Category Archives: Blog

Blog, Haiku, News

In The Language of Dragons

.

flowering only

in soft moonlight—

dragon fruit

.

In anticipation of the year of the dragon, a delightful collection of dragon haiku edited by Aubrie Cox, of Yay Words! The language of Dragons is heart-warming, playful, witty, and wonderful.  I am delighted that one of my own dragon haiku made it there. The entire collection can be downloaded as PDF from Aubrie’s site, here.

 

Blog, Short stories

The Tree (Haibun)

3 Comments

The Tree

Sitting under a mulberry tree by the sea, in Alexandroupolis, Greece, near the border with Turkey, I stare across the sparkling water. A melancholy mood is sapping my energy. The ferry to Samothraki makes me wish to travel further on, but I know I’ve come far enough. This place, at the intersection of continents, symbolizes the crossroads in my own life, leaving behind my youth and entering middle age. I need a push, something to give me strength to take the next step.

I must have fallen asleep because when I come to dusk is falling like rain. I rub my eyes. The town lights flicker simultaneously with their reflections on the water. The notes of a flute pierce the air.

I muse about the times this town has passed between the Bulgarians, the Greeks, the Turks, the Russians; shudder at the thought of how much blood has been spilled. And yet humanity continues, the spirit survives whoever the ruler, whatever the belief. I realize the smallness of my own problem, the disease of vanity and self-preoccupation.

A crow lands next to me. We eye each other for a minute or two, then he flies away. Feeling a sense of acceptance wash over me, I walk to my Pension. The hostess noticing the lifting of my mood offers me a theory about what happened.

“It must have been the dervish, the Holy man of the fifteenth century,” she says. “He spent his days under a tree… he is buried there…”

“They buried him under his tree?”

“They say he still heals those who go to sit under it.”

“Is that the Mulberry tree…?” I start, trying to locate ‘my’ tree for her.

She shrugs, and then I know it does not matter.

.

in the salty air

a single leaf from his book –

dove with crow

In Contemporary Haibun Online, January 2012

aros, Blog, Haiku, NaHaiWriMo

January 2012 River of Stones

2 Comments

It is January and time for noticing, for paying attention to, well, whatever attracts our attention on a daily basis and writing a small poem, sentence, something about it – what is called a small stone. It is not difficult, believe me. The world calls to us all the time; in the words of Mary Oliver,

“The world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting-“

From Wild Geese, Mary Oliver’s poem in Wikipedia

Let‘s not be deaf to it this year. Let’s start small, noticing one thing at a time, writing a small stone.

If you’d like to join in, take a look at the founding fathers, ooops, founding couple: Fiona and Kaspa’s site here  They explain everything… And you can even get a lovely badge from their site for your blog. I will be getting one soon myself…

 .

Oh yes, I almost forgot, here is the distillation of today’s noticing in the form of a haiku:

. 

first day

the rootedness

of everything

.

See also NaHaiWriMo prompt: New Year’s day/beginnings

aros, Blog, Haiku, NaHaiWriMo

Haiku #29 December 2011

1

packing tackle
the fishing line teasing
the cats
.
Inspired by Jane Reichhold’s ‘frayed rope’
.
2
a shape no other
than the humble horseshoe
four-leaf clover
.
Based on Cherie Hunter Day’s ‘a skull no bigger‘

.

NaHaiWriMo prompt: Influence (another poet/haiku) This is the prompt:

Write a haiku based on/influenced by another poet’s haiku. I know, I know, we are always under someone’s influence, but still! Anything goes, except ‘old pond’

If you are stuck for choice, have a look at the link below, the Haiku Foundation’s Montage Archive, where the work of haiku poets is juxtaposed in relation to a theme, for instance, The Little Truths  or any other comparative haiku piece. Or, pull on the ‘frayed rope’ here
See you there!

aros, Blog, Haiku, NaHaiWriMo, Poems

Snowman Haiga (collaboration)

Happy Christmas and a Merry, Healthy and Joyous New Year!

.

This haiga, using my haiku, was created by renowned haiga artist  Kuniharu Shimizu. Kuni-san is also priest of Tenrikyo, advisor to the  World Haiku Association, and judge of their haiga contests. I feel most honored that one of my snowman haiku was included in his current series of Snowman haiga.

The haiga is accompanied by a lovely commentary on his own blog, seehaikuhere. Click and see.

aros, Blog, Haiku, NaHaiWriMo

Haiku #22 December 2011

1 Comment

.

cosmic cushion –
pulling the darkness out
pin by pin
.
moment of stillness
just before the light changes
direction

.

NaHaiWriMo prompt: solstice. The actual prompt ran like this:

Solstice (what else?), cosmic time, longest/shortest day, cosmic light… .
.
A haiku I love by Svetlana Marisova:
.
incoming tide …
the writing fills
both sides
..
More of her poems in the recently created page here (The link takes you to the Haiku Foundation page with several of Svetlana’s poems. Go and see!)

aros, Blog, Haiku, NaHaiWriMo

Haiku #21 December 2011

.

1
funicular inner monologue bursting out in laughter (ku-ku)
2
snow storm
all the pigeons become
doves
(cuckoo-ku)
.
My haiku plays with the misperception that pigeons are grey and doves white. I came across a site with pictures that corrected me (at least) for good: here

.

NaHaiWriMo prompt runs as follows:

December 21 Prompt: Let’s have some serious fun. Pick a genre from Michael’s essay „ku-ku: Because You Can’t Have Enough Haiku“ and write a haiku in that genre. Please indicate which one you’ve picked, eg chai-ku.
See here