Haiga

School courtyard at noon. (12/4/14)

Deserted courtyard,
hungry crow pecks wilted sod—
autumn silence grows.

Two Cardinal Pics & One Haiga

Cardinal on hanging planter of wave petunias. (6/16/13)

Sunday afternoon, while talking with my kids who had stopped by to wish me a Happy Father's Day, my son noticed this Northern Cardinal sitting in the planter outside the house. Fortunately that little guy stayed there for long enough for me to grab my camera and get outside to take pictures. My daughter later noted that it was "like he was posing for you!"

Often I'll use moments captured on film (or as digital images) as visual haiku prompts. In truth, when I employ this strategy, what I am writing can best be defined as a haiga. Haiga is a style of Japanese painting based on the aesthetics of haiku, and usually including a haiku. Today, haiga artists combine haiku with paintings, photographs and other art. A haiga (haiku + image, in my case, photographs). The wonderful thing about haiku is that whether what you generate is "good" or "bad" there is always something (a moment) "around" one to offer worthy inspiration.

Cardinal. (6/16/13)

Toes clutching chipped paint
trellis, Cardinal awaits
whatever comes next.

Found Poem & Process

Don’t reuse the leaves
of black walnut trees... Stop the
disease from spreading.

I have occasionally come across found poetry in the past, and did so again today while researching some information for intended use in writing a haiku to go along with a photograph I recently snapped, the resulting pairing of which was to be a haiga of sorts. That exercise was table in favor of the found poem posted above.

Having haiku-on-the-mind, as I read the article entitled "Decaying leaves can be used to make lawn, beds lusher" from The Columbus Dispatch, words began to fall in place. While it was not what I had initially set out to do, I was pleased to have put together this haiku, albeit through the re-arrangment of another's words.

Raindrop Haiga

Backyard ornamental grass at 7:00 a.m., July 18, 2012.

Elusive rain drops
comfort limber blades--
respectful, gentle bows.

First Haiga of NPM

Backyard, yesterday afternoon (3/31/12).

Under fragile pine,
shrewd rabbit nibbles damp grass
one blade at a time.

It's National Poetry Month, so it's as good a time as nay to get back on the haiga (haiku + image, in my case, photographs). The wonderful thing about haiku is that whether what you generate is "good" or "bad" there is always something (a moment) "around" one to offer worthy inspiration. Take, for example, the rabbit my wife and (mostly) I have been keeping an eye on for the past day.

While it has been entertaining the past few days watching the rabbit lay about our backyard avoiding the dog, my wife reminds me that it might not be quite so "fun" when the rabbit and his pals are eating away at our small vegetable garden in a few months.

At worst, though, the experience and frustration of warding off hungry bunnies it will supply fodder for a series of haiga/haiku. At best, they'll (the poems) actually be "good."

Haiga

Orange dawn sky
nurtures young vegetables
within its golden sheet.

Haiga

Lush clouds rain kisses down--
parched petals and leaves
drinking deeply at last!

Oaktree Hydrangea Haiga*

stinky sweet scent of
secretly tipsy blossoms--
buzzing nectar joy!

Breathe in, breathe out… YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!

*Haiga is a style of Japanese painting based on the aesthetics of haikai, and usually including a haiku. Today, haiga artists combine haiku with paintings, photographs and other art.