The Haiku Foundation Forums

Maybe, after all of the haiku that has been written, the only thing left to our pens is "unique cliche"?

frog
out of the water
out of Basho

spoof on Virgilio's lily poem ...

Best of luck with it, Chase.  Sounds like a inspirational journal!  The moon - well, it has been revered by just about everyone since the beginning of time.  How many eyes have seen it!!!  And, how many kisses have been shared in its witness?  Looking forward to seeing more about your journal.

Please give us some bio information on you both.  That would add to the interest of the entire project for us all to enjoy!!!!!  Very exciting.

Don

I would get:

distant galaxies . . .
all the things
I am

Why live in a life of "could"?  That's great for poetry.  But living in a space of "being" is way better than living in a space of "could have".  Reflection without looking to the future of your IS, is a waste of your precious life.  Could haves are everywhere; is is all you really have and you should make the best of each split second of it.

distant galaxies . . .
all the things
I am

Now the possibilities of "being" is in touch with your current moment . . . leaving behind the wispy thoughts of what could have been.

teetering grass . . .
just moments ago
a dragonfly

Living, leaving, and living again ... and so it goes . . . in only moments.

best to you and your tattoo ...

Don

wolf whistle
the fox on the corner
turns to look

Andy

looking back at me
the accusing eye
of the shot deer

Adelaide

deer tracks
under the window...
I sign the prenup

Vida

prenup –
the hummingbird guards
her nest

Don

one dozen roses
placed before his photo-
12 years alone

Adelaide

alone
the first man on the moon
steps into immortality

Andy

immortality?
a fruit fly in the glass
with over aged wine

Vida


wine and roses –
this blood-moon awaits
the wolf

Don

Hey David,

I really connect with the first one!  L2 is brilliant, frankly (in reference to L1)!

Great!

Great.  I hope you enjoy it!

8)

This sounds fantastic!  Glad to see something so innovative arrive at the THF.  However, the page describes that the contest runs indefinitely.  I understand the point to a certain degree but I think it should have a contest deadline as all others do.  The open-end of this contest with everyone's five dollars sitting there doesn't seem to have the accountability it needs.  A "a final date by" would seem much better and therefore a winner's announcement date would be fitting as well.  Possibly, January 1st, 2013 or something somewhat distant in order to obtain enough offerings?

Just pondering here.

Don

As a heads up, the We Are All Japan anthology is available.  It really reads well (I already have my copy) and a lot of our poets and fabulous poems are in it.  The book is for a good cause.  Here is the link:

https://www.createspace.com/3830920  at $4.99 ... inexpensive!

Enjoy!

Don

day
lingers into the night -
red glow in the moon

Snow Leopard

moon landing
she takes the first step
and calls home

Adelaide

home
inaccessible in Cholon . . .
I need a spaceship

Nu Quang

___________________________

spaceship blues . . .
the rising sun
is falling

Don

I just found that the Kusamakura is being held once again this year.  Final date for entering is a narrow window from (September).  The following will guide you through the steps if you have an interest:

Notice:

Kusamakura Haiku Competition, 2012
Submissions must be received by September 10, 2012.

1 - 2 previously unpublished works (including online publication).

Rules
http://kusamakura-haiku.jp/index_e.html

Application Details
http://kusamakura-haiku.jp/boshu/index_e.html
(link to PDF form for regular mail submission)

Online Entry via webpage
http://kusamakura-haiku.jp/entry/index_e.php


Enjoy and best wishes to us all!!!

Don

Yeah, I received a couple of those emails but I knew immediately they were not from you!  Trashed them.  Thanks again for the heads up.

Don

I think this link provides an extremely interesting background on one aspect of the social importance of haiku and what haiku poets in Japan, in particular, have endured:  http://www.simplyhaiku.com/SHv5n4/features/Ito.html

:)

Regarding a topic in Bulgaria today:

"In our media saturated world, so many shoots have been shot, so many ideas have been published, that the pressure to do something "new" and "fresh" is greater than it has ever been. In searching for ever new ways to create images that in some way gain the attention of readers, or consumers, many fashion, magazine and advertising people are simply out of ideas. The majority of readers of this magazine will presumably be women, so it's bound to cause a reaction and evoke emotion."  (link for reference:  http://www.fashion-law.org/2012/06/12-magazine-victim-of-beauty.html)

This, however, might very well be likened to haiku in the world today:

"In our haiku saturated world, so many poems have been written, so many of them published, that the pressure to do something "new" and "fresh" is greater than it has ever been.  In searching for ever new ways to create haiku images that in some way gain the attention and admiration of readers, editors and publishers, poets are simply running out of ideas and therefore doing whatever it takes to write something new and fresh ... and maybe to get noticed."

Just saying, that we need to be careful to preserve the integrity of haiku/hokku and know that once it has been changed so much, it is no longer a haiku/hokku but some other sort of thing.  All poetry is what it is - but not all of it is a sonnet.  It is now possible that a few contemporary haiku could be called "battered haiku/hokku" ...  ::)

Thinking out loud for the sake of fun and pondering,

Don

(this is a personal opinion and not one that is not meant to (nor does it) represent the opinion of THF) This article just stimulated me to think about haiku. Not trying to ruffle feathers but to simply pose a thought for consideration.  How far is too far?   

The excerpt is from this editorial on the subject:

http://www.fashion-law.org/2012/06/12-magazine-victim-of-beauty.html

"Does This 'Beauty' Editorial Glamorize Domestic Violence?

It seems like nowadays you can do pretty much anything and say it's art to get away with it.

Bulgarian magazine '12' features an editorial titled 'Victim of Beauty', shot by photographer Vasil Germanov that's gaining a lot of attention at the moment. The series of photographs features six models with what appear to be violent injuries, including a black eye, a slit throat and a rippped out ear. There's very little information available about what the editors are trying to convey with this spread. Unsurprisingly a warning published on the website (in Bulgarian) advises that the images are unsuitable for viewers under the age of 16, or for "people with weak nerves".

I honestly think this is all about getting attention by using shock tactics. After all, would we be paying any attention to "12″ magazine, if not for this shoot? In our media saturated world, so many shoots have been shot, so many ideas have been published, that the pressure to do something "new" and "fresh" is greater than it has ever been. In searching for ever new ways to create images that in some way gain the attention of readers, or consumers, many fashion, magazine and advertising people are simply out of ideas. The majority of readers of this magazine will presumably be women, so it's bound to cause a reaction and evoke emotion.

They are not necessarily "worse" than what is routinely shown during what passes for entertainment on TV but to use images like this in a beauty shoot is degrading, undignified and destructive towards women's self-esteem. Violence against women is an ongoing problem around the world and not one we want to look at it in a fashion magazine. According to the Amnesty International website, "every day, thousands of women and girls are abused and murdered by their families, raped in armed conflicts and attacked for defending women's rights." Why not give us something empowering to look at instead? "