The Haiku Foundation Forums

Congratulations, Seaview!

David & OneCloud -

Thank you both for your feedback and what I take as encouragement.  I confess that I am much more of a student of the Bible than I am of haiku.  As such, when facing a choice between preservation of the Biblical story or maintaining the alluring quality of haiku, I chose the former as my priority.  It is possible that in trying to exist in both places I have been true to neither, or perhaps by some artistic license I may have brought new light into each.

I have begun teaching Bible studies using the online Gendai Bible as the central reference point.  The search function on the website (http://www.biblehaiku.com) and its link to BibleGateway.com ("read chapter" at the bottom of each page) enables me to cross-reference the Bible in new and interesting ways based on theme, person, events, concept, theology, etc.  I tend to teach by drawing people into discussion rather than trying to  make a pre-determined point, so the often open-ended and elastic nature of the haiku format lends itself very well to this purpose.

Thank you again for your feedback, and God bless you.

Thank you for the links, Alan, and I will certainly click through in the near future.

As to your questions, in all likelihood the Gendai Bible assaults the traditional form of the Bible and haiku, and presses hard on the edges of what traditionalists would consider gendai (but isn't that the relationship between gendai and haiku? - to extend the tradition)

In brief, my method for writing the Gendai Bible was to read each chapter of the Bible, attempt to glean central themes and characters contained therein, and then reflect the same in the 17 syllable structure of haiku.  In so doing, I knew that I was omitting many more of the words in Scripture than I was including, I was probably ignoring most of the 'rules' that constitute haiku poetry, and the only reason the word 'gendai' might be applicable is because the work is modern or avant garde.

That being confessed, my purpose is to provide another avenue and perspective to the Bible.  By reflecting the characters, events, theologies, etc. in fewer words, trusting that the larger meanings of scripture will emerge from the 1,189 haikus, I hope that more people will be able to journey from the beginning to the end of the Bible and perceive the large arc of the greatest story ever told. I am also hoping that some people will be curious enough from their reading of haiku to explore the material from which it came.

To add to the spiritual benefits of the haiku poetry in the Gendai Bible, I composed a chant so that each haiku can be sung. The time and breath of singing, I hope, will reveal a deeper spirituality of the Bible as well.

Fair enough. I just wasn't sure if posting links was allowed. Here is the link:  http://www.gendaibible.net

I am almost finished writing a haiku for each chapter of the Bible (1,189 chapters), and I am interested to hear critique from experienced haiku writers.  This particular board (Religio) sounds like a good place to discuss why I undertook this project and what I hope to accomplish.  You can read my haiku by searching 'Gendai Bible' on google.