Alan Summers has been filmed by NHK Television (Japan) for the feature “Europe meets Japan - Alan's Haiku Journey.” He’s a Trailblazer Contest 2024 winner for an experimental haikai verse, and a winner of the Bournemouth Writing Festival 2024 (Poetry and Flash Fiction) for haibun. His current passion is retrospective recipes including 1970s France, Britain, and Italy.
Alan is the founding editor of The Pan Haiku Review:
https://www.callofthepage.org/the-pan-haiku-review/
View all posts by Alan Summers
Thanks! I had a really useful dialog with Peter Newton. This is an experiential haiku, prompted by Ben Moeller-Gaa's haiku exercise last Good Friday. :-)
Ben took it from Masaoka Shiki who promoted direct sketching techniques. I can't find it now, but Ben asked something along the lines of up to twenty images you could see from your window.
I can let you have a similar exercise based again on Shiki if you like.
Quite possibly. This was last year, and following an exercise to find and note images through a lounge or kitchen window you see the same things but at different times of the day.
After time things get heightened, and senses switch.
Easter Sunday is associated with resurrection and occurs in spring, which is associated with new life. And birds make me think of eggs and being Easter they are chocolate, of course! ?
It's interesting how, two days later after all the Easter celebrations are over, this reads like a completely different ku, Alan – it has now holds a sense of sadness for me.
Perhaps because Australian Easter falls within autumn, I take a more melancholic feeling from this verse – notwithstanding the traditional resurrection theme. For me it is speaking to my loss of faith, a sense of the corruption of churches, and a turning towards nature to seek meaning and to celebrate the wonder of life and existence.
How wonderful the way your verse can allow so many of us to project our own experiences and explore our own emotional and spiritual journey.
Lovely work, Alan!
Thanks Helen! :-)
Great stuff Alan!
Thanks Dave!
….leans into birdsong
Beautiful!
Thank you, yes, beautiful yet so deeply poignant.
warmest regards,
Alan
Alan Summers, you did it again!!! :)
Thanks Lovette! Don't hesitate to email me re Writing Poetry: the haiku way. :-)
I see a church behind a for sale sign which is, of course, in the shape of a crucifix. Another sort of resurrection. Great haiku, Alan.
Church is good. It was from my block of apartments, the church is everywhere, which people in need find out.
Hi Alan –
Great Imagery – as expected :)
Lamart
That's very kind!
Thanks! I had a really useful dialog with Peter Newton. This is an experiential haiku, prompted by Ben Moeller-Gaa's haiku exercise last Good Friday. :-)
Nice.
A lovely jux-within-a-jux. Bill K
Thanks Bill, I knew you would get the play within the play. Many thanks, much appreciated.
warm regards,
Alan
of course, the leaning leans out over the second line
Yes, it was amazing to see and feel this. :-)
Would you be willing to share the Ben Moeller-Gaa's haiku exercise from the last Good Friday?
Thank you for such a superb haiku.
Hi Mary Jo,
Ben took it from Masaoka Shiki who promoted direct sketching techniques. I can't find it now, but Ben asked something along the lines of up to twenty images you could see from your window.
I can let you have a similar exercise based again on Shiki if you like.
warm regards,
Alan
Let me know if I can share a similar exercise. :-)
So gentle. Lovely Alan.
Thank you, though deeply sad too alas.
Experiential
… and perhaps a touch of hyper-reality?
Quite possibly. This was last year, and following an exercise to find and note images through a lounge or kitchen window you see the same things but at different times of the day.
After time things get heightened, and senses switch.
Alan
Delightful piece Alan–Adjei
Thank you! Sad too of course.
Easter Sunday is associated with resurrection and occurs in spring, which is associated with new life. And birds make me think of eggs and being Easter they are chocolate, of course! ?
I like it a lot, Alan.
marion
Thank you.
It's interesting how, two days later after all the Easter celebrations are over, this reads like a completely different ku, Alan – it has now holds a sense of sadness for me.
marion
Hi Marion,
I'm glad it carries past the actual day. Yes, the key word is the verb.
warm regards,
Alan
Thank you for sharing this haiku with us, Alan.
Perhaps because Australian Easter falls within autumn, I take a more melancholic feeling from this verse – notwithstanding the traditional resurrection theme. For me it is speaking to my loss of faith, a sense of the corruption of churches, and a turning towards nature to seek meaning and to celebrate the wonder of life and existence.
How wonderful the way your verse can allow so many of us to project our own experiences and explore our own emotional and spiritual journey.
Happy Easter to everyone on Tinywords.
Strider
Thank you!
Yes, you got what I wanted to say, and more. The key word is the verb, which can be unusual in haiku but not longer poetry.
Terribly sad, poignant.
warm regards,
Alan
Thank you! Yes, lots of layers to this one, and delighted you took the time to explore. Much appreciated.
Alan
Easter Sunday – crowd surfing – the cardinal’s hat
:-)
I love your haiku. Your writing is never boring.
re:
"I love your haiku. Your writing is never boring."
Dawn Apanius
Wow, thank you Dawn! That is deeply appreciated.
warmest regards,
Alan
Even though there is a sale and a moving, its Easter Sunday and the birds are singing. Resurrection. A poem of hope.
Thank you! :-)