Haiku for Healing

Haiku for Healing – Haiga as a Healing Practice

Week 6 photo prompt

This week 6 photo prompt is the final one showcasing the work of the well-known haiga poet and editor, Lavana Kray. This is the second part of the Haiga as a Healing Practice feature of H4H, which looks to explore the healing potentials of haiga, a poetic form related to haiku, in dealing with illness, bereavement, estrangement, displacement, isolation and loneliness.

The experience and perspective of a poet is unique and we want to showcase this singular voice. Thus, the individual photo prompt has no title or accompanying text.

Take a cue from Lavana’s inspirational interview and consider how does the image distil the “residues” of your experience? Does it bring to mind the yearning in William Blake’s “winged life”* with its lightness of joy and release or does it evoke what Thomas Hardy described as the “the sorriness underlying the grandest things”?** Look inside and outside yourself Lavana urges and find that “something” that will best convey what you want to say.

In the Comments box below, please post no more than two original, unpublished haiku or senryu inspired by the photo on the theme of healing.

Lavana and l have been amazed by your thought-provoking and inspired response to her photos. Our deep appreciation and gratitude to each of you. Please take a moment to share your thoughts on the poems posted here. It would be a fitting conclusion to this Haiga as a Healing Practice feature of Haiku for Healing.

 

 

Notes

*  “Eternity”, William Blake (1757-1827)
** Notebook entry for 19 April 1885, Thomas Hardy (1840–1928)

Sonam Chhoki

If you have any questions about Haiku for Healing, please use the Haiku for Healing contact form on our Contact page.

Coming up on Monday, 6th April:

What other healing techniques are there for us to explore? We examine this in our next Haiku for Healing feature – an interview with the widely-known haiku and haibun poet, Brijesh Raj, and Kashmira Raj, a clinical psychologist, both of whom are practitioners of Tai-qi and Qigong.

Bios

Lavana Kray is from Romania. Over the years, she has won various prizes in haiku and tanka competitions. The World Haiku Association awarded her the title of Master Haiga Artist. Her work has appeared in many print and online publications, as well as in Haiga Exhibitions organized by the World Haiku Association in Japan and Italy.  The Laval Literary Society from Canada awarded her the André-Jacob-Entrevous Prize 2023, for a literary text (haiku) combined with an artistic visual. She currently serves as haiga editor for the online journal of Japanese short forms, cattails. She has published five photo-haiku books, one tankart collection and a photo-haibun book.

She is owner-editor of https://ourbesthaiga.blogspot.com/
https://thehaikufoundation.org/thf-galleries-photo-haiku-of-lavana-kray/

Sonam Chhoki finds the Japanese short-form poetry resonates with her Tibetan Buddhist upbringing. She is inspired by her father, Sonam Gyamtsho, the architect of Bhutan’s non-monastic modern education and by her mother, Chhoden Jangmu, who taught her: “Being a girl doesn’t mean you can’t do anything.” She is the principal editor, and co-editor of haibun for the online journal of Japanese short forms, cattails.

Her chapbook of haibun, The Lure of the Threshold was published in May 2021. Mapping Absences, a collaboration of haibun, tan bun and tanka prose with Mike Montreuil was published in 2019. Another collaboration with Geethanjali Rajan: Unexpected Gift was published in November 2021. She organised a year-long email course in 2024 for The Haiku Foundation’s Haiku for Parkinson’s project.

Read past Haiku for Healing posts here.

THF strives to maintain a safe and friendly environment for our readers and site participants. Participation in our offerings assumes respectful and appropriate behavior of all parties. We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone, for any reason, at any time.

If you see something you feel may violate our Code of Conduct, please report it to the appropriate moderator or the President here.

Sonam Chhoki

Comments (73)

    1. Hi, Cherry,
      Your first poem is like a movie scene. I like the second one, too. It might suggest that sometimes we lay the blame on our lens.
      Keep writing!
      Lavana

  2. dying campfire…
    the old man nods off
    into past memories

    votive candles
    flicker in her tears…
    in her hand his photo

    the salty smell
    of burning driftwood
    giggles from a tent

  3. Since this is the last day of my participation in this project, I would first like to thank this Foundation, which hosts so many wonderful projects. Next, I would like to thank Sonam for doing me the honor of inviting me to participate in his project. Last but not least, I’d like to thank all the haiku writers who drew inspiration from my photos and brought me moments of pure joy with their poems. I apologize for being so tight-lipped in my comments, but I really don’t know much about literary criticism.
    Good luck with your future projects!
    Love
    Lavana

    1. A Monday without another image leaves me feeling unsatisfied. Maybe there will be another project? Thank you for everything, we look forward to your return.

      2. Dear Urszula,

        How genrous of you to commend this project! Lavana’s photograpy is truly stunning and it’s been an honiour to work with her.

        I’m amazed and grateful by the response to the photo prompts each Monday, these past 6 weeks. You’ve been an integral part of the weekly posts. Thank you for taking the time and trouble not only to share your beautiful and poignant responses to Lavana’s photos but also to read and respond to the other posts here. It’s this spirit of kindness and generopsity that has made this worhtwhile. Some of the poets who posted here are trying their hand at haiku and haiga for the first time and your response to their poems would have been hugley encouragiing

        Your idea of another similar project is something worth considering.

        Sonam

        1. Dear Sonam,

          Your comments, both insightful and kind, have been a tremendous encouragement to write boldly. I hope to see you all again this spring for another project.

          Deep Bow,
          Urszula

    2. Dear Lavana and Sonam,
      I too, am sorry to see this project come to a close. I found it rewarding, stimulating, and great fun to see and learn from how other poet-colleagues responded to the imagery– all different, all under the umbrella of healing.

      Many many thanks,
      Buffy Shutt

      1. Dear Buffy,
        I miss meeting all of you poets, too. I was always amazed by how much creative imagination you have. Thank you all for this moving experience, and once again to haijin Sonam for including me in her successful project.
        May you have many happy and peaceful days ahead.
        Lavana

      2. Dear Buffy,

        You have taken to haiga so well. Your poems are wonderfully layered and give one much to think and appreciate.

        I’m so glad that you found Lavana’s photos stimulating and inspiring and that you enjoyed the wide range of responses from the other poets.

        Sonam

    3. Dear Lavana,

      You’re too self-deprecating about your work. As you have seen your fabulous photos have inspired such a range of reponses, some from poets, trying their hand at haiku and haiga for the first time. Your comments, were heartfelt and I’m certain gave the poets much encouragement.

      Deep appreciation and thanks for being a part of this,
      Sonam

      1. Dear Sonam,
        It is happening because artists have no boundaries, only shared passions that bring them together. Thanks to you, I’ve met so many beautiful, sensitive souls.
        Love,
        Lavana

    1. Hi Guido De Pelsmaeker,

      Such strong images and references in your response to Lavana’s photo!

      The stack of the bonfire symbolising the refuge of the cured leprosy patient. Here, one gets a sense the person has been through ‘hellfire’ to emerge from the disease.

      India has the world’s most numerous leprosy sufferers and it also has the largest eradication programme.

      Quite a leap of associations in your poem making it thought-provoking. Perhaps you don’t need to use lower case for ‘India’ as it’s the name of a country and there is no rule in haiku that restricts such usage.

      Sonam

      1. Dear Sonam Chhoki

        Uw krachtige reactie doet mij heel veel plezier!
        Hartelijk dank hiervoor.
        Vraagje: zou ik de haiku (waar ik antwoord van u op gekregen heb) samen met de foto’s op mijn Facebook (plus het internet) mogen plaatsen? Nog een mooie avond en tot altijd.

        1. Dear Guido De Pelsmaeker,

          I’m amazed that my tentative reading of your haiku resonates with you. You’re welcome to share this post in your Facebook page.

          I hope you will keep writing and participating in future Haiku Foundation events.

          Sonam

  6. steeped in ceremony
    the cycle repeats
    born again…

    ceremonial gestures
    bidding farewell
    to pain…

    2. Hi Jeannie,

      Thank you for responding to Lavana’s beautiful photo. You’ve given an uplifting slant to the theme of rebirth in the first poem. I like how the second poem highlights the purifying aspect of the fire.

      “farewell” often brings to mind loss and the end or termination of something we might have been attached to. But your poem offers the possiblity of the fire purging this pain.

      Sonam

      Sonam

        1. Hi again, Jeannie,

          No need for apologies for the second post. I’m not au fait with the technical details and don’t know why this happens.

          But l’m glad that you shared your poem in response to this final prompt to Lavana’s fabulous work..

  7. steeped in ceremony
    the cycle repeats
    born again…

    ceremonial gestures
    bidding farewell
    to pain…

  8. There seems to be some kind of glitch. I posted two poems and made a comment. None of them have showed up even after reopening the page. I won’t repeat them as I’m hopeful this will get resolved. 🤞🤞🤞

  9. a beacon
    in the darkest night
    you tend the flame

    time to move
    let the smudging
    commence

    1. The beginning of the path is brightly lit, and what we encounter further on is less clear, but we boldly continue on.

    2. Hi Eavonka,

      Keeping the flames going through the ‘darkest night’ conveys a note of hope or even a tenacity to hold on.

      In the second poem, ‘smudging’ is quite striking and one is struck by the possiblity that even when the outcome is not clearcut or certain it is still worthwhile making that effort.

      Thank you for these two thought-provoking and lovely responses to Lavana’s photo.

      Sonam

  10. the water was cold
    her body used to warm me
    chilling by the fire

    the world can be cruel
    its depths unfathomable
    blaze of friendship’s fire

    1. Hi Laurie,

      “wildfires” can be devastating but your Ls 2 and 3 have an almost child-like tone:

      “for a moment
      he’s a dragon”

      Something terrifying can also elicit a leap of imagination and fantasy.

      Thankkyou for this wonderfully intriguing response to Lavana’s photo.

      Sonam

  12. the bonfire’s welcome warmth
    while we wait for her star
    to twinkle

    dying embers
    yet, still, a faint spark
    of future peace

    2. Hi Guliz,

      A vivid response to Lavana’s photo.

      The blaze and heat of the fire permeating the darkness. It feels like an exorcism of sorts, the flame of hope burning in the midst of the gloom and despair.

      ‘gathers’ is a great detail evoking a palpable sense of the expelling of the shadows.

      Sonam

  15. Bhogi —
    I try to come out
    of Chakravuha

    leaving my unwanted
    choice of words
    this sunset hue

    1. Hi Lakshmi,

      A great use of seasonal reference in your first poem. “Bhogi”, the first day of the Sankranti festivities dedicated to the deity Surya and marks the sun’s transition from the south to the north after the winter solstice. Your poem brings to mind the bonfires that are lit on Bhogi to symbolise the trasition from the old to the new.

      I wasn’t sure of the reference to “Chakravuha”, which is usually associated with war tactics and fromations in the Mahabharata. But then I wondered if its compexity in design could be taken to be mean some kind of a trap, out of which the “Bhogi” frees the person.

      Even if I haven’t got the intention of your poem, I enjoyed it.

      The second poem evokes regret perhaps and the sunset hour and colours marking the end of a day makes this reckoning all the more poignant.

      Sonam

      1. Hi Sonam
        Thank you so much for your reply. Actually, I shouldn’t have brought two important features in one haiku, but, you rightly spotted the answer and thanks once again.

        1. Hi again, Lakshmi,

          You raise an important point about how to use social, cultural, mythic, historical or scientific terms in haiku.

          If l may add, l don’t think using more than one such reference is the issue. It’s how you convey to your reader what you intend to say.

          In this particular haiku, perhaps consider expanding / drawing out ( not spelling it out or explaining) what the term “ Chakravuha” is meant to convey . Its emotional resonance for you, Then the seasonal reference of “Bhogi” too becomes relatable to the reader.

          My previous post has many spelling typos. I apologise for that.

          Sonam

    1. Hi Shannon,

      Your poem highlights the water and the forest in Lavana’s photo, creatng a vivid sense of the place.

      Sonam

  17. calm silence
    against the backdrop of thoughts
    an azure sky…
    *
    sunset hues…
    riding the tide
    of each day

    A beautiful and powerful image to pen on!

  18. calm silence
    against the backdrop of thoughts
    an azure sky…
    *
    sunset hues…
    riding the tide
    of each day

    A beautiful and powerful image to pen on, Lavana! Thank you, Sonam!

    1. Hi, Raji!
      Thank you for the thoughtful lyrics. We’re glad that this latest image chosen by Sonam for her project on the effect of art—haiga—on our emotional health has inspired you. Keep on writing! You’re doing a great job.
      Lavana

    2. Hi, Raji!
      I posted a comment here before, but it didn’t show up. Thank you for your contribution to Sonam’s project.
      Lavana

      1. Thank you for the acknowledgement, Lavana! Yes, there has been some issue with the posting here and I ended up posting twice!

    3. Hi Raji,

      It’s good to read your responses to Lavana’s stunning photo. You’re right her photography is inspirational!

      I like how the busyness of thoughts gives a strong contrast to the becalming effect of the deep sky in the first poem.

      The second one, l’m sure, will touch a chord with many of us as we try not to be overwhelmed and undermined by the pervading tension and uncertainty by living each day as best as we can.

      I’m sorry that you had some trouble with the posts. Dave Russo, who is the technical coordinator of the Haiku Foundation has looked at it and therefore, there shouldn’t be any issue now. But if you encounter any problems please let me know.

      Sonam

    1. There’s a story about the heart of a bell. The bell only began to produce its pleasant sound when someone jumped into the alloy from which it was cast. The need for sacrifice, present in all cultures and times, to achieve higher goals. Here, beautifully captured in haiku.

    2. Hi Richard,

      I agree with Urszula that ‘the ancient sky’ stands out in your poem. I wondered if the sky which is ever present is a witness to countless such scenarios where ‘ghost stories’ are shared around a blazing fire. A sense of continuity of the innate human impulse for story-telling around a fire.

      Sonam

  22. his life’s work
    so much brilliance
    at the end

    the end of winter
    once again on the road
    through the dark mountains

    1. Hi Urszula,

      Two wonderful poems in response to Lavana’s impressive photo.

      I like how the first poem conveys celebration rather than a decline or dimishing of achievement at the end. Such a strong and positive note in this!

      The second poem too refers to a close “end of winter” but goes on to create a sense of moving forward and in this context the “the dark mountains” are a passage to somewhere elese . . .

      Sonam

      1. Hi Sonam,

        Thank you. You know how to lead a haiku trail through the mountains.
        I wish you a joyful spring after a winter that’s almost over.

        Urszula

    2. Hi Kendall,

      A wonderfully response to Lavana’s photo that gives the reader a nice suprise. It’s the “fallen leaves” (a subtle allusion to fall/autumn) in a blaze of colours that makes the “sunshine” gliow!

      I enjiyed this unexpected moment.

      Sonam

      1. Thank you Urszula. I’m happy you responded with fresh insight to my poem!
        Thank you Sonam! You’ve pointed out to me a nice unexpected insight into my poem. I’m happy you enjoyed it.

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