cool breeze –
squirrels examine
rain debris
Published by
Mark Brooks
Mark's haiku and renku have been published around the world and translated into several languages. He is the publisher and editor of haijinx, an international journal that examines humor in haikai. He has a hand in other haijinx sites and publications. Mark is also the incoming editor of the Haiku Society of America's newsletter. If you are incredibly interested in Mark, or simply bored, read his blog. Among other things, it covers haiku news and the happenings at haijinx. email: mbrooks at haikai dot info View all posts by Mark Brooks
of late, and i’m thinking in the past, also, i am seeing many who write exactly what they see, without attempting to be creative.
i feel, anyone writing a haiku should read, on a regular basis, the material done by the masters; in doing so, shake one’s self free from all the nonsense handed out today on (what a haiku is) and (what a haiku isn’t). sure, the masters (spoke) of the every day occurrences, however they (spoke) with a flair.
“against the brushwood gate
dead tea leaves swirl
in the stormy wind”
basho
more…
and then…
today, i would imagine seeing this written as such:
the gate
leaves swirl-
in the wind
if you didn’t know the first was by basho, i wonder how many would quickly pass judgement in saying, “bob, that’s too wordy, and there’s redundancy”.
hahaha, the thought comes to mind (what if)
i said it was basho and it wasn’t; how many are easily impressed by titles and positions, don’t fret, the words accredited to basho are basho’s, i think.
basho, indeed, very knowledgeable, didn’t hesitate to look back to the masters, before his time, for enhancement of his work, at the time.
i am reminded of the words, “if you’re trying to learn anything constructive, talk with the aged”
dead of night
at the five foot way
two cockroaches pushing a paper
sunny chilly morn
discomposed birds’ songs –
rip currents, weatherman warns
am inclined to agree with mr. richardson. at
least provide something that’s slightly more
exciting than oatmeal.
deep snow
the black squirrel extracts
another acorn
hearing these same winds
six months earlier–
thoughts of blustery hurricane
–
martin jablonsky, life with it’s many facets, almost three years to the date(2005-06-23); some things never change…