triveni spotlight A FEATURE EVERY ALTERNATE DAY! hosts: Kala Ramesh and Vidya Shankar GUEST EDITOR: Keiko Izawa 5th October 2023
aitiai to kaite wa naranu tsuki to kaku
instead of writing
I want to see you
I write the moon
— Sumiko Ikeda (1936 – )
from her collection Tsuki to Kaku (Writing the Moon) 2023
Note: this haiku was written when the poet was exchanging letters with her boyfriend in a distant place.
During this month, I’d like to introduce contemporary Japanese haiku, including kigo, which are referred to as “yūki haiku(有季俳句)”. In yūki haiku, toriawase (matching kigo and the remaining phrases) is the key point, not to mention its creativity and originality. In my view, Japanese haiku are generally simple compared to English (language) haiku, but the subtle sensibility is embedded within as the synergies with the power of kigo. I hope you enjoy karumi (lightness) blended with seasonality in these haiku.
Keiko Izawa
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Thank you for being our next guest editor Keiko Izawa You are bringing something fresh and this is going to be a treat for all our members. _()_
The classic haiku conveys so much in so little. Thanks Keiko!
Over time, two intimates will often develop a private language, a set of expressions that only the two of them understand. The intimacy between the poet and her lover is implied by the fact that she only has to write "the moon" in order for him to understand, "i want to see you." The haiku shows us the intimacy, rather than telling us about it. The haiku also suggests her loneliness without him, the moon being an autumn kigo, and loneliness being associated with autumn.
Salute!!
Unearthing the incredible Haiku Collection >> awesome.
Thank you very much for sharing with your members, all of you... thank you..❤️🙏❤️
A beautiful haiku . I have never read something like this.
I think this is a romantically beautiful haiku. “Moon”, as an autumn kigo, implies that it’s the best season for the Japanese to gaze at the moon in the clearing air. On the other hand, autumn is a lonely season heading into winter. Without him around, the poet must’ve been gazing at various moons, waxing…and…waning. The moon in this haiku, I think, is her heart itself.