Poetry – Page 2 – Waking the Baby

Haiku – some thoughts.

There is no direct link with the original Japanese form of Haiku simply because of the differences in spoken and written language.

“Japanese haiku counts sounds, not strictly syllables (the linguistic term is mora—Japanese is a moraic language, not a syllabic one). For example, the word “haiku” itself counts as two syllables in English (hi-ku), but three sounds in Japanese (ha-i-ku). This isn’t how “haiku” is said in Japanese, but it is how its sounds are counted. Similarly, consider “Tokyo.” How many syllables? Most Westerners, thinking that Japan’s capital city is pronounced as “toe-key-oh,” will say three syllables, but that’s incorrect. It’s actually pronounced as “toe-kyo.” So two syllables, right? Actually, no. Rather, it counts as “toe-oh-kyo-oh”—four syllables. Or rather, sounds.” 5-7-5 Essay

Where does this leave the Non-Japanese poet?

I believe Haiku have several elements

The Haiku should be accessible to the reader, it must make sense even if the meaning behind it requires some thought.
For me it is principally set in a time and a place. Again it may not be obvious from the Haiku, but the poet will have taken their time and used observation to inspire the writing.
It shall have three lines, one short, one longer and another shorter.

The first two lines are usually linked with the third giving the reader something to ponder.

Some afficionados can be very rigid in their thinking, but I feel you either appreciate the Haiku or not and it is best not to be too hung up on rules etc.

Haiku is for everyone to write and to enjoy.

Songs of Love

To the tip, my darling.

You could meet me at the tip my darling

By the sump oil or waste cardboard skip

For a long hug and a kiss my darling

It isn’t a very long trip

I’m sat in the garden my darling

With a book and enjoying the sun

I’ll meet you there my darling

I think it will be such fun

You weren’t at the tip my darling

There was no one to hug or to kiss

I just thought it a lovely idea

To add to our feelings of bliss

How I missed you my darling

And tried not think of our hug

So I dumped all my bits and my pieces

Along with a heart, too heavy to lug

Blame the sun my darling

Beaming all lovely and hot

I fell asleep my darling

I wasn’t that I forgot.

I’ve been to the tip my darling

I searched through all of the dross

And there was your heart my darling

Rescued and found by the boss

We’ll both go to the tip my darling

Thank the boss man for all of his trouble

And if all goes to plan my darling

We can kiss and hug by the rubble.

©JohnDaniels

Songs of Healing

Burning Man

Bring me your woes

Your hates your

Regrets your dreams

Your memories your

Loves your confessions

Your regrets your

Loss your anger

Your weakness and

Broken soul

And in the desert

I will burn for you

And in cleansing fire

Join the songs

Rid of all desire

Join the harmony

Join the flames

Rise into the sky.

©JohnDaniels

Enduring

If you should unnatural sleep until the spring,

What of dreams and starry things

And

What of courage and Robin bright,

If you should sleep all winter’s night?

Perhaps, you should incessant weep instead,

What of prayers and daily bread

And

What of love and holding on,

If you should weep all winter gone?

But

Now that earth is capped hard in frosty grip,

What of Snowdrops

Who will upward thrust and dancing trip

And

What of Lambs and warm longing sun?

If this be forgot, this winter long?

Now

Be assured, all will, as always, still go on.

6 January 1999 ©JohnDaniels

Stars

What tears are these

From out this perfect mist

Standing full and clear?

Dreams, part remembered

Or loss perhaps, unrequite

Or guilt, forever steely tight?

No!

They belong

to another night.

And these?

These are from the very

morning of creation!

©JohnDaniels

#Antidote

out of the turmoil

out of the void

out of our hearts

love’s will be deployed

in stealth let’s seek

through time’s boundaries

sacred spaces, shrouds for our myths

found only by those who step aside from the race

by those who gather in re-creation and grace

out of the turmoil

out of the void

out of our hearts

love’s will be deployed

in stealth shall it seek

through all time’s boundaries,

sacred unspaces, shrouds for our myths

known by those who step aside from the race

who gather in re-creation and grace

out of the turmoil

out of the void

out of our hearts

love’s will be deployed

watch,

in stealth it shall seek

through all time’s boundaries,

sacred unspaces, shrouds for our myths

found by those who step aside from the race

and gather in re-creation and grace

I often use the #Antidote hashtag to post things that are uplifting. This is responding to a conversation about how we move from ourselves and our story into a wider accepting space populated with like spirits.

Poetry, a few thoughts.

All ‘Art’ is a three stage conversation, but specifically for Poetry

First there are two private conversations. One between the poet or writer and the page as the process unfolds with ideas and words and drafting and refining.

And then with the reader as the words deliver the poet’s creation raising images, memories and emotions from the reader’s experience merging with the dimensions and insights contained, but not constrained by the poem..

Lastly are the external conversations as the poem is sometimes read aloud and talked about.

Being aware of these three conversations I often write leaving spaces within my choices for the reader’s part of the conversation.

Occasional conversations with those who have read a poem of mine reveal something new, different that I had not either intended or discovered myself and that is a joy, for the poem is therefore given a newness, a life beyond my purview.

Writing is usually a private affair and requires focus and concentration, a form of mindfulness and as such is particularly therapeutic particularly if the primary audience is oneself.

The seeding of a poem can be almost anything and often it is as much a voyage of discovery as the words are laid out. Often the poem is organic, growing in unexpected ways.

There is plenty of material on line and elsewhere on poetic forms and a good deal has an academic background or becomes niche. I find these constraints are not for me though I do write a type of Haiku.

My poetry journey started late and by accident and has ebbed and flowed ever since. I wrote some simple childhood memories in a column fashion and I realised they had something of a poem about them.

We had poetry at school and to be honest, it was dire and didn’t connect. Poems like Wordsworth’s Christabel and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Coleridge.

Rote learning was something I never mastered.

I believe everyone has the capacity to not just enjoy poetry in some form or other but given the circumstances, to enjoy writing.