Carpe diem haiku writing techniques Vol. 1 by Chèvrefeuille's Publications The Netherlands

HAIKU WRITING TECHNIQUES

CHÃ¨VREFEUILLE

as published at: http://chevrefeuillescarpediem.blogspot.com

Haiku Writing Techniques

PREFACE

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers, It's my pleasure to present our new Carpe Diem Haiku Kai (CDHK) e-book "Haiku Writing Techniques" in which I have gathered the Haiku Writing Techniques which we have discussed in the first quarter of 2015. Every Wednesday we had an chapter of this special CDHK feature in which I have tried to tell you more about Haiku Writing Techniques. I even had the guts to create an all new Haiku Writing Technique, baransu, or balance through association. I hope this new e-book will help you to improve your Haiku Writing skills. ChĂ¨vrefeuille, your host at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai

Haiku Writing Techniques

CONTENTS Preface 1. Juxtaposition 2. Onomatopoeia 3. Repetition 4. Surprise 5. Comparison 6. Wabi-Sabi 1 7. Wabi-Sabi 2 8. Karumi 9. Free-style 10. Back to basic 11. Baransu Resume Afterword

Haiku Writing Techniques Haiku Writing Techniques #1, Juxtaposition This first chapter of Haiku Writing Techniques is about Juxtaposition or in a more "visible way"; if a waiter served you a whole fish and a scoop of chocolate ice cream on the same plate, your surprise might be caused by the juxtaposition, or the side-by-side contrast, of the two foods. Any time unlike things bump up against each other, you can describe it as a juxtaposition. Imagine a funeral mourner telling jokes graveside, and you get the idea — the juxtaposition in this case is between grief and humor. Juxtaposition of two contrasting items is often done deliberately in writing, music, or art — in order to highlight their differences. I often hear that juxtaposition is a key to a successful haiku. The contrast of two images in haiku is most often instrumental in creating resonance. Robert Spiess, editor of 'Modern Haiku', has said the following about juxtaposition in haiku: [...] “Juxtaposition of entities in haiku cannot be simply the throwing together of just anything; the poet must have the intuition that certain things, albeit of "opposite" characteristics, nonetheless have a resonance with each other that will evoke a revelation when they are juxtaposed in accordance with the time-tested canons and aesthetics of haiku.” [...] I have heard (of course) about juxtaposition as a Haiku Writing Technique, but I am not aware of using it myself, maybe because I am in a way one with my haiku. There is (however) a last quote of my master Basho which I love to share here with you. The Master (Basho) said, "A haiku that moves smoothly from the opening five syllables to the end is a superb verse." Kyorai: "If a poet composes by combining separate things, he can compose many verses and compose them quickly. Beginning poets should know this. But when one becomes an accomplished poet, it is no longer a question of combining or not combining." To close this first chapter of Haiku Writing Techniques: "In the hands of a highly skillful haiku poet, one-image haiku can be exquisitely successful. Nevertheless, experimenting with different types of juxtaposition may add the depth that creates a memorable haiku; one that does not fail to reverberate again and again". I hope this chapter (my first real way to teach something) on juxtaposition was clear and helps you to write even better haiku than you all already did. I hope also that you did understand my English, because it's not my maiden language.

Haiku Writing Techniques I will share a few examples written by classical and non-classical haiku poets in which juxtaposition is used. long hard rain hanging in the willows tender new leaves © Jane Reichhold And what do you think of that classic haiku by Basho 'frog pond' ... as I was preparing this chapter I "studied" a few haiku by Basho and in a way ... this juxtaposition technique ... revealed the juxtaposition in that world wide well known haiku by Basho: ancient lake . . . a frog jumps into it sound of water © Basho (Tr. Chèvrefeuille) Or what do you think of this one by Alexey Andreyev (one of our featured haiku-poets last year): on every icicle's tip a drop of sunlight © Alexey Andreyev Maybe ... juxtaposition is one of the most important Haiku Writing Techniques I think. Almost every haiku has two images in it, but those images aren't always the same, but contradicted. Well ... I think this is it ...

Haiku Writing Techniques Here are my haiku using juxtaposition: such sadness to see tears on young leaves the bright sunlight I'm paralyzed as bitten by a Black Mamba awesome sunset wind of winter touches the last flowers Ah! that perfume ... ÂŠ ChĂ¨vrefeuille Are these haiku using juxtaposition? I have given it a try to write/compose these haiku using Juxtaposition.

Haiku Writing Techniques Haiku Writing Techniques #2, Onomatopoeia Of all languages, Japanese is by far the richest in onomatopoeic elements, especially of the simpler variety, in which the sound of the word is directly an imitation of the thing. I had never heard of onomatopoeia until I discovered haiku in the late eighties, but I learned through the years that haiku are made, written, composed for saying aloud twice (or more times). Haiku are written down but the essence of haiku is this onomatopoeia. How we say a thing is of more importance, of more significance, than what we say, the conscious meaning; for through the tones of the voice, the words chosen, their combination, the sounds echoing and reechoing one another, their concords suspended and reestablished, their discords sustained and resolved, through all this there is a music as free and yet as law-abiding as is that of the flute, the oboe and the violin. Japanese is a language of sounds as we can see in the three-lined form of haiku with its 5-7-5 soundunits (or onji). Japanese people are part of nature, they are one with the sounds of nature and therefor haiku became what it is ... the poetry of nature ... hi wa hi kure yo yo wa yo ake yo to naku kaeru "day, ah, darken day! night, ah, dawn away!" chant the frogs ÂŠ Buson Try to say the romaji-translation and listen to the sound of it. Don't you hear the frogs in that? The Japanese are "masters" in onomatopoeia use in their poetry and they owe that to their on sound-units based language. In the Western languages we have not such a sound base, we however can imitate sound with making the emphasizing and lengthening of unaccented syllables, as e.g. in the lines by Pope: [...} "When Ajax strives some rock's vast weight to move, the line too labors and the words move slow". [...] In the following well-known verse of Buson the sounds of the sea strike on the ear more truly in the sound of his seventeen syllables than through the sound of the actual waves on the physical ear: haru no umi hinemosu notari notari kana the spring sea, gently rising and falling, the whole day long ÂŠ Buson The sounds of hinemosu almost reverse the sounds of haru no umi. The repetition of notari, notari, the kana which echoes the a sounds of haru and notari, all this represents, for some unknown reason, not so much the sound of waves, but rather the meaning of the long spring day by the shore. What is the meaning of this? It is: 7

Haiku Writing Techniques haru no umi hinemosu notary notari kana Issa is well known, in spite of this fluency and the large number of verses he produced, to have revised his poems over months and sometimes years, e.g. the following: o botaru yurari yurari to tori keri waveringly, a huge firefly passes by ÂŠ Issa This verse is the result of many revisions, but the final version appears artless and the work of a moment. This revision of verse is a revision of experience. The experience had matured in the words of the haiku so that he came to know what he should have wanted to say. We may summarize the function of onomatopoeia in the following way: 1.) The direct representation of the sounds of the outside world by the sounds of the voice; Ochikochi ochikochi to utsu kurula kana here and there, there and here, beating fuelling-blocks ÂŠ Buson ichiboku to poku poku aruku hanami kana he ambles along with his man-servant: cherry-blossom viewing ÂŠ Kigin

Haiku Writing Techniques 2.) The representation of movement, or physical sensations other than that of sound; ishikawa wa kuwarari inuzuma sarari kana the Stony River rippling, the lightning flickering © Issa yusa-yusa to haru ga yuku zo yo nobe no kusa spring departs, trembling, in the grasses of the fields © Issa 3.) The representation of soul states. This is always indirect, unconscious, spontaneous. Great poetry depends chiefly for its effect upon this factor. It cannot be imitated or artificially produced; utagauna ushio no hana mo ura no haru *) do not doubt it, the bay has its spring too, the flowers of the tide © Basho *) notice the u's and a's osoki hi no tsumorite toki mukashi kana *) slow days passing, accumulating, how distant they are, the things of the past! © Buson *) Buson uses the k sound to portray the bitterness of the passing of time

Haiku Writing Techniques A last example to try to explain onomatopoeia. The following haiku by Akitoshi shows us why we should read haiku aloud to hear what the poet meant to say: rappa fuite fumoto no michi ga kokoro yoku hotsiru bashaya san blowing his horn, the road at the foot of the mountain stretches out peacefully, the driver © Akitoshi The following series of sounds (onji) 3, 3; 4, 3, 3, 2; 3, 3, 2 give both the sound of the horn and the rhythm of the horse's hoofs. Do you hear it? Isn't it awesome to do this? Well ... I hope that you understand this haiku writing technique, onomatopoeia. I know it's not an easy writing technique, but maybe it challenges you to write an all new haiku based on sounds or onji as is meant with onomatopoeia. raindrops fall puddles become water ballets drip, drip, drip © Chèvrefeuille (A not so strong attempt to compose a haiku with onomatopoeia).

Haiku Writing Techniques Haiku Writing Techniques #3 Repetition I love to tell you something more about repetition, repeating words and sounds, in haiku. I think this chapter is a nice follow-up of chapter 2 "onomatopoeia" . Among all poetical forms the haiku is the very soul of brevity. In no more than three lines it contains a maximum of seventeen syllables, often fewer. Every word, every break counts. Yet there are haiku that have space for repetition within this narrow frame. How then is this achieved? It goes without saying that in order to work it must be done with considerable skill, or sensitivity. It may use for quite different poetical reasons, however. By its very element of surprise repetition of a word or part of a phrase may make the readers pay greater attention. They may feel that in order to be understood the text as it stands calls for reading aloud. Now recitation of poetry is an excellent practice which has been neglected in these years of silent reading due to general literacy. A poem worth reading is worth reciting, and will gain by it. Often the word which is repeated changes its sense to some degree. This will encourage the reader to savor its complete range of meaning. This effect is particularly striking when different forms of the same verb are used. A word may create a definite anticipation that is then twisted to a surprise. Some haiku are written in an elusive style which it would be difficult to render into exact prose. By the repetition of words the reader is encouraged to shift them around and consider various possible interpretations of the scene. In other haiku the text may be perfectly clear and the repetition will serve as an exclamation, an expression of the sense of wonder. A scene will be compressed. A single word is used where normally a full description would be needed. The repetition will show the reader the value of the word that has been chosen and the richness of meaning within its range. Repetition can increase the impact of a haiku. One of the most well-known haiku in which repetition is very clear is the following by Matsuo Basho. He wrote this haiku as he saw Matsushima:

"Matsushima, Ah! Matsushima! Matsushima!" ÂŠ Basho 11

Haiku Writing Techniques It is said that this haiku was indeed written by Basho as he saw Matsushima, but in his “Narrow Road to the Deep North” he writes about Matsushima the following: “I couldn’t write a haiku as I saw Matsushima’s beauty, it was too overwhelming”. So who did wrote that haiku? There are sources who say that it was written by a monk named Tahara Bo. Well it doesn’t really matter, because it’s a wonderful haiku and it shows how you can use repetition in your haiku to show the beauty of something. There are several haiku written in which "repetition" is used and I have found a few of them. I found for example a lot of haiku with repetition written by Kobayashi Issa who was the master of repetition: kyoo mo kyoo mo onaji yama mite haru no ame today too, today too I see the same old mountain ... rain in spring nake yo nake yo oya nashi suzume otonashiki sing, sing! orphan sparrow... so quiet sakura sakura to utawareshi oiki kana "Cherry blossoms! Cherry blossoms!" they sang under this old tree kuyo-kuyo to sawagu na asu wa asu no tsuyu don't complain so much - tomorrow brings tomorrow's drew drops na-batake ya hyoi hyoi hyoi ya kiku no hana canola field -a chrysanthemum, another and another © Kobayashi Issa And I found a few haiku by others, but with a strong repetition in it. Repetition can increase the beauty of haiku, but I think you don't have to overdo it. Repetition can have a function in your haiku (or tanka). It can make an emotion stronger or a painted image even more beautiful ... repetition ... we’ll try it sometimes.

Haiku Writing Techniques tsubame tsubame doro ga suki naru tsubame kana Swallows, oh, swallows, how much you like the mud! you swallows! © Hosomi Ayako (1907～1997) snow is falling on millions of homes snow is falling © Taro Kunugi, Japan (2011) the river the river makes of the moon © Jim Kacian (1996) Of course I tried it myself and I have sought through my archive to find a few examples of "repetition" ... here they are: cherry blossoms fall the spring breeze rustles through the leaves cherry blossoms fall one summer morning the sound of a dog barking and barking again A last one to conclude this chapter of our Haiku Writing Techniques: children's laughter I enjoy their laughter whole day long laughing children © Chèvrefeuille

Haiku Writing Techniques Haiku Writing Technique #4 Surprise autumn wind trying to keep myself under my hat ÂŠ John Stevenson Why do I start this chapter with this haiku? I will try to explain that, but I don't know if I will succeed in that goal. Maybe this chapter had to be our first chapter, because it's all about one of the basic writing techniques of haiku, the surprise, that one moment as long as the sound of a pebble thrown into water. That moment we have to catch in three lines, three lines which have to tell the whole story of that one moment, that surprise. That one moment is the essence of haiku. It's an impression caught in three lines and (mostly) seventeen syllables. Imagine: A walk through the forest on a summer day. Birds are praising their Creator with their fragile voices. A warm breeze caresses the leaves, bringing them to a higher level of consciousness. Their rustling makes you relaxed and one with nature. Far away sounds of traffic making your experience even better. Then you walk onto a bright sunny spot in the heart of the forest, a plain spot of grass mixed with all kinds of colorful (field) flowers and there in the middle of that spot, you find a crystal clear pool with the most beautiful colored water-lilies. As you walk closer to the crystal clear pool you see a pair of deer. "Wow", you think. "What a surprise". This chapter is about "surprise" and that's what I felt as I read the haiku above. The surprise of "trying to keep myself under my hat" instead of "I lose my hat" for example. Ok ... back to our little story. What is the surprise? Is it that crystal clear pool, the blooming waterlilies, the song of the birds or is it that pair of deer? I think that every one of us will have another surprisingly beautiful experience, but how to catch it? Haiku is not just a "snapshot", it has to be a sketch of the experience, an impression of the experience. The haiku is more a kind of resonance of the experience. As I discovered haiku in the late eighties I read "the bible" of haiku in The Netherlands "Haiku, a young moon" by J. van Tooren. In that book the author compares haiku with Impressionism. (Impressionism is a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists. Their independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s, in spite of harsh opposition from the conventional art community in France. The name of the style derives from the title of a Claude Monet work, Impression, soleil levant (Impression, Sunrise), which provoked the critic Louis Leroy to coin the term in a satirical review published in the Parisian newspaper Le Charivari.) Try to catch the "surprise" in the little story I told, try to sketch the impression, be the painter (with words) of the scene. Let your haiku be an impression of the scene you have encountered.

Haiku Writing Techniques Haiku Writing Technique #5 Comparison This chapter is about "comparison". Here is what I found about "comparison" in Jane Reichhold's "Bare Bones, school of haiku": In the words of Betty Drevniok: "In haiku the SOMETHING and the SOMETHING ELSE are set down together in clearly stated images. Together they complete and fulfill each other as ONE PARTICULAR EVENT." She rather leaves the reader to understand that the idea of comparison is showing how two different things are similar or share similar aspects. a spring nap downstream cherry trees in bud What is expressed, but not said, is the thought that buds on a tree can be compared to flowers taking a nap. One could also ask to what other images could cherry buds be compared? A long list of items can form in one's mind and be substituted for the first line. Or one can turn the idea around and ask what in the spring landscape can be compared to a nap without naming things that close their eyes to sleep. By changing either of these images one can come up with one's own haiku while getting a new appreciation and awareness of comparison.

Here is a haiku example with "comparison" in it by Basho: rabbit ear iris how much it looks like its image in water (C) Basho

Haiku Writing Techniques Or this one by Robert Mainone: a sky full of stars how improbable my parents would meet © Robert Mainone A haiku needs two parts. In this haiku the “sky full of stars” is compared to “the meeting of parents” and the million-to-one chance of that happening. The poet has achieved an aha moment! with the connection. This Haiku Writing Technique is not easy, but at the other hand it's an easy to choose way to make your haiku a beauty. I couldn't come up with a great haiku in which I use "comparison", so I have ran through my archive and found a haiku which I think can be used as an example in this chapter about "comparison". seeking for relief aching of a broken heart love isn't forever © Chèvrefeuille (published earlier on my personal haiku page) Comparison ... a nice way to write/compose haiku ... it brings you in a way immediately two lines and you have just to write a third line towards it to make your haiku complete.

Haiku Writing Techniques Haiku Writing Technique #6 Wabi-Sabi (in the original episode this chapter was titled SabiWabi) In this chapter we will look closer at, what is called "Sabi" and "Wabi". For this chapter I dived into Jane Reichhold's "Bare Bones School of Haiku", which you can download as an e-book at our Haiku Kai. In "Bare Bones School of Haiku" Jane explains the origin and writing of haiku and (as you have read it already) in one of her lessons in this book she explains "Sabi" and "Wabi". I love to share that part of "Bare Bones School of Haiku" here with you all. The Technique of Sabi I almost hesitate to bring up this idea as a technique because the word sabi has gotten so many meanings over the innumerable years it has been in Japan, and now that it comes to the English language it is undergoing even new mutations. As fascinated as Westerners have become with the word, the Japanese have maintained for centuries that no one can really, truly comprehend what sabi really is and thus, they change its definition according to their moods. Bill Higginson, in The Haiku Handbook, calls sabi â&#x20AC;&#x201C; "(patina/loneliness) Beauty with a sense of loneliness in time, akin to, but deeper than, nostalgia." Suzuki maintains that sabi is "loneliness" or "solitude" but that it can also be "miserable", "insignificant", and "pitiable", "asymmetry" and "poverty". Donald Keene sees sabi as "an understatement hinting at great depths". So you see, we are rather on our own with this! I have translated this as: sabi (SAH-BEE)aged/loneliness - A quality of images used in poetry that expresses something aged or weathered with a hint of sadness because of being abandoned. A split-rail fence sagging with overgrown vines has sabi; a freshly painted picket fence does not." As a technique, one puts together images and verbs which create this desired atmosphere. Often in English this hallowed state is sought by using the word "old" and by writing of cemeteries and grandmas. These English tricks wear thin quickly. rocky spring lips taking a sip from a stone mouth or coming home flower by flower

Haiku Writing Techniques The Technique of Wabi The twin brother to sabi who has as many personas can be defined as "(WAH-BEE)-poverty- Beauty judged to be the result of living simply. Frayed and faded Levis have the wabi that bleached designer jeans can never achieve." Thus one can argue that the above haiku samples are really more wabi than sabi â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and suddenly one understands the big debate. However, I offer one more ku that I think is more wabi than sabi because it offers a scene of austere beauty and poignancy. parting fog on wind barren meadows birth of a lamb As I look at these two very different ideas sabi and wabi than to me both describe a kind of atmosphere that has to be seen (or read) in the haiku. But that atmosphere isn't easy to catch with a few words, maybe these two ideas are more in use for Tanka, because than you have two more lines to give words to the atmosphere of the moment which you love to catch in your poem. However as I look closer to wabi and the example Jane gives in this description of the jeans than a haiku which I wrote several years ago on "blue" comes in mind immediately.

wearing blue jeans sign of happiness and freedom bleached with stones bleached with stones jeans almost falling apart can't throw them away But this can also be sabi, because all new designer jeans are ragged or ripped ... and they sell ... So for these "torn apart" jeans I think you can use both ideas sabi and wabi. Well ... it's a little bit strange Haiku Writing Technique, but it will challenge us in a very positive way.

Haiku Writing Techniques Haiku Writing Techniques #7 Wabi-Sabi the continuing story I love to dive into the "matter" of Wabi-Sabi again in this chapter â&#x20AC;&#x153;Wabi-Sabi the continuing story. I hope it will give you all more insight in this ancient Japanese phenomenon and to "learn" you how to use it in your haiku-ing. For this chapter I have done some tough research and at the end of this chapter I will give a short list of references which I have used to write this chapter. As you have noticed already I have used Wabi-Sabi instead of Sabi and Wabi (as I did in the last chapter). In all the literature and articles I have read to prepare this chapter (some used, some not) Wabi-Sabi was always used, so that's why I have chosen for Wabi-Sabi this time. Wabi-Sabi is a compound word and to understand the essence of Wabi-Sabi I need to separate Wabi and Sabi. However both cannot be seen apart from each other, but first I will try to explain Wabi-Sabi as one word. Wabi-Sabi is an ancient Japanese aesthetic of imperfection, incompleteness and impermanence that originated with Buddhist monks and then was integrated by masters of the Tea-ceremony in the 15th century. And if you keep it in mind, it will cut a lot of crap out of your writing and help you ignore your ego and bring out a beauty in your writing you didn't know you were capable of. Originally Wabi-Sabi was about creating the ideal meditation environment and it symbolizes aesthetic simplicity and represents Zen Buddhist principles of harmony, respect, purity and tranquility. It's about appreciation, slowing down, using the senses, no ego, no expectations, no judgment. Sounds familiar? Yes ... this is haiku. Ok ... let us pull Wabi-Sabi apart and look to the both "links" on their own. Wabi refers to simplicity and humility. It's about being content with little. Wabi, stemming from the root "wa", which refers to harmony and tranquility, has evolved in meaning from describing something sad and desolate to describing something that is purposely humble and in tune with nature. Sabi refers to the passing of time, which creates a feeling of sadness, longing and melancholy. It's about transient imagery, how things convey how they've lived - their age, their knowledge. Sabi by itself refers to the natural progression of time, and carries with it an understanding that all things will grow old and become less conventionally beautiful. However, things described as "sabi" carry their age with dignity and grace. At the heart of being "sabi" is the idea of authenticity. As I stated above "Wabi-Sabi IS haiku. Let us take a look to how a haiku comes to life, maybe we can "discover" that Wabi-Sabi IS haiku. You start by being part of the moment (as short as the sound of a pebble thrown in water), see the impression of the moment. Come in contact with the moment, BE the moment. Feel it, smell it, hear it, see it, touch it ... use all your senses to become one with the moment ... BE the moment. Let go all of your thoughts, make your mind empty, feel only the emptiness, be humble to the experience. It's

Haiku Writing Techniques a privilege to be in the moment. That moment grants you its permission to Be IN IT, be grateful to that. Do you feel it? That's Wabi-Sabi, that's what haiku is.

An example of a haiku filled with Wabi-Sabi by Basho: the morning's snow I can chew dried salmon alone © Basho This haiku by Basho reveals several important techniques that help capture wabi sabi in a poem: First it presents two simple images without subjective interpretation. This makes the meaning of the poem satisfyingly ambiguous. Is Basho saying that because of the snow he cannot go out and be with friends and must eat a cold meal at home alone? Or is he saying that because of the snow, he "gets" to stay home and enjoy an unhurried meal by himself? Or is he simply looking out on the snow while he eats his morning meal thankful that he can still chew? Or is he noting the time he takes to savor the view by coupling the image with a second image of a "long slow chew"? Secondly, the images presented in the poem are humble and common. They have a wabi quality. Thirdly the word "alone" is crucial to the success of the poem, because it points to the significance of the humble images. This word "colors" the images and is the sabi element. (Source: still in the stream) Another example written/composed by myself: in the backyard of my ancestor's mansion roses still bloom © Chèvrefeuille

Haiku Writing Techniques Or another one: on an old branch young sprouts of cherry blossoms bloom again ÂŠ ChĂ¨vrefeuille Do you "see", "feel", "hear", "smell" and "touch" the moment? I think so ... this is Wabi-Sabi. I hope that I have made the idea of Wabi-Sabi more transparent ....

References: Wabi-Sabi (author unknown) Writing the Wabi Sabi Way by Christine Stewart www.stillinthestream.com

Haiku Writing Techniques Haiku Writing Technique #8 Karumi Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers, In this chapter I love to tell you more about one of the most delightful concepts of haiku writing, Karumi (or Lightness). The concept of Karumi isn't a new idea, it comes from the other Japanese arts and Basho has tried to bring that Karumi concept into haiku writing in the, say, last ten years of his life. Not so long ago I got a gift from Jane Reichhold, a copy of her book "Basho, the complete haiku". You all will understand that I started immediately with reading it, after all (as you all know) I see Basho as my haiku-master. Jane has put a lot of effort in this book, more than ten (10) years, and of course I was excited and anxious to learn all the wonderful haiku by Basho. Basho has meant a lot for haiku. He created several new ideas and writing techniques and was really a master of haiku. During his life Basho became in a way a Zen-Buddhist (he studied under Butcho, a Zen Buddhist monk), however he was never really a monk, only during his journeys. In his time the Japanese roads weren't great, sometimes only small paths and travelers often were robbed along the way. The most travelers chose to travel like a monk or priest, because that provided them free and save passage. Basho also traveled like a monk or priest, clothed in a black robe and a shaved head.

Basho had a big group of disciples and followers close around him, but also widely spread over Japan. Basho, the traveling poet (he undertook his journeys almost all in the last ten years of his life), had one goal in his last years. He was anxious to spread his idea, his concept, of Karumi (Lightness) in haiku. He even went on journeys to preach that concept notwithstanding his bad health. A lot of his disciples turned their back to him, because they wouldn't accept (or understand) his idea of Karumi. Basho, however, tried strongly to "preach" his karumi idea, a technique which was known only from other kinds of Japanese art, for haiku. It's said that he himself managed this technique badly, because he couldn't find the right words to explain what karumi was. There are a few haiku by Basho in which karumi can be found. Here are a few examples: 22

Haiku Writing Techniques Ko no moto wa shiru mo namasu mo sakura kana Underneath the trees, Soups and salads are buried In cherry blossoms. Uguisu ya mochi ni fun suru en no saki A spring warbler casts A dropping on the rice cakes — The veranda edge.. © Basho What is karumi? Bashô developed this concept during his final travels in 1693. Karumi is perhaps one of the most important and least understood principles of haiku poetry. Karumi can best be described as “lightness,” or a sensation of spontaneity. In many ways, karumi is a principle rooted in the “spirit” of haiku, rather than a specific technique. Bashô taught his students to think of karumi as “looking at the bottom of a shallow stream”. When karumi is incorporated into haiku, there is often a sense of light humor or child-like wonderment at the cycles of the natural world. Many haiku using karumi are not fixed on external rules, but rather an unhindered expression of the poet’s thoughts or emotions. This does not mean that the poet forgets good structure; just that the rules of structure are used in a natural manner. In my opinion, karumi is “beyond” technique and comes when a poet has learned to internalize and use the principles of the art interchangeably. In a way it brought me another idea. Traditionally, and especially in Edo Japan, women did not have the male privilege of expanding their horizons, so their truth or spirituality was often found in the mundane. Women tend to validate daily life and recognize that miracles exist within the mundane, which is the core of haiku. There were females who did compose haiku, which were called "kitchenhaiku" by literati, but these "kitchen-haiku" had all the simplicity and lightness of karumi ... In a way Basho taught males to write like females, with more elegance and beauty, based on the mundane (simple) life of that time. Shiba Sonome, a female haiku poet, learned about karumi from Basho: “Learn about a pine tree from a pine tree, and about a bamboo plant from a bamboo plant.” The poet should detach the mind from his own self. Nevertheless, some people interpret the word ‘learn’ in their own ways and never really ‘learn’. ‘Learn’ means to enter into the object, perceive its delicate life, and feel its feeling, whereupon a poem forms itself. Even a poem that lucidly describes an object could not attain a true poetic sentiment unless it contains the feelings that spontaneously emerged out of the object. In such a poem the object and the poet’s self would remain forever separate, for it was composed by the poet’s personal self. Basho also said, “In my view a good poem is one in which the form of the verse, and the joining of its two parts, seem light as a shallow river flowing over its sandy bed”.

Haiku Writing Techniques That, then, is karumi: becoming as one with the object of your poem … experiencing what it means to be that object … feeling the life of the object … allowing the poem to flow from that feeling and that experience. An example by Basho: white chrysanthemum I look holding it straight no dust at all © Basho at dawn I wash my feet with dew the longest day © Chèvrefeuille feeling alone lost in the woods around Edo – just the autumn wind © Yozakura Karumi is lightness, simplicity, becoming one with the experience you have on that moment when you are composing your haiku. Karumi is, in my opinion, a higher level of the concept of Wabi Sabi, as we discussed in chapters 6 & 7. I think karumi can only be the concept for your haiku when you are not only a haiku poet, but also living haiku ... Living haiku is being one with the world around you including nature and enjoying the emptiness, loneliness and oneness of being part of nature as a human. A haiku poet (in my opinion) lives with nature, adores nature, praises nature and respects nature. Haiku is not only a wonderful poem ... it's a life-style. just one leaf struggles with the wind like Basho © Chèvrefeuille And here another one in which I hope I have touched karumi: slowly a snail seeks his path between Cherry blossoms reaches for the sky © Chèvrefeuille I hope that this chapter will inspire you to write haiku, trying to catch karumi. 24

Haiku Writing Techniques Haiku Writing Technique #9 Free style What a joy and what a honor it was to have the possibility to introduce a haiku-poet who lived in almost the same time-period as Masaoka Shiki. Shiki was the "name-giver" of our beloved haiku, but this featured haiku poet of March 2015 was the "builder" of the "free-style haiku". "Free-style haiku"? Another great Haiku Writing Technique. Free-style haiku in this case is based on the teachings of another great haiku poet, Ogiwara Seisensui (1884-1976), who was a strong proponent of abandoning haiku traditions, especially the "season words" so favored by Takahama Kyoshi (1874-1959), and even the 5-7-5 syllable norms. In his Haiku teisho (1917) (a kind of Zen Sermon on Haiku), he broke with Hekigoto (1873-1937) and shocked the haiku world by advocating further that haiku be transformed into free verse. His students included Ozaki HĹ?sai (1885-1926) and SantĹ?ka Taneda (1882-1940), our featured haiku poet this month. His (Seisensui) role in promoting the format of free-style haiku has been compared with that of Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902) for traditional verse, with the contrast that Seisensui was blessed with both vigorous health, and considerable wealth. He also was able to use new media to promote his style, including lectures and literary criticism on national radio. Let me first tell you a little bit more about Santoka Taneda. Santoka once said: "Days I don't enjoy: any day I don't walk, drink sake, and compose haiku." And here is another quote of a saying by Santoka: "Westerners try to conquer the mountains. People of the East contemplate the mountains. For us, mountains are not an object of scientific study but a work of art. Patiently I taste the mountains."

Santoka is considered a unique proponent of "free-style" haiku poetry, a mode that abandoned much of the customary form and subject matter of traditional haiku in favor of a direct and unadorned depiction of human experience. He was also, as e.g. Matsuo Basho, a wandering poet and ascetic Zen priest for the last fifteen years of his life, Santoka emphasized many of the essential qualities of Zen 25

Haiku Writing Techniques Buddhism in his verse, including mujo (impermanence), the necessity of sabi (solitude), the importance of simplicity in life, and the pervasive sadness that accompanies all human affairs. Many of his poems point toward the Zen goal of overcoming this ubiquitous melancholy by achieving spiritual enlightenment and serenity. To this view Santoka added his concern with what was called "the vital necessity of movement and the partial release it brings to the anguish of the soul." So as you can read we are on a journey through the poetry, with the freestyle haiku, of Santoka Taneda. I think he will bring us some insight in how haiku has evolved from the 19th to the 21st century ... without the strong rules as known for our classical haiku ... I am more of "freestyling with haiku". Here is the first "freestyle haiku" by Santoka Taneda. (SMT refers to his work Somokuto - Grass Tree Stupa).I found two (very) different translation for this first haiku, reflection: mizu ni kage aru tabibito de aru (SMT) reﬂection in the water a traveler my shadow on the water, traveler I am. Both are great, but personally I prefer the first version the most, it even could have been written shorter than this one: My "freestyle-haiku" translation, would be more like: shadow in water travels © Chèvrefeuille Santoka Taneda was, as Basho was, a traveling haiku-poet. He traveled clothed like a Zen-Buddhist monk and he also wrote his "adventures" in a haibun. On his first journey in 1926 he started a three years walk in which he visited a great part of the 88 temples on Shikoku-Island (which we also visited virtualy in February and March 2014) and visited the gravesite of a deceased friend and follower of Seisensui, Ozaki Hōsai (1885–1926).

Haiku Writing Techniques yakisutete nikki no hai no kore dake ka now they’re burned these are all the ashes from my diaries (*)? (*)Santoka burned the diaries from his ﬁrst trip because he was ashamed of what he had written. It's quite a story don’t you think so too? Try this free-style haiku sometimes ... it is really fun.

Haiku Writing Techniques Haiku Writing Technique #10 Back to Basic or is it Back to the Roots of Haiku? Maybe this chapter had to be the first chapter, but I have chosen to bring this later up in time. I am not a big fan of the classical way of haiku writing, because I think that our Western languages aren't compatible with the sound units of the Japanese language. A while ago we had the discussion here about the so called "Kanshicho-style" of haiku writing (no syllables, no strict kigo and so on). This "Kanshicho-style" looks very similar with the "free style" of Santoka Taneda which we have discussed in chapter 9 of Haiku Writing Techniques. Why do I have to do this chapter? Well ... it's not a must or something, but just to bring it again under your attention that there are classical rules. There have been a lot of rules during the history of haiku which came and which were lost, and came back again ... like the waves. I just love to share a chapter about these classical rules. First I will start with a haiku by Basho, which you all will know for sure: Furu ike ya / kawazu tobikomu / mizu no oto old pond frogs jumped in sound of water ÂŠ Basho As we look at the Japanese (romaji) translation than we see that Basho followed the 5-7-5 onji (sound-unit) -rule, the most important rule of haiku. The English translation follows that rule not as you can see in both translations above. It's really not possible to translate a Japanese haiku into another Western language following that rule. If you do try that the "haiku" looks a bit artificial as e.g. the next translation of that famous "frog pond" haiku by Basho: Pond, there, still and old! A frog has jumped from the shore. The splash can be heard ÂŠ Basho (tr. by Eli Siegel) That was the first rule to discuss ... as you all know in the classical haiku you have to use kigo (seasonwords) and kireji (cuttingwords, in Western languages the same like punctuation); but it also has to be an "impression" (as I stated earlier here at CDHK) of a short moment as short as the sound of a frog jumping into the pond (to stay in tune with the famous haiku used here, "smiles") and the first and third line have to be interchangeable and last but not least there has to be in some way a deeper spiritual, Zen-buddhistic, layer or meaning in the haiku.

Haiku Writing Techniques Let us look at the kigo and kireji in the above haiku by Basho: In this famous haiku we see the kigo in the second line, it's frog and it's a kigo for spring. Through these kigo the haiku-poet shows us the time in which he had this experience. Another kigo for spring is e.g. skylark: in the house of God you were the only one the song of a skylark © Chèvrefeuille In this haiku written by me the reader can by filling in the time of the kigo, skylark, understand that this haiku experience happened in spring ... and I have to say that's true, but as you know I am not so much of the haiku rules. So in my next example, also a haiku with skylark in it, you can read that I use this kigo in other times of the year too. lost in the corn fields I look at autumn's sky and listen, a Skylark's song © Chèvrefeuille In this example "skylark", a spring kigo, is used in an autumn haiku.

Haiku Writing Techniques Let us now look at the kireji in the haiku by Basho. To find that kireji (cuttingword) we have to use the romaji translation again: Furu ike ya / kawazu tobikomu / mizu no oto In this romaji translation "ya" (in the first part of the haiku) is the cutting word. This "ya" can be translated into a "!" in another language. As you can see in the translation by Siegel the first line is: Pond, there, still and old! It ends with a "!', the Western way for the kireji "ya". Than the rule of "interchangeability" which means that you can "interchange" the first and the third line without disturbing the "impression". Let us try this "interchanging" with the frog pond haiku: First the "normal" haiku: Furu ike ya / kawazu tobikomu / mizu no oto Old pond frogs jumped in sound of water and now we interchange the first and third line of the haiku: mizu no oto / kawazu tobikomu / furu ike ya sound of water frogs jumped in old pond © Basho (interchange by Chèvrefeuille) As we read the haiku again ... than the impression hasn't changed ... that's the strength of a good haiku. Let me try this with one of the "skylark"-haiku: First the "normal" haiku: in the house of God you were the only one the song of a skylark And now the "interchanged" haiku: the song of a skylark you were the only one in the house of God © Chèvrefeuille 30

Haiku Writing Techniques All great ways to play with haiku and the classical rules. Maybe it is just that "playing with words" ... an impression can have so much different views too ... haiku is an impression! For closure: we have to look at another, last, classical rule ... the deeper meaning ... is there a deeper meaning in the frog pond haiku by Basho? I think so ... the old pond is disturbed by the frogs who jump into it and that refreshes the old pond ... that old pond comes to life again ... it's the eternal circle of life ... and in a way it's the Oneness and Emptiness of Zen .... And can I find a deeper meaning in my skylark haiku? I think so too ... it's already a haiku with a kind of spirituality in it by using "the house of God", but that Skylark is praising his Creator with his song and because the person ("you") is completely alone in the church or temple ... he/she come in close contact with God, becoming one with Him and the Skylark is the joy-giver and praise-giver to that sweet silent emotion in Gods house .... I even can see in this haiku's deeper layer the New Jerusalem as spoken about in Revelations. Well ... what a joy this chapter has given me while creating it .... and I hope that it will inspire you all. What is the task of this Haiku Writing Techniques chapter? It's easy ... step back in time ... you are now in classical Japan and you have to write a haiku with the classical rules (as given in this chapter). Have fun .... don't be anxious or afraid to write a classical haiku .... just enjoy that you can experience the classical way of writing haiku. Writing according to the classical rules of haiku .... is also a Haiku Writing Technique which you can use. A last haiku for this chapter. Chosen from my archive. the rough landscape reaches to the deep blue sky so impressive ÂŠ ChĂ¨vrefeuille

Haiku Writing Techniques Haiku Writing Technique #11 Baransu (or balance your haiku through association) I have dared to create a new Haiku Writing Technique which I have called Baransu. Baransu is the Japanese word for balance and I think haiku needs that balance. The birth of a new Haiku Writing Technique. As I started creating this new haiku writing technique I had the Tan Renga in mind. As you all know Tan Renga is a short chained poem composed by two poets. One poet writes the first stanza, the hokku, and the second poet writes the second stanza, the ageku, by associating on the images in the first stanza. The first stanza looks like a haiku and has three lines (5-7-5 syllables) and the second stanza has two lines (7-7 syllables). What has this to do with Baransu, this newly created haiku writing technique? I will try to explain it. Haiku has three lines as you all know and maybe we can bring balance in these three lines, by association. I will give an example (by the way the following haiku are just for explaining Baransu). Example 1: 'a walk through the city' ... in this line we already see a few possible things to associate on e.g. "walk" and "city". I have chosen to use "walk" to associate on. 'step by step I discover' ... in this line the possible associations can be on "step" and "discover". I have chosen to use "discover" and came to this third line: 'a newly built world' Let me bring the three lines to each other than the following haiku will be formed: a walk through the city step by step I discover a newly built world ÂŠ ChĂ¨vrefeuille

Haiku Writing Techniques The above haiku is, in my opinion, Baransu, in balance. That balance I have reached through associating on the different images in every line of the above haiku. Example 2: Let me try to create another 'baransu'-haiku, but now I will use a famous haiku by Basho ... and yes ... there it is again "the frog pond": the old pond a frog jumps into it sound of water © Basho (Tr. Chèvrefeuille) I will start by re-producing the first line here: the old pond. What are the possibilities to associate on? I think "old" and "pond" will do. "Old" has to do with 'classic', 'yesterday', 'age', 'a long time ago'. Which one can I use? I think I will try 'yesterday' to start creating the second line of this "baransu"-haiku. 'yesterday ... Irises bloomed' .. hm nice line, but what to use to associate on? In this line I can associate on 'yesterday', 'Irises', and 'bloomed'. 'Yesterday' has to do with time; 'Irises' are purple mostly and 'bloomed' can mean 'blossoming' or 'decaying'. I will use 'Irises' to associate on and then this line 'pops-up', 'only a faint purple'. Now I will bring the three lines together: the old pond yesterday ... Irises bloomed only a faint purple © Chèvrefeuille What do you think? Are these lines 'baransu', in balance? I think so, but that's just my humble opinion. Now let me look at some other haiku composed by the classical haiku poets to see if baransu is a technique they used, because I haven't read information about this 'balance in haiku - idea". So here are a few examples which I distilled from the 'four volume-haiku-bible' by R.H. Blyth. Of course I wasn't there (in the time of the haiku poets) so all thoughts are speculative. suzukaze no totoki mori no miyai kana the shrine in the sacred grove: a cool wind blows © Chora (Tr. R.H. Blyth) In this haiku you can see how Chora has done some associating on 'shrine' which brought him 'sacred grove', but than ... that last line 'a cool wind blows', were did he associated on? I think he associated 33

Haiku Writing Techniques on 'sacred grove' translating it to 'spirit' or 'ghost' and came up with 'wind' which could be easily seen as referring to 'ghost' or 'spirit'. As I look at this haiku by Chora from the perspective of baransu than I think I can say this is a 'baransu-haiku' (in balance). Another haiku, this is a great haiku by Buson: mizugame ni kawazu uku nari satsukiame a frog floating in the water-jar: rains of summer © Buson (Tr. R.H. Blyth) Buson introduces 'the frog' in the first line, so that must be his theme, but how did he came to his 2nd and 3rd line? Did he compose this one using baransu? Let us look to the 2nd line 'in the water-jar' as I will look at the association, the base of baransu, than he maybe associated on 'frog', a water animal and so he came to his second line. Than that 3rd line, could have been created by association on 'water-jar', because Buson mentioned the 'rains' in his third line. So this haiku can be seen as a baransu-haiku. Of course this is all speculation, because I couldn't find anything about 'balance' in haiku in the sources I mostly use for my haiku and CDHK. Resume: First I discussed the way of association in the Tan Renga; then I tried to introduce 'baransu' (associative balance), a new haiku writing technique which I dared creating myself. Than we had a few examples in which I have tried to explain this 'baransu'- technique. I even tried my hand on the famous 'frog pond' haiku by Basho to re-form it in a 'baransu' haiku. After that daring task I shared a few haiku by classical haiku-poets to try finding 'baransu' in it. This was really a great chapter to make and I hope this new haiku writing technique will inspire you. Here are my examples another time: a walk through the city step by step I discover a newly built world © Chèvrefeuille the old pond yesterday ... Irises bloomed only a faint purple © Chèvrefeuille 34

Haiku Writing Techniques To conclude this chapter I have written/composed another haiku in which I use baransu. the cooing of pigeons resonates through the grey streets ah! that summer rain ÂŠ ChĂ¨vrefeuille Maybe you can find the 'route of association' which I have used for this haiku.

Haiku Writing Techniques Haiku Writing Techniques Resume In this chapter I will give a resume of the Haiku Writing Techniques as I have used in this e-book. First we had Juxtaposition in which we discussed the images in haiku. In haiku there are mostly two opposite images, this is called "juxtaposition" as Robert Spiess (editor of 'Modern Haiku') says: [...] “Juxtaposition of entities in haiku cannot be simply the throwing together of just anything; the poet must have the intuition that certain things, albeit of "opposite" characteristics, nonetheless have a resonance with each other that will evoke a revelation when they are juxtaposed in accordance with the time-tested canons and aesthetics of haiku.” [...] wind of winter touches the last flowers Ah! that perfume ... © Chèvrefeuille In our second chapter we explored Onomatopoeia or try to bring sound in your haiku by using specific characters. Western languages don't have really a "sound" as e.g. Japanese. Japanese is a language of sounds as we can see in the three-lined form of haiku with its 5-7-5 sound-units (or onji). Japanese people are part of nature, they are one with the sounds of nature and therefore haiku became what it is ... the poetry of nature ... I had never heard of onomatopoeia until I discovered haiku in the late eighties, but I learned through the years that haiku are made, written, composed for saying aloud twice (or more times). Haiku are written down but the essence of haiku is this onomatopoeia. How we say a thing is of more importance, of more significance, than what we say, the conscious meaning; for through the tones of the voice, the words chosen, their combination, the sounds echoing and reechoing one another, their concords suspended and reestablished, their discords sustained and resolved, through all this there is a music as free and yet as law-abiding as is that of the flute, the oboe and the violin. osoki hi no tsumorite toki mukashi kana *) slow days passing, accumulating, how distant they are, the things of the past! © Buson *) Buson uses the k sound to portray the bitterness of the passing of time In our third chapter we talked about repetition or the use of the same words in a haiku to make the 'painted' scene more intense. As we see e.g. in the haiku by Santoka Taneda or in the following by myself:

Haiku Writing Techniques cherry blossoms fall the spring breeze rustles through the leaves cherry blossoms fall © Chèvrefeuille Surprise was the theme for our fourth Haiku Writing Technique and I used it to introduce another idea; that haiku is an impression. That impression we have explored in February 2015 at Carpe Diem haiku Kai. "Surprise" is also part of haiku ... it's the "catching" of a moment as short as the sound of a pebble thrown in water ... e.g. the "frog pond"-haiku by Basho: old pond frog jumps in sound of water © Basho (Tr. Chèvrefeuille) Comparison, the fifth chapter, is a nice way to write/compose haiku ... it brings you in a way immediately two lines and you have just to write a third line towards it to make your haiku complete. seeking for relief aching of a broken heart love isn't forever © Chèvrefeuille (published earlier on my personal haiku page) Than we had a difficult Haiku Writing Technique, Wabi-Sabi, and it needed two chapters to explain this Haiku Writing Technique, but finally we managed this technique. Wabi refers to simplicity and humility. It's about being content with little. Wabi, stemming from the root "wa", which refers to harmony and tranquility, has evolved in meaning from describing something sad and desolate to describing something that is purposely humble and in tune with nature. Sabi refers to the passing of time, which creates a feeling of sadness, longing and melancholy. It's about transient imagery, how things convey how they've lived - their age, their knowledge. Sabi by itself refers to the natural progression of time, and carries with it an understanding that all things will grow old and become less conventionally beautiful. However, things described as "sabi" carry their age with dignity and grace. At the heart of being "sabi" is the idea of authenticity. "Wabi-Sabi IS haiku. let us take a look to how a haiku comes to life, maybe we can "discover" that Wabi-Sabi IS haiku. You start by being part of the moment (as short as the sound of a pebble thrown in water), see the impression of the moment. Come in contact with the moment, BE the moment. Feel it, smell it, hear it, see it, touch it ... use all your senses to become one with the moment ... BE the moment. Let go all of your thoughts, make your mind empty, feel only the emptiness, be humble to the experience. It's 37

Haiku Writing Techniques a privilege to be in the moment. That moment grants you its permission to Be IN IT, be grateful to that. Do you feel it? That's Wabi-Sabi, that's what haiku is. An example: on an old branch young sprouts of cherry blossoms bloom again © Chèvrefeuille Do you "see", "feel", "hear", "smell" and "touch" the moment? I think so ... this is Wabi-Sabi. What followed was Basho's "task for life"-haiku writing technique karumi (Lightness). Bashô developed this concept during his final travels in 1693. Karumi is perhaps one of the most important and least understood principles of haiku poetry. Karumi can best be described as “lightness,” or a sensation of spontaneity. In many ways, karumi is a principle rooted in the “spirit” of haiku, rather than a specific technique. Bashô taught his students to think of karumi as “looking at the bottom of a shallow stream”. When karumi is incorporated into haiku, there is often a sense of light humor or child-like wonderment at the cycles of the natural world. Many haiku using karumi are not fixed on external rules, but rather an unhindered expression of the poet’s thoughts or emotions. This does not mean that the poet forgets good structure; just that the rules of structure are used in a natural manner. In my opinion, karumi is “beyond” technique and comes when a poet has learned to internalize and use the principles of the art interchangeably. I think karumi can only be the concept for your haiku when you are not only a haiku poet, but also living haiku ... Living haiku is being one with the world around you including nature and enjoying the emptiness, loneliness and oneness of being part of nature as a human. A haiku poet (in my humble opinion) lives with nature, adores nature, praises nature and respects nature. Haiku is not only a wonderful poem ... it's a life-style. just one leaf struggles with the wind like Basho © Chèvrefeuille In chapter nine, we explored the 'free-style' haiku as written by Santoka Taneda. 'Free-style' haiku don't use kigo, kireji or the 5-7-5 structure. It looks somewhat similar with the Kanshicho-style on which we had a discussion at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai last year (2014). 'Free-style' gives you more freedom (and pleasure) in writing your haiku (or tanka) and I think that our Western way of haiku-ing is more like the 'free-style', but that's just my (humble) opinion. And of course there was that chapter which I maybe could have done as the very first chapter of Haiku Writing Techniques, but I didn't do that, not on purpose ... I just hadn't thought about it as a haiku writing technique. That chapter was titled "back to basic", but could have been titled "back to the roots of haiku". That chapter was about the classical way of writing haiku and it was a joy to write 38

Haiku Writing Techniques that chapter ... to me ... writing a classical haiku is always a challenge, but here I have a classical haiku written by me: the rough landscape reaches to the deep blue sky so impressive © Chèvrefeuille Then there was chapter eleven in which I dared to introduce an all new haiku writing technique which I called Baransu (Japanese for 'balance') and I brought the idea of "bringing balance in haiku by associating" under your attention. As I read the responses than the most of you had some difficulty to understand this "all new haiku writing technique", but you all managed to compose "baransu"- haiku and that makes me happy. I hope that this "baransu" haiku writing technique will find its way around the globe, but ... that's not up to me ... haiku writing must be fun and no obligation and ... maybe I can bring some more joy into this wonderful poetry form ... haiku. the old pond yesterday ... Irises bloomed only a faint purple © Chèvrefeuille the cooing of pigeons resonates through the grey streets ah! that summer rain © Chèvrefeuille

Haiku Writing Techniques

AFTERWORD

I hope you all did like this little course of Haiku Writing Techniques and I hope that the techniques we have discussed will give you all more 'handles' to enjoy haiku. And I hope to see and read haiku which are even more beautiful then they already were, because you are all such wonderful haiku poets.

Chèvrefeuille, your host at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai, a daily haiku-meme on the WWW