HAIKU DIALOGUE – The Haiku Mind – Hobbies & Introduction to Haiku Prism
Intro to Haiku Prism – A World in Color
During this dark time we could all use something to brighten up our weeks. I believe that each one of us carries an inner light that can be a source of solace for others. So let’s take that light and channel it through the magic and wonder of haiku to express our world in all its glorious colors. Let’s let haiku be our prism.
Each week I will be providing a new color for you to meditate on and write about. You do not need to name it in your haiku, simply let it be an aspect. You can take this in any direction you like from various flora & fauna, fruits & vegetables, clothing items, celestial bodies, household objects, etc…to various associated moods. Even think in related colors such as pink for red or gold for yellow. I am also happy to accept sub-genres including scifaiku and mythku.
next week’s theme: Yellow
Please send up to two unpublished haiku by clicking here: Contact Form, and put Haiku Dialogue in the Subject box. The deadline is midnight Eastern Standard Time, Saturday, April 4, 2020.
Selected haiku will be listed in the order they are received with a few chosen for commentary each week.
Please note that by submitting, you agree that your work may appear in the column – neither acknowledgment nor acceptance emails will be sent. All communication about the poems that are posted in the column can be added as blog comments.
Below is my commentary for Hobbies:
Thank you everyone for journeying with me through The Haiku Mind for the past eight weeks. I have enjoyed walking alongside you as you threw off your inner critic and began to trust your inborn abilities. All of you created truly wonderful haiku and senryu! I hope you will be able to take what you learned about yourself and about writing and carry it with you as you continue on your haiku path. It is also my absolute delight to be continuing on as your guest editor with Haiku Prism. I can’t wait to see the colorful haiku you create!
This week brought out a marvelous variety of subject matter and style! From failed hobbies:
dropped stitch
knitting
skips a generationLaurie Greer, Washington, DC
We don’t always succeed in the hobbies we try out. Several years ago, I attempted crocheting as my own mother was quite well versed in it. It did not turn out well for me either! Like Laurie that ability seems to have skipped a generation. But, the important part is that we tried. For better or for worse, when we approach new hobbies we can discover more of ourselves and our unique abilities. As it’s said, “You won’t know until you try it!” What hobbies have you attempted?
To finding the good in the now:
lock-down time for that patchwork quilt
Ingrid Baluchi, Macedonia
I am deeply impressed with how we are all coming together to find ways to make it through. Whether it is singing out of our windows together or utilizing social media to our advantage like never before, we are finding ways to cope. Individually, I think many of us have set personal goals for what we can achieve now that we don’t have other obligations or distractions. For Ingrid it’s working on her patchwork quilt, which I also see as representing the stitching together of humanity in this time of crisis. Such a beautiful image. What is your quarantine-time activity?
Or discovering the past:
pulling off
my garden gloves . . .
Mom’s handsAnn K. Schwader, Westminster, CO
This moment is one I know well. My own mother was an excellent gardener and just last year I had my chance to truly begin my own garden. One day, I pulled off my gloves and there I saw my mother’s hands. In fact, one of the first things I noticed about my eldest daughter when she was born was that she also has my mother’s hands. Discovering these threads to the past can be inspiring or disheartening depending on your experiences. The older we get, the more our parents and grandparents reveal themselves in us, and not just physically, which can be quite jarring. I imagine this is what Ann was feeling when she pulled off her own garden gloves. What a great haiku moment! What about you, in what ways do you resemble past generations?
I’d love to read your responses in the comments section below. While you’re there you can talk about your favorite poems from this week, provide your own commentary, or even join in a discussion. All are welcome! I hope you enjoy the rest of this week’s selections, they are truly marvelous. With that, happy reading!
lockdown
another reading
of the same bookAparna Pathak
writing group
I try once more to explain
the rules of renkuMarion Clarke, Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland
philately-
around the world
in a minuteLakshmi Iyer
Grandma’s Singer –
I sew protective masks
with flowersZdenka Mlinar
half asleep . . .
scrolling through
the unknown facesManoj Sharma
social distancing
my new hobby
staying indoorsStephen A. Peter
wall painting
the crow’s caw
unable to reach my earsMuskaan Ahuja, Chandigarh, India
corona virus
too much free time
for hobbiesSlobodan Pupovac, Zagreb, Croatia
confined…
his collection of stamps
from around the worldOlivier Schopfer, Switzerland
me, myself and I
we head out
for a hikenancy liddle
afternoon thunder
i fill in my crossword
with a penKristen Lindquist
mountaineering . . .
between my palms
captured prayerIvan Gaćina, Zadar, Croatia
gardening
the hummingbird and I
eye to eyeRehn Kovacic
first butterfly
on my fingers–
tai chi chuanTeiichi Suzuki , Japan
abacus the toddler prefers to count his toes
Willie Bongcaron, Philippines
nursing home
finally listening
to my CDsAljoša Vuković, Šibenik, Croatia
embroidery –
so many fake butterflies
on my curtainsMaria Teresa Sisti
origami I fold into myself
john hawkhead
chess game…
one more and
one moreTsanka Shishkova
geography
and history…
I travel every pageLakshmi Iyer
quarantined
I pick up a silver pen
to outline the cloudsVandana Parashar
crocheting
a virus blanket spreading
warmth across my lapSari Grandstaff, Saugerties, NY
I spill tea
on my crossword
self isolationMargaret Mahony
first sumie strokes-
the shy smile
of Fumiko’s SenseiJulia Guzman
collector
hoarder
treading a fine lineChristopher Seep
puzzle pieces
my Nancy Drew mysteries
pass to a great nieceMarilyn Ashbaugh
rainy day-
sorting the coins
of my motherJorge Alberto Giallorenzi
twilight swimming
I dive
into the moonNisha Raviprasad
boredom
my father recommends me
sudokuPere Risteski
recluse at home-
painting my paintings
I don’t think of the virusreclusa in casa-
dipingendo i miei quadri
non penso al virusAngela Giordano, Italy
rainbow palette
the smell of acrylic
on mail artChristina Chin
wasting time
arranging wildflowers
wildlyChristina Pecoraro
irish stew
at the table with soda bread
and John JamesonPaul Geiger, California
terrariums
my kids remember
when we created worldsPat Davis NH
collage
canvas shapes—
a hint…of… redLemuel Waite, Georgetown, Kentucky
littered
with good intentions –
marathon routeRoberta Beach Jacobson, USA
dollar dreams…
exchanging asian stamps
for an american stampR.Suresh Babu, India
doodles
in and out of ears
one word at a timeAlegria Imperial, BC, Canada
birdwatching
the one I know
by song aloneBryan Rickert
home quarantined
he draws an extra sun
in his paintingAnjali Warhadpande
drooping beanstalk
pulling a misshapen carrot
from my veggie patchLouise Hopewell
birdwatching
a new distance
‘tween old friendsHelga Stania
the body
spins, spins in pirouettes
stills in arabesquesAnn Rawson
watercolors
on a cotton sheet…
my springacquerelli
su un foglio di cotone…
la mia molla*The term “spring” gets two different meanings in this way, spring as season but also spring figuratively as energy, incentive, doing something quickly. I have translated into italian the second meaning.
Daniela Misso
first clay class
molding a madonna
out of my melancholyPamela A Babusci
walking the new dog
our grumpy neighbour
talks to me againEva Limbach, Germany
spruce rosewood maple mahogany songs my guitars sin
Mark Meyer
checking
in on friends
chess appC.R. Harper
counseling
shrink calls my hobby
an OCDTomislav Sjekloća, Cetinje, Montenegro
closed sign his sleepless nights playing golf
Steve Tabb
winter break –
arms and arrows burn after
first practiceFranjo Ordanic
people watching . . .
I tear apart
a clockRonald K. Craig, Batavia, OH. USA
stuck at home
working out
spring haikuLuisa Santoro
birdwatching
his eyes follow
his earsMichele L. Harvey
on grey days
my ukulele and me
you are my sunshine…Marisa Fazio
retirement
finishing a landscape from
a previous lifeClifford Rames, Freehold, NJ
river bed –
me and the waves
in a dance classarvinder kaur, Chandigarh, India
world TV channel
my happily travelling
around the globeStoianka Boianova
on a whittled stick
among three butterflies
a space for her mumRobert Kingston, Chelmsford UK
once a hobby
now a habit—
scribblingMadhuri Pillai
cloud watching the shape of my thoughts
Rashmi VeSa
midnight reading
in a road to infinity
interstellar shipsMinko Tanev
Portal
To the eternal forest
My childhood herbariumAnna Goluba
cross-stitch
thoughts take shape
between my fingersElisa Allo
a day start –
loneliness left
a new haikuBenedetta Cardone
seed pot
the scent of soil
touching my fingersJanice Munro
horror flicks
a hint of the occult
in my poemsJackie Chou, Pico Rivera, CA, USA
petals in the wind
stream of new stamps
for my collectioncezar-florin ciobîcă
binge watching stories on every face
Margaret Walker
clearing grandma’s house
what she called collectibles
her kids call junkCharles Harmon, Lost Angeles
programming…
finally conversing
with my computerJibril Dauda Muhammad, Nigeria
belly dance hands
my baby eyes followed
my mother’s*belly dance originated in Egypt where my mother was born. She showed me.
Kath Abela Wilson, Pasadena, California
whoopie daisy
overlooking sh*t for shot
in my poemPris Campbell
never punished
the child who paints
in her roomwendy c. bialek, az, usa
waiting so long
for my hobbies – finally
I am retiredTomislav Maretić
sleeping newborn
i trade my electric
for an acousticRich Schilling, Webster Groves, MO
anxiety knit
into every stitch
corona virusCharlotte Hrenchuk
even the sleek red bike
is not immune
flat tireAlthea Meer
window seat…
all the places she visits
through booksNancy Brady, Huron, Ohio
dawn
in the bird room
budgies stretch their wingsGreer Woodward, Waimea, HI
ikebana
I bow to the tall flower
before I cut herSusan Rogers, Los Angeles, CA
origami
shaping
my lonelinesscristina apetrei
Guest Editor Tia Haynes resides in Lakewood, Ohio, near her beloved Lake Erie. She was featured in New Resonance 11: Emerging Voices in English-Language Haiku and has appeared in journals and anthologies worldwide. Much of her inspiration comes from the landscape and people of the American Midwest as well as life with her two small children. Her chapbook, leftover ribbon, (Velvet Dusk Publishing) is available on Amazon. Follow her on Twitter: @adalia_haiku
Lori Zajkowski is the Post Manager for Haiku Dialogue. A novice haiku poet, she lives in New York City.
Managing Editor Katherine Munro lives in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, and publishes under the name kjmunro. She is Membership Secretary for Haiku Canada, and her debut poetry collection is contractions (Red Moon Press, 2019).
This Post Has 24 Comments
Comments are closed.
may all your hobbies
keep you safe
through this dark time
a wonderful collection
of haiku
so many ways to spend time
thank you poets….all!
binge watching stories on every face
Margaret Walker
A delightful twist of focus!
abacus the toddler prefers to count his toes
Willie Bongcaron, Philippines
Wonderful imagery! I can really see the moment.
home quarantined
he draws an extra sun
in his painting
Anjali Warhadpande
The artistic power of the brush, where you can alter the entire solar system! I can also imagine the artist stepping back to admire the painting then casually shrugging as they paint the second sun. Well done!
Jessica –
Thank you so much for commenting on my “binge-watching…”
I’m so glad you liked it!
Thank you very much Tia for having chosen my haiku but most of all for letting me read all the wonderful haiku my haiku friends wrote. It is an honor and a pleasure , specially in this difficult time, to feel that haiku unites and heals us.
I am looking forward to read the next sections.
Virtual hugs from Córdoba, Argentina
After a first reading, these haiku sprang out:
lockdown
another reading
of the same book
Aparna Pathak
Especially at the moment, old favourites are being read again. I once said that I would never read a book more than once!
me, myself and I
we head out
for a hike
nancy liddle
This haiku reminded me of learning grammar at school (which I liked). I also enjoy the the humour.
origami I fold into myself
John hawkhead
I love this. It makes me want to crouch down, bow my head and enfold my body with my arms.
Thanks so much, Tia, for your comments on mine and the others. It was quite moving to see how everyone is coping with the restrictions and uncertainty. As so often, haiku shows ways to surmount difficulties and join together–social distancing or not.
On a more personal note, I had many iterations of this “skipped” poem; having missed the talents of a wide range of needlework and handcrafts, it was reassuring to think I can do something with words.
Stay safe and well everyone–and keep writing!
Thank you so much, Tia, for including my haiku, Jibril Dauda Muhammad for your nice words and all authors for sharing your personal and profound experience and views thru such fantastic poems that have the power to alleviate the heaviness of this unprecedented period of our life. It is very difficult for me to make a selection of my most favourite ones. However, one surely expanded my knowledge about some kinds of attractions; it is J. D. Muhammad’s:
programming…
finally conversing
with my computer
I look forward to next week’s selection😊
Stay safe!
Thank you. Luisa Santoro
.
stay safe!
stay healthy!
Thank you Tia for including my haiku. I look forward every Friday to reading the wonderful selections. Keep safe everyone.
Thank you Tia for a great collection !
I found the following interesting.
binge watching stories on every face
Margaret Walker
There is a story in every face of battles fought, ongoing struggles and optimism to continue living. Taking time to understand the person behind the persona is indeed a sublime hobby.
programming…
finally conversing
with my computer
Jibril Dauda Muhammad
I like the subtle irony in this senryu, worklife need not be a chore, if you are passionate about your work, make peace with it,build up a synergy.
waiting so long
for my hobbies – finally
I am retired
Tomislav Maretić
This is synonymous with what my parents did all their worklife. They spent their adulthood working to make life secure for their children, rarely finding time to cultivate hobbies, consigning such ‘luxuries’ to post retirement life.
Stay safe and healthy !
Rashmi –
Thank you for your comments about my ” binge watching stories on every face”. You expressed my own thoughts perfectly!
Margaret
Thank-you, Rashmi VeSa, for your kind comments. Wishing you same too.
.
Stay safe!
Stay healthy!
Among the many marvels this week, the following in unique
ways speak to me of how our souls influence our hands:
.
cross-stitch
thoughts take shape
between my fingers /Elisa Allo
.
first clay class
molding a madonna
out of my melancholy /Pamela A Babusci
.
mountaineering . . .
between my palms
captured prayer /Ivan Gaćina, Zadar, Croatia
.
origami I fold into myself
.
john hawkhead
.
.
Two poets, ‘quarantined,’ admit:
…
I pick up a silver pen
to outline the clouds /Vandana Parashar
.
and
…
he draws an extra sun
in his painting /Anjali Warhadpande
.
We could all use an extra sun in our lives just now, couldn’t we?
Thank you Tia, Lori and writers for another wonderful selection of experiences. I have truly enjoyed Haiku Mind and look forward to the new theme. I find that keeping up favourite activities can help when life goes sideways even if the experience may be altered. Here are three haiku that for me touched on this:
home quarantined
he draws an extra sun
in his painting
.
Anjali Warhadpande
.
.
anxiety knit
into every stitch
corona virus
.
Charlotte Hrenchuk
.
.
origami
shaping
my loneliness
.
cristina apetrei
I’m so glad that you have enjoyed The Haiku Mind and hope you will find the next series helpful as we look for ways to ease anxiety and stress. It is comforting to read these haiku and know that I am not alone in my loneliness and they encourage me to find ways to keep drawing “extras suns.”
Thanks for another fine set of haiku and senryu. I have picked this one out because it is so true!
….
writing group
I try once more to explain
the rules of renku
….
Marion Clarke, Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland
This one definitely made me smile as well!
Thanks Tia for an awesome column again..
.
Reading through these lines caught my eye
.
social distancing
my new hobby
staying indoors
Stephen A. Peter
.
stuck at home
working out
spring haiku
Luisa Santoro
Thank you, Tia, for honing in and commenting on my patchwork…years in the making but a solace for now. I miss the camaraderie of our sewing circle, though, just like I miss walking, another hobby. Easy to relate to Nancy Liddle’s strident poem:
.
me, myself and I
we head out
for a hike
.
How we will relish and appreciate the time when our fetters are broken free!
.
.
walking the new dog
our grumpy neighbour
talks to me again
.
Eva Limbach, Germany
.
Made me smile, this human phenomenon — perhaps in Germany too, but particularly among the more reserved English. You can go for months without an exchange of words between everyday people until a pet puts in an appearance when suddenly the spell of silence is broken.
.
I sense, in Susan’s poem, especially with the use of ‘her’ in the last line, a gentle respect for this hobby. It reminded me of an occasion when a vegetarian friend of mine, mistakenly biting into a ham canapé, immediately apologized to the pig.
.
ikebana
I bow to the tall flower
before I cut her
Susan Rogers, Los Angeles, CA
hi thanks for noting my haiku – more striding than strident? 😀 (certainly goes at a clipped pace) 😀
Thank you Tia for including mine.
.
In this difficult time, affecting one and all the world over, I found the array of subjects this week displayed how connected we all are.
I enjoyed all of the poems, finding personal attachment to the following.
terrariums
my kids remember
when we created worlds
.
Pat Davis NH
.
origami I fold into myself
.
john hawkhead
.
walking the new dog
our grumpy neighbour
talks to me again
.
Eva Limbach, Germany
.
cloud watching the shape of my thoughts
.
Rashmi VeSa
.
sleeping newborn
i trade my electric
for an acoustic
.
Rich Schilling, Webster Groves, MO
.
Take care everyone
Wonderful images and thoughts with this collection, a pleasure to read them all.
Well done to all poets.
.
Thankyou for bringing this to us, Tia.
.
quarantined
I pick up a silver pen
to outline the clouds
— Vandana Parashar
There’s always hope no matter what comes along to sidestep us, and at a time like this passing this ‘silver pen’ on to others is essential.
Smashing verse, Vandana.
Hobbies have new hope during this time of physical isolation as so many have expressed this week. Glancing quickly over them, I was particularly drawn to John Hawkhead’s origami and Willie Bongarone’s abacus and Ann’s mother’s hands. I will have to read more thoroughly the others later, but scrolling down these caught my eye.
.
Ron Craig’s intrigues me as well. Is his hobby repairing old clocks or people watching? I suspect the latter, or maybe that’s just me.
.
Lemuel Waite’s collage, just perfect. Since I often work with that media, it’s nice to know a fellow “collage-ian” Stay safe all.
Thanks Tia for an awesome column once again.
Thank-you, Nancy Brady, for your kind comments. Staying safe, wishing the same for you and all others as well. Cheers for “collage-ians”.