As part of this weeks challenge we are as a class of desperately relevant and zeitgeist writers and poets are to write Haiku's. I remember being a severely pretentious student, (its true I may well still be a severely pretentious student) stunned by the weight of my own colossal philosophy, smoking roll ups and reading books of Basho's work. The trick to social survival in this dishonestly laid back atmosphere was to find an equally narcissistic boyfriend who himself was struggling with a Cinderella Complex so great that even his parents no longer admitted he was theirs. Hopefully he was a drama student and would read Basho to you and, because he was a drama student, he would know that right before the last line he needed to pause dramatically and then release the poetic nugget in a hushed, important tone. Of course the rest of the assembled crew would nod sagely through the smoke and say things like "Aching, Dude" and "Like, sheewow man." Ahh those halcyon days.
So anyway, back to the Haikus for the week, destined to produce no less dramatic results when we next meet up but these, I am determined, will be Hailkus for grownups. So far i have produced this one, which is all about how I can't write one as I don't find it easy to write in the present tense (yes well done, any hack psychologist can interpret that one) and the resulting anxiety.
Haiku 1
Kitchen table haiku
in present tense
- present, and tense.
I am not sure it fulfills the requirements of the form? It has position (the kitchen table) in lieu of a season. I am hoping the contrast is between "present tense" and "present and tense" ? I cant decide - ideas? Maybe I will be clearer on this if I can find a drama student who smokes roll ups to read it for me. Aching, Dude.
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I wonder whether the notion of including reference to a season is so vital in western haiku. Ah but could we get a sense of season from "kitchen table" in that if the weather were warmer one would be out in nature so kitchen table could denote winter??? like the tenseness about haiku and presentness - succinct and sweet!
ReplyDeleteI've done some on my blog, http://creatibbles.blogspot.com/ and on Saturday attended a free workshop on creative writing at Forest Hill Library and guess what we were working on ??? yes, more haiku! so practice opportunities popping up all over the place - not only was the workshop free but we each got a copy of a book of performances at Ladders & Snakes events including poetry ... couldn't believe my luck!
Keep up the good work!
Narayani
thanks Narayani - yes i think we can substitute "position" for "season" in our western attempts.
ReplyDeleteI think it is so important to do things like workshops to give yourself every opportunity to learn and grow. More than that i think that creating a community of creative support around you is so valuable and very exciting things can come of that. We always think of writing as a solitary process and of course it very much is but even the solitude of something like meditation can be magnified by meditation communities which is why Buddhism for eg counsels on the importance of group mantra ergo, writerly meditation can also benefit from group mantra?