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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Please send up to two unpublished haiku by clicking here: Contact Form, and put Haiku Dialogue in the Subject box.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 generation

Laurie 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 hands

Ann 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 book

Aparna Pathak

 

writing group
I try once more to explain
the rules of renku

Marion Clarke, Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland

 

philately-
around the world
in a minute

Lakshmi Iyer

 

Grandma’s Singer –
I sew protective masks
with flowers

Zdenka Mlinar

 

half asleep . . .
scrolling through
the unknown faces

Manoj Sharma

 

social distancing
my new hobby
staying indoors

Stephen A. Peter

 

wall painting
the crow’s caw
unable to reach my ears

Muskaan Ahuja, Chandigarh, India

 

corona virus
too much free time
for hobbies

Slobodan Pupovac, Zagreb, Croatia

 

confined…
his collection of stamps
from around the world

Olivier Schopfer, Switzerland

 

me, myself and I
we head out
for a hike

nancy liddle

 

afternoon thunder
i fill in my crossword
with a pen

Kristen Lindquist

 

mountaineering . . .
between my palms
captured prayer

Ivan Gaćina, Zadar, Croatia

 

gardening
the hummingbird and I
eye to eye

Rehn Kovacic

 

first butterfly
on my fingers–
tai chi chuan

Teiichi Suzuki , Japan

 

abacus the toddler prefers to count his toes

Willie Bongcaron, Philippines

 

nursing home
finally listening
to my CDs

Aljoša Vuković, Šibenik, Croatia

 

embroidery –
so many fake butterflies
on my curtains

Maria Teresa Sisti

 

origami I fold into myself

john hawkhead

 

chess game…
one more and
one more

Tsanka Shishkova

 

geography
and history…
I travel every page

Lakshmi Iyer

 

quarantined
I pick up a silver pen
to outline the clouds

Vandana Parashar

 

crocheting
a virus blanket spreading
warmth across my lap

Sari Grandstaff, Saugerties, NY

 

I spill tea
on my crossword
self isolation

Margaret Mahony

 

first sumie strokes-
the shy smile
of Fumiko’s Sensei

Julia Guzman

 

collector
hoarder
treading a fine line

Christopher Seep

 

puzzle pieces
my Nancy Drew mysteries
pass to a great niece

Marilyn Ashbaugh

 

rainy day-
sorting the coins
of my mother

Jorge Alberto Giallorenzi

 

twilight swimming
I dive
into the moon

Nisha Raviprasad

 

boredom
my father recommends me
sudoku

Pere Risteski

 

recluse at home-
painting my paintings
I don’t think of the virus

reclusa in casa-
dipingendo i miei quadri
non penso al virus

Angela Giordano, Italy

 

rainbow palette
the smell of acrylic
on mail art

Christina Chin

 

wasting time
arranging wildflowers
wildly

Christina Pecoraro

 

irish stew
at the table with soda bread
and John Jameson

Paul Geiger, California

 

terrariums
my kids remember
when we created worlds

Pat Davis NH

 

collage
canvas shapes—
a hintof red

Lemuel Waite, Georgetown, Kentucky

 

littered
with good intentions –
marathon route

Roberta Beach Jacobson, USA

 

dollar dreams…
exchanging asian stamps
for an american stamp

R.Suresh Babu, India

 

doodles
in and out of ears
one word at a time

Alegria Imperial, BC, Canada

 

birdwatching
the one I know
by song alone

Bryan Rickert

 

home quarantined
he draws an extra sun
in his painting

Anjali Warhadpande

 

drooping beanstalk
pulling a misshapen carrot
from my veggie patch

Louise Hopewell

 

birdwatching
a new distance
‘tween old friends

Helga Stania

 

the body
spins, spins in pirouettes
stills in arabesques

Ann Rawson

 

watercolors
on a cotton sheet…
my spring

acquerelli
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 melancholy

Pamela A Babusci

 

walking the new dog
our grumpy  neighbour
talks to me again

Eva Limbach, Germany

 

spruce rosewood maple mahogany songs my guitars sin

Mark Meyer

 

checking
in on friends
chess app

C.R. Harper

 

counseling
shrink calls my hobby
an OCD

Tomislav Sjekloća, Cetinje, Montenegro

 

closed sign his sleepless nights playing golf

Steve Tabb

 

winter break –
arms and arrows burn after
first practice

Franjo Ordanic

 

people watching . . .
I tear apart
a clock

Ronald K. Craig, Batavia, OH. USA

 

stuck at home
working out
spring haiku

Luisa Santoro

 

birdwatching
his eyes follow
his ears

Michele L. Harvey

 

on grey days
my ukulele and me
you are my sunshine…

Marisa Fazio

 

retirement
finishing a landscape from
a previous life

Clifford Rames, Freehold, NJ

 

river bed –
me and the waves
in a dance class

arvinder kaur, Chandigarh, India

 

world TV channel
my happily travelling
around  the globe

Stoianka Boianova

 

on a whittled stick
among three butterflies
a space for her mum

Robert Kingston, Chelmsford UK

 

once a hobby
now a habit—
scribbling

Madhuri Pillai

 

cloud watching the shape of my thoughts

Rashmi VeSa

 

midnight reading
in a road to infinity
interstellar ships

Minko Tanev

 

Portal
To the eternal forest
My childhood herbarium

Anna Goluba

 

cross-stitch
thoughts take shape
between my fingers

Elisa Allo

 

a day start –
loneliness left
a new haiku

Benedetta Cardone

 

seed pot
the scent of soil
touching my fingers

Janice Munro

 

horror flicks
a hint of the occult
in my poems

Jackie Chou, Pico Rivera, CA, USA

 

petals in the wind
stream of new stamps
for my collection

cezar-florin ciobîcă

 

binge watching stories on every face

Margaret Walker

 

clearing grandma’s house
what she called collectibles
her kids call junk

Charles Harmon, Lost Angeles

 

programming…
finally conversing
with my computer

Jibril 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 poem

Pris Campbell

 

never punished
the child who paints
in her room

wendy c. bialek, az, usa

 

waiting so long
for my hobbies – finally
I am retired

Tomislav Maretić

 

sleeping newborn
i trade my electric
for an acoustic

Rich Schilling, Webster Groves, MO

 

anxiety knit
into every stitch
corona virus

Charlotte Hrenchuk

 

even the sleek red bike
is not immune
flat tire

Althea Meer

 

window seat…
all the places she visits
through books

Nancy Brady, Huron, Ohio

 

dawn
in the bird room
budgies stretch their wings

Greer Woodward, Waimea, HI

 

ikebana
I bow to the tall flower
before I cut her

Susan Rogers, Los Angeles, CA

 

origami
shaping
my loneliness

cristina 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

  1. 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!

  2. 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!

    1. Jessica –
      Thank you so much for commenting on my “binge-watching…”
      I’m so glad you liked it!

  3. 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

  4. 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.

  5. 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!

  6. 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!

  7. Thank you Tia for including my haiku. I look forward every Friday to reading the wonderful selections. Keep safe everyone.

  8. 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 !

    1. Rashmi –

      Thank you for your comments about my ” binge watching stories on every face”. You expressed my own thoughts perfectly!

      Margaret

    2. Thank-you, Rashmi VeSa, for your kind comments. Wishing you same too.
      .
      Stay safe!
      Stay healthy!

  9. 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?

  10. 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

    1. 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.”

  11. 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

  12. 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

  13. 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

    1. hi thanks for noting my haiku – more striding than strident? 😀 (certainly goes at a clipped pace) 😀

  14. 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

  15. 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.

  16. 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.

    1. Thank-you, Nancy Brady, for your kind comments. Staying safe, wishing the same for you and all others as well. Cheers for “collage-ians”.

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