shows off!
Gorgeous day today, so my husband and I took a walk, and this is the scene we saw! Sometimes the clichés are right before your eyes.
Sounds lovely, Kim.
DeleteTime passes quickly
ReplyDeleteToo fast to catch and hold it
But hearts keep the love.
Yes, I enjoy poetry. Favorites are Robert Frost, Mary Oliver, Langston Hughes, Edgar Allan Poe, Emily Dickinson, and Maya Angelou. Also, for those who are grieving or have grieved, or if you just want to know how someone feels who is grieving, Sara Rian has slim books of poetry catching the feelings and thoughts of grief so amazingly.
Oh, I'll look for that one, Kathy!
DeleteA favorite that is haiku-like
ReplyDeleteBy Nael, age 6
The tiger
He destroyed his cage
Yes
YES
The tiger is out
Spent today learning that while 6 flats in our building have Orange WiFi there are only 5 connections in the building. So for the past year, the technicians have just been unplugging someone to connect new accounts or when someone complains the WiFi is down. Apparently some neighbors arrived this week and we got cut off (second time). Our neighbor across the hall was lovely and connected us with a friend working at Orange to provide us with a 4G box until a new line can be installed.
That's adorable but your wifi situation is bonkers!
DeleteMy favorite is a much more somber one by Yoso no Buson, one of the great poets of the Edo period in the 18th century. It expresses profound loss in such a few words:
ReplyDeleteThe piercing chill I feel:
My dead wife's comb, in our bedroom
Under my heel...
Ooooooh, good one.
DeleteFor a structured poem: villanelle. I even wrote some. Favorite villanelle “The Art of Losing” by Elizabeth Bishop…”it isn’t hard to master”. Favorite poet: Lynn Ungar who wrote “Camas Lilies” (among many other wonderful poems) with my favorite lines “Gone/to the fields to be lovely. Be back/ when I'm through with blooming.” Happy weekend, All. Elisabeth
ReplyDeleteOh, I love that! We all need to go to the fields.
DeleteOkay the day is nearly done, but here is my stab at a Haiku:
ReplyDeleteZero Zero Start
Forehand Backhand Oops! That’s out.
Pickleball with friends.