Riverside and Haiku poetry

Do you love the sound of a rippling river or stream? I live in an area that is blessed by many rivers that wind their way towards Georgian Bay. My husband and I love to spend our mornings sitting on the banks of these rivers sipping a coffee or tea. The riverside is a wonderful place to enjoy rippling waters and changing seasons. We take time to meditate, each in our own sacred space and listen…

A few years ago, I came upon the Japanese style of poetry called Haiku, A Haiku is a short, unrhymed poem that adheres to a specific three-line, seventeen-syllable format. But as I explored Haiku I realized that this was an intriguing form of poetry where there is much to learn about its form and meaning. You can find out lots about Haiku from poet Neena Singh ~ https://thehaikufoundation.org/new-to-haiku-advice-for-beginners-neena-singh/ New to Haiku: Advice for Beginners – Neena Singh

I thought Haiku is about connecting with nature and feelings that arise. But Neena explains in her article..

“.I have learned much from attending Michael Dylan Welch‘s presentation at the Japan Fair. He says that instead of writing about our reactions to stimuli, in a good haiku we should write about those things that cause our reactions. If our haiku take advantage of this technique, our readers can experience the same feelings we felt, without our having to explain them. I find this advice valuable.”

Thank you Neena!

I call these poems my Riverside Haiku....regardless if they are true Haiku or not, writing these small three lined poems expanded my experience by the river…

riverside

morning rhythm ripples

heron in silence

~

stream rushes

sparkles on the water

a way home

~

river bends

homeward bound

front door opens

~

meditation

matters for eternity

unsolved puzzle

~

spirit

ever renewal

river flows

~

By Jane Rosalea Brown, May, 2023

If you like to write poetry, explore Haiku….it is fascinating! My deepest gratitude to Neena Singh for inspiring me to share my poems and for your generous sharing of your knowledge of Haiku. I love your beautiful Haiku poetry.

Have fun with your Haiku!

Peacefully, Jane

Jane Rosalea Brown, BA, CSW

Peaceful Way Meditation Blog

Author, In Silence, Discovering Self through Meditation

Author Name: Jane Rosalea Booth

Neena can be contacted via:

Twitter – @NeenaSingh7
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/neenas
Instagram – @neenapp

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10 Vivid Haikus to leave you Breathless

A Guest Article by

By Thea Vouitiritsas,

~ “10 Vivid Haikus to Leave You Breathless”

Traditional and structured, this short form of Japanese poetry is well-known for its rule of 5/7/5: five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, and five again in the third. Haikus are known for their ability to paint a vivid picture in just a few words. A practice of artistic discipline, their minimal nature forces writers to pare down to only the essentials—making each word, or even syllable, count.

“The Old Pond” by Matsuo Bashō

An old silent pond

A frog jumps into the pond—

Splash! Silence again.

This traditional example comes from Matsuo Bashō, one of the four great masters of Haiku. Historically, haikus are a derivative of the Japanese Hokku. Hokkus are collaborative poems which follow the 5/7/5 rule. They are meant to comment on the season or surroundings of the authors and create some sort of contrasting imagery separated by a kireji or “cutting word” (like “Splash!”).

“A World of Dew” by Kobayashi Issa

A world of dew,

And within every dewdrop

A world of struggle.

Though sometimes, the kireji comes at the end of a haiku to give it a sense of closure. Kobayashi Issa, another great Haiku master, writes this stirring poem that places the kireji at the end. Translated, Issa’s haiku doesn’t meet the 5/7/5 rule, but its power remains.

“Lighting One Candle” by Yosa Buson

The light of a candle

Is transferred to another candle—

Spring twilight

Haikus focus on a brief moment in time, juxtaposing two images, and creating a sudden sense of enlightenment. A good example of this is haiku master Yosa Buson’s comparison of a singular candle with the starry wonderment of the spring sky.

“A Poppy Blooms” by Katsushika Hokusai

I write, erase, rewrite

Erase again, and then

A poppy blooms.

Katsushika Hokusai, a disciple of Bashō, writes another powerful haiku that translation cannot accurately capture. In it, he compares a written poem to a blooming poppy. He uses imagery of the spring season to describe his writing process.

“Over the Wintry” by Natsume Sōseki

Over the wintry

Forest, winds howl in rage

With no leaves to blow.

A slightly more modern Japanese poet, Natsume Sōseki, likens his breath to the wind in this haunting haiku. He learned the art of composing haikus from one of the four great haiku masters: Masaoka Shiki. As the art of the haiku traveled west, influential American writers like Ezra Pound picked up the craft.

“In a Station of the Metro” by Ezra Pound

The apparition of these faces in the crowd;

Petals on a wet, black bough.

Describing the Paris Underground, “In a Station of the Metro” is often considered the first haiku written in English, though it does not follow the 5/7/5 structure. As Pound believed that superfluous words tend to dull an image, the philosophy of the Haiku is perfectly up his alley.

“The Taste of Rain” by Jack Kerouac

The taste

Of rain

—Why kneel?

Jack Kerouac proposed that, because the English language structure is different than Japanese, the western haiku should “simply say a lot in three short lines in any Western language. Above all, a Haiku must be very simple and free of all poetic trickery and make a little picture and yet be as airy and graceful as a Vivaldi Pastorella.” In Book of Haikus, Kerouac experiments this formal and freestyle.

Many western authors like to break with the 5/7/5 rule, but maintain the power, simplicity, and brevity.

Sonia Sanchez “Haiku [for you]”

love between us is

speech and breath. loving you is

a long river running.

Known for her innovative use of traditional formats like haiku in a modern context, even infusing them with bluesy rhythm, Sonia Sanchez received high praise for her collection Morning Haiku. In its opening essay, Sanchez expresses her deep appreciation for haiku as an art form.

Ravi Shankar “Lines on a Skull”

life’s little, our heads

sad. Redeemed and wasting clay

this chance. Be of use.

A slightly darker take on the art of haiku, “Lines on a Skull” is inspired by Lord Byron’s “Lines Inscribed Upon a Cup formed from a Skull.” Poet Ravi Shankar distills this late seventeenth-century poet’s words into a more modern, potent, and visceral version.  

Joyce Clement “Birds Punctuate the Days”

Period

One blue egg all summer long

Now gone

Poet Joyce Clement currently serves as a director of the Haiku Circle in Northfield, Massachusetts and co-editor of Frogpond, the journal of The Haiku Society of America; the title, a gentle nod to haiku master Bashō.

By Thea Vouitiritsas, April 18, 2019 http://www.read poetry.com

https://www.readpoetry.com/author/theavoutiritsas/

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Spring Haiku

Snow has been falling since early morning and a thick layer is covering the snow drop flowers that I could see yesterday in the garden.  So I am sharing some Japanese Haiku to keep us in the awakening energies of spring! The good news is the Robins have returned to Meaford! Spring is here even if it doesn’t look like it today!  Enjoy your day!

Kobayashi Issa (1763 – 1828) was a Japanese poet and priest. It is said that he wrote more than 20,000 haiku poems in his lifetime. Here are some of his spring haikus.

Every Tree

by Kobayashi Issa

Every tree
With its calling card…
Spring buds.

Spring Peace

by Kobayashi Issa

Spring peace–
After rain, a gang war
Garden sparrows.

Once Again

by Kobayashi Issa

“A world of grief and pain

Flowers bloom
Even then”
― Kobayashi Issa, 

I enjoy writing Haiku ~

 

Spring’s Rhythm

Morning snow falling

below roots stir quietly
with spring’s rhythm

~Jane Rosalea Brown

 

“Beloved, come with me

Fly in moments of wonder

Birthing spring’s first love.”

~Jane Rosalea Brown

 

Listen to your heart

The truth is in each moment

Dwell not in the past

~Jane Rosalea Brown

 

May love and peace fill your day,

Jane

 

A Peaceful Way, the way of the heart

Jane Rosalea Brown, BA, CSW, USUI Reiki Master,

You Can Make Hope Happen! Hope Haven Therapeutic Riding and Wellness Centre

Author ~ In Silence, Discovering Self through Meditation Author name Jane Rosalea Booth

Inner Peace Reiki with Jane Rosalea Brown, USUI Reiki Master

Reiki for Horses

Join me on Twitter @janerbooth

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A Hundred Blessings – Rumi

This is one of my favourite poems by Rumi.  The last two lines express the power of love when we listen in silence.  We live in a world where words are used in great abundance. We are bombarded with them everyday.  But how special is it when someone simply looks at you and you can feel their love…no words only feelings.  Rumi says we must be quiet to ‘let love speak from the nest of silence.’

Rumi allows each person to interpret what the ‘nest of silence’ is…but says love comes with a hundred blessings!  Love is the key to happiness, compassion and inner peace and when we live from our heart, we are truly blessed in so many ways.  Yet, Rumi reminds us of how tender love is and we must take care so we do not chase it away.

Hundred Blessings – Rumi

When Love comes suddenly and taps
on your window, run and let it in,
but first shut the door of your reason,
even the smallest hint chases love away,
like smoke that drowns the freshness
of the morning breeze.

To reason, Love can only say
the way is barred, you can’t pass through,
but to the lover it offers a hundred blessings.
Before the mind decides to take a step,
Love has reached the seventh heaven.
Love has climbed the Holy Mountain.
I must stop this talk now and let
Love speak from its nest of silence

Peacefully, Jane

Jane Rosalea Brown,BA, CSW, USUI Reiki Master, IONS Conscious Aging

Author ~ In Silence, Discovering Self through Meditation Author name Jane Rosalea Booth

Inner Peace Reiki with Jane Rosalea Brown, USUI Reiki Master

Reiki for Horses

Conscious Aging Program

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Two wonderful questions – Hafiz

Some days we wonder how to make our lives more meaningful and happy.  The Persian poet Hafiz says we can ask two simple questions.  What a wonderful world we would have if each of asked these questions to one another.  The world needs us to share our love.

It happens all the time in heaven, And some day It will begin to happen Again on earth – That men and women who are married, And men and men who are Lovers, And women and women Who give each other Light, Often will get down on their knees And while so tenderly Holding their lover’s hand, With tears in their eyes, Will sincerely speak, saying, ‘My dear, How can I be more loving to you; How can I be more Kind?’ Hafiz

How can I be more loving to you?  How can I be more kind?  Carry these questions with you today.  Ask them…even if it is in your mind…to everyone you meet.  Watch how your day transforms in so many loving ways.

Blessings of peace,

Peacefully, Jane

A Peaceful Way

USUI Inner peace Reiki sessions

Equine Reiki

 

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Basho’s Haiku – Beautiful Simplicity

Many who visit my blog enjoy reading poetry by Japanese poet Basho. Here is some information about him from Wikipedia.

Matsuo Basho (松尾 芭蕉, 1644–1694), born 松尾 金作, then Matsuo Chūemon Munefusa (松尾 忠右衛門 宗房),^[2][3] was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan.

During his lifetime, Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative haikai no rengaform; today, after centuries of commentary, he is recognized as the greatest master of haiku (then called hokku). Matsuo Bashō’s poetry is internationally renowned; and, in Japan, many of his poems are reproduced on monuments and traditional sites.

Although Bashō is justifiably famous in the West for his hokku, he himself believed his best work lay in leading and participating in renku. He is quoted as saying, “Many of my followers can write hokku as well as I can. Where I show who I really am is in linking haikai verses.”^[4]

Bashō was introduced to poetry at a young age, and after integrating himself into the intellectual scene of Edo (modern Tokyo) he quickly became well known throughout Japan. He made a living as a teacher; but then renounced the social, urban life of the literary circles and was inclined to wander throughout the country, heading west, east, and far into the northern wilderness to gain inspiration for his writing.

 A statute of Basho

His poems were influenced by his firsthand experience of the world around him, often encapsulating the feeling of a scene in a few simple elements.
even a horse

arrests my eyes—on this

snowy morrow [1684]

another year is gone

 

a traveler’s shade on my head,

straw sandals at my feet [1685]

 

an ancient pond

a frog jumps in

the splash of water [1686]

 

now then, let’s go out

to enjoy the snow … until

I slip and fall! [1688]

Jane’s Haiku

Here is a Haiku that the above haiku by Basho inspired after my morning walk in the snow!

Inner child’s call
Joy of heart’s true passion
Playing in the snow
Feb. 12, 2018
Jane Rosalea Brown

Have fun and try writing some Haiku.  Quiet your mind like you do when you meditate. Listen within and let the words flow.  Most Haiku in modern day.. 5 syllables…7 syllables..5 syllables (3 lines)  I loved to read them,

Peacefully, Jane

 

Jane Rosalea Brown, BA, CSW

USUI Reiki Master

Author In Silence, Discovering Self through Meditation

Author name: Jane Rosalea Booth

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As Winter Nears – A Time for Yourself

In a few days we celebrate the Winter’s Solstice.  Winter weather arrived well before the 21st of December in Ontario.  Like many Canadians, I love winter in spite of its challenges, it’s bountiful beauty is so wonderful to witness.  Here are some thoughts about winter to contemplate.

“In the depths of winter I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.”
–  Albert Camus

“There is a privacy about it which no other season gives you …..  In spring, summer and fall people sort of have an open season on each other; only in the winter, in the country, can you have longer, quiet stretches when you can savor belonging to yourself.”
–  Ruth Stout

“Winter, a lingering season, is a time to gather golden moments, embark upon a sentimental journey, and enjoy every idle hour. ”
–  John Boswell

“All the leaves are brown
And the sky is grey
I went for a walk
On a winter’s day
I’d be safe and warm
If I was in L.A.
California dreamin’
On such a winter’s day.”
–  Mammas and Pappas, California Dreamin

 

“God gave us our memories so that we might have roses in December.”
–   J. M. Barrie

“Whispering breath of light

Freshness of the fallen snow

Stillness in the forest

A sanctuary of inner peace

The way of infinite love”

~Jane Rosalea Booth

Enjoy your snowy days with snowflakes covering the earth with a blanket of peace protecting all below that is alive and resting…giving light to all above with its radiant whiteness.

Peacefully with love, Jane

Author’s Bio:

Jane Rosalea Booth, BA, CSW, an experienced holistic workshop facilitator, promotes seeing the connection of nature, art and heart centered spirituality for inner peace and spiritual self-mastery. Jane is Author of In Silence, Discovering Self through Meditation. Jane is a Minister of Spiritual Peacemaking, a Certified USUI Reiki Master, and creator of Peaceful Path Women’s Workshops and Retreats.

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