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Today it’s haibun Monday again, with me Björn hostin. As you might have understood I love to walk, to see a path before me, and just feel my feet moving me forward. This weekend I have walked both my mother and my mother in law, and for them walking is now a strenuous effort they can only do with the support of a walker frame. Yet when spring has finally arrived (and is more like an early arrival of summer) it’s easy to see how much walking does for them.
A woman walking in garden by Vincent van Gogh.
Today I want you to write a compact (not more than three paragraphs) haibun inspired by the concept of walking. It could be a pilgrimage, it can be an exercise or just for the purpose of thinking, or finding yourself a visitor to nature. I have included a few quotes to inspire you, but if you prefer to not use them, that’s alright too.
It would be fun if you could include a photo from one of your recent walks as well.
“All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols
“I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.”
― John Muir, John of the Mountains: The Unpublished Journals of John Muir
“Home is everything you can walk to.”
― Jerry Spinelli, Stargirl
“But the beauty is in the walking — we are betrayed by destinations.”
― Gwyn Thomas
“Walking is a virtue, tourism is a deadly sin.”
― Bruce Chatwin, What Am I Doing Here?
So I want you to write your new haibun on this theme, link up below, and have fun reading what your poetic friends have written. Please link back to the dVerse site.
dVerse 
Hullo everybody 🙂 This is my first time in more than a year (two?) participating in dVerse, and I’m thrilled to be back. I enjoy reading haibun, but have never written one until today
Can’t wait to sink my teeth into all your poems!
Wonderful to have you here… and now you are officially part of the team at the bar.
Happy to see you!
Happy to see you! I’ll be reading poems in the morning — over my first and second cup of steaming hot coffee. Look forward to seeing yours. Welcome back!
This is the kind of prompt that makes me want to write a plethora of poems, of any form. I think of my poetry ideal, Mary Oliver, and how the majority of her works springs from those walks, from her close connection to nature. At the moment, the dogs are glaring at me, waiting for their walk.
With spring and finally summer it was a prompt that I felt we needed… ha and dogs so much need their walk just like old mothers… (though the latter might need more convincing)
Ah we are kindred spirits. Mary Oliver and the love of dogs. Sadly, when we moved to Boston in 1997, we became carless and petless. For soooo many years we had dogs — German Shepherds and then Standard Poodles. And how we loved walkig with them! 🙂
Ah, you have inspired me and we are having a morning off walking in Rhodes. I will check on all your poems as I love reading them but it is our last day in this beautiful place and we will be off walking again soon!
I took a walk with my son yesterday as well, and also about a week ago. I do not use a walker yet, but he told me that if I ever want a motorized scooter, he’ll get me one, or he’ll push me around in a chair, so not to worry. (smiles)
Nice to know he is looking out for my future.
I love this prompt and that it is to be a haibun. I never did a haibun before dverse, and now I’ve done one or two on my own. My husband likes to read them as well.
I think walking is so much part of being human… So I’m glad the prompt spoke to you.
My mom has a candy apple red motorized scooter/chair and loves it. She also has one of those rollators and it is easy to push her around in that plus she can use it as a walker when she chooses. How nice to have a walk with your son on Mother’s Day and for him to be so concerned about your future. What a gift. I am so glad you are enjoying doing haibun.
Some day I MUST meet your mother! First a wonderful okra story and now to find out she has a candy apple red motorized scooter. Why am I not surprised it is not a dull grey one??? 🙂
I finally found some flame decals and will be decorating soon. She fancies herself quite the Road Warrior.
Good evening friends… I walked in a little bit late to the bar today… It’s crazy at work these days and I’m trying to work in parallel…
We’ll cover for you, Bjorn, until you can RUN, not walk, away from the craziness of work.
Last night I was in negotiations from 9PM untill Midnight… today I have to continue working on reading some legal documents….
Legal documents…..my deepest sympathies. Hope you get to run, not walk, away soon.
Oh, yuk.
And now I have negotiations again… Soon midnight againt
UGH!
Hi Bjorn!!!! and I think of the TV sitcom Cheers when Norm walked in. Wonderful prompt.
And here is a You Tube embed if interested of one of my favorite “walking” songs and videos…..
I so remember that song… way better than Cher’s version…
Much better. His voice is perfect for the song. Having walked in Memphis many times, I did enjoy this song when it came out. Next time you come to the US, visit Memphis. Skip Graceland. Especially during their Barbecue Festival Competition along the river….oh my!!!!
I lived in Eastern Tennessee many years ago… (4 months only) but I never made it to Memphis…
My dearest friend is in East TN – her origins and then returned a few years ago to caretake her mother. I love their accents and the mountains in E. TN. W. TN is a different pace and voice inflection. Lord have mercy on us, folks in E. TN put mayo and dill pickles on their BBQ sandwiches. In Memphis, such a thing is a dousing in the Mississippi river offense. My mother is in middle TN – yet another take on that hospitable state. Where I obtained my undergraduate – Vanderbilt. Nashville – super city. So vibrant! they have one of the most beautiful public Japanese gardens in the East US.
Very different from Oak Ridge it seems… (which seemed to have very few people originating from TN)
Exactly. One of “my” engineers (one I reviewed and licensed in the state) works there. Anytime I go through, I visit. Oak Ridge is like my home town of Durham, NC. Because of Duke U and their massive medical and law schools and people who go there and end up staying, very few old family “native” Durhamites. But great for diversity of thoughts and cultures that blend with southern culture. Oak Ridge is very different from most “towns”….and I know you know several of the reasons why. Nuclear energy does have a certain….element of fear and awe.
A few years ago,I went to Memphis with a friend who wanted to visit Graceland. It did not move me like the sounds of the blues and the novelty of walking from one venue to the next to hear a variety of artists. We feasted upon ribs, catfish and deep fried pickles.
Yeppers. Sounds like the perfect way to visit Memphis (or, Mumphis as they say) – food, music, the people.
I enjoyed this music video, Toni!
Good. Something in it really has appealed to me through time.
Enjoyed the song, which I hadn’t heard before. And thrilled to see they have a statue. (Well of course they would, now that I come to think of it.)
Great prompt, Bjorn! Thanks for the opportunity to share my Mother’s Day adventure to the iris farm. I might have another involving walking the dog, but when you asked for a picture, I decided I needed to write this one first.
Iris farm!!!! yay!!!!!!!!
I have been walking around our neighborhood lately to feel the fresh spring air. Thanks for the wonderful prompt Bjorn and I am hitting the poetry trail now ~
Happy Monday everyone ~
Walking is wonderful, and goes back to the idea of Basho’s original haibun-
First day in 7+ that the sun decided to shine in Boston! HURRAH! I was about ready to cut a circle and strips from yellow construction paper and tape it on my window 🙂 So — of course I went walking.
Will do my reading tomorrow AM — over my usual hot steaming coffee. Looking forward to haibun reading Tuesday!
PS: does anyone else’s auto-correct change the word “haibun” to “habit?” Looking forward to walking with everyone one early tomorrow morn 🙂
Wonderful that you got some sun… we have had weather that feels like summer now for almost a week… But my spellchecker only tell me that haibun is wrong.
Nope. I have my auto correct tamed. It didn’t used to like a lot of the Japanese but it has learned to accept them. We had an hour of sun today, this morning. Glorious. I want to plant my garden but it is too wet. Can’t mow my lawn either because of the wet. I feel like a forgotten mildewed book. I pulled out my violin and scraped out Here Comes the Sun hoping to encourage it. Natch. No go. Enjoy your reading and coffee!
I think there are areas that would love to have some wet… maybe a sun-dance can help you.
I wish I could send some of the wet their way. I don’t think I have the stamina for a sun dance. I’m an old fat cat who just finds a warm dry place to nap.
Good morning dVerse poets! It’s drizzling over here in the UK but it’s early yet. Especially in Norfolk where anything can happen. We seem to have our own weather systems in different parts of the county. It might be sunny where I live but a few miles away where my husband works there could be hail!
I’m just watching an early morning robin sitting on the composter – sheltering from the rain under some bramble leaves. No deer this morning – I think one of our neighbours (whose house is his holiday home so he’s only there for a couple of weeks a year) disturbed the wildlife with his ride-on mower!
Walking is a great theme for a haibun, Bjorn, and I don’t know where to begin. I suppose I could take a few steps and see where it takes me…
Goodmorning Kim… I think you have already started to write a haibun with your thoughts on weather.
🙂
Walking is an ordinary, necessary, and beautiful part of living…can’t help but think of Adam & Eve walking with God in the cool of the day…paradise! Might write another one. Thanks, Bjorn, for posting and hosting here.
Late to the party. Happy to be here.
Happy to have you 🙂
Later to the party…but so happy for this glorious haibun prompt. Now I will take a late night stroll to read some wonderful poetry and finish up throughout the week. 🙂
Coming lateish to the party but find it hard to resist haibun!