Relaxing with Haiku

Like the Japanese Macaque (Snow Monkey) in the Photo above, I have just spent a morning relaxing. Unfortunately I do not have a thermal spring to hand, so I spent my relaxation time sitting in a warm bed writing Haiku.

I feel sure that the traditionalist might complain that they do not all contain a ‘Kigo’ (season) word, or that the themes are not all natural, or some such.

Having read around the subject recently I have learned that modern Haiku are increasingly unlikely to follow the tradition of taking nature as their subject, but the use of juxtaposition continues to be honored.

The style I am using is the British style of 3 lines with 5, 7 and 5 syllables respectively.

I find writing Haiku a very relaxing way of passing time, and an extremely useful tool in my pain management tool box. The rigid structure seems to aid my writing when I am having a flare up or a setback and it also seems to divert my attention away from some of my discomfort.

The fact that I have managed to write about twenty Haiku since New Year’s Eve is testament to the fact that I have not been feeling that great since last Friday, having reflected on this I realized that during the Christmas rush, which I had planned well ahead, I had not taken the time to produce a proper pacing plan for the week surrounding New Year, hence my ninth Haiku.

I hope that you enjoy reading these Haiku and that 2012 has started well for you.

New Year

The rush is over,
It’s back to the old routine,
A stone heavier.

Christmas Toys

The toys lie scattered,
Children play excitedly,
With the toys’ boxes.

Gales

The South Westerly
Tears at the massive oak tree,
I watch from inside.

New Year Resolutions

They lie in tatters,
The New Year Resolutions;
Just a ‘to-do’ list

Half Full

Vicious wind roars past,
Rain falls horizontally.
Sun shines above clouds.

The Cat

Curled up in a ball,
Soft purr invites you to stroke,
Claws sink into hand.

The Dog

Lies at master’s feet,
Car passes house in street,
Master bowled over.

Turkey

Christmas leftovers,
served curried, fried, boiled and cold.
Kids search dump for scraps.

New Year Flare Up

I’m back in my bed.
Pacing New Year went to pot.
Forgot to plan it.

John Carré Buchanan
10 January 2012

Haiku

The ancient pond,
A frog jumps in.
The sound of the water.

Matsuo Bashou (1686)

I have been writing fairly standard poetry for some time and decided to branch out a little and explore the Haiku.

The Haiku is a styalised Japanese poem, the English version of which follows these basic rules;

1. Haiku do not have to rhyme,
2. Haiku have 3 lines,
3. The lines have 5, 7 and 5 syllables, (these aren’t “syllables” in the western language sense)
4. Ideally they should contain a word that conjures up an image of a season.

This evening I wrote my first eight which I hope hope you enjoy.

Bullies

The hurricane hit hard,
The oak stood firm against all,
Then hit back harder.

Hibernating

Soft mound of dried leaves,
Hedgehogs missing from garden,
Slow heart beat below.

Cobo *

Waves pound rocky shore,
White spume flies high in the sky,
Fish and chips on wall.

* Cobo is one of the biggest beaches in Guernsey, it also has one of the best fish and chip Shops on the Island. There is not much better then sitting on the sea wall on a summer evening and eating fish and chips.

Changes

Caterpillar eats,
Chrysalis hardens on twig,
Beauty flies aloft.

Felix

Cat curls in tight ball,
Purring softly in its sleep,
Claws steeped in dried blood.

Poppies

Fields of pink petals,
Flutter in the Afghan breeze,
Junkie dies in street.

Surfer

Waves power shoreward,
Growing taller and taller,
Lone surfer wipes out.

Kite

Clear blue sky stares down,
Light bounces from rippling sea,
Red kite intrudes.

John Carré Buchanan
03 December 2011