Haiku Dialogue

Haiku Dialogue: What’s at Hand Week 7

 

 

Welcome to Haiku Dialogue β€” What’s at Hand Week 7Β with Guest Editor Craig Kittner.

Let’s talk about haiku! Through June 26 we will see what 21 common objects can inspire.

Next week’s theme is a takeout menu.

Immerse yourself in the theme, then submit one original,Β unpublishedΒ haiku via our Contact Form. Please submit by Saturday at 6:00 pm eastern time. Include your name as you would like it to appear and your place of residence.

By submitting you agree that your work may appear in the column β€” neither acknowledgment nor acceptance emails will be sent.

I will select haiku that make good use of the theme and that are likely to generate lively discussions. I’ll add some thoughts below each week’s selections to get the conversation started.

This week’s theme was a favorite vessel.

collecting cobwebs
on imagined kintsugi
an old broken cup

Alan Summers
Gold Coast, Oz

 

rainy season
amongst the pottery shards
a tennis ball

Bisshie
ZΓΌrich, Switzerland

 

quill pen
and ink bottle
friends forever

C.A. Harper

 

the pink potty
it’s mine
only mine

Christine Eales
UK

 

Kool-aid pitcher spilt
again that naughty Not-me
cherry footprints

Christine Goodnough
Saskatchewan, Canada

 

a patched inner tube
adrift downriver–
eyes on summer sky

clysta seney
northern california

 

row the boat in fours
even those afraid to sing
merry harmony

Dean Okamura

 

in a smile the whole story of being a butterfly

Don Baird
USA

 

grandmother
in a vessel to America
picture bride

Genie Nakano

 

connections —
a Phoenician amphora
in father’s study

Ingrid Baluchi
Ohrid, Macedonia

 

cereal bowl
a painted fairy tells her
it’ll be okay

Isabel Caves
Auckland, New Zealand

 

a homemade vase
I spent my childhood
with painted birds

Jackie Chou
Pico Rivera, CA USA

 

copper kettle
still reeking
fat and lye

joan b
New York

 

propped up
behind my whisky glass
her leaving letter

John Hawkhead

 

mother’s gravy boat
the lumps
in our relationship

Kimberly Esser
Los Angeles, CA

 

Corning glasses
inheriting her collection
of seconds

Laurie Greer
Washington, DC

 

the garden inside –
my reflection in
a bottle terrarium

Lucy Whitehead
UK

 

sweetgrass basket
past and present
tightly woven

Margaret Walker

 

dusty dawn
the robins line up
at the birdbath

Marilyn Ashbaugh
Tucson, Arizona

 

crooked tea β€”
the master’s favorite
of Raku workshops

Marta Chocilowska
Warsaw, Poland

 

Christmas present
wine glasses singing
drunkenly

nancy liddle

 

piggy bank
one more count
before the fair

Pat Davis
Pembroke, NH USA

 

cracked chalice –
face down
in the gutter

Peter Adair
Bangor, Northern Ireland

 

all the fish
swimming around sambar
glass bowl

Pratima Balabhadrapathruni

 

early retirement
his old boat
hull up to twilight

Rich Schilling

 

Ceramic plate
Sharing with the tree sparrow
Slices of dawn

Richa Sharma

 

mother’s ashes
blooming in the box
of carved roses

Roberta Beary
County Mayo, Ireland

 

my fingers tracing
the urn’s marbled veins…
father-daughter talk

Sari Grandstaff

 

favorite toys
tin soldier sailing away
on a paper boat

Serhiy Shpychenko
Kyiv, UA

 

the mayflower
bobs with the bottle
bath night

simonj
UK

 

hugging his boat
a boy shoos away
a duck

Steve Tabb
Boise, Idaho

 

in mother’s crystal
lit by candles and prayer
sweet cherry wine

Susan Rogers
Los Angeles, CA USA

 

bay at night —
sounds of dish washing
from a yacht

Tomislav Maretić

 

Shirley Temple’s smile
mother’s blue glass milk pitcher
coffee with the girls

Trilla Pando
Houston, USA

 

meteor shower . . .
Aquarius tips
her jar

Valentina Ranaldi-Adams
Fairlawn, Ohio USA

 

her hurt eyes
in every piece…
shattered wine glass

Vandana Parashar

 

their first vessels
outside the womb
uplifted

Wendy C. Bialek
Prescott Valley, Arizona USA

 

We make, use, travel in, and treasure them. Some traditions say we are a type of them. Our relationships with vessels are multifaceted. Enriched by our tendency to imbue them with personality.

Sometimes they help define who we are. Like the ship that carried Genie Nakano’s grandmother across the sea and became part of her personal mythology. The progenitor of a new, American, family life. Or like the vase that brings Jackie Chou back to his childhood with its painted birds.

A beloved vessel can give solace when the world turns mean. Picture the child in Isabel Caves’s haiku, whispering to her cereal bowl and getting comfort from it. Or John Hawkhead’s abandoned lover pouring pain into his whiskey glass.

I can picture the narrator of Rich Schilling’s “early retirement” leaving the work-a-day world and preparing to give himself to the boat that waits for him. Using his labor and love to bring that old vessel back to life.

Vessels are capable of carrying so much. That which sustains us. That which pleases and satisfies us. Our bodies and our fantasies.

Can’t you just see, as Valentina Ranaldi-Adams does, Aquarius’s jar brimming with meteors that she pours in aΒ  torrent across the sky?

As Wendy C. Bialek reminds us, in the beginning we were held by a vessel. And, as Roberta Beary and Sari Grandstaff tenderly illustrate,Β  a vessel is waiting to receive us at the end.

Please share your thoughts in the comments section.

 

Guest Editor Craig Kittner lives near the banks of the Cape Fear River in Wilmington, North Carolina. He has worked as a gallery director in Washington, DC, and a program director for the Kentucky Arts Council. He took second prize in the North Carolina Poetry Society Bloodroot Haiku Award for 2019.

 

Katherine Munro lives in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, and publishes under the name kjmunro. She is Membership Secretary for Haiku Canada and an Associate Member of the League of Canadian Poets. She co-edited an anthology of crime-themed haiku called Body of Evidence: a collection of killer ’ku.

After several years of moves, Craig Kittner has put down roots in the sandy soil of Eastern North Carolina. There the sunshine is clear. The climate gives rise to riotous growths of wildflowers. Birds abound, and the sky is alive with ocean breezes. Craig is content to walk the forests and beaches, gathering imagery for his poems. His work has been published in Frogpond, Chrysanthemum, Failed Haiku, bottle rockets, and the Autumn Moon Haiku Journal. In 2018, he had two poems selected as judges' favorites in the 5th Annual Golden Haiku Competition, and one poem selected for the Winston Salem Writers' Poetry in Plain Sight project. His first chapbook, Time's Sweet Savor, was published in 2016 by New Books on Front Street, an imprint of Old Books on Front Street in downtown Wilmington.

This Post Has 106 Comments

  2. Dean: Found memories of rowing a boat and singing with my cousins on the lake. You brought them alive.

  3. An eclectic and delightful curation of vessels. Thank you Craig for including mine. I was especially touched by:

    their first vessels
    outside the womb
    uplifted

    Wendy C. Bialek
    Prescott Valley, Arizona USA

    It struck me as an exquisite example of Jim Kacian’s essay on interpenetration in haiku. Am learning so much in this online interactive venue. Appreciation to all who make it so.
    clysta seney

    1. wow! thank you, clysta seney….that you say my vessel piece did this for you….i am honoured. i’ve heard of j. kacian as a poet…never knew his association with the HS, or that he wrote entire books and articles until i looked into googling his essay on interpenetration. thank you for pointing me in this direction. he and i appear to have a similar appreciation for Chinese philosophy and becoming one with the experience/subject of haiku.

  4. propped up
    behind my whisky glass
    her leaving letter
    .
    John Hawkhead
    .
    The whole story (one version): An imbalance between love and addiction, ending in loss.
    .
    A neatly formatted work (rhythm and linebreak), and with a theme of parting.
    The phrasal verb is a useful tool for extending multiple meanings.

  5. early retirement
    his old boat
    hull up to twilight

    Rich Schilling
    *
    *
    ‘hull up to twilight” great poetic wording….Rich
    i pictured the boat being on its side, a low lit moon shining off the hull. But i also pictured a person reclining also on his side, with not much activity. A sad, withdrawn feeling. Head is not wanting to lookout.

    1. Thanks for the compliment! It’s nice to see your own poems through other people’s eyes. Makes you appreciate them more.

  6. propped up
    behind my whisky glass
    her leaving letter

    John Hawkhead

    Perfect scenerio/well done John!!!!

    where the person drinking might also have to be “propped up” the letter writer has the legs to stand and walk away…Love… the “leaving letter”

  7. hugging his boat
    a boy shoos away
    a duck
    .
    Steve Tabb
    Boise, Idaho
    .
    .
    Beautifully innocent, and child me-time moment! Using two verbs really lifts this particular haiku too!

    1. Alan, Thank you very much for your comment. This is a wonderful web site and a lot of fun for me to take part.

      1. Thanks Steve! πŸ™‚
        .
        .
        I liked the different present tenses in your two verbs, that crafted this poem beyond the sum of the words. Look forward to your participant in future weeks!

  8. Many thanks for printing my verse, Craig. There are so many clever, touching, and inspiring verses here; I feel like a Grade school student watching teens solving algebra problems!

    Here are a few thoughts I had as I read:

    row the boat in fours
    even those afraid to sing
    merry harmony

    Dean Okamura

    I’ve been in groups where someone started a round song like this. Even non-singers join in the fun, trusting that in the cacophony no one’s going to hear the odd flat, sharp, or croak from them.

    cereal bowl
    a painted fairy tells her
    it’ll be okay

    Isabel Caves

    Like others, I found the child drawing courage from her fairy friend quite touching:

    early retirement
    his old boat
    hull up to twilight

    Rich Schilling

    I saw the old boat as an old horse put out to pasture when the drayman — or in this case fisherman? — retires. The wood will dry out, hopefully be refinished and the boat given a second career. Or maybe the ‘retirement’ is illness or death and the boat’s been almost forgotten?

    meteor shower . . .
    Aquarius tips
    her jar

    Valentina Ranaldi-Adams

    This verse is brilliant in more ways than one!

    my fingers tracing
    the urn’s marbled veins…
    father-daughter talk

    Sari Grandstaff

    I see the girl, maybe a bit embarrassed by what her father is saying, distractedly tracing the veins. Or is he trying to help her come to terms with the loss of a grandparent — or the senselessness of a premature death?

    collecting cobwebs
    on imagined kintsugi
    an old broken cup

    Thank you, Alan, for your comment on my verse. Your haiku had me reaching for my dictionary, but I see a link in the comments, too, that helps to explain kintsugi.

    Thanks so much, everyone, for sharing your glimpses of life.

    1. Thanks Christine! πŸ™‚
      .
      .
      collecting cobwebs
      on imagined kintsugi
      an old broken cup
      .
      .
      You said:
      “Thank you, Alan, for your comment on my verse. Your haiku had me reaching for my dictionary, but I see a link in the comments, too, that helps to explain kintsugi.”
      .
      Ah, glad you know now, it certainly did the rounds on FB a year or so ago, and is a strong component of wabi-sabi now, I believe. πŸ™‚
      .

    2. I will never the surprise I felt when we first sang in a round in elementary school. How did we do it?

      1. How did I do it, singing a round? I mentally and sometimes physically out my hands over my ears.

        I must admit that I thought of the singers of the round messing up the lyrics…how merrily they would laugh…

  9. Thanks for including my haiku and the comment! So many great poems!

    By early retirement, I was thinking that as being another way to mean being fired. I wonder if I should’ve put that in italics to get that meaning?

    1. Hi, Rich. I’m not sure italics would have changed the way I read it. Perhaps it is too ingrained in me that “early retirement” is a positive thing. Perhaps a different euphemism? Something like “downsized,” “let go,” or “restructuring.” Or, “pink slip” might be interesting. The connection between the pink of sunset and a slip as the berth for a boat. Come to think of it, “layoff” has a vaguely nautical sound to it.

      1. Always so many decisions/choices with haiku and so few words. Thanks for the feedback! I’m sure this question has been asked but are these (in haiku dialogues) considered published haiku? I consider them published but I wasn’t sure.

  11. @Alan,

    there is hardly anything that I want to say about your poem, that has not been already said…
    but that said,

    collecting cobwebs
    on imagined kintsugi
    an old broken cup

    Alan Summers
    Gold Coast, Oz

    there are layers to this poem, and I am still reading it … three lines of a lot said …
    what I want to say the most is this:
    those cobwebs sometimes seem to be the lines of repair, rebonding … kintsugi…almost like the kintsugi is a shadow of the cobweb… like there is the light of revelation, like the old broken cup has a lot of stories in it… and it is wanting to rejoin the rest of them, waiting, a perfect wabi-sabi write,
    like I said, I have not even begun to read it…

    really well penned, not that I am not used to reading that from you
    and again the – however…
    howevrer, I would hazard the guess that this is a personal moment of revelation, the speaker, the “speaker” is really speaking about the self

    ok, outtah here, whoosh

    1. Dear Pratima,
      .
      You said:
      .
      β€œ@Alan, there is hardly anything that I want to say about your poem, that has not been already said…but that said…”
      .
      .
      collecting cobwebs
      on imagined kintsugi
      an old broken cup
      .
      Alan Summers
      Gold Coast, Oz
      .
      .

      β€œβ€¦there are layers to this poem, and I am still reading it … three lines of a lot said …”
      .
      .
      Ah, yes, I can be guilty of that. Ever since studying Basho in great depth, what he did or attempt to do with β€œpre-haiku” I’ve at least attempted to do, and that’s have multiple layers for multiple readers.
      .
      .
      You said:
      .
      β€œwhat I want to say the most is this:
      those cobwebs sometimes seem to be the lines of repair, rebonding … kintsugi…almost like the kintsugi is a shadow of the cobweb… like there is the light of revelation, like the old broken cup has a lot of stories in it… and it is wanting to rejoin the rest of them, waiting, a perfect wabi-sabi write…”
      .
      .
      Yes, just like in wartime where someone understands fieldcraft in medicine and using what is only available in β€˜the wild’ then cobwebs are using for β€˜healing wounds’:
      .
      .
      β€œIn traditional European medicine, cobwebs are used on wounds and cuts to help healing and reduce bleeding. The reason they heal so well and so quickly is because spider webs are rich in vitamin K – the clotting vitamin.”
      Using Spider Webs to Heal:
      https://remedygrove.com/remedies/Organic-Healing-Treating-Bleeding-Wounds-With-Cobwebs
      .
      I’ve just been listening to Melvyn Bragg’s BBC Radio 4 discussion on philosophy with others who talk and listen, and at first I wondered if it was all waffle, but due to the crazy national crisis that became even worse last night in Parliament, where the illusion of democracy is almost extinguished, there needs to be repair, and a need to recognise and respect each other’s stories, and see them all with a glint of gold.
      .
      .
      You said:
      .
      β€œlike I said, I have not even begun to read it…”
      .
      Intriguing, because Owen Bullock’s new site β€œPoetry in Process
      Understanding poetic process from inspiration to final edit” is investigating part two of MelindaΒ Smith’s writing process with the β€œsemi dream-like state when putting pen to paper, and with it the need to get strange things out of the subconscious.”
      .
      You said:
      .
      β€œreally well penned, not that I am not used to reading that from you and again the – however…
      however, I would hazard the guess that this is a personal moment of revelation, the speaker, the β€œspeaker” is really speaking about the self, ok, outtah here, whoosh”
      .
      I reminded of a great Teacher who said that whatever we speak about β€˜of others’ is a mirror reflection of ourselves, and so when I criticise others in society, I must look back to myself and gauge where I am, at this moment in time. I use the mirror many times, to grow, and not sink back into the bias that can hold me back.
      .
      Thank you so much for extending the dialog around this haiku, deeply appreciated.

      1. thank you Alan, and I have to say that there is no bias only perspective …

        1. Yes, there are exceptions, but, of course, a haiku with no bias, only perspective, was what the ‘inventor’ of haiku might have wanted. πŸ™‚

          1. but is that not what haiku is …Alan…a true reflection/perspective of what is observed by the mind’s eye as it is…
            everything is as in the mind …what you say haijin?
            bye and GN
            Β¬anna

            ( please exercise caution when using kintsugi kits, can cause serious allergies )

          2. I’ll avoid using kintsugi kits. πŸ™‚
            .
            You said:
            .
            “…but is that not what haiku is …Alan…a true reflection/perspective of what is observed by the mind’s eye as it is…
            everything is as in the mind …what you say haijin?”
            .
            It’s interesting you say the ‘mind’s eye’ as we don’t really see what our physical eye device sees, only how the mind interprets it and decides to let us know. Perhaps this universe, in particular, is a mind trick? Intriguing notion that it’s maintained the way it is. πŸ™‚

  12. row the boat in fours
    even those afraid to sing
    merry harmony

    Dean Okamura

    is this a nod to – row row row your boat? I had to smile at the – merry harmony – bit
    this is a deep piece, it intrigues me

    1. Yes… row row row your boat… for musical harmony that just happens. I believe it can happen in other efforts in life. We can achieve so much together.

  13. the pink potty
    it’s mine
    only mine
    .
    Christine Eales
    UK
    .
    absolutely delightful, and it brought back memories of childhood …

  14. in a smile the whole story of being a butterfly

    Don Baird
    USA

    oh gosh, so much said in a one-liner, hey Don, always learning from your work …

  15. mother’s gravy boat
    the lumps
    in our relationship

    Kimberly Esser
    Los Angeles, CA

    This one does a nice job of pointing out that the rapport with a relative is not always 100 percent good.

    1. yeah, it has a true zing in it ….and then of course the two in the – our- truly fascinating ,

  16. piggy bank
    one more count
    before the fair

    Pat Davis
    Pembroke, NH USA

    This one brought back childhood memories of having a piggy bank – mine was in the shape of a shoe.

    1. Hi Valentina, I’m glad I scrolled down all the comments again. I found your message! Glad my poem brought back a happy memory.

  17. Thank you Alan and everyone for reading and liking my haiku. Congratulations for a beautiful compilation. Each and every haiku is a delightful read. πŸ™‚

  18. Craig I was pleasantly surprised that you chose mine for commentary !! Thank-you !!

  19. collecting cobwebs
    on imagined kintsugi
    an old broken cup
    *
    Alan Summers
    *
    Combining the cobwebs with an old broken mug is brilliant. Kintusgi tells us that we do not have to be perfect, but that we must learn to live like we are, sometimes hurt and broken.
    bay at night β€”
    sounds of dish washing
    from a yacht

    Tomislav Maretić

    Yes, that’s what I hear, which reminds me of my youthful cruises. “Tomorrow, we will be sailing again, even further than those clouds” …. I love this haiku.

    1. Thanks Marta! πŸ™‚
      .
      .
      collecting cobwebs
      on imagined kintsugi
      an old broken cup
      .
      Alan Summers
      .
      “Combining the cobwebs with an old broken mug is brilliant. Kintusgi tells us that we do not have to be perfect, but that we must learn to live like we are, sometimes hurt and broken.”
      .

      Thank you! It’s a mix of wabi-sabi, and a nod to time and its passing as per human perspective, and how things are really all joined together, if we got all scientific and sub-molecular. πŸ™‚
      .
      We certainly do not have to be under the yoke of what society and those in spheres of influence that fool us into being uncomfortable with ourselves, and only comfortable within the dictats of politicians and their rulers/paymasters.
      .
      .
      bay at night β€”
      sounds of dish washing
      from a yacht
      .
      Tomislav Maretić
      .
      “Yes, that’s what I hear, which reminds me of my youthful cruises. β€œTomorrow, we will be sailing again, even further than those clouds” …. I love this haiku.”
      .
      Haiku, and its earlier cousins, have that strength to be lovable don’t they? πŸ™‚

  20. So many wonderful things!
    Love the cleverness and thought here:
    quill pen
    and ink bottle
    friends forever

    C.A. Harper

    *
    Love thinking about the inner garden–what grows there! Beautiful poem.

    the garden inside –
    my reflection in
    a bottle terrarium

    Lucy Whitehead
    UK
    *
    I read this is as a comment on the Church abuse scandal–well done and powerful.
    cracked chalice –
    face down
    in the gutter

    Peter Adair
    Bangor, Northern Ireland

    *
    Love the two kinds of light here:
    in mother’s crystal
    lit by candles and prayer
    sweet cherry wine

    Susan Rogers
    Los Angeles, CA USA

    *
    love the vivid scene and rich untold stories:

    her hurt eyes
    in every piece…
    shattered wine glass

    Vandana Parashar

    **
    love the link between earthly life and the stars
    meteor shower . . .
    Aquarius tips
    her jar

    Valentina Ranaldi-Adams
    Fairlawn, Ohio USA

    *
    Again, sorry not to comment on all–love just reading and thinking “Wow”!

  21. Thanks for selecting mine Craig. Really enjoyed reading everyone’s haiku this week. Valentina’s one in particular leapt out at me.
    .
    meteor shower . . .
    Aquarius tips
    her jar
    .
    Valentina Ranaldi-Adams
    Fairlawn, Ohio USA
    .
    I thought this was absolutely beautiful and such an original take on the prompt. I think the 5 ‘r’ sounds make this haiku really flow, echoing the action of the ku. So elegant. I don’t think I’ll be able to see meteors in quite the same way again. I love the way we are left just at the edge of Aquarious tipping the jar. It feels like there’s a lot of space at the end of this haiku to imagine the meteors flowing out. I’ve read about some ku having Ma at the end but really feel it here. There’s a lot of space for the reader to enter it.

  22. Just a brief THANK YOU to everyone…editor, poets, commentators…for a wonderful afternoon read.

  23. Dear Craig,
    Greetings! so many lovely vessels sailing and glittering before our eyes, bowls, melamine, vessels to America etc., enjoyed reading and getting immersed . Got a chance to know more about ” kintsugi”

    collecting cobwebs
    on imagined kintsugi
    an old broken cup

    Alan Summers
    Gold Coast, Oz

    1. Thank you Radhamani sarma,
      .
      I sometimes leave a clue in my geographical location! πŸ™‚ I have been to the Queensland Gold Coast and stayed with friends, but there was kintsugi at that time. πŸ™‚

  24. bay at night β€”
    sounds of dish washing
    from a yacht

    Tomislav Maretić

    this is done so cleverly…..the way, tomislav, sets the scene. The wide angle shot of the “bay at night” then the close-up lens, of “dish washing”, then pushing away…to the vessel in the bay…”the yacht”…..also the way the sounds are orchestrated….from the very peaceful…of the bay at night….to the unnatural sound of dish washing…..then maybe contrasted with the soft-splashing of water against the hulls of the yacht. Masterful!

  25. the mayflower
    bobs with the bottle
    bath night

    simonj
    UK

    Love the poetic flow of this poem, simonj…. and i see the waves in the bath water….the baby looking down at the toys…i pick up a sense…that the child…is not having a preference…not judging which toy is better…they are equal. the bathtub holding the water and baby contents is the valued experience.

    1. Thanks…. Japanese haiku have form, which I try and emulate with an analogue of rhythm.

  26. Thank you Craig for including one of my haiku here. And thank you for your comments about Roberta’s and my haiku. Congratulations to all the fine haiku poets here this week!

  27. So any evocative haiku in this week’s collection. Some humorous (drunken wine glasses, cherry footprints), some sad (behind the whiskey glass, ashes in box), but all thoughtful (who doesn’t have little lumps in their family relationships?).

    Well done, all.

  28. Wonderful… and so many to talk about.
    .
    I also had to look up some terms (that’s part of the fun of these sessions – the research).
    .
    Alan’s kintsugi, so much beauty in something broken:
    .
    collecting cobwebs
    on imagined kintsugi
    an old broken cup
    .
    Laurie’s ‘Corning glasses’ came up as tough stuff, an American brand of glass produced for optics and glass art, probably expensive, hence the ‘seconds’.
    .
    Butterfly chrysalises (chrysalides) often take the curved shape of a smile, if I interpreted Don’s monoku correctly:
    .
    ‘in a smile the whole story of being a butterfly’
    .
    Plus a few others I hardly dare mention my ignorance of; e.g, ‘a bottle terrarium’… a nice twist to this one by Lucy.
    .
    I thought Marta’s “crooked tea” was rather good, even before the corrected version.
    .
    And this was fun, or was it…?
    Kimberly’s
    .
    mother’s gravy boat
    the lumps
    in our relationship
    .
    Again, nancy liddle’s enjoyable spectacle:
    .
    Christmas present
    wine glasses singing
    drunkenly
    .
    Thank you, Craig, for including mine among all these gifts.

    1. Thank you Ingrid! πŸ™‚
      .
      You said:
      .
      “I also had to look up some terms (that’s part of the fun of these sessions – the research).”
      and
      .
      Alan’s kintsugi, so much beauty in something broken:
      .
      collecting cobwebs
      on imagined kintsugi
      an old broken cup
      .
      Alan Summers
      .
      Ah, yes, before I left Facebook, there were a number of posts about kintsugi and a certain Western quote about it, and who originally said it.
      .
      As micro-conservationists in our mini-backyard sectors, both cobwebs and spiderwebs have their place and of beauty. πŸ™‚

      1. Dear esteemed poet,
        Warm greetings! How kintsugi gains importance and how we view
        the old broken cup in different perspective! I have the habit of slightly damaged porcelain cups
        arranging in my garden to grow small ‘tulsi’ plants ( sacred leaves)

        collecting cobwebs
        on imagined kintsugi
        an old broken cup
        .
        Alan Summers

          1. hey Alan, if you are really taken up by kintsugi, and will take are taking a course, make it a habit to wear gloves and a mask that covers your nose and mouth, do not inhale when bending over the work…

            Radhamani, good idea, esp for porcelain or ceramic pots, make real good planters…even for holy Tulsi…gosh, don’t we all love the fragrant leaves

          2. Dear Pratima,
            .
            Oh, I never wear a mask, metaphorically or literally! πŸ™‚
            .
            You said:
            .
            “hey Alan, if you are really taken up by kintsugi, and will take are taking a course, make it a habit to wear gloves and a mask that covers your nose and mouth, do not inhale when bending over the work…”
            .
            I use my nose as closely as I can the way a dog uses their nose! πŸ™‚ There’s a lot of information to be gathered, even when the aromas are too rich in one direction. πŸ™‚

    2. Hi, Ingrid–
      Thanks for noticing my Corning glasses! We lived not far from Corning and my mother and grandmother sought out bargains–the flawed pieces, known as “factory seconds.” Congenitally fllawed, I was thinking, in keeping with the lineage theme in the poem.

      Nice work with your “connections”! Always look forward to your elegant pieces–

      1. Thanks for commenting on mine Ingrid. Bottle terrariums are fascinating. I read an article on one recently that was over 50 years old and had only been watered once….they are complete ecosystems.

  29. Just wondering about Peter Adair’s poem:
    cracked chalice-
    face down
    in the gutter
    Is this a reference to the scandals in the church?
    I love the image in Valentina R-A’s “meteor shower” , It prompted me to think of other vessels in the night sky – The Big Dipper, Libra…
    CA Harper’s “quill pen” poem reminded me of my pen-and-ink days and how I once tried to write with a quill pen. Many blots!
    Thank you, Alan Summers, for your “kintsugi” poem. I recently read an article about that practice and how it is a metaphor for healing, becoming strong again. I imagine someone gently wiping away the cobwebs, and putting the pieces of your old broken cup back together again, even if there is no gold available to fill the spaces.
    I find myself re-reading these authentic haiku. Thanks, Craig for including mine. I really did recount my coins on several occasions in the hopes that I’d get a larger sum to work with! Plus, I enjoyed stacking coins.

    1. Thank you Pat!
      .
      .
      You said:
      .
      “Thank you, Alan Summers, for your β€œkintsugi” poem. I recently read an article about that practice and how it is a metaphor for healing, becoming strong again. I imagine someone gently wiping away the cobwebs, and putting the pieces of your old broken cup back together again, even if there is no gold available to fill the spaces.”
      .
      I like to write experiential haiku as much as possible. Yes, kintsugi as a literal practice is breathtaking and in this age where the planet is choked with non-garbage, it’s a beautiful ethos, as well as metaphorical. Of course cobwebs have a certain beauty in the dawn light all of their own!
      .
      And also at dusk! πŸ™‚
      .
      .
      the old dunny’s roof
      no longer holding out the sky –
      moonlit cobwebs
      .
      Alan Summers
      Award credit: 3rd Prize, Canadian Writer’s Journal poetry competition (1995)

      1. Alan, As usual, your insights are valuable- I hadn’t given the reference to cobwebs their due! Thanks for your poem about “the old dunny”. I had to look up that term in order to fully understand what you saw. New words are always fun.

        1. Thank you! πŸ™‚
          .
          Yes, living in Queensland for five years gave me access to a wonderfully rich language and slang that has done well for my haiku. πŸ™‚

  30. .

    Congratulations Craig!!!!!!!!!!!! πŸ™‚
    .
    To be judged by one of our very finest poets and haiku writers Lenard D. Moore, and achieve second prize in the North Carolina Poetry Society Bloodroot Haiku Award for 2019 is a stunning result!!!
    .
    And as an often lover of rain, your haiku β€œrain tapering off” already sounds fantastic, great line! πŸ™‚
    .
    .

    This week’s theme was a favorite vessel.
    .
    .
    Β 
    mother’s gravy boat
    the lumps
    in our relationship
    .
    Kimberly Esser
    Los Angeles, CA
    .
    .
    Ah, when there was those aspects of ceremony, from dishes to cutlery, to best china or not best china, to the gravy boat and who carves the chicken or the turkey, and who gets their favorite cut or not. And now a remaining symbol, perhaps, is in your hands alone, and who cuts the turkey, and how…
    .
    .

    Β 
    the pink potty
    it’s mine
    only mine
    .
    Christine Eales
    UK
    .
    .
    Gosh, I always admire people, like Karen, who have things from their childhood. My mother was never a collector, or had ceased to be. I’m reminded of those grown men on tiny bikes, and think of my knees, and spilling over. πŸ™‚
    .
    .

    Β 
    Kool-aid pitcher spilt
    again that naughty Not-me
    cherry footprints
    .
    Christine Goodnough
    Saskatchewan, Canada
    .
    .
    Automatically think of Tom Wolfe’s book about Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters! πŸ™‚ Were you old enough to forget the sixties? πŸ˜‰ Love β€œcherry footprints” too!
    .
    .

    Β 
    in a smile the whole story of being a butterfly
    .
    Don Baird
    USA
    .
    .
    Ah, the butterfly, vessel of vast distances and high winds, and of β€œa certain dream”! πŸ˜‰ Sublime haiku, sublime one-line haiku aka monoku. Breathtakingly beautiful!
    .
    .
    Β 

    sweetgrass basket
    past and present
    tightly woven
    .
    Margaret Walker
    .
    .
    Intriguing haiku if we look closer. And wow, more than I first imagined. How we carry things, and what is and isn’t…
    .
    The coiled Sweetgrass basket is a historically significant African art that was brought to America by enslaved Africans from the Windward and Rice Coasts of West Africa in the 17th century. … Agricultural baskets were originally made of bulrush, sweetgrass , and split oak.
    HISTORY AND CARE OF Sweetgrass baskets
    http://www.edistosweetgrassbaskets.net/aboutsweetgrassbaskets
    .
    Powerful haiku!
    .
    .

    Β 
    crooked tea β€”
    the master’s favorite
    of Raku workshops
    .
    Marta Chocilowska
    Warsaw, Poland
    .
    I adore raku, its imperfections are what make them perfect, quite literally and professionally. If only we could embrace our own flaws and make them a vessel for good things to us and others. I love the negative space and poetry of that first line! Brilliant!
    .
    .

    Β 
    all the fish
    swimming around sambar
    glass bowl
    .
    Pratima Balabhadrapathruni
    .
    Oooh! Sambar! A South Indian recipe, sometimes showcased on Masterchef UK on television by people who know what they are doing, yummy! Are we the fish as much as the ones in a restaurant or home aquarium? πŸ™‚ Who’s watching who? πŸ™‚
    Β .
    .
    early retirement
    his old boat
    hull up to twilight
    .
    Rich Schilling
    .
    Love twilight in a haiku! Is this low tide, dry dock, or a hobby taking a few years at home or a beach house? πŸ™‚
    Β .
    .
    Ceramic plate
    Sharing with the tree sparrow
    Slices of dawn
    .
    Richa Sharma
    .
    Love slices of dawn, so evocatively accurate as I never missed a dawn for five years while in Queensland! πŸ™‚
    Β .
    .
    mother’s ashes
    blooming in the box
    of carved roses
    .
    Roberta Beary
    County Mayo, Ireland
    .
    A poem as crafted as the box that contains the ashes of your beloved mother. Beautiful and poignant. I wish I could have let my mom live under a yellow rose bush I took to the funeral. She loved roses and even in a concrete pocket garden, the rose bush many decades ago made all the difference.

    Β .
    .
    my fingers tracing
    the urn’s marbled veins…
    father-daughter talk
    .
    Sari Grandstaff
    .
    A great play on fingers, our veins particularly in our hands and arms, and the veins in marble.
    Β .
    .
    Β 
    bay at night β€”
    sounds of dish washing
    from a yacht
    .
    Tomislav Maretić
    .
    .
    Yes, we think it will be just the sails/tackle, and the gentle movement of waves/tide, but someone has to do the washing, sometimes it’s all down to one person seeking solitude.
    .
    So many good verses on a great theme!!! πŸ™‚

    1. Thank you very much for your nice comment, Alan!
      However, from the first line the bowl escaped somehow…
      *
      crooked tea bowl β€”
      the master’s favorite
      of Raku workshops

      Best wishesΕΊ!
      Marta

      1. Yes, I spotted your comment elsewhere about that, but I love the typo! I love ‘crooked tea’ as well ‘Raku’ we know immediately and it gives an extra oomph. I will never forget ‘crooked tea’ in a good way and that it came from a typo, which often do unpredictable things, but not always in a bad way. πŸ™‚

    2. Thank you, Alan. Exactly what I was thinking of. And absolutely so many excellent favorite vessel haiku here.

      1. Thanks Sari! πŸ™‚
        .
        It still astonishes me how much high quality haiku is produced here, and what a brilliant resource it will be to visitors looking to how to write on certain themes.

      1. Thank you Margaret, and I appreciate how much “you say without overloading” the haiku. There is a delicate balancing system to juggle saying with “showing and telling” and one more pinch of salt can undo the poem.

        1. Thanks. I was a bit concerned that the reference to a β€œsweetgrass basket” might be a little obscure.

          I have several that I treasure – some were my mother’s and some were wedding gifts many years ago. But aside from their beauty, the fact that this artistry is still being done today – the skill handed down through generations of basketweavers – gives them even greater value. (Sadly, with development of so many of our coastal wetlands, the sweetgrass is becoming much more difficult to find.)

          1. Hi Margaret,
            .
            You said:
            .
            “Thanks. I was a bit concerned that the reference to a β€œsweetgrass basket” might be a little obscure.”
            .
            We’ll find almost any reference, however everyday even, will be obscure to someone. But with the internet taking around 2 seconds or less to find an instant source of information, that’s quicker than when we reached for a reference book off the shelf. πŸ™‚ So never worry about that issue. We are either here to learn, on this planet, or we are atrophy.
            .
            .
            You say:
            .
            “Sadly, with development of so many of our coastal wetlands, the sweetgrass is becoming much more difficult to find.)”
            .
            I’m glad that the destruction of the planet, as if we own it and therefore should mess it up, has a champion:
            .
            “Greta Thunberg, the Swedish school girl climate campaigner who has inspired worldwide protests, has been nominated for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.
            A group of Norwegian lawmakers put forward the 16-year-old’s name on Thursday.”
            .
            Only the children can save us from present insanities (plural).

    4. Alan, thank you for making the time to comment. Yes, who is watching who ?
      psst, it is an old old glass bowl from back home …with sand blasted fish on it and it is holding the everyday sambar or lentil gravy…but tell no one…

      there is one other poem which echoes ( sort of ) the same sentiment …

      a homemade vase
      I spent my childhood
      with painted birds

      Jackie Chou
      Pico Rivera, CA USA

      brava Jackie

      1. Dear Pratima,
        .
        It is interesting that by the very actions and set up of watchers over the rest of us that they set themselves up to be watched too. πŸ™‚
        .
        .
        all the fish
        swimming around sambar
        glass bowl
        .
        Pratima Balabhadrapathruni
        .
        .
        You said:
        .
        “Alan, thank you for making the time to comment. Yes, who is watching who ?
        psst, it is an old old glass bowl from back home …with sand blasted fish on it and it is holding the everyday sambar or lentil gravy…but tell no one…”
        .
        I won’t! πŸ™‚ But it is no mere lentil gravy is it? πŸ˜‰
        .
        .
        You said:
        .
        “there is one other poem which echoes ( sort of ) the same sentiment …brava Jackie”
        .
        a homemade vase
        I spent my childhood
        with painted birds
        .
        Jackie Chou
        Pico Rivera, CA USA
        .
        I like and appreciate the thought and care with this verse, as there is with the homemade vase itself. The sheer introduction of an indefinite article (“a”) in the first line makes this more of a poem to inhabit and rightly embraces its beautiful following two lines.
        .
        .
        “I spent my childhood
        with painted birds”
        .
        .
        It’s achingly beautiful.

  31. her hurt eyes
    in every piece…
    shattered wine glass
    .

    Vandana Parashar
    .
    I love this one. So many possibilities. Who’s eyes. Who broke the glass. But the feeling of pain and loss quite vivid.

  32. Thank you, Craig for publishling my haiku. The correct version is:
    *
    crooked tea bowlβ€”
    the master’s favorite
    of Raku workshops
    *
    Marta Chocilowska

        1. Sometimes, in haiku, a mistake adapts our linear view into something uniquely poetic. I absolutely loved ‘crooked tea’ as it encompassed not only the pot, but the tea coming out at a ‘wrong’ or ‘crooked’ angle. I love my own typos when I’m doing various drafts on my own work. πŸ™‚
          .
          I should co-credit one or two as haiku by Alan Summers and Monsieur Typo! πŸ™‚

  33. I had to look up ‘kintsugi’ when I saw what it ment or should that be meant, it made smile-
    ‘make do and mend, the planet’s friend’ πŸ™‚
    .
    collecting cobwebs
    on imagined kintsugi
    an old broken cup
    .
    Alan Summers
    .
    A marvellous line up of humours and thought provoking verses, congratulations to all poets.

    2. Thanks Carol! πŸ™‚
      .
      I’m sure we’ve all had a favourite cup or mug that was chipped or even more broken, but we’d still use it, at least for a while longer, as it was so precious regarding memories. I also had a builder’s mug that was dented or chipped and contained a lump of cement or concrete yet I wouldn’t change it for the world at that time. πŸ™‚
      .
      Did I try to mend an early cup or mug I wonder, before I even knew about gilding one with gold? It might have been something disgusting like superglue. Although for a handle that came off a one off mug it worked! Well it was made by Josie Firmin! πŸ™‚
      .
      “Josie Firmin is a British artist from a family of artists; her father, Peter Firmin, created a number of children’s shows including the Clangers, for which her mother knitted the title characters, and her five sisters are also artists.”
      .
      Karen’s family, and her semi-official father-in-law knows Josie and another sister who does pottery, I’m envious! πŸ™‚

      1. Alan, thanks for your insightful comments on these haiku, including mine!

        having lived in Japan for 5 years I didn’t need to look up β€˜kintsugi’

        but β€˜semi-official father-in-law’ is another kettle of fish

        although i do like the sound of it, whatever its meaning!

        1. Well, as you may know I’ve had six in-laws despite only been officially married once. πŸ™‚
          Karen’s parents divorced so we doubled up, and of course meeting my birth mother meant Karen got yet another in-law! πŸ™‚
          .
          I have been exceptionally lucky and fortunate with all my various in-laws. πŸ™‚
          .
          And speaking of being lucky, we are fortunate that you do submit haiku to these prompts, and I thank you for that!

      2. Thanks for the link, I’ll take a closer look at that, after dinner.
        .
        A wonderful read, as always. I can remember watching the Clangers, many year ago, on a Sunday, early evening, I found them quite delightful, but those Clanger whistles, not allowed to be used in the house.
        I feel another search coming on, for the mentioned artist.
        My favourite mug is one I had made at Ewenny Pottery, it’s a tanker size for when I’m working outside in the sheep shed πŸ™‚

        1. Wow, they have ice age clay!!! That’s incredible!
          .
          Karen gets to meet some wonderful people including one of my fave actors of all time, Bernard Cribbins, and he is as nice and lovely as he appears on television and film! I was so jealous! πŸ™‚
          .

          Peter Firmin, was the founder of Smallfilms, along with Oliver Postgate. Between them they created a number of popular children’s TV programmes, The Saga of Noggin the Nog, Ivor the Engine, Clangers, Bagpuss and Pogles’ Wood. WIKIPEDIA
          .
          I was a bit miffed when my handle fell off my Josie Firmin pint mug, and Karen’s stayed on, but the superglue, as it was the handle and not the lip of my favourite vessel. It’s now a holder for a teddy bear and three African wooden spoons from Tanzania! πŸ™‚

          1. The pottery has been going for many year, but I didn’t know it was that long πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚
            The programmes you mention were my favourites, Noggin the Nog, you’re dragging forth some memories, now.

            One of my favourite artists is Thomas Joseph, if you see his work it will be obvious πŸ™‚ I have a few of his mugs with a coaster, unopened, but I do have a Bagpuss I keep in a favoured little milk jug.

            This is a great conversation and one I would like to continue, maybe at some time during a break at the future workshop.
            Bernard Cribbins was in the, Railway Children, such a wonderful character, Karen is so fortunate to have meet him.

          2. Hi Carol,
            .
            You said:
            .
            “The pottery has been going for many year, but I didn’t know it was that long πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚
            The programmes you mention were my favourites, Noggin the Nog, you’re dragging forth some memories, now.
            One of my favourite artists is Thomas Joseph, if you see his work it will be obvious πŸ™‚ I have a few of his mugs with a coaster, unopened, but I do have a Bagpuss I keep in a favoured little milk jug.
            This is a great conversation and one I would like to continue, maybe at some time during a break at the future workshop.
            Bernard Cribbins was in the, Railway Children, such a wonderful character, Karen is so fortunate to have meet him.”
            .
            We are working hard on some special developments at our house for workshops there, what you are saying is right up Karen’s street, and I hope to see her return to the type of workshops she ran at our previous place.
            .
            You will be blown away! πŸ™‚ Plus we do have a meadow, a forest, and one of the longest river walks in the country, minutes from our house too! πŸ™‚

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