Aug 2
...time whizzes on! ◠‿◠
clik to enlarge
wakatanka 16
white shells
on a beach below
the waves
in the time of dreams
still young and dancing
16
"In 712 AD, the Kojiki, the oldest Japanese anthology of poems, was presented to the Emperor's court. In it, the god Susanoo is alleged to have written the first poem to appear on the opening pages of this book. This poem presented above was written in the Tanka form or "Uta" or "Waka" as it was called then." - Smitha Chakravarthula
Eightfold rising clouds
Build an eightfold fence
An eightfold Izumo fence
Wherein to keep my bride -
Oh! splendid eightfold fence.
— FEATURED MICROPOET —
17
Crossroader Gary does a honkadori (reference and homage to a previous literary event) at Basho's ancient pond. Not without humour and most evocative. Gabor's products are off the global haiku map in some wild unknown where future and passed discuss possibilities in a present yet to come to go. Nice one dude and keep safe from wild animals and pundits.
◠‿◠
Excellent (✓) not bad ( ) could do better ( ) don’t call us, we’ll call you ( )
old pond
ninja jumps in
breeze rustles leaves
Gary Gabor
17
"You know what 'FEAR' stands for? It stands for 'False Evidence Appearing Real.' It's the darkroom where Satan develops his negatives..." - Gary Busey
/
snatched from the jaws of death-
a spider's tiny
curled up ball
POSTSCRIPT: Carefully wiped off invisible threads and placed the little black cannonball woodlouse (aka: chickypig) on a workbench. When I looked again it was gone.
Yes, a good deed done. It was hanging as a perfect ball - squeezed tight. The spider was waiting for it to relax in order to inject paralytic poison as it hung suspended. It was a curious shape dangling there in the breeze. "What's that pretty object," the thought came. The rest is recorded in the Angelic Record.
jp
ZEN AS TROPE
18
The general idea of remembering we are fluid with nature, rather than an operative part of a tribal dream, is not exclusive to Zen. Far from it. Although Zen figures in the mix, many other influences are to be found in classical hokku. Not the least being Shinto and Tao. Nevertheless, the review on this post's link is a handy overview (taken with a pinch of salt regarding Zen specific - consider that a figure of speech, aka trope).
/
with a pinch of salt
leaves turn and breezes-
these days
18
autumn repairs
in the petrol tank
a garden
18
falling leaves,
in a pub's twinkling garden-
the giggle of children
more Issa 19
Syllableº17 [jp] notes, "The willow is a symbol of many things of which grace, humility and a certain unfulfilled receptive sadness (as in weeping and rain) are not the least. The willow is certainly feminine in attribute globally. All of these notions would add to the enjoyment of this charming, dare we say archetypal, Issa haiku. Its overall effect psychologically is representative of the presence that remains after the woman in question has disappeared from Issa's sight; around the corner of his eye."
/
turning 'round
just missing a pretty woman...
willow tree
Issa
◠‿◠ The idea that this is a near miss by a flying willow tree is to be dismissed as silly. And yet...
20
forever rising
in its horizontal world
a wanderer's autumn shadow
This haiku dream-catches a curious moment for me. I was walking along in the village night, returning from the darkling wilds of an owl haunted valley. There was a street lamp behind me. On the ground ahead my shadow was long. It seemed to be rising in its own flat universe as I strolled home. Whilst I was walking in the 3D horizontal, my constant companion was rising up into some shadowland sky from its imagined perspective. If a shadow, so to say, was to wander off separately, it would, needs must, stroll down into the earth beneath one's feet, or the high places above one's haircut. For, the vertical plane is a shadow's 2D horizontal, whilst being, coefficiently, our 3D vertical. A contemplation of relative abstract spatial geometries. When I finally arrived at the cottage porch, my neighbour's black cat ran off.
jp
21
"Words shape psychic forces." - The Haiku Shaman©
/
commuters
behind their newspaper. . .
autumn train
Noun
言霊 (hiragana ことだま, romaji kotodama)
The mystical force inherent in language. Taken from Shinto beliefs, the Japanese believe that speech has magical effects on the world as words conjure up various spirits, or kami(神 gods and goddesses), that animate the living earth.
NOTE
"Psychic forces" refers to the little dream delivered by a real haiku. Deeper than aesthetics there is a profound mystery engaged when we share a properly constructed haikai experience. In old Japan they called this 'yugan', a name rooted in the deep indigo colour of a traditional dye. The colour of twilight - symbol of boundless mystery of being. By practising classical haiku techniques we gain this enhanced awareness as an everyday state of consciousness. This is why we need to do haiku properly -- to avoid distortion. - jp
21
"We all come to go, there is no stopping this. God is great, but faith is better." - jp
/
along the lane
to everywhere and nowhere, baby-
falling leaves
Peering deeper. . . .
ALONG THE THE LANE
sprightly down time's memory lane
our traveller twigs spring's fall again
all that remains of butterflies' dreams
are falling leaves and musty schemes
TO EVERYWHERE AND NOWHERE
and more... (if only for a trice)
to say it once why say it twice?
'cos twice can easy be in three
lines of my ku's epiphany
BABY
so, hark! dear reader from despair
no need to rush to wash thine hair
nor stand upon a bridge and scream
for there's no end in sight...
FALLING LEAVES
('twould seem.)
jp
:))
GOBBLEDYGOOK
OF THE MOMENT
22
Pray welcome to the Zip School being Mr J. E. Carley's Original school of Zippery and suchlike wondrous contrivances.
GOBBLEDYGOOK ASSESSMENT
Excellent ( ) not bad (✓) could do better ( ) don’t call us, we’ll call you ( )
22
dark shapes stare
from their leafless shelves
at the tiny wanderer
23
a vertical moth,
with tiles on its wings-
weather's the storm
FEATURED
MICROPOET REVIEW
Scorpions & Lizards - sound of water
spring evening —
the wheel of a troop carrier
crushes a lizard
Dimitar Anakiev
25
"From dust to dust. What is there to inherit, when the dust settles, but Eternity? The earth (soil) , by our labour, grows food and shelter. This is where we meekly toil for our masters." - jp
/
cumulus clouds-
kings and their armies sweep over
the cornfield
N E W S F L A S H L U D E
/
autumn breeze is blowing
I feel like that a long-nosed goblin
weeps or laughs
— Shiki
Japanese Buddhist thought and evil forces "Residents of Japan will be vaguely aware of the long-nose impish figures known as Tengu, thinking of them as piquant figurines without deep religious significance. Tengu take many shapes in Japanese folklore, for instance as mischievous kidnappers of children or Pucks leading travellers astray."
moon update 26
"Always reference their ages when figuring their ideas. What Basho said and did in his youth is not what he said and did in his dotage. This is an important consideration when dowsing for justifiable precedent." - jp©
/
the small herd sleeps,
all facing a Barley Moon-
but one
TRUEKU BACKSTORY
The little Charolaise herd was having trouble with their salt lick which they'd managed to nose across the field and under one of my leaning gates (for cloud spotting). Hopped over the fence and repositioned said item. Hopped back out and had a chat with the Big Mother Cow who was guarding the babies from the Strange Human. After a while she sauntered away (hated the smell of my hand, twice!). Up the inside of the hedge she went and then dog-legged to the salt lick tub. Head down and licking with a calf. "Will take that as a thank you then," I quipped. And one went into the twilight thinking nice thoughts and smiling.
◠‿◠
T H E O R Y L U D E
ku muse 27
"Those inner links in renga were an important part of Basho's haikai renaissance. So, anything we learn about that can be applied to our growing sensitivity to the internal mechanics of a hokku in its standalone anarchy. But is it so? For, do we not, as participants in this beautiful theatre of the mind (ma as Noh) that is hokku, supply a response? Just like ghosts at a phantom gathering." - jp©
/
risky shortcut-
through the farmer's corn
a twilight trespass
Epigenetics 27
"Epigenetics is a new model of gene expression. "Epi" means above, so the literal translation of epigenetic control reads, “controlled above the genes.”
/
new old leaves,
rust in their cold harbour-
roadside fridge
28
"Brevity and free form, these are all as we stand in the living wind, or traverse a paused eternity. Music of modern hokku will perfectly approach from material source, silently. Channelled via reciprocal dialogue of seer and seen. Mediated by ungloved fingerprints as the worlds turn." - jp©
/
afterwards,
what a beautiful mess-
autumn storm
29
"The first reform of definition will be to separate haiku from hokku. Let the people have their haiku. Hokku is an advanced pursuit and is not, evidentially, for the global masses. It may be that some will become disillusioned with the fakery of haiku and desire to learn hokku." - jp©
/
a tiny autumn
in the corner of one eye
swims to fly
news 29
"We might as well go back to using candles at night, or, better still, just going to sleep after dusk." - anon
/
seems an indigo hijab-
leaves fly and raindrops
along a wild catwalk
N E W S F L A S H L U D E
news item 30
ah so, Kimosabe,
Blue Moon...soon...we say:
hi-yo, Silver! away!
- anon
NOTE: What does kimosabe mean? It is a made up word meaning "horse's rear end." The Lone Ranger thought it meant "friend".
30
"I started haikuing in New York City many years ago. The 5-7-5 error was all the rage in the bohemian quarters. You know; blue haze, jazz and red wine. It was/is quite good fun (like Scrabble). But, then I awoke from that dream and wings sprouted from my ankles. To the mountains we went and we never looked back." - jp©
/
broken-down white van,
its lettering is peeling—
rust and leaves
Thinking . . .
KU AS MOVIE SCRIPT/SCREENPLAY. Exampled here: <http://tinyurl.com/scorpizards>
"The style consists of a grammar that is specific to screenplays. This grammar also consists of two aspects:
"A prose that is manifestation-oriented, i.e. focuses largely on what is audible and what is visible on screen. This prose may only supply interpretations and explanation (deviate from the manifestation-oriented prose) if clarity would otherwise be adversely affected.
"Codified notation of certain technical or dramatic elements, such as scene transitions, changes in narrative perspective, sound effects, emphasis of dramatically relevant objects and characters speaking from outside a scene."
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movie_script>
jp©
A N A U T U M N I C O N F O R FB
31
One thing that this mobile nicely symbolizes is text over interlude (ma). For, when the delivery is done the leaves have gone and only the epiphany's vision remains. Like a magic curtain. A veil to pass through into calibrated dreamscape, where negatives of manifest realities are developed in the living dark of mu (nothingness), forever becoming. - jp
/
haiku crossroads
all around our hats
slowly the seasons
C O M E D Y L U D E
WHR August 2012 - World Haiku Review
"The World Haiku Review is the ezine of the World Haiku Club, and publishes a high quality of haiku poetry and similar forms." - Susumu Takiguchi
31
"Fish for Ku off any pier where logic thins out at the seaside of dreams." - jp©
/
a cow looks up—
the cloud's moving shadow
over leafy grass
—
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