HaikaiTALKS
*** Q #25 ***
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haikaiTALKS Q #25: a saturday gathering_under the banyan tree
host: Kala Ramesh
Hearty Congratulations, to Lakshmi Iyer
Vandana has picked Lakshmi’s answer as the best reply to her Q!
Listen to what Vandana has to say:
Dear Kala,
My heartfelt thanks to you and Suraja for giving me this opportunity to explore how the poets feel a connection between spirituality and haiku writing.
I thank all the poets who shared their views and haiku on this topic. Each and every comment was a realisation in itself. I’m bowled over by the beauty of the haiku shared.
The answer which resonated with me the most was Lakshmi’s. Her explanation is beautiful and her haiku are absolutely gorgeous. I marvel at her spontaneity in writing so many wonderful haiku as if she has conjured them by magic.
So with a heart still warm from reading her haiku, I pass over the baton to Lakshmi Iyer.
Have a blessed week ahead.
Warmly,
Vandana
To read the whole discussion that happened for Q 24, here is the link:
Now for Lakshmi’s Q #25
Well, our batch was fortunate to have K Ramesh in the Gurukulam session. In the very first class, he posted a beautiful film of Basho, which was motivating for most of us. It was a voyage - a travelogue - a journey. We were asked to post haiku of what we learnt from the film.
My question is:
Has travel inspired you to write any haiku/ haibun/ tanka?
What inspires you the most? The place, the people, the nature, the flora / fauna, the history, the architecture. It can be national/ international. It can be your hometown/ your city.
Please share your thoughts in 17 syllables or a short haibun or with a tanka. Just try to add the essence of the place you wish to visit or that you have visited. But, before that, please watch the movie. The link is provided below. The film will definitely leave you with memories.
Check out The Voyage of Bashô from Sacco Film Postproduction Zurich on Vimeo.
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Sharing my haiku from the Pune City Tour.
Pune Darshan ...
the guide's eyes counting
our heads
rows of banyan trees ...
deep rooted history
of Shivaji Rao Peshwa
Japanese garden ...
four vultures watching us
watch them
grey dusk ...
my mind reminiscing
the struggle for freedom
........................................
Trivenians are given time until midnight of 20th APRIL (IST) to share your views and reviews!
Waiting to read your responses!
your host,
_kala
Thank you Lakshmi for the wonderful question. And yes so agree with you that we were indeed fortunate to have K. Ramesh as our Guru in Gurukulam.
Taking inspiration from the haibun I've read here and haibun gallery, I've tried something new to me, a kind of stream of consciousness technique. I have also tried to not use pronouns. Have used only one at the end.
Feedback most welcome.
.
infinity
the sweaty ride is best forgotten as the bus trundles to its unique destination pondicherry the booked apartment is clean and well equipped but of course as soon as the travel stains are washed off the first spot for sightseeing in the evening is the main road that runs…
News round
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up and out sharp a brief cat lick sharpens the light
On time to hear the 6 a.m dock whistle, I weave through the pre and post war buildings, collect my round and make haste for the start.
barking dog I take ownership for the broken clock
Like me and most, my dog Max was a bitsa (mongrel), he would head off to search out anything that moved in the shadows. Always finding something, always being someone’s alarm call.
regurgitated war news I drag my feet through father’s youth
The papers o…
The tipping time
Visit to Kerala always excites me. The walk through the backyard picking up, fallen mangoes, tamarind and guavas makes me feel blissful. I was a constant companion for the water channels in the backyard. It was fun to run and rush along with the gushing waters.My grandma's house will always be filled with laughter, chaos, humour, fights, reminisce during the vacation.
loosened ties . . .
again the broomsticks
falls apart
I do not know how long I stood in front of the house looking at the closed gate. I walked into the portico and the smell of jackfruit and mangoes made me uncomfortable.
sold out . . .
an empty trunk box
filled with memories
An…
Captured
Between here and the bank on the other side of the river, a catamaran bobs in the bright morning light. I can hear the water slapping its sides. We are on our summer vacation, on a road trip down South India. Our first halt is at Bhavani village, where my father has hired a small cottage. I’m sitting on the veranda facing a never-ending green rice field. A short distance away, the river meanders toward an ashram.
I’m twelve years old, just entering womanhood, sensing situations in a more intense way. My two elder sisters, always having done things together, have gone off, leaving me alone to my daydreams ... My younger brother is all curled up on the…
In a Glass Bowl
so many
so far from home
winter rain
I’m an American in China working to restart the supply chain disabled by the worst flooding in Thailand in half a century.
translating work instructions—
the universal language
of the office clock
As I walk through the narrow aisle between the cubicles, a woman calls to me from one of the window lit offices reserved for visitors. It’s one of the Thai engineers. She’s extraordinarily petite and in her conservative blue dress, reminds me of Bemelmans’ Madeline. After rummaging through a paper bag, she presents me with a gift—a small package of white cookies shaped like miniature straws. I don't mention that I have allergies and cann…