Hello all of you fine, intrepid poets.  Happy Labor (US) Labour (Canada) Day!  I’m sure you all are having a good end to summer although to be honest, Summer will hang around these parts until mid-October.  Those of you farther north are experiencing onset of cooler temperatures and those of you in the Southern Hemisphere are starting to experience early Spring.

But what we all have in common is…The Night Sky!  How many times have we wished upon a falling star, sat out in the warm summer night and gazed at the night sky watching the moon rise or set, dreamed of being on the moon or flying through space, stared at the Milky Way (Amanogawa, River of Heaven – Japanese), made love under the stars, wept in grief at the ending of an era or a life,  sat out alone watching meteor showers or together with friends- we have all experienced the night sky.

We have all kinds of constellations out in the night sky now:  Cygnus (the Swan), Draco, Ursa Major and Minor, Orion, Canis Major and Minor.  We have had various meteor showers over the summer:  Delta Aquarids, Perseids, Orionids.

NASA photo public use

Whether it is a childhood memory or a recent event, I would like for you all to write a one paragraph haibun ending it with a nature based haiku (remember, haiku are always about nature and haibun are always non-fiction).  Give us your heart, your humor, your expertise about the night sky….Whatever happened to you under a night sky from sunset to sunrise.

Here are a few quotes to inspire you as well:
“Be humble for you are made of earth, be noble for you are made from the stars”
Serbian Proverb

“Was this the vast brightness the poet Basho wrote when he wrote of the Milky Way arched over a stormy sea?” Yasunari Kawabata, The Snow Country

“Without the night, we’d never see the stars.”  Tessa Emily Hall, Purple Moon.

So if you haven’t or, if you have linked with us before then:
– On your blog, write your haibun and link it to the dVerse page so that all who read it will come to the dVerse page.
– Post your direct link to your poem under Mr. Linky, read and comment on the links of other poets. This is how we grow our community!
– Enjoy and have fun!

Toni Spencer (kanzensakura, hayesspencer) has been studying, writing, and reading Japanese poetic forms for 40 years.  She is still learning!