Tag Archives: senryu

Stuff going on (and a fishing poem)

Brisbane, haiku, , , , , , , ,

clouds swirl
the brisbane eye turns
with the tide

I’ve been a Pied Hill Prawn.   Not all business, some pleasure, and holidays.  More on that later.  Speedpoet’s went well.  I think.  I wasn’t in the audience so hard to say.  I had a ball anyway.  It was fun reading my poems and the haiku/senryu set with Sheish was sweet.  Sheish played harmonica between each ku.  A cleansing of the palate between images.   Loved it.  Thanks for those who came out especially to support and there were those Speedpoet’s regulars in the audience who were very encouraging.  Cheers.

I’ve been participating in Ginko walks for the past few Sundays.  It’s put on by the Queensland Writers Centre and lead by haiku poet Graham Nunn of Another Lost Shark.  Check out this link to the group’s haiku from Kurilpa Bridge.  Hop around Graham’s recent posts to see some anxious poetry about waiting for their baby to decide to head out.

Here is a poem from my recent time with the family down at the Tweed Coast.

Fishing
(with children)

The car park is a long piece of gravel
feet are light and the nylon line

must be cast for them.  Patience catches
nothing half way through a tide

that encouraging nibble
would be nice.  Their fish is given up

for casting stones into the river.  Heavy
sinkers are found at the bottom

of the box.  Another hour of biting
complaints and the car park is a long piece of gravel.

Christmas and New Year Haiku and Senryu

haiku, , , , , ,

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next in line

for santa…

Mummy’s spit in my hair

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Christmas lights…

across the road

traffic light blinking

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Christmas Eve

kids asleep – unwrapping

her

.

new Christmas boardies…

a size too small

after lunch

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hanging on a nail…

the end of the year

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New Year’s calendar

hung over

the kitchen sink

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curb side bin

emptied New Year’s day –

a little bit left

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Aussie themed haiku take#2

haiku, , , , , ,

I wrote so many versions of these Aussie haiku and struggled with some of the edits.  Here are some earlier versions of two of them.  Particularly for  my Brisbane poet friend Jdub.  Let me know which reads better.

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hot and sleepless

karaoke through the night

– Willie Wagtails

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Why do I expect

Anything from this billabong?

– silence

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Australian themed haiku

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sultry

all night karaoke

– Willie Wagtails

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hopping back again…

– in the billabong

dust

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green in the centre,

– first test Gabba pitch,

outside… jacarandas

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I recently found this essay from John Bird, editor of Haiku Dreaming relating to the use of ‘kigo’ (season words) in Australian haiku.  There are so many ideas (rules) being thrown around on the issue of ‘correct’ haiku.  It is an interesting read for those learning about English language haiku, especially when living in a different hemisphere.  The discovery of Haiku Dreaming made me look through my ‘ku’ with a distinct Aussie theme.

Senryu

Children, haiku, senryu, , , ,

Senryu is another of the Japanese short forms of poetry.  It is structurally similar to Haiku but highlights ‘human nature’ and relationships whereas haiku is exclusively about nature.  Find out more here at Alan Pizzarelli.com.  By the way, yes I do have permission for the second senryu.  Before proceeding:  STOP – BREATH – OK? – ENJOY

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racing cars

in a crumpled pile –

his pajamas

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my pregnant wife

on her side

– snores for two

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small boy through trees

spotting a wallaby

spotting him first

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